For entry in 2009, you must apply to UCAS online.

As part of your application, you must write a personal statement to tell the university or college about yourself, your reasons for applying and why they should want you as a student – in other words, to persuade them to offer you a place.

The personal statement is a very important part of the selection process, so you must try to do it as well as you can.

• what you say is important – it should reflect your commitment and suitability for the course
• how you arrange the material is important – be clear and concise
• how you present the information is important – be honest and accurate
• your spelling and grammar are important

The whole statement shows whether you can express ideas and information clearly and concisely. Your choice of words can indicate how competent and mature you are.

The online application form allows you 4,000 characters, including spaces, in 47 lines of text. You do not have to use all the space if you feel you do not need it, but make sure you include as much relevant information as you can.

Note: UCAS advises you to prepare your statement on a word processing package and then copy and paste it in to the application form.

There are examples of possible personal statements at the end of this article.

However, please note that your personal statement should not include chunks of text copied from any of the many examples of personal statements that can be found on the internet and other resources. UCAS now use software to detect plagiarism in applications.

How do I get started on writing my personal statement?

• you are writing a short essay about yourself – it is not difficult, but you want to get it right
• to start, on a clean sheet of paper or on a word processing package, list all the things you might like to include
• list them as they come into your head - you can put them in order later
• don’t try to complete the list or the personal statement too quickly - take your time, draft ideas, think about them, redraft, discuss it with your family, friends and guidance or pastoral care teacher and come back to it

How will my personal statement be used?

Admissions tutors could use the information in your personal statement along with your reference, and, of course, your exam grades as the basis for

·         making you an offer of a place

·         deciding whether to invite you for interview

·         developing questions to follow up in the interview

·         finding out how well you understand what the course you are applying for is about

·         differentiating between you and other applicants if you are borderline for entry when the results come out.

What sort of things should I include?

 You can include things you have done:

• at school
• in part time work, on work experience or through voluntary work
• with youth groups or sports clubs
• with friends or on your own.

Include any activities related to the course you want to take, or to your career plan. Include tasks which show you have a sense of responsibility, work well as part of a team or are a good organiser. If some tasks have led you into interesting situations, mention them.

Admissions tutors look for people who can put together experiences from different parts of their lives, can give clear reasons for wanting to do their chosen course and can relate it to future plans. They like to see evidence that you work hard and can stick at tasks too.

UCAS suggests that you include some or all of these points:

• why you have chosen the course (this can be difficult if you have chosen a range of subjects - see below)
• why you are interested in the subject, and any extra reading you have done about it
• what career plans you have
• any job, work experience, placement or voluntary work you have done, particularly if it is relevant to the course – and any skills you have gained through this
• any summer schools or mentoring activities in which you have participated
• other achievements, such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award or Young Enterprise
• your plans for the future
• any subjects you are studying for which there is no exam
• any sponsorships or placements you have applied for
• if you plan to take a year out, your reasons and what you intend to do
• your social, sporting and leisure interests.

You want to make a good impression - to stand out from the crowd

• research the courses you are applying for – read prospectuses and course leaflets, look at web sites, go to open days. If there are special requirements, say how you meet them – this is very important for subjects like medicine, where there are a lot of well-qualified applicants
• only write in detail about your Higher or Advanced Higher courses if it relates directly to the course you’re applying to
• organise your material – edit and re-edit on the computer, until you get it the way you want it
• don’t repeat information given elsewhere on the application form – for instance the subjects you are studying are listed in another section
• take care with the layout – organise your statement into paragraphs which follow on from each other
• don’t include anything you could not talk about confidently at an interview
• don’t start every sentence or paragraph with 'I'
• don’t end with a long list of unrelated hobbies
• be positive and enthusiastic
• remember that everything you put down should reinforce your interest in the course or career and your suitability for it
• don’t ramble, or pad it out - never say you can do something when you cannot – you’re bound to get found out!
• take care with your sentence structure and check your spelling and grammar - get someone else to check it too, just to make sure
• if, in the end, your statement is too long for the space, cut out extra words. For instance, ‘My Saturday job in a shop has given me confidence in dealing with the public’ says the same and takes less space than ‘I work every Saturday in a shop. This experience has been valuable in that it has made me more confident in dealing with the public.’
• Remember, each institution you apply to does not know where else you have applied, but they do all read the same personal statement, so bear this in mind – don’t say, for instance ‘I am looking forward to coming to St Andrews’.

