Advice on UCAS Personal Statements

Caitriona Woolhouse, head of student recruitment at Oxford, has said that, “When advising students about applying to top universities we typically say that about 75-80% (of the personal statement) should be related to your academic study and interest in the course. Extra-curricular activities, including work experience, are only considered in so far as they help demonstrate how you meet the selection criteria for your chosen course subject.” She said that regarding work experience, you should “focus on what you learned about the role, rather than the techniques you saw”, and that you should use extra-curricular activities and work placements to “demonstrate relevant qualities like resilience, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork, creativity and critical thinking”. 

Ms Woolhouse also counselled against using old examples of interests and said that students should make reference to what is said in the prospectus to show that you have done your research and highlight your commitment to the subject. Fatuma Mahad, director of operations at UCAS, said, “Let friends and family read what you have written. They may have suggestions you haven’t considered and can tell you whether it makes sense. “It’s also important to proofread it several times. Reading it out loud will help you to spot bad punctuation and messy wording.”  [ source: GTAssociates ]