Your personal statement is one of the most essential – and powerful – parts of your university application.
It’s an opportunity for you to explain your reasons for choosing the course and why you’ve chosen this particular university over others. Most importantly, it’s your chance to introduce and sell yourself.
In this post, we look at the essentials of how to write a great personal statement that almost jumps off the page and gives you the best possible chance of admission into your chosen course.
What to write about
When writing your personal statement, think of the reasons that made you choose this course at Northumbria. Here is your chance to describe any qualities, skills, achievements and experiences that relate to the course, as well as demonstrate your passion for wanting to study in that field. It doesn’t have to be purely academic, these can also be social and sporting activities. If you feel it’s relevant to your desired course or shows some positive aspects about your personality, then include it in your statement.
Be sure to show enthusiasm for the course and university you’re applying for. This will really make your application all the more appealing to the admissions panel. If you’re missing some formal qualifications, you can include any similar experiences that relate, this will be helpful to your application.
Be sure to answer the following questions in your personal statement:
How to write it
Your personal statement has to be around 500 words. When thinking about the structure, write it with your skills, achievements and qualities that are most relevant to your course or university’s entry requirements towards the start of the statement.
In terms of tone, write in a concise yet natural style that reads well. So, avoid overcomplicated sentences. You’ll want to show some personality in your writing, but avoid trying to be funny or anything unusual. Your intentions may not come across as intended when the admissions team read it.
Don’t be afraid to go back and reread your personal statement. Go over it regularly, making sure the language, grammar and sentence structures are correct. It never hurts to ask for help, so ask a tutor, family member or friend to read it and give you feedback and suggest changes.
When you’re happy with your latest draft, read it out aloud to make sure it’s clear, makes sense, and gets all your key skills and attributes across.
After reading your personal statement, the university admissions team member should learn about your:
If you’d like to expand your career horizons by studying at Northumbria, then take a look at one of the many pathway courses available. Or contact us directly for any other questions.
The pathway programmes detailed on this website are run in partnership with QA Higher Education - a UK higher education provider. All of our pathway programmes are validated by the University and taught by QA Higher Education and University staff.