Possible outline of a personal statement (just one suggestion - not the only way)

• say why you want to do the course you have chosen
• if you can, say what you want to do afterwards
• if you are applying for several different courses, try to find a common thread, such as caring for people or working in a scientific field
• mention any relevant work experience (including voluntary and placement work) – say when and where you worked, and for how long
• mention any visits you have arranged, related to your course – perhaps to hospital departments, schools, legal offices or science labs
• if you have work experience not directly relevant to your proposed course, are there core (or transferable) skills, which you learned or improved while you were there?
• you may wish to mention particular core skills (transferable skills)
• you might want to include personal qualities – for some courses having specific qualities may be important (for example, patience for teacher training)
• mention any positions of responsibility you hold in school
• mention activities outside school – especially if you have particular strengths or hold a responsible position – even if they do not relate to your course they add to the picture of you as a person
• if you do not take part in activities at school or elsewhere, ask yourself if what you do in your spare time helps develop core skills, or if your interests (including watching TV) relate to what you want to study.

Remember

• if you have applied for deferred entry because you are taking a year out, say what you intend to do - working to build up funds might sound less exciting than going overseas, but it is just as acceptable
• if you have a Progress File, use it to help jog your memory
• discuss your statements with friends - talking may remind you of vital information and a friend may point out something you have missed!
• try to sound interesting!

Good luck!

Examples of personal statements suitable for online application

• Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Administration
• Degree in Marketing
• Degree in Environmental Management
• Degree in Primary Teaching
• Degree in English
• Degree in Veterinary Medicine  

The first 3 courses have strong vocational elements and you might be expected to refer to the career you hope to have after completing the course.  

The degree in Primary Teaching is an example of a course where entry is competitive and for which personal qualities and prior experience are particularly important.

The degree in English is an example of a course with no strong vocational element. You may want to study it because of your interest, but you may have no particular plans for the future. Other subjects without vocational elements include many Arts Faculty courses such as History and Classics.

The degree in Veterinary Medicine is an example of a course where entry is extremely competitive. Note the use of the sub-headings in this example.

Comments on the Personal Statements are given in italics. 

Possible application for an HND in Business Administration

I would like to develop a career in business management. I realise that in order to achieve this I need a sound education, as well as business experience, and I feel that taking the HND in Business Administration would give me a good start.

Several members of my family work in offices and building societies, some as managers. By discussing their jobs with them, I have gained considerable knowledge of what is involved. I have visited several of their offices.

The courses for which I have applied all cover a wide range of business subjects, and include units in management and accounting. These are the areas of work which are of particular interest to me. After gaining experience in the business world, I would like to become a manager and I feel that I must have a good understanding of the principles of accounting if I am to understand the workings of any company.

I spent three weeks during the summer holidays in 2007 working as office junior in my cousin’s office. During this time, I sorted and handed out the post, learned to use the franking machine and did a lot of photocopying. I also made tea and coffee for other members of staff and sometimes served tea to visitors. I got on well with staff members and enjoyed meeting some important visitors.

This gave me a very good idea of what it is like to work in an office and I found it very rewarding.

For my work experience from school, I was lucky enough to spend a week in the Westshire Council Finance Office. I answered the telephone, used a computer to make up invoices and learned to do the filing. Working with other members of the finance team was excellent experience, and I met people working at all levels in the office, including the Director of Finance.

In the Finance Office, I was able to use some of the knowledge I had gained in my Higher Business Management and Accounting courses. My knowledge of accounting was particularly valuable when I had to prepare invoices.

In both my cousin’s office and the Finance Office, I was also able to apply my core skills in

- communication – with colleagues and members of the public, in person and on the phone

- numeracy – when making up invoices and working out postage costs

- information and communication technology – entering data on the computer system

- problem solving – deciding the best way of doing each new job

- working with others – including people I knew and people I did not know.

