Applying for university: how important is your personal statement?

Students are currently applying to university in their thousands, and that means filling in UCAS forms and writing personal statements.

Ah yes, the personal statement. This is the source of much controversy, particularly about how useful it is when it comes to university offers. New graduate Stephen Eisenhammer (whom you can see in the picture on the right) explains more....

“We certainly don’t assign any marks to personal statements”, stated Geoff Parks, head of admissions at Cambridge University, to the shock and outrage of school pupils up and down the country, earlier this year.  “Reading a very good personal statement doesn’t tell you anything about the student because you cannot be sure that it’s the work of the person concerned." However, if A levels are undervalued and universities do not pay attention to personal statements what exactly is their decision based upon?

The personal statement, in which prospective students provide universities with information about themselves, is one of the few parts of the application over which candidates have free reign. With only 4000 characters (about 600 words) to play with, the Section 10 is difficult to perfect. However, is all this effort in vain? How much notice do you universities take of the Section 10?

Bev Woodhams, Head of Admissions for the University of Greenwich explains that the importance of the personal statement depends on the subject.  “In some areas the personal statement is paramount - for example in nursing, teaching, social work and pharmacy - where the personal characteristics of a student, as well as their academic achievements, are vitally important”. However, this is not to suggest that in other areas the personal statement is unimportant. “In other subjects”, says Woodhams, “the statement may make the difference between a student being made an offer or not”.

Julie Hudson at the Leeds Metropolitan University agrees that the personal statement “can help us to distinguish between applicants who are all presenting with the same grades on paper”. 

In other words, the personal statement can play a pivotal role in a candidate’s application. However, how exactly do the universities decide between a good and a bad Section 10? Does following the substantial amount of on line help result in a “perfect personal statement”, as they claim, or does it rather stifle creative imagination resulting in conveyor-belt applications that universities ignore?

Angela Milln, from Bristol University, warns that it's incredibly obvious when students excessively turn to website advice or even get others to write their statement for them. Advising pupils to avoid clichéd sentencing she urges candidates “to write it yourself”. “Your personal statement provides a context for your academic achievements, it shows the personality behind the grades. If you don’t write it yourself it completely defies the point”.

Nottingham Trent University, in contrast, offer prospective students guidelines for writing personal statements. Their website goes so far as to suggest the specific vocabulary and structure that should be used.The aim here seems to be to encourage personal statements that follow a specific, university approved, format. 

Varying opinions seem to exist among universities concerning not only how important the Section 10 is in the overall admissions process, but also as to what defines a good personal statement.

This apparent inconsistency in University policy is reflected in the statement provided by a spokesman at Cambridge University. Eager to distance himself from the comments made by Geoff Parks earlier in the year, he expresses concern that media reports had “created a number of misleading impressions”.  In this revised statement he added, “Our admissions decisions are based upon careful, holistic assessment”. “This”, he went on to claim, “involves a close reading of personal statements”.

However, this falls far short of describing the personal statement as a decisive factor. Instead, the spokesman stressed the importance of “the process of writing a personal statement”, exclaiming that this, “can help a student better understand their academic interests and intellectual motivations”. For Cambridge, then, it is the taking part that is important.

None of this will be very encouraging for prospective students. It is indicative of a continuing reluctance on the part of universities to reveal the details of their admissions process. This leaves candidates all too often scrambling around in the dark, making decisions based upon hearsay and guesswork. With A levels increasingly undervalued and universities unclear as to the importance they allocate to personal statements, the entire application system is in jeopardy of appearing worryingly random.

Pupils, however, should not despair. The best option is to continue to take the Section 10 seriously. It is one of the few areas which the candidate is in control of when it actually comes to filling in the application form, and as such is worth doing well.

A good Section 10, however, is by no means a replacement for good grades. Rather it can serve as an extra flourish, to distinguish you from people with the same grades. A good personal statement is one in which the personality of the candidate comes through and a context is created into which the academic achievements can be placed. It is, therefore, important to balance on line formatting advice, which can be of great use for getting your statement off the ground, along with using one’s own vocabulary and expressions. Avoid clichés and back up statements with your own personal experience. A personal statement is about trying to stand out, not about trying to fit into the norm of applications."

