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UCAS personal statement checklist
Unless you’re applying for a course that interviews, your personal statement is the only opportunity you have to demonstrate your personality through your application. Once you’ve written your statement, why not use our checklist below to make sure you have got all the vital elements covered.
Changes for 2026 entry
How personal statements are structured is changing for 2026 entry. Check back here later for updates and advice.
The personal statement on your UCAS application is your chance to really sell yourself to the universities you are applying to. We do read them and it can make the difference between receiving an offer and being unsuccessful. Once you’ve got your ideas for your personal statement ready to go, use our handy checklist below to make sure you’ve covered all the important information.
- Have you said in the first two sentences what you would like to study? Remember, be innovative in the way you tell us.
- Have you proofread it? Get everyone involved: friends, family, teachers – anyone that’ll look at it. Try reading it aloud too – doing this will make it very clear if something isn’t quite right.
- Have you used full sentences, paragraphs and proper grammar? It is a formal document so should read like one.
- Have you double-checked your spelling and grammar? The UCAS application form doesn’t have a spellcheck function, so we recommend copying it into a word processor to use theirs (it will also give you the character count – remember you’ve only got 4000 – and that includes spaces!).
- Have you got the balance right? We recommend that your statement should focus 80% on the course, and why you want to study it, and 20% on you and your skills. Other universities might have different ideas on this though.
- Have you talked about why the course you are applying for is interesting to you – you need to convince Admissions Teams that you want to study this subject for at least the next 3 years.
- Have you told us how have you come to this decision on the course you are applying for? Have you shared your experiences – something unique to you?
- Have you provided evidence to any claims you make and told us how, as a result, you are more suitable to the course?
- Have you offered an opinion or discussed a contemporary issue around your subject? The best personal statements show what you’ve learned independently and how it’s informed your opinion.
Your Transferable Skills:
- Have you shown what makes you ideal for the course?
- Are the skills you’ve mentioned relevant to the course? Ask yourself the question ‘so what?’ If you can’t think about a reason to talk about a particular skill, the reader will wonder why you’ve mentioned it at all.
You can use the ABC test to see if you are making it relevant:
- A = Activity: This might be captaining a sports team, or being part of a drama club
- B = Benefit: This is the skill(s) you have gained from doing the activity
- C = Course: How the skill will help you to complete the course successfully
And finally, remember that this is a personal statement. It should be totally unique and all about you. Our final tip is this: If you were to anonymously give your personal statement to someone in your class, could they identify it as yours? If they couldn’t, we need to see more about you in there.
Read our tips for writing a UCAS personal statement
For more advice, see the UCAS tips for writing a personal statement
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University of Stirling Blog
Ucas personal statement checklist.
You may have just started writing your UCAS Personal Statement – or maybe you’re almost done. Either way, you need to review. Here’s a checklist to tick off all the important bits.
Nail the intro [ . ]
The introduction’s your opener, so make sure it stands out. Read it in isolation from everything else and see if it gives you a good summary of you as a person, as well as your motivations for studying your course.
Check the structure [ . ]
Make sure it flows well. Use a clear, linear structure that groups together relevant ideas. Go by the mantra of one idea per paragraph, and write in plain English.
Compare to course requirements [ . ]
It’s important that you make your UCAS Personal Statement laser-focused on the course and subject area you want to study. Look at university course pages to see what kind of person they’re looking for.
Read it aloud [ . ]
Read your personal statement loud in a quiet space. You’ll definitely find better ways to phrase certain sentences. Cut out anything irrelevant that you wouldn’t be comfortable discussing in person.
Make it a personal statement [ . ]
Make it a truly personal statement. If you haven’t added in info about you and why courses/subjects are important to you, get it added in.
Get it reviewed [ . ]
Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can spot things you may have missed. Ask a friend, teacher or family member to do a quick proof read.
4000 characters or less [ . ]
UCAS only allows you to submit 4000 characters or less. If it’s over that limit, edit it down by removing anything not relevant!
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- The Ultimate UCAS Personal Statement Guide
Last Updated: 27th September 2024
Author: Rob Needleman
- Getting started
Table of Contents
When it comes to completing your UCAS application, the Personal Statement is one of the most important parts to consider.
While your grades show your academic ability and Admissions Tests assess your knowledge and capabilities, a Personal Statement is all about you. Tutors want to see the person behind the application and understand why you’re a suitable candidate for your chosen course.
Although each university will have its own unique way of shortlisting applicants, your Personal Statement is your opportunity to demonstrate your strengths and let your personality shine through.
