So you’ve been staring at a blank Word document for a while now… or maybe you have written and rewritten your personal statement for about the billionth time and it still doesn’t feel quite right…
Well here are some ideas to help get you going...
Tip 1: Get to know yourself…
Sit down with a pen and a piece of paper (go old school here.. it will help!) and write down a list of 10 things you’re really good at, whether it’s a subject at school, football or photography just list them all!
List 10 things that make you unique… have you travelled alot? Been on Duke of Edinburgh, are you a school council rep or a prefect? Have you started your own business?
Putting these ideas on paper will give you some inspiration, and you can use these examples to show how you are a great leader or have great communication skills. Perhaps ask a friend or family member to help you as they might have a ideas you haven't thought about.
Tip 2: Have a logical structure…
The first paragraph is about why you want to spend 3 years of your life studying this course at University. Be creative, don't t write 'because you want to work in business'… but write about how you want to learn about motivation in the work place or you want to work in digital marketing.
The second paragraph is about your academic skills… what subjects are you studying at school that would make you a great student on their course.
The third paragraph is your chance to show off about all those ECA's you have been doing, your work experience etc, basically anything that shows you are interested in that degree or subject outside of the classroom.
Next stop we talk about your skills… communication, teamwork, leadership, photoshop.. you name it (see tip no 1)
After this, you need to show off all those 'hobbies' you have been doing that make you unique... relate them to the skills and qualities that would make you a great candidate
Finally we need to think about the future… what do you want to do with this course after you graduate? What do you want to do with that architecture degree? Do you want to do a Masters?
Tip 3: Show some of that passion!
Show that you really are passionate about your subject, if you're not sure how to do this... now is that time to go to that museum, listen to that online lecture, attend that ECA, find that work experience... Showing that you are what you say you are will really will make a difference.
Tip 4: Use the spellchecker
Sounds really obvious but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t use the spell checker, as a friend or a family member to read it out loud to see if it makes sense.
Tip 5: Call in the experts…
If you need a bit more advice, here at EducatedLondon we can help you with that UCAS statement. We can check it over, help with structuring it and proof reading, our subject specialists can help give you ideas to make you really stand out. Send us a message for more information!