NB Stephen has confirmed that he meant Nottingham Trent University, and I have changed the name in the piece to reflect this. Thanks

More by Stephen Eisenhammer:

Who needs A levels - ten people who weren't held back by their lack of top grades

Studying Theology at university

Read School Gate

Why you shouldn't apply for Edinburgh university if you live down south.

The most popular universities - where students love to study

The Times Good University Guide

Comments

[Jennifer]

How important is your Personal Statement - good question? In my experience, not very.

I graduated from Nottingham Uni last summer (currently doing an MA, it appears I just can't leave education) with a degree in politics. That wasn't what I applied to for, though.

My application was for 'history and politics' at Nottingham. I studied at A level Politics, English, Art and Philosophy / Religious Studies, but having abandoned history at GCSE I decided I wanted to pursue it further.

In an email a tutor assured that not having history A level would be no disadvantage (as was the policy at Leeds and Manchester) as long as I gave evidence in my Personal Statement that I had kept up an extra-curricular interest in this.

Dutiful applicant that I was, one of the paragraphs of my Statement ran along the lines of ‘although I did not continue history after GCSE, I have maintained my interest in it with X, Y and Z’. Form submitted, I waited for the response.

In November, I got a letter from Nottingham, saying they would delighted to have me on the course, but that they wanted an A in history – a subject that, as had been made overly clear on my statement - .I did not have. It appears that in their careful scrutiny of my statement, they had failed to notice this well-displayed detail.

Long story short, despite the proof that I had been given the go-ahead to apply for this course, despite involvement from my school, and despite countless frantic phonecalls, they wouldn’t budge. They offered me a slot on the Politics course instead.

As it happens, I had an incredible three years – I found the course interesting and challenging and was able to take subsidiary modules in history-related areas, as well as in more creative fields like art history (which the joint honours course I applied for would not have given me a chance to do).

So my advice to current uni applicants, Personal Statement content notwithstanding, is that even if it doesn’t seem to be the course you want, you can still have a great experience. If you’re uncertain, check out what options there are for taking modules outside the department – there is probably ample opportunity. And remember that with an arts degree anyway, often the topics covered will cover several disclipines. In my final year I took modules in political biography, drug policy and political fiction!

And don’t worry about your personal statement too much!

[Basil]

Free REIN as in attached to horse's bridle, not reiGn, which is what the queen does - this is in the education section, for heaven's sake!

[Doubting Thomas]

Stephen,

What is "Nottingham Metropolitan University", which you mention in your article? I work in Nottingham and have never heard of it, and google has not heard of it either. If you're going to make stuff up please don't present it as fact!

[I Moxon]

600 words is way too short when you are a forty-something with lots of life/work experiences which are relevant!

[Another mum]

Doubting Thomas: I think they mean Nottingham Trent Uni - if you click on the link, that's where it takes you ...

[Jayne]

I was a mature student, with lots of life experience and few formal qualifications. That I was given a place at Nottingham Trent was, in large part, owing to my personal statement.

The personal statement isn't marked but might make all the difference in circumstances like mine and in borderline decisions.

[happiness]

Well for 3 years I was the admissions tutor for the business studies degree course in a respected university in the North. I have to say that I did not bother to read the personal statements.

However, what were key in determining if I made a candidate an offer were the grade predicitions and the statements of character from the School.

[LT]

Given that there are up to 5 different universities receiving the application form, does it not make sense to provide as good a personal statement as possible? If one or two don't consider it, the chances are that others will and as I would liken it to an in-depth cover letter for a job application, it forms part of the all-round good impression an applicant is trying to make.

N.B. to students: UCAS now has recognition software to detect plagiarism. As the lady from Bristol mentioned in the article, it's also pretty easy to tell if the personal statement is not the applicant's own work.

[ncji]

The value of the personal statement is context dependent. If you have borderline grades and a disadvantaged address the personal statement will be crucial. Make your committement shine through. Posh address, posh school and top grades. Your personal statement about your gap year and sporting acheivements will probably irritate but it will not influence the offer.

