This article is divided in 4 parts: part one – how to look for what the universities see as “the perfect candidate”; part two – how to plan your essay; part three – how to structure your essay and incorporate the necessary information; part four – polishing it up.
I hope it will prove to be useful information for all those of you who want to apply in the UK.
Part 1: How to look for the traits the universities think the ideal candidate should possess
The application process I am going to refer to belongs to UCAS (www.ucas.com). There, you can make up to five university choices to which you want your application to be sent. Fortunately or not, you cannot change your application form according to the university you want to apply to, but this does not mean you cannot apply to totally different degrees with the same application form. The key in this process is to read carefully and find those universities with which you are compatible. I strongly believe that you should make a choice without making sure that you are what the university you want to apply to is looking for.
Universities in the UK know very well their staff. They know their staff’s strengths and weaknesses, but they have goals they need to pursue and they have a clear idea of what their graduates should be like. Moreover, the best universities also have contracts with various companies, which allow the employees to recruit the best graduates. These contracts also involve feedback, i.e. if a company feels that the graduates need to do better at delivering presentations, that will get to the university and they will change something in their teaching methods or courses in order to make sure that they provide the best possible graduates on the labour market. So in order to be able to do all this, they need to know from t0 that they can work with you and make you one of the best.
Therefore, in the research stage, when you look for all the university descriptions, pictures, course descriptions, start looking for key words in the presentations so that you have an idea about what kind of students the university wants.
Eg. 1: University College London (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate-study/application-and-entry/undergraduate-study/application-and-entry/ug-selection/)
How we select our students
We are looking for individuals who are enthusiastic and passionate about learning, who are looking to take advantage of every opportunity that UCL will offer them and who will benefit from and contribute to UCL.
What this tells me is:
- I should know what my opportunities at UCL are before applying (i.e. know what career opportunities I have);
- I should prove I can contribute to the life at UCL;
- I should be passionate about what I want to do;
- I should demonstrate I am aware of the fact that studying there involves hard work, but that I can make it, and the only way to do that is by actually having done it already, mostly in academic contexts;
Eg. 2: London School of Economics and Political Science (http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/howToApply/departmentalAdmissionsCriteria/operationalResearch.aspx#What_is_looked_for_in_the_Personal_Statement)
What is looked for in the Personal Statement?
The selectors are looking for an original and well written statement which provides evidence of your genuine interest in and enthusiasm for the study of Management Sciences. Selectors are seeking to identify those applicants with a genuine understanding of the significance and importance of Mathematics as a management tool.
What this tells me is that:
- I should be original;
- I should prove my interest in that course choice;
- I should prepare it thoroughly;
- I should have some very good results in Mathematics or somehow be able to show my interest in this subject on top of being willing to learn more Maths after finishing high school.
- I should prove I understand the difference between Management and Management Sciences;
If, however, this does not feel like you know enough, try to contact a student (preferably from the same educational background as you) in that program or a graduate of that course. It could help you better understand what the program incorporates, what kind of persons your fellows will be, how the professors are like. There are universities which help you to contact a student, just explore their websites as much as you can and take advantage of the opportunities you have. Alternatively, get in touch with one of the organizations representing students of your nationality studying abroad and ask them if they know someone who is studying at the university you are interested in.
It is likely that at a certain point, a university may start to not feel as compatible as before. If something inside you says “this is not right!”, maybe you should listen to your instincts and give that option up, trying to find another. It is too late only after having pressed “submit” and sent your application off.
Nevertheless, do keep in mind that universities are looking for really passionate and special people. It is useless to list activities related to the field if the admission officers cannot find that “spark” somewhere in the personal statement. Do try to show them that you feel you cannot see yourself not studying what you’re applying for and not working in that particular field after graduating.
Part 2: How to plan your essay
The first time I sat down to write my personal statement, I panicked. It was in September 2009, really, really early before the deadline, but I did not know where to start and what to incorporate, neither did I have a clue about what it was wanted from me.
Shortly afterwards, in late October, I met with a representative of the university I was most interested in, London School of Economics. That meeting was truly illuminating, as it helped me see how important details as “The Preliminary Reading List” (Eg. http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degreeProgrammes2011/anthropology/overview_and_features.aspx) or interest in Maths or the ability to make a clear distinction between “Management” and “Management Sciences” are (I applied in a Management Sciences course).
I now realise that before rushing to start writing, it is important to plan or at least do everything in an organized manner. Do not forget to take notes from the very beginning to the end. Do start off by doing some research, but do not stop after reading just the description of the course. Read introductory books, articles or papers presenting what the course you say you want to study really is, go through your CV and select activities which are relevant or, if you’re in an even earlier stage, get involved in activities which can help you develop skills useful for your personal and professional life.
Reading books on that topic or articles from magazines relevant to your field (eg:for Economics related subjects The Economist, the Financial Times or the Harvard Business Review) is not only a great means of giving you a brief insight on what is happening in your field, helping you be more confident in structuring your whole essay, but also, if mentioned in the personal statement, shows your interest in the course.
