This choice will be consistent across the (up to) five course choices you have. This may be obvious, but the first step to a great UCAS Personal Statement is to choose the subject you’re applying for. 80-90% of the content will be academic in nature. Your personal statement will mostly focus on what you’ve done at high school, in class, and often in preparation for external exams. Your essay needs to explain why you enjoy and are good at this subject, without reference to any particular university or type of university.Īny extracurricular activities that are NOT connected to the subject you’re applying for are mostly irrelevant, unless they illustrate relevant points about your study skills or attributes: for example, having a job outside of school shows time-management and people skills, or leading a sports team shows leadership and responsibility. You’ll only write one personal statement, which will be sent to all the universities you’re applying to, and it’s unlikely you’ll be sending any additional (supplemental) essays. In some cases, it might be an actual professor reading your essay. The UCAS Personal Statement will be read by someone looking for proof that you are academically capable of studying that subject for your entire degree. Your UCAS personal statement should focus less on cool/fun/quirky aspects of yourself and more on how you’ve prepared for your particular area of study.

When you apply to UK schools, you’re applying to one particular degree program, which you’ll study for all, or almost all, your time at university.

Here are some key differences between the UCAS and the US Personal Statement:

How to provide a ucas reference example