Personal Statement – what is it?
Personal
Statement is sometimes called Statement of Purpose (SOP) as a personal
statement gives clear statement of your purpose of choosing to study a certain
course at certain institution. From my own point of view, it should be
called ‘Personal Statement of Purpose’.
Normally, you
will require submitting this statement with the admission application along
with your academic credentials. It is an opportunity for you to tell the
selectors why you think you would be a suitable student for the course you are applying
and why the University should select your application over those of the other
candidates. It is therefore vitally important that you make this statement as
effective as possible.
Remember,
Personal Statement, as the name suggests, is a statement that is very
‘personal’ to you – related to your past and current attainments and your
future pursuance. Therefore, it has to be an ‘original’ statement – if it is
copied from somewhere else or written by someone else, it won’t be personal
anymore and on the other hand, it may constitute to plagiarism and your
admission application can be cancelled or unsuccessful.
Personal Statement – how much you need to write?
As a general
guideline, the length of personal statement should be between 500 to 800 words,
roughly 5 paragraphs. The length may vary for foundation, undergraduate and
postgraduate courses and as per chosen subject type. Besides, some special
courses may require specific inclusion of certain statements. You should always
check with your chosen university if they have any specific requirements.
You should
present your key strengths precisely to give enough accounts for your
eligibility. Very brief statement may not gain selectors’ heart and unnecessary
large statement may ruin the selection chart. A well designed and carefully
measured statement can win selectors’ heart and chart both.
Personal Statement – 13 things to do
- Start with a splendid
sentence to keep the reader interested;
- Use simple words, small
sentences and easy languages;
- Write in small
paragraphs and make them coherent and connected;
- Maintain logical
sequence of narration while developing readers’ interest till the last
word;
- Provide clear and
specific information with facts and figures;
- Establish connections
with current you and your future pursuance;
- Only mention
accomplishments that are relevant to your chosen course;
- Be assertive and show
genuine interests and commitments;
- Be yourself and use
natural & fluent language;
- Make it an
advertisement to sell your eligibility;
- Check spelling,
punctuations, grammar for correctness;
- Get it read by someone
else to identify missing points;
- Check it with admission
selection criteria and revise it few times till you are fully satisfied.
Personal Statement – 13 things to avoid
- Cliché i.e. ‘From my
early childhood, I have been dreaming………………’ type expression;
- Starting every sentence
with 3rd person singular number i.e. ‘I……….’;
- Quotation by scholars
or famous people;
- Unnecessary flattery
i.e. ‘I have chosen this world-famous University………’ type statement;
- Comparison with other
universities;
- Difficult words,
complex sentence and big paragraph;
- Negative expressions or
rhetorical questions;
- Repetition of similar
expression given earlier;
- Dramatic expression to
impress readers;
- Lying about your
ability and attainments;
- Listing unrelated
hobbies;
- Editing it by someone
else ;
- Casual approach and
inattentiveness.
Personal Statement – what and how to write?
Your choice of course and why
At the very
start, point out clearly which course and subject you are looking to study (if
you are applying via UCAS where you may choose few universities, use generic
subject name i.e. business, management etc.). Briefly state why you want to study
this subject i.e. how the qualification will enhance your current academic
level and boost your career prospects. Keep this paragraph limited to 3 to 5
sentences.
How you are eligible for the course
In this
paragraph, specify how your past and current relevant academic attainments,
practical skills, work & volunteering experiences (if any) will help
and complement your chosen study subject, establish similarities and show
relationships. Besides, mention about your critical analysis skills, transferable
skills, problem-solving skills, organisational skills, leadership skills and
point out how these will enrich your prospective study. State your
extra-curricular achievements to show your engagements above and beyond your
academic achievements. Remember not to just give a list of your achievements,
but specify clearly how those have benefited you academically, professionally
and personally and how those can be integrated to your chosen course to realise
your academic and career plans. Here, you should be able to assertively
establish how your chosen course is the right course for you and how you are
eligible and suitable to study this.
Learning target and progression plan
In this
section, give an assertion of your learning targets from your chosen course and
how that will provide you advanced level knowledge and skills, how the
qualification will transform you academically, professionally and personally.
Be specific about learning outcomes and career opportunities i.e. plan to open
career in particular industry and likely positions etc. If your chosen course
is at or below bachelor level and if you have plan to do a follow up course to
top up your knowledge, do not be shy to clarify that. Mention your short,
medium and long term goals after completion of the chosen course.
Why the chosen University
Here, tell the
selectors with facts and figures why you have chosen to study at their
University. Point out which resources, strengths, facilities, supports the
faculty provides for your chosen subject that made you choose the University,
why you have thought this University is unique i.e. the University offers
something that are not available elsewhere. You may also include their latest
student satisfaction percentage, employment percentage after graduation etc.
(Students who will be applying through UCAS do not need to write this paragraph
unless they are choosing only 1 option out of 5 available). Please do not be
negligent to research your chosen University’s website and relevant pages to
gather clear information and facts.
Why the chosen country
The last
paragraph should be dedicated to state why you have chosen to study in the
country of your chosen University, how you will be significantly more
benefitted by studying in that country comparing to your home country or other
major higher study countries abroad. Develop your argument with logical and
factual information.
Personal Statement – last words
The above
steps are general guidelines for you to help you designing an effective
Personal Statement of Purpose. There is no specific format or formula for this
– it is advisable that before starting to write this, ask your chosen
university to find out if they have any specific recommendations or
requirements.
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