Planning should involve 2 important features: a to-do list, helping you keep track of what you have done so far and what still needs to be done and a time line, on which you should mark smaller goals helping you get to the perfect personal statement!
Here’s an example:
To-do list:
- Deciding on my top 5 choices;
- Looking for skills the university is looking for in a student;
- Doing some research on books and articles I should read before starting to write;
- Reading those books and articles;
- Deciding on the structure of my essay;
- Deciding on the activities and academic results I want to incorporate;
- Writing the personal statement;
- Editing and polishing it;
- Asking for feedback;
Timeline:
| Week 1 | Days 1-3 | Deciding on my top 5 universities |
| Days 4-7 | Looking for skills | |
| Week 2 | Day 1 | Researching for books and articles |
| Days 2-7 | Reading books and articles | |
| Week 3 | Days 1-7 | Reading books and articles |
| Week 4 | Day 1 | Structure of the essay |
| Day 2 | Selecting my academic & extracurricular activities | |
| Day 3 | Writing the personal statement | |
| Days 4-7 | Editing | |
| Weeks 5&6 | Days 1-7 | Asking for feedback and giving the final touches |
Part 3: Structure of the essay
Most universities advice against over-talking about involvement in extracurricular activities (they say that you should not exceed 25% of the 4000 characters with spaces talking about them); there are career advisers suggesting that the proportions should be: 60% talking about your course and how you are suited to it, 30% about work experience and extracurricular activities, 10% about hobbies and activities that cannot be related to the subject. From my point of view, it is not so easy to separate, as you should talk especially about those extracurricular activities related to the course you want to follow or should relate them to some skills gained which will either be important in showing your suitability for the course or the university to which you want to apply. However, do keep in mind the fact that you need to have clear paragraphs and coherent ideas. One way of doing that is writing a subtitle to each paragraph in the very beginning.
In your essay, you should make sure you incorporate answers to the following questions:
- Why should a university with thousands of applicants a year pick you over somebody else?
- What triggered your interest in the subject you want to study?
- Why do you like it?
- What subjects did you enjoy in school?
- How do your current studies relate to your course choice?
- Did you participate in any contests or Olympiads? What do you feel you gained from them?
- What relevant extracurricular activities/volunteering work did you do throughout high school? What would you say is the most important thing you learned? What skills did you improve?
- Have you received any important accolades assessing your overall activity?
- Did you hold any positions of responsibility in your school?
- What career and future plans do you have?
- Did you apply for or receive any scholarships?
Do keep in mind that you should include answers to the questions above without making your essay sound too technical. Try to make it like a story with a point: convincing the admission officers that they need to say successful to your application. To spice your essay up, do not include quotes, as they are somebody else’s words and this is a personal statement, supposed to say something about you; do not include jokes. What is funny for you, in your culture may be offensive or dull for somebody else. You never know who is going to read your application. What I would do is make sure that you have a catchy introduction (show passion and interest right from the very beginning) and a strong ending. In the main body, do try to incorporate consistent information, but do not exaggerate by giving too much or too little. Find the balance which suits you best. Repeatedly ask yourself the questions: what are my most important achievements? What are the activities I am most pride of? Why is that?
A structure with which most people are really confident is:
Paragraph 1: Interest for the subject. Why is the course attractive to you?
Paragraph 2: Background of academic achievements (Olympiads and contests) and academic interests; tell them how did you get to realize that a particular subject is more appealing; if the academic achievements are not in the field which you want to study, are there any specific transferable skills gained from participating? Try to avoid incorporating aspects already mentioned in the other fields of the UCAS form.
Paragraph 3: In what extracurricular activities or work experiences relevant to your course have you participated? Why are they relevant? What skills did you gain from them?
Paragraph 4: One of the following, according to what is the case: scholarships, accolades, hobbies relevant to the subject; do not forget that the goal is not just to list them, but make them see what you have learned from them, how it is going to help you in your degree.
Paragraph 5: Future plans and closing commitment.
If you feel this structure does not suit you, just play around with the questions above and the paragraphs, making sure you produce something which is both informative and catchy, represents you and is the best version you can come up with.
Part 4: Polishing it up
My personal statement had about 13 versions. I could have just edited the original document over and over, but I wanted to somehow mark the most significant changes made and compare the final and initial versions. It helped me realise and accept the 13th version as being the best it could get and, therefore, the last one. I know I could not have done it without the help of teachers, friends and mentors who had a look on my personal statement and gave me their feedback. I feel it is as important a step as the other stages of your writing an essay.
After finishing off with the first draft of your personal statement, irrespective of how bad you feel it is, do send it off to somebody you trust for the first feedback. It will probably be something related to grammar and vocabulary, but also too long or elliptic sentences, relevant or less important pieces of information you have included. When it comes to vocabulary, however, you should keep in mind the following: do try to avoid repetitions and do try to use a language which is a bit more academic and formal, by sticking to something which represents you. Remember, universities are looking for special individuals and you can only make them see you are special through your essay.