[Sarah F]

My sister works in admissions at a large city university.
She told me a couple of years ago that the extra-curricular activities all kids seem to be signing up to make no difference at all. Nor do the personal statements.
Apparently for most courses, its the exam grades you get and how you come across at interview that decides who's in and who's out.

[Rhys Jaggar]

Well, let's suppose you were honest and wrote the following:

'I'm not sure what to do with my life because I've been sheltered for 18 years in middle class suburbia. I've worked hard at school and got good grades but don't have a clue what real life is about.

My parents and school both think I'm 'university material' and have been pressurising me to go for about five years. Most of my mates are the same, so at least we've all got something in common to talk about.

Actually, why I want to come to University is to get pissed and screw women regularly. That's easier said than done with mother hen clocking you in every night at home, I can tell you.

Making a bunch of friends of similar outlooks and backgrounds seems a good idea too. So we can all do a gap year after graduation.

All the newspapers say that going to Uni is a good idea, but I really don't understand what 'working in the City' is all about. Don't know much about big business either. But they say that Uni's the entrance exam. Unless you're that old fogey Kelvin McKenzie, at any rate....

But hey: 3 years with you lot and maybe all will become clearer, eh? Especially as my chosen subject, Media Studies, only occupies about 5 hours a week in lecture time. Leaving me plenty of time to get on with important things like being young, alive and horny.

I was slightly worried about employment prospects but I understand that you include flipping burgers in your postgraduate employment stats. Even I'd be able to do that, so I'm sure I won't be on the dole after 3 years with you.

As it happens, I think I'll try and set up my own show in Year 2. Take the first year to get to know the crowd, what's going down. Then set up a business serving students in year 2. It might fail, but hey, it'll be fun. And you'll get some publicity in the local rag for it, won't you?

I'm sorry if I sound a bit independent-minded, arrogant or whatnot. It's just my generation's way of coping with that monstrosity of debt that your lot are piling onto our shoulders right now. So that 'respect' agenda's got to go, I'm afraid. From now on, we're the customers and if what you give us is rubbish, then we might need to sack you and transfer elsewhere. Taking our 'student voucher' with us, you understand.....not good for the cash flow that, is it?

So if you're looking for malleable, compliant, diplomatic, shrinking violet-types, probably best to reject me by return of post. Because otherwise you'd have to sack me for calling you a bunch of hierarchical dinosaurs needing to play Big Boy sub-dom games, which really isn't my scene at all, you understand.

But if you want a young, feisty, go-getting, laid-back type who won't win Wimbledon but might make you some money down the line and wants to have the best 3 years of his young life to date, then get in touch and we'll see what happens...'

That's the sort of honesty Universities SHOULD be looking for. I'd make an enormous bet that it would horrify, terrify and disgust 99.0% of them, though....

So on we go with our itzy, witzy put on the act sidling act, all thinking its a load of old bull.

And we wonder why the country's going to the dogs.....

[Another mum]

Rhys - I'd say that was a bit dull, frankly.

[DrMummy]

The importance of the personal statement varies. If you are applying for a course that isn't very popular and you are predicted straight As and already have straight As in your GCSEs, it will hardly matter. However, if your course is oversubscribed, or your grades are not that good, it could be the one thing that makes the difference, so it is essential that you write the best one possible. It isn't necessary to sign up for a million sports and clubs, but it is better to do a few things, preferably broad based, well. Also, lots of students put in things that they think everyone should write, eg "reading, hockey,music", but it is far more interesting for an admissions tutor to read that you volunteer in a home for the elderly at the weekends or that you help clear rubbish off a conservation site during summer holidays. Of course, it is important that a student does actually do the activities that they state they do on these personal statements! And if someone else writes it for you and their style of prose is clearly far superior to yours, it can be quite easily be found out at interview - or look suspicious if your grades don't match up. There's nothing wrong with getting professional advice on how to present yourself - job applicants take their cvs to professionals to rewrite all the time. The main thing is that the statement is essentially reflective of the student and not some polished graduate.