However, over 20,000 students apply for Oxbridge every year which is a lot to compete with. As such, you need to stand out from the crowd and really get across your reasons for wanting to study your topic, which can make the prospect of writing one and including all the right things pressurising. To help you, we have written this ultimate Personal Statement guide. Let’s get started.
How to write a Personal Statement
Your Personal Statement isn’t a long monologue of your life so far, nor a gigantic list of all your achievements. Think of yourself as a storyteller. Start at the beginning with how you developed an interest for your chosen subject and end with where you see yourself after university.
Before You Start
How to get started.
Before you sit down to write your UCAS Personal Statement, the first thing we recommend is to research the courses you want to apply for. This will help you prepare your statement as courses vary from university to university, and your content should reflect these. Bear in mind, you are only able to send one Personal Statement to all your chosen universities, so you can’t overly cater to one. Look at all of the details, including the structure, modules and examination methods, as well as what they’re looking for from a student. This will support your first draft, though bear in mind you’ll redraft a few times before it’s perfect.
For example, Oxford lists the personal characteristics that they look for in applicants to their Medicine degree:
How many words should a Personal Statement be?
Personal Statements can be up to 4,000 characters long (615-800), and no more. This might sound like a lot, but it’s just one side of A4 paper. There’s plenty of information to include, so make sure it’s concise, clear and easy to read.
When to start writing it
It’s never too early to start thinking about your Personal Statement and what you’re going to write about. But there is a deadline : October 15th for all Oxbridge courses including Medicine and Dentistry, and January 25th for other undergraduate subjects. We suggest you begin preparing at the start of the year, as this gives you plenty of time to plan, draft and rewrite until it’s perfect for submission.
Your Personal Statement is the first thing Oxbridge Admissions Tutors will see about you. It’s imperative you get it right.
Our Oxbridge Premium Programmes help you write a successful Personal Statment that ticks all the Admission Tutor’s boxes. Our proven support is implemented through various mediums including Personal Statment Intensive Courses, Personal Statment Marking and Personalised Reading Lists.
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What To Include
Your Personal Statement is a glimpse into your passion, how keen you are to learn and what you already know about your chosen subject. Express your interest by commenting on the areas that fascinate you most. For example, is it helping people that draws you into Medicine, or is it the fascinating human anatomy?
Another great way to show your enthusiasm is through your previous experience in the subject. Demonstrate why you’re suitable for the course by providing evidence of any relevant skills and qualities that relate to this. What are you good at? What have you done that proves it?
- Answering Your Personal Statement Questions
Mention any additional projects, work experience or extra-curricular activities you’ve got involved with that further demonstrate you’re an ideal candidate. Reflect on the skills you’ve gained from these (as long as they’re transferable to your studies). Admissions Tutors will be looking for such information, as well as your unique selling points — give examples of things you’ve done that show you have a wider interest in learning.
You should also try to link your interests, skills and qualities to your university research. However, Oxbridge are not interested in sports, hobbies or if you play any musical instruments — keep it academic.
Show you’re an interesting person and have a true passion for your subject, and your Personal Statement should be a winning one. Your enthusiasm is what will make your statement stand out, so don’t shy away from expressing your love for your chosen subject, though you don’t need to say you’ve dreamed about doing the course your entire life.
Aim to include things like:
- Personal attributes, such as adaptability, problem-solving and organisation
- Employment experience and volunteering work
- Personal interests in your subject
- Relevant extracurricular activities, like any clubs or societies you belong to
- Your future after university
The Structure
The key to writing a good UCAS Personal Statement is getting the structure right, as this can have a huge effect on the message it delivers. Often, students get caught up in the content and forget that presenting information effectively is just as important as the words included.
Each section of your statement needs to be crafted correctly so that Admissions Tutors can digest the information easily. While there are no strict rules on how to structure it — since it’s personal to you — there are a few rules of thumb to use to find the right balance. In general, though, remember to consider the format, structure and content equally, and you’ll write a great Personal Statement.
- Personal Statement Cheat Sheet
Here is a breakdown of how we recommend students to split up their essay:
- Introduction - About six lines
- Academic abilities - 22 - 27 lines
- Extra-curricular information - 10 - 12 lines
- Conclusion - No more than four lines
Personal Statement Introduction
Rightly or wrongly, it is highly likely that your UCAS Personal Statement will be remembered by its opening sentence. It must be something short, sharp, insightful, and catch the reader’s attention. It sets the precedent for the rest of your statement and unfortunately, decides whether your statement is paid particular attention to when read.
- Avoid using overused words like “passionate”, “deeply fascinating”, and “devotion”.