For example, if you have the following sentence:
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, swimming, sketching and solving puzzles and logic problems. I have redesigned and been responsible for the maintenance of my school’s website.
One way in which I would re-write it would be:
Reading magazines as The Economist in my spare time helps me keep up with the world news. Moreover, solving puzzles and logic problems not only relaxes me, but also encourages me to make connections between the pieces of information I know. On top of that, the responsibility of maintaining and redesigning my school’s website stimulated me to learn more about web design on my own and improved my time management skills.
Remember:
- Never copy someone else’s personal statement;
- Write something which represents you;
- Check it many times before sending it off;
- Expect to have numerous drafts before having a final version which makes you say „This is the ONE!”;
- Do not lie, as admission officers do their jobs for enough time to be able to tell you’re lying;
- Give convincing reasons for why you love the subject;
- Do not shrink your results; if you are great, help them see that!;
- Do make your essay stand out;
My personal statement, which was successful for LSE, UCL, Manchester and King’s College and unsuccessful for Edinburgh:
Pressured on becoming more dynamic, the business world has created prevalent modus operandi based on interpreting data processed through information technology. However, making advances requires handling the intricate and delicate balance at play, which entails Economics, Mathematics and Computer Science but also leadership, management, entrepreneurial skills, as well as understanding of business. Declaring my fascination about the complex world of decision-makers would certainly be an understatement on my part.
What kindled my interest for this course was a combination of extracurricular and academic activities. While preparing for the national stage of the Economics Olympiad (after having won 1st place at the regional stage) I became a voracious reader of various business publications. Some of the materials I went through were truly illuminating in my choice of a university course: ‘Introductory Management Science’ by G.D. Eppen, ‘Information Technology and Organizational Transformation’ by R.D. Galliers and Dr. Hossein Arsham’s ‘Success Science’. Consequently, my urge to learn more on the subject was unleashed.
My academic achievements and high school studies come only to reinforce my suitability for this course. I have a penchant for Mathematics, Computer Science and Economics, and I could not possibly imagine not incorporating them into my future activities. What gripped my attention was the applied and critical way of thinking required as well as the constant novelty. Though I have participated in many contests for all three subjects, the American Mathematics Competition, in which I won the 4th place at the regional stage in 2009, was the most tantalizing and demanding. Due to my high scores, I was awarded a monthly merit scholarship starting with 2006.
Under the impetus to find my element and change something in my community, I involved myself in various extracurricular activities, of which the project nearest and dearest to me is Science Week. I initiated and developed it when I was in the 10th form; it represents a fair for five areas in the sciences for over 2500 students, involving about 25 national institutions. The whole experience of initiating and coordinating it not only taught me how to make use of time efficiently but also what it really means to be the leader of a diverse team. In addition, it gave me the insight in motivating people and having the responsibility of creating a success with them, being open and creative to solve problems easier and incorporating closure.
When I started volunteering for the British Council Centre 2 years ago, I did not expect that this experience would make me want to work with multinational organizations once I graduated from university. I am confident that the knowledge and skills such as responsibility and professionalism gained in this multicultural environment will help me in my future studies.
Having received two accolades (3rd prize in a Junior Achievement leadership contest and participation in the “Economics for Leaders” Summer Camp which helped me discover the world of Economics; the Romanian Student of the Year Award, offered by the ‘Dinu Patriciu’ Foundation) as public recognition of the impact of my involvement in the community as well as my academic achievements, made me even more self-confident and aware of the role I can play.
As far as my plans are concerned, I intend to apply for an internship in the planning department of a multinational corporation. Once I graduate, it is my desire to complete a master’s degree and eventually work in operational research as analyst.
Overall, I feel that the analytical side of the management world suits me best and I believe that my previous academic and extracurricular activities and aptitudes I have gained from them, as well as my enthusiasm, creativity and tenacity are backbones for pursuing this undergraduate course, which I perceive as an exclusive door-opening chance of personal and professional fulfillment.
References:
LSE Website: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/howToApply/makingAnApplication/personalStatement/generalInformation.aspx
UCL Website: http://ucl.ac.uk/
UCAS Website: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/applying/howtoapply/personalstatement/
Studential: http://www.studential.com/guide/write_personal_statement.htm
The Student Room: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Writing_Your_Personal_Statement
Ehow: http://www.ehow.com/how_5528700_write-personal-statement-getting-college.html
The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/may/12/ucas-form
Eduers: http://www.eduers.com/personalstatement/howto.htm
50 Harvard Essays: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21298660/50-Harvard-Essays
Studying for a Degree in the Humanities 1986, Ch. 4: Writing Essays, P. Dunleavy
Anca's Blog 
What’s up, just wanted to say, I enjoyed this post. It was helpful. Keep on posting!