The time has come to complete your UCAS applications and this will involve writing a personal statement. This may seem daunting at first as you have to big yourself up and talk about all your own achievements and successes- but don’t worry! You should be proud to share all the wonderful things you have done! I will be telling you three things that I feel should be included in your personal statements.
Relevant work experience
This is an essential part of a personal statement as it shows multiple skills that the admissions at University will be looking for.
A good thing to write about is the relation and similarities between the work you completed as experience and the course that you are applying for.
Examples of this could be work experience in a care home and an application for Nursing or work experience in a press office and an application for Journalism.
Transferable skills
Gained from employment, volunteering or work experience, they are a great way of showing your capability as a prospective student!
One of these skills might be time management; showing that you can organise work experience and can accomplish this around your studies could be an example.
If your employment history has included time in a fast-pace work environment, such as a busy office, then you will likely have organisational skills that can be applied to the needs of your course.
An example of this may be that you work well to deadlines and can structure your activities to get tasks completed in timely manner.
Interests and personal passions
You may be in a position where you are applying for a course that does not require previous study of the subject, therefore writing about your interest and personal passion for the subject will be awesome.
For a course, such as Law, whereby many sixth forms and colleges do not offer it as a Level Three option for students, you may wish to speak about reading you have done of the subject or a personal interest you have in a particular area of Law.
Ambition for your own future could also be included in this section, for example showing that you know about the requirements and expectations of a career in the field of study that you are pursuing.
If you had never studied Counselling Psychology before, you have an opportunity to convey the high level of interest you have in growing a clinic of your own in future.
You could write about how you feel having a degree in the subject area will aid in your career progression.
Phew! That should give you plenty of writing to be getting on with! What I would say is that there are many tips that can also be taken on board when writing your personal statement and definitely make use of all the resources available to you.
Whether that be parents, friends, teachers or peers. Having a broad range of people around you who want you to succeed and are happy to read and amend your personal statement for you is brilliant!
Having people read over and provide feedback may take time, therefore it is even more important to give yourself enough time to write your personal statement. The more time spent drafting and editing means that you have the best chance of the document being the best that it can be!
Good luck!
Worcester Student Life 