At school, I am a member of the school choir and sing regularly. When we did a concert to raise money for a local charity last year, I was responsible for collecting the ticket money from the fifty people who had sold tickets. With the help of another member of the choir, I counted the money and balanced it with the ticket sales. I prepared a record of how much was in cash and how much in cheques and handed the money and records to my music teacher to put in the bank.

Outside school, I swim regularly at my local swimming pool, where I am a member of the TeenSwim Club. I have helped arrange several community events, at the pool. This has given me valuable experience in organising and managing events and working with people in an informal situation.

I am a well organised person and I am sure the experience I have gained in the two offices, as well as with the choir and the TeenSwim Club will stand me in good stead both in my future studies and in work in the business field.

c. 2,776 characters

Paras 1, 2 – indicates chosen career, which course selected, and gives some reasons – indicates value of knowing about the work involved in proposed career

Para 3 - justifies choice of courses in the light of special interests - '...units in management and accounting…' – with reasons

Paras 4, 5, 6, 7 – work experience – specifies work done and clearly appreciates value of opportunity to apply knowledge

Para 8 – use of core skills used and improved – gives examples – note use of dashes and spacing for emphasis – do you want to do this?

Para 9 – activities in school and responsibilities taken on

Para 10 – activities outside school, responsibilities and what has been gained

Para 11 – summary, including one personal quality relevant to chosen career

Possible application for a Degree in Marketing

I would like to make my career in marketing. I believe this to be an important and expanding area of work. Businesses producing goods and providing services must be marketed effectively if they are to succeed in finding customers and clients. No matter how good the product or service, no-one will buy it or use it, if they have not heard about it.

Marketing would let me use and develop my considerable creative skills. It would also allow me to apply what I have learned about society in my study of Sociology. I am particularly interested in the ways in which members of society receive messages and the ways in which they react to different media. 

Last year, I spent a one week work placement from school in the marketing department of Joe Bloggs, biscuit manufacturer. During this time I was involved in the promotion of a new, healthy, muesli biscuit. Although I was there for only a short time, I learned a great deal about the merits of the product and also about how a marketing strategy is developed.

While I was there I also gained practical experience in using my core skills: communication (spoken, both in person and on the phone, and written); information and communication technology (using a computer for record keeping); numeracy (recording financial costs); problem solving (helping plan a small part of the promotion); and working with other people as part of a team. This valuable experience was of great benefit to me.

At school I am a member of the Senior Social Committee, which organises regular social events. Advertising these events so that everyone knows about them is important. Over the past year, I have helped to design and produce posters and tickets for both a dance and a concert. I have also been involved in organising the actual events, making sure that all the necessary facilities and equipment were available, and in the right places, in time for the events to start. As a result of this, I realise how vitally important it is to meet deadlines and I can make plans to ensure that they are achieved. I believe that this skill will be valuable in my marketing career.

I also play hockey for the school first team. I played centre forward in the team which won the local schools league trophy in winter 2007. This has given me a strong sense of the importance of teamwork!

Outside of school, I do a lot of photography. I am particularly interested in the development of images suitable for advertising and marketing. One of my photographs was used on the poster for the school dance referred to above.

I feel that I have already gained some knowledge of what it will be like working in a marketing environment, and I have a number of skills which are very relevant.  I look forward to studying the subject in much greater detail and relish the challenges which await me in the world of marketing.

c. 2,324 characters

Paras 1, 2 – indicates chosen career and the importance of the work – links with subject studied already

Para 3 – appreciates value of relevant work experience, and what was learned

Para 4 – details core (transferable) skills used (and possibly learned) in work placement and mentions benefit – note use of brackets – do you want to do this?

Paras 5, 6 – school activities, responsibilities and what has been gained – particularly in relation to chosen career

Para 7 – out of school activities – again related to career

Para 8 – summary – acknowledges that the work will not be easy 

Possible application for a Degree in Environmental Management

I have had a long term interest in the environment ever since, on a primary school visit to a country park, I found a rare crested newt near a pond. This is a species protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and is particularly rare in the north of the country. It was a beautiful little creature.