- Avoid using clichéd quotes like the infamous Coco Chanel’s “fashion is not something that exists in dresses only”.
- If you are going to use a quote, then put some effort into researching an obscure yet particularly powerful one – don’t forget to include a reference.
- Draw on your own personal experiences to produce something both original and eye-catching.
Once that’s out of the way, you need to answer the most important question:
The introduction does not need to be very long. It is generally a good idea to open the statement with something that sets the context of your application. For example, someone who is applying to study History may open: ‘History is all around us’, rather than ‘I have always been interested in History because…”
By the end of the introduction the reader should clearly know:
- What subject you are applying for
- What motivated you to apply for this subject
Make sure you keep it personal and honest! The exact phrase: “from a young age, I have always been interested in” was recently used more than 300 times in Personal Statements in a single year, and substituting “young” for “early” gave an additional 292 statements – these phrases can quickly become boring for Admissions Tutors to read!
Personal Statement Main Body
In the rest of your text, your aim should be to demonstrate your suitability for the course by exemplifying your knowledge of the course structure and its requirements through personal experience. Again, there are no rigorous guidelines on how to do this and it is very much down to your own writing style. Whereas some prefer a strict structure, others go for a more synoptic approach, but always remember to be consistent to achieve a flowing, easy to read Personal Statement.
Here’s the structure we recommend:
Paragraph #1: This should cover why you are suited for your subject. This will include your main academic interests, future ambitions (related to the chosen degree), and what makes the course right for you. This should be the academic side of why you want to study this subject.
Paragraph #2: This should still cover why you are suited for your subject. However, it can be less focused on academic topics. If you’ve had to overcome any significant challenges in life and wish to include these in your Personal Statement, this is normally the best place to do so. Similarly, any work experience or relevant prizes & competitions should be included here.
Paragraph #3: This is the smallest part of the main body and is all about extra-curricular activities. It is easy to get carried away in this section and make outrageous claims, e.g. claim to be a mountain climber if all you have ever climbed is a hill at the end of your street etc. Lying is not worth the risk, given that your interviewer may share the same hobby that you claim to be an expert in. So, don’t be caught out!
What you should include in your Personal Statement main body:
- Sports and other hobbies
- Musical instruments
- Work experience
- Personal interests in the field of study
- Personal attributes
What you shouldn’t include in your Personal Statement main body (or anywhere!):
- Negative connotations – always put a positive spin on everything
- Lack of reflection
- Controversy in whatever form it may come
- Generic/stereotypical statements
- Listing things
Personal Statement Conclusion
The conclusion of your Personal Statement should be more about leaving a good final impression rather than conferring any actual information. If you have something useful to say about your interest and desire to study your subject, you shouldn’t be waiting until the very end to say it!
A good conclusion should not include any new information, as this should be in the main body. However, you also need to avoid repeating what you have said earlier in your Personal Statement. This would be both a waste of characters and frustration for the tutor. Instead, it is better to put into context what you have already written and, therefore, make an effort to keep your conclusion relatively short – no more than four lines.
For more inspiration, take a look through our other successful Personal Statement a nalysis articles:
Successful Personal Statement For Medicine At Oxford University
Successful personal statement for law at cambridge, successful personal statement for economics & management at oxford, successful personal statement for natural science (physical) at cambridge, successful personal statement for economics at cambridge, successful personal statement for land economy at cambridge, successful personal statement for chemistry at oxford, successful personal statement for geography at oxford, successful personal statement for classics at oxford, successful personal statement for law at oxford, successful personal statement for classics at cambridge, successful personal statement for engineering at cambridge, successful personal statement for philosophy at cambridge, successful personal statement for veterinary medicine at cambridge, successful personal statement for psychological and behavioural sciences at cambridge, successful personal statement for psychology at oxford, successful personal statement for history at oxford, successful personal statement for physics at oxford, successful personal statement for cambridge mathematics and physics, successful personal statement example for computer science at oxford, successful personal statement for english at cambridge, successful personal statement for oxford english language and literature, successful personal statement for modern languages at oxford, successful personal statement for engineering at oxford, successful personal statement for natural sciences (biological) at cambridge, successful personal statement for ppe at oxford, successful personal statement for dentistry at king’s college london, successful personal statement for medicine at cambridge, our personal statement do’s.
1. Show passion for your subject
Admissions Tutors aren’t going to pick a candidate who doesn’t seem particularly interested in their field. Show your passion and eagerness to learn and succeed. Why do you love your subject? Why have you chosen it? What do you find most interesting and why?
