How to write a personal statement
What is a personal statement?
If you’re applying to study a postgraduate taught course, you will be asked to submit a personal statement. This statement provides an opportunity to showcase your experience, knowledge, and motivation related to your course. It will be read by our course admissions tutors to help them decide whether to offer you a place. Our tips below are designed to help you stand out in your application.
Step 1: How to plan a personal statement
When starting to plan for your postgraduate taught application, we recommend that you firstly visit our how to apply page for guidance to help you to understand the requirements and whether you'll be required to provide a personal statement. Please note: If you are applying for a postgraduate research degree, please visit our ‘How to apply for a postgraduate research degree’ webpage as the requirements will differ.
You can then start to really consider your personal statement as required, taking the chance to get your ideas in order. Be sure to carry out research into your chosen department and our wider university – this will help you to think about why you’re suitable. Also, you should research the course’s entry requirements, so you can outline how you meet them.
Top tip #1 - Start writing well ahead of the deadline
Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to plan, draft, and edit your personal statement. Taking it step by step will make the process much easier, so we recommend trying not to leave everything until right before the application deadline.
Step 2: What to write in your personal statement
The content in each personal statement should be entirely personal to you, however, there are key topics you may want to consider, using the following prompts.
- Motivations - What interests you about the course? What sparked your interest in this study area? What have you done so far to develop your interest?
- Experience - How do you meet the entry requirements? What relevant work experience do you have? How can you contribute to the course and subject area?
- Aspirations - What are your career goals? How can your work contribute to the subject area, University, local communities, and wider society?
If you are applying for multiple courses, please be sure to write a personal statement for each course rather than producing one generic one. This helps to demonstrate to us your motivations and enthusiasm as well as other transferable skills and attributes including organisation, self-management, responsibility and initiative.
Top tip #2 - Be careful when considering the use of AI
We recommend that you avoid using AI as much as possible. Personal statements should show your unique skills, knowledge, experiences, and aspirations. Alternatively, AI-generated content may lack the genuine voice and personal touch that admissions tutors will be looking out for in your application.
Step 3: Define your tone of voice
The tone of your personal statement should be enthusiastic and professional. It should focus on your personal experiences and skills. You should be sure to:
- avoid contractions (shortened phrases) such as “I’d” and “you’d”
- use a range of language that is engaging and captures attention while using short, clear sentences
- stay consistent throughout and keep your statement written in either the first or third person
- avoid using passive voice as active voice is clearer.
Top tip #3 – Proofread your work carefully
Read through your personal statement carefully to ensure it reads clearly and professionally and to catch any errors before you submit your application. You can use free tools like Grammarly to help pick up errors, or you can ask a trusted family member or friend to help in proofreading your work.
Step 4: How to structure a personal statement
Now you have the content, you need to consider how to put this all together. When writing your personal statement, the overall structure needs to be clear and logical. Make sure you include:
- an introduction which explains your interests and what you're applying for
- a detailed main body section with strong examples of your expertise and skills
- a conclusion which summarises your future goals and motivations.
Your personal statement should be around 500 words in a standard 12-point font. To enhance the readability of your personal statement, consider using headings and sub-headings to signpost throughout your document. In every key point you make, follow a structure of point, evidence and explanation to strengthen your statement.
Do you have any questions?
We hope you’ve found this informative and helpful, and that you feel well equipped to get started with your personal statement. When writing your statement or completing an application, making sure to approach it step by step like this may help make the process more manageable and stress free.
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact our Student Recruitment Team, who will be happy to assist you, at study@hud.ac.uk.