My interest in wildlife and the environment has grown since then and I would like to take up a career in countryside conservation. The degree courses I have selected all include options which are particularly relevant to the upland and wetland areas in which I would prefer to specialise.

I have already gained a good deal of valuable, relevant and practical experience.

As a member of a junior RSPB group, I have recorded bird species and done bird counts on a nearby bird reserve, as well as in our garden at home. With the same group I have visited other reserves in Scotland and observed a wide range of birds.

In 2007, with the help of my family, I took part in a survey of insect life in the UK which was carried out by the RSPB. The aim was to find out whether a decline in the insect population was affecting the numbers of birds. We had to attach a template to the front of the car over a journey of about 40 miles, then count and record the number of insects caught.

For my work experience from school I was successful in gaining a placement at a local country park. During that week I was able to assist in a survey of visitors, which the countryside rangers were doing at the time. Their aim was to assess the effects which different numbers of visitors have on different types of ground. I could see the severe impact which visitors can have on the environment, especially in the soft ground of the wetland, near the lake. When this survey was completed, the rangers used their findings to back-up their request for money to install boardwalks in some of the more popular areas of the park, so that the environment was not further damaged.

I do a lot of hillwalking and while out in the hills have observed the impact of visitor numbers on other types of environment, including dry grassland and wet peatlands.

Helping with the visitor survey improved my communication skills. I gained confidence in speaking to people I did not know, and in listening to their opinions. It also gave me experience both in working as part of a team and in working independently. I also had to use other core skills: numeracy in totalling numbers of visitors interviewed; information technology when I entered some of the responses on the database; and problem solving when I helped one of the rangers decide which would be the better of two sites to choose as an interview point.

I know that there is considerable competition for the type of job I want to do, but I feel that I have already gained a lot of useful knowledge and skills which will be valuable in my proposed career. I am very enthusiastic and highly motivated to conserve the plants and wildlife of this country, in their natural environments. I look forward to having an opportunity to study them in depth before starting work.

c. 2,540 characters

Generally enthusiastic tone to statement

Para 1 – interesting introductory sentence should attract attention

Para 2 – reasons for career choice – and selection of courses based on content

Paras 3, 4, 5, 6 – relevant experience through out of school activities and school work placement – varied and considerable in this case – omits to give date for work placement

Para 7 – use of observation during informal activity to add to knowledge

Para 8 – focuses on core (transferable) skills and relevance to planned career – too much use of  ‘also’?

Para 9 – summary acknowledging competition and stressing enthusiasm

Possible application for a Degree in Primary Teaching

A course for which personal qualities are particularly important and for which some relevant practical experience is normally required

Whilst spending time with young relatives and with other children, I have realised that my enthusiasm for a subject can catch and hold their interest, and help them to learn.

I enjoy doing this with children and I get a great deal of satisfaction from it. I now feel very strongly that I would like to make a career in Primary Teaching.

I do realise that there are many other aspects involved in the work of a primary teacher, including planning and preparing lessons, preparing materials to use in the classroom, considering how lessons could be improved, marking the children’s work, keeping records and maintaining discipline in the classroom. I realise that the work will be demanding and require time to be spent outside the school day.

In S4, through my school, I spent a week's work experience in a nursery school, working with children aged 3 to 5, and found that very enjoyable and rewarding.

At the end of last term I got in touch with the head teacher of the local primary school and arranged to visit it for two days. This was very valuable experience.

I was allowed to spend one day with Primary 1 and one day with Primary 6, so that I could see how working with the different age groups varied. One of the classes included twins with special learning needs, so I was able to gain some understanding of the difficulties and benefits of integration into mainstream education for those particular children and for the class as a whole. I learned a great deal about the work, through talking to the teachers and classroom assistants.

During the summer holiday I helped with a local playscheme for 8 to 10 year olds. I was involved in arranging arts and crafts activities for them and helped them use a computer to develop designs. I also accompanied the children, with staff and other helpers, on two outings, to a swimming pool and to the zoo. This experience reinforced my view that there are educational elements in a wide range of activities. It also helped me to learn more about working as part of a team of helpers, all of whom had their individual jobs too.

