How to write an excellent personal statement in 10 steps

2. Preparing to write your first draft

Once you've got a bank of notes that you're happy with, it's time to draft your answers to the three personal statement questions.

You can work on your draft directly in Ucas Hub. It has a 'save' button so you can come back and finish your work later (though you will need to remember to click it!).

But you might find it easier to use something like Google Docs, to make the most of its features such as spell check and instant saves.

Either way, writing your draft doesn't have to be a headache. To get started, go through your notes and work out which ones go best with which question. Group them together, so you've got the beginnings of an answer to each question. We'll fine tune those answers in the next steps.

At this stage you may well be wondering: can I use AI to help me here?

The answer (as given by Ucas and various universities) is pretty simple. Using AI is fine, so long as you don't just copy what AI gives you directly into your personal statement. Tools such as ChatGPT are great for getting started, for brainstorming ideas, and for looking for gaps in what you've written.

But if you do a copy/paste job, you can't know for sure that your personal statement is unique, and you run the risk of getting picked up by the Ucas plagiarism checks. So, yep, you can use AI to help. Just don't rely on it to do the whole thing.

3. Answering the first question

You've now got the bones of an answer for each of the three questions. Time to build on that. The first question is all about showing your passion for your chosen course.

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Skip the cliches about how massively important the subject is - you don't want to kick off with something like 'Maths is the language of the universe...'. The admissions staff have heard it all before and it tells them nothing about you personally.

What you need to get across is your genuine enthusiasm for the course, as well as your understanding of what it will entail. Go through the notes you grouped into this section, adding detail where necessary, to create an answer that explains this. (And don't worry about your character count right now. Save that for the editing stage.)

Some things to think about...

• How has your interest in the subject developed so that you now want to study it at university? Was there a specific moment or experience that inspired you?
• What do you already know about the subject? How might you show that your interest extends beyond what you're doing in the classroom?
• Where do you want this course to take you? Is there a specific career path that you have in mind? Why will this course help?

You can keep it simple while still impressing the university staff. Just try to show yourself as someone who really loves the subject you’re applying for.

4. Onto the second question...

Next, grab all the points from your notes that are relevant to the second question.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Be careful, as it's pretty easy to waste a bunch of space here. Yes, this question asks about your qualifications. But nope, you don't need to list them all out.

There's an entirely separate section of your application where you're going to detail all your GCSE grades and so on. The point of this question is to write a little about subjects you're studying that match up with your chosen course.

So, you might talk about coursework you've done that connects with what you're applying for. You could explain what skills you've gained in your studies and how these are going to help you on this uni course. You can show your knowledge of key issues, concepts or theories.

What you're looking to include are examples of how you are actively engaged in work that's clearly related to your chosen course.

• Read more: the ten biggest mistakes when writing your personal statement

5. And then the third question

In the final question, you're getting a bit broader. This one is less directly about your educational background and more generally about you as a person.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Again, the aim is to show off your skills and character. You want the reader to understand that you're going to be a committed and focused student. But once again, you still want to make sure this all ties back to the course you're applying for.

So spend some time thinking about all the experience you have in that subject area. If you’re lucky, this might be direct work experience. That’s going to be particularly appropriate if you’re applying for one of the more vocational subjects such as medicine or journalism.

But many other subjects are less directly connected to work experience. Besides, uni staff realise getting plum work experience placements is easier for some people than others. So cast your net wider when you’re thinking about what you’ve done.

How about after-school clubs? Debating societies? Are you running a blog or vlog that's related to your subject? What key skills and experience have you picked up elsewhere (perhaps from hobbies) that could be tied in with your course choice?

Things you might cover:

• Volunteering or community work
• Work experience or internships
• Hobbies or clubs (eg sports, drama, music)
• Personal projects or self-directed learning
• Travel or cultural experiences

6. Going cliche hunting

Having built answers to the three questions from your notes, you've now got a first draft in place. It might look a bit rough right now. No worries. Your next step is to start editing it down into a thing of personal statement beauty.

Let's start with an easy bit: killing off the cliches.

Full disclosure: the odd cliche here and there isn't going to make or break your personal statement. But, think about your reader: that poor beleagured admissions tutor who's just about to start reading their 704th personal statement of the week.

If you can avoid using phrases that they will undoubtedly have read 703 times before - well, maybe they'll just be in a slightly better mood. Which can only be a good thing for your application.

What follows are some of the most overused lines in personal statements over the years.

• From a young age...
• For as long as I can remember…
• I have always been [interested in/fascinated by]…
• Throughout my life I...
• As [notable person's name] once said...
• I am passionate about learning.... (or anything with the word 'passion' in it)
• ...a thirst for knowledge...
• [Subject] is a very challenging and demanding [career/profession/course]…

Start by weeding this kind of clutter out of your first draft. It will instantly make your personal statement stronger.

Look then for other words adding nothing to your overall message. Most personal statements can be tightened (and shortened) by taking out adjectives and adverbs.

One incredibly easy way to reduce character count is to check where you have used the word 'that', Most of the time, it's not needed, and can be cut without changing the meaning of the sentence.

• Read more: universities reveal all about personal statements

7. Keep it simple

Editing your statement isn’t just about hitting a character count. You need to also make sure your writing is doing its job: explaining why you want to do the course and why you’re right for it.