2. Talk about you
This is your chance to talk about you, your interests and skills. It’s no good saying you’re passionate if you don’t prove that you are. Write in a natural style to show off your personality, making sure it’s genuine, relevant and specific.
3. Use appropriate language
Re-read your Personal Statement multiple times and check that the content is academic, engaging and clear.
4. Provide evidence to back up your claims
It’s all well and good saying you love medical science, but this is going to fall flat if you can’t back it up. Talk about your school subjects and results, any wider reading and relevant work experience. Perhaps you attended a lecture on your subject — this would be good evidence.
5. Link your activities outside of education to your course
Tell tutors why these activities are relevant and what you have learned as a result. Focus on transferable skills gained too, such as time management or organisational abilities.
6. Spell check and look for grammatical mistakes
Poor spelling and grammar makes for a terrible first impression, so ensure you triple-check it’s written to the highest standard before submitting it.
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Our Personal Statement dont’s
1. Write a clichéd beginning
Don’t waste time thinking of a catchy opening. The best Personal Statements get to the point quickly, so avoid starting with phrases like “From a young age”, “I am applying for this course because”, and “Throughout my life I have always enjoyed…”. Go straight into why you are interested in your course subject.
2. Use cringe-worthy language and cheap gags
This is not impressive and can indicate that you’re not a serious student. It’s essential you don’t come across as verbose or pretentious too, as Admissions Tutors will spot this immediately. They are well-versed in the ramblings of students who think this tone makes them seem more intellectual.
3. Overcomplicate things
Say what you need to, be specific and don’t waffle too much — you’ll run out of characters fast.
4. Go overboard with extra-curricular activities
Talking about these is good, but the truth is, Admissions Tutors have very little interest in what you do outside of education unless you can find a way to directly link them to your subject.
5. Plagiarise content
You can read Personal Statement examples online for inspiration but avoid copying and pasting them. During your interview, you’re likely to be asked about specific parts of your statement, and if you’re caught off-guard, you’re going to look silly. This could ruin your chances of being accepted. Use a plagiarism detector to ensure your essay is unique.
6. Mention universities or specific courses by name
You can only write one Personal Statement, so it’s the same for each course you apply for. Avoid mentioning specific unis by name or detailing exact specifics of a module, for example. Keep it general.
Now you know what to include in your Personal Statement and the best practices for doing so, we hope you feel more confident writing it. We have plenty of guides and successful personal statement examples to go through in our Free Personal Statement Resources page. Good luck submitting your UCAS application!
First impressions count. Learn how to craft the perfect Personal Statement that demonstrates your suitability to Oxbridge Admissions Tutors.
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A Beginner’s Guide to the UCAS Personal Statement
Let our expert advisors take you through the basics of the personal statement, as well as their top tips for checking admissions tutors' boxes.
- Personal Statements: The Basics
- What Should I Include?
- What Should I Avoid?
- How Do I Start?
- How Do I Finish?
- More Top Tips
The UCAS Personal Statement: The Basics
We talk a lot about personal statements here. That’s because it’s arguable the most important part of the entire UCAS application (at least until interviews, if you need to do them). The statement is your only chance to inject some personality into the application, and to give admissions tutors an idea of who you are, what you are like as a student, and how you stand out from other applicant with similar academic qualifications.
As you only have a limited space to express yourself – just 4,000 characters or 47 lines in the UCAS box (whichever limit you reach first) which is equivalent to just over a full typed page of A4 – you need to make every included sentence count. Whilst you must try and get your personality across, there are also certain hoops you need to jump through as an applicant; certain things to mention, others to avoid, and some recommended ways of doing this. In this article, we will take you through the expectations that admissions tutors will have, to ensure that you are meeting and exceeding said expectations.
There is one guarantee when writing a personal statement – you won’t get a quality, polished personal statement on your first attempt . In fact, it often takes many drafts, lots of editing and plenty of late-night spurs of inspiration to get a strong personal statement that encourages offers from your preferred universities. To assist you in getting started, we’ve gathered together the absolute musts of a personal statement; ensure you’re ticking all of these boxes before making your final adjustments.
It’s called a personal statement but that doesn’t mean Admissions Tutors want a complete timeline of your life from childhood. They want to see the best side of your academic self, your passion for the course and subject you are applying to and an overview of your academic achievements that are relevant to your subject. In your personal statement, it’s beneficial to include;
- Any subject-related work experience you have completed or intend to carry out
- Any courses or lectures you have attended that advanced your knowledge
- Demonstrations of your interest extending beyond the classroom environment
- Your favourite of the books, articles or essays you have read
This is not to say that you can just list these things and be done with it. In fact, admissions tutors will be looking for quite the opposite. With each experience, resource, or work you mention, you should demonstrate how your reading and experiences have expanded your knowledge and developed your interests and understanding of your chosen subject.