In school I represented my class on the School Council in 4^th and 5^th years, and I am now a prefect.

I have a Saturday job in a small children’s wear shop near home. It is very busy and I enjoy helping the mothers (and grannies!) and children choose clothes. This has given me valuable experience in discussing things with people I do not know, from all walks of life.

Outside school, I am a member of the local golf club and play regularly. I hope to represent my club in next year’s junior championships.

I am a well organised, responsible and reliable person, very interested in child development and able to communicate well with both children and adults. I have a good deal of patience with children who are slower to learn. As the subjects I am studying indicate, I have widely ranging interests.

I would relish the demanding tasks which a primary teacher faces when teaching the wide range of curriculum subjects to the 5 to 12 age group. I feel that I already have some of the skills to cope with the job and I look forward to learning more.

c. 2,561 characters

Text of whole statement flows, reads well and is focussed towards teaching the younger age group.

Para 1 - interesting introductory sentence, related to education, to gain attention

Para 2 – reasons for choice of career – clearly aware of varied tasks of primary teacher – it's not just playing with the children!

Para 3 – work experience arranged by school

Para 4 – experience arranged by self – this shows initiative

Para 5 – highlights relevance of what has been learned during a short time

Para 6 – experience with playscheme – does not say how got involved, or which summer holiday it was

Para 7, 8 – responsibilities in school and Saturday work – latter not relevant to career but helps improve a transferable skill – bit of humour quite acceptable

Para 9 – sport outside school not relevant but adds to picture of individual

Paras 10, 11 – summary noting personal qualities which teachers need – one particular strength, patience with slower children – and appreciation that primary teachers must be able to teach convincingly over a wide range of subjects – shows understanding of (at least some) the problems

Possible application for a Degree in English

English is a course which does not lead to a specific job, and it may well be that you have no definite career plans for the future

I am applying for a degree in English Literature because I wish to pursue my strong interest in this subject. In my first year at university, I also hope to study psychology and sociology, which I have not been able to take at school. I think that deepening my knowledge of these subjects will give me a greater understanding of literature.

The courses I have selected, although widely spread around the country, all offer the possibility of taking these two subjects in first year.

My oral communication skills are good, and I have improved them considerably during the past two years, through my membership of the school Debating Society. In 2007-8, I was secretary of the Debating Society and I am now chair. I have represented the school in competitions on three occasions. On one of these occasions our team won the trophy. As secretary, I maintained records and made arrangements for meetings with other societies. As chair I will have the privilege of meeting and introducing visiting teams. During my year as secretary, I met and helped entertain two influential visitors – our local councillor and our MSP.

I am a member of the school Community Service Group. With other members of the Group, I help regularly, one evening per week, in an old people's home. Last year we recorded memories and stories told by the residents. Members of the school Photographic Society took photographs, and together we produced a booklet about life in this area when ‘our’ old people were young. I was responsible for editing some of the stories prior to publication. This involved making sure that the stories were coherent, but not taking away the meaning or changing the expressions used by the old people. I found it a valuable and interesting exercise and I am sure it improved my writing skills.

Outside school, I have been a member of a local drama group for the last four years. We have regular productions and during the past year I have taken major roles in both a serious production and the Christmas pantomime. I played Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in summer 2007 and Cinderella in the pantomime at Christmas 2007.

I enjoy all of these activities and they have all helped to develop my core, transferable skills, particularly communication, problem solving and working with others.

At present I have a few ideas as to what I would like to do in the future, but no definite career plan. However, as well as increasing my knowledge of the subject, I feel that by taking a degree in English, the transferable skills I will learn will give me a good foundation for the future.