Simplicity is the key here. Aim for short, punchy sentences that get your point across. Check back through your draft to make sure your points are clear and direct. Keep reminding yourself that you are not writing an essay. Don't use a long word when a shorter one will do.

To give a rather exaggerated example, which of the following sentences is easier to read?

• Convey your central idea with utmost simplicity and unambiguous clarity, ensuring that its meaning is communicated directly.
• Get your point across simply and clearly

The personal statement is not an exercise in creativity or essay writing. You just want to present yourself with clarity.

By editing out superfluous words and weak phrasing, you make the whole thing easier to read - which has got to be a win.

8. Get down to that character count

It sounds like a lot at the start: 4,000 characters. But before you know it, you're up around the 5,000 mark and have no idea what to cut. The thing is: 4,000 characters translates to (roughly) 700 words. Split that out across those three big questions and it doesn't seem like all that much after all.

If you've got too much written down, and you've already followed the tips above about removing cliches and redundant words, take it back to the core aim of your personal statement. Does each point have a clear connection to the course you want to do?

Look at each point you make and rate how effective they are in helping the reader make that connection. Then be ruthless. Cut the points with the lowest ratings. This is going to focus you on the stuff you've written that really matters, and it's going to make your personal statement much tighter as a result.

9. Make sure your personal statement has no mistakes

Now you’ve got a personal statement you’re happy with, you need to make sure there are no mistakes.

Check it, check it a second time, then check it again.

Once you’ve done that, get someone else to check it, too.

You will be doing yourself a massive disservice if you send through a personal statement with spelling and/or grammatical errors. You might have spent months putting this together, but some careless typos can make a lovingly crafted personal statement look like a rush job.

Ask your teachers to look at it, and be open to their feedback. They will have seen a lot of personal statements before; they know what they are talking about. Use what they tell you to make yours even better.

You’ve also got another chance here to look through the content of your personal statement, so you can make sure the balance is right. Make sure your focus is very clearly on the subject you are applying for and why you want to study it.

Now is also a good time to make your parents feel useful. Read your personal statement out to them and get them to give you feedback.

Or try printing it out and mixing it up with a few others (you can find sample personal statements on The Student Room). Get them to read them all and then try to pick yours out. If they can't, perhaps there's not enough of your personality in there.

Don’t post your personal statement on the internet or social media where anyone can see it. You will get picked up by the Ucas plagiarism checker.

10. Don't think about your personal statement for a whole week

If you followed the advice at the very start of this guide, you’ve started your personal statement early. Good job! There are months before you need to submit it. Use one of these weeks to forget about your personal statement completely.

Get on with your life and go nowhere near your personal statement for a whole week. Then open up the document again and read through it with fresh eyes. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on what you’ve written and will be well placed to make more changes, if needed.

• Read more: how to write your personal statement when you have nothing interesting to say

10 steps to your ideal personal statement

In summary, here are the ten steps you should follow to create an outstanding personal statement.

• Start by making lots of notes. List all the things you want to cover

• Match up the points from your notes with each of the three Ucas questions

• Use your notes to write an answer to the first question that shows how you love your subject

• For the second question, find ways to connect your school/college work with your chosen course

• Make sure your answer to the third question stays focused on things that are relevant to your course

• Bin the cliches

• Edit out any flowery language. Write simply and concisely.

• If you're over the character limit, rank your statements in order of importance. Drop the ones that rate lowest

• Check your writing thoroughly and get someone else to check it, too.

• Give your brain a rest by forgetting about your personal statement for a while before going back to review it one last time with fresh eyes.

Personal statement dos and don'ts

Do

• Do remember that your personal statement is your personal statement. It should tell the reader about you, not about the subject itself.
• Do give convincing reasons for why you want to study the course – more than just "enjoying the subject".
• Do find out about the course. Try to make your personal statement relevant to this.
• Do make sure your points are relevant to the course. If you make a point like 'I like reading', 'I travelled abroad', say what you got from it.
• Do go through the whole thing checking your grammar and your spelling. Do this at least twice.
• Do get someone else's opinion on your statement. Read it out to family or friends. Share it with your teacher. Look for feedback wherever you can find it, then act upon it.

Don't

• Don’t make jokes. It's just not the time – save them for your first night in the union.
• Don’t criticise your current school or college or try to blame teachers for any disappointing grades you might have got.
• Don’t be afraid of details. Explain any work, topics or activities you mention. One or two detailed examples will be far more compelling than a paragraph that brushes over five or six.
• Don’t just list what you're doing now. You should pull out the experiences that are relevant to the courses which you're applying to.
• Don’t mention skills and activities without giving examples of when they have been demonstrated by you or what you learned from them.
• Don’t refer to experiences that took place before your GCSEs (or equivalent).
• Don’t give explanations about your physical or mental health. These should be explained in your reference, not your personal statement.
• Don’t write a statement specific to just one institution (unless you're only applying to that one choice).
• Don’t copy and paste the statement from somewhere else! If you’re found to have plagiarised parts of your statement, the universities you apply to will be informed and it could jeopardise your applications.
• Don’t rely on ChatGPT or another AI program to write your personal statement for you. If you use AI to help you get started, make sure you thoroughly edit and personalise the text so it's truly yours. Otherwise you're very much at risk of the plagiarism point above.