Relevant extra-curricular activities and achievements should also get a mention however, how much space you dedicate to this section is dependent on the university you are applying to. For students applying to Oxford, Cambridge or other top UK universities, extra-curricular activities should be kept to a footnote mention with a greater focus on your academic achievements.
For example, if you mention a specific lecture you went to, perhaps delve into the particular aspects of the lecture that you found interesting, and how you researched this in further depth in your own time afterwards. Be very specific in your personal statements: mention theories, the academics who espoused them, and, most importantly, your thoughts and ideas. Remember that no academic is above critique, and you are very much encouraged to share your personal thoughts (provided they are well-researched). This is the best way of showing you have engaged with the material you are reading at a good depth.
Your personal statement is submitted alongside your UCAS form, so there is no need to rehash or revisit certain details such as your A-Levels or GCSE grades. Avoid mentioning anything that is readily available to the Admissions Tutors and instead, use the space to focus on selling your own subject interest and dedication.
Try and keep your personal statement as academically-focused as possible. It is possible to include your captaining of the school rugby team to a championship win, or the Merit you received in your Grade 7 flute exam, but think carefully about how relevant this is to your overall application before devoting valuable words to explaining it in detail.
Aim to remain positive in your personal statement as you are selling your achievements and showing off why you are going to be a good choice for the university, so you should avoid using this space to explain potential disagreements that influenced your grade or reasons behind extended periods of leave.
If there is further information that you feel is beneficial for the Admissions Tutors to know, you should talk to your teacher about including a note in the reference section of your UCAS form. Admission Tutors prefer to read this from the teacher’s point of view, and it ensures you can use your personal statement space for the things that matter – the achievements, interests and eagerness that universities are looking for.
Starting your personal statement can be done in a million ways and is often the part that many students get stuck on. There is no correct way to start your statement off, some applicants choose to begin with a quote that is relevant to their interests while others open with an anecdote that provides insight into where their curiosity for the subject has come from.
How you open will set the tone for the rest of your personal statement, including establishing your enthusiasm and interest in your subjects and providing the Admissions Tutor with an introduction to your personality. Never use someone else’s words or pretend to be someone else in your personal statement, the Admissions Tutors will quickly see through this and with only a short space to express your true academic self, you don’t want to waste space on other’s content. We recommend speaking as though you were speaking to your headteacher, in a clear, mature tone that retains a sense of who you are as an individual.
Finishing your personal statement can be as hard as finding the right words for your introduction. The final paragraph doesn’t have to be long or expansive, but simply enough to round off your statement and summarise your interest and dedication to your chosen subject. This part may need some reworking after 4,000 characters of blowing your own trumpet, so get plenty of feedback to avoid getting carried away and coming across too arrogant or self-assured in your outro!
Remember that a ‘big finish’ is not really required, since you should have convinced the admissions tutors sufficiently in the previous paragraphs. Always be sincere, genuine, and try to summarise the motivation you feel personally to study your chosen subject. Honestly will always shine through!
Some Final Top Tips
- Honesty: NEVER suggest knowledge you don’t possess, or refer to a book you haven’t read. By mentioning something in your personal statement, you are inviting the interviewer to bring it up in interview. Ensure you’re prepared for this possibility.
- Style, Tone & Language: Try to make the statement as fluent as possible. You want the admissions tutors to see that you can write with clarity and precision. This does not mean however that you should get someone else to write it for you. While you would be hard pressed to find an admissions tutor who truly believes that a personal statement is the exclusive work of a student, it’s essential that the style, language, tone and vocabulary are your own. Only include words and phrases that you would be comfortable using at interview. At the same time, do not be too informal: making jokes is dangerous and likely to strike the wrong note, sound over-confident or fail to impress. And beware of overusing superlatives . It is believable that you are ‘fascinated’ and ‘committed’ to your subject, but not ‘completely fascinated’ and ‘utterly committed’.
- Too much tinkering… Getting the personal statement right takes a good deal of time and effort. The process of redrafting is important, but at the same time you need to know when to stop. Many a promising statement has been spoiled by excessive and often, last minute meddling.
- A second pair of eyes: Editing and re-editing a piece entirely about oneself can become exhausting, and it can become difficult to tell what should and shouldn’t be included, and what does and doesn’t make sense for someone else to read. We recommend giving your statement draft to a trusted parent, guardian, family member, teacher, friend, or anyone else who can read through and give you honest appraisal on the clarity of your writing.
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