I am requesting that my application be deferred for a year, as I want to gain more general experience of living independently. I feel that I will benefit from this in the long term. My plan is to divide the year into two parts. The first part I will stay with a friend in Australia, where I intend to work, to build up some financial resources to help support me when I am studying. The second part of the year I shall travel slowly back to the UK, via Indonesia, Thailand and India. During this time I hope to gain a greater understanding of the cultural variations in these parts of Asia.

c. 2,615 characters

Para 1 – reason for studying English

Para 2 – reason for selection of courses – clearly, has studied degree structures and specifies additional subjects for study, with reason

Paras 3, 4, 5, 6 – activities in school and outside, relevant to the subject to be studied – considers how they improve transferable skills

Para 7 - has no real career plan - but highlights value of both knowledge and core (transferable) skills

Para 8 – plans for year out

Note – this application does not mention work experience – perhaps it was not perceived to be particularly helpful

Possible application for a Degree in Veterinary Medicine

My decision to apply for veterinary medicine is one which has not been taken lightly. I have intended to do it for many years. I was brought up in a rural setting and I have been fortunate enough to gain experience invaluable for both my academic career and my personal development. For years I have striven to find a course in which my desire to work with people and my passion for science go 'hand-in-hand'. I feel veterinary medicine fulfils these criteria excellently. As a result of my motivation I have sought to gain, as well as the required academic qualifications, as wide a range of relevant experience as possible to equip me for my chosen vocation.

Experience gained

- Assisting in veterinary surgery A (Summer 2006)

- Assisting in veterinary surgery B (Summer 2007)

- Assisting in cattery (Summer 2004 and 2005)

- Assisting in zoo (School Work Experience)

- Assisting large animal vet whilst blood testing and vaccinating against TB and brucellosis

- Assisting on a sheep farm at lambing time (Easter 2007)

- Visiting an abattoir

- Assisting on a dairy farm

- Working in veterinary surgery C some weekends since July 2004

- I am also fortunate enough to have a share in my own horse

What I have learned

- To communicate effectively with diverse groups of people.

- To cope with stressful, difficult and often emotional situations.

- To accept responsibility and act on instruction and on my own initiative.

- As a result of my experience I have become fully aware of the less glamorous aspects of this particular vocation, and appreciate the hard work and dedication required to succeed in such a demanding course.

Sixth year 

In an attempt to maintain and develop my scientific knowledge, I have made the three science subjects the focus of my sixth year. My Advanced Highers, chemistry and biology, particularly interest me, as not only do I enjoy the content of the curriculum - it gives me an opportunity to explore the fields I enjoy most. This final year also serves as a means by which to bridge the gap between school and university – which, although daunting, is an exciting prospect. 

Additional information 

As well as these related activities, I also worked for a five month period as a waitress in a Golf Club. I believe this experience widened not only my range of practical skills, but also my ability to communicate with and relate to people from all walks of life. I may not otherwise have experienced this.

In addition to the above, I have a number of achievements, which although not directly related to any particular course, demonstrate my enthusiastic and committed nature. I am a member of my school volleyball team which holds a number of titles including the 'Scottish National Championship Winners 2005' (I was voted the 'Most Valuable Player' in the Junior National League 2004). I am also currently undertaking a First Aid course, which will result in my becoming a qualified First Aider.

In 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th year I was voted to be Form Captain and in 5^th year was appointed one of only 10 prefects. I consider my greatest achievement to be my election as School Captain, which as well as being a great honour carries with it a considerable amount of responsibility. My duties involve liaising between staff and peers, organising various school events, eg open evenings, 6^th year prom, and occasional public speaking. These tasks require maturity, tolerance and tactfulness, attributes which I believe are essential for a career in veterinary medicine.

c. 2,877 characters

Note use of both sub-headings and dashes – unusual – possibly eye-catching – do you want to do this?

Para 1 – background to choice of career, stressing long-term interest

Para 2 – experience – does not explain type of work done – some experience could perhaps have been summarised as, for example, 'in veterinary surgeries' - leaving space for work details, eg 'reception duties', or 'responsible for feeding animals' - as appropriate. Also better to give dates for all work experience

Para 3 – summarises relevant transferable skills learned during work experience

Para 4 – value of final year at school – looking forward to going to university but realises it will not be easy

Para 5 – non-vocational activities and responsibilities – not all linked to proposed career but reinforce commitment and enthusiasm