Personal Statement for College Application (2023)

FAQs

What should I include in my personal statement for a college application? ›

The personal statement should demonstrate the qualities, skills, and values that you've cultivated over your life and how those skills have prepared you for attending college.

Normally, the length of a personal statement will be dictated by the application—500 words or 800 words are typical limits, as are one-page or two-page limits.

If your writing is flagged as unoriginal, the universities you apply to will be alerted to this and are unlikely to make you an offer. If your statement is entirely unoriginal, then your application has a good chance of being rejected, leaving you without any options.

By giving yourself a two-week window, you have the time to 'put your personal statement away' and come back to it after a couple of days. In that time, you'll have had the chance to think about what you've written and at the same time will come back to it with fresh eyes.

UCAS does not specify a certain number of words. However, the personal statement is limited to 4,000 characters including spaces. You cannot use Word to check your statement length because they count words and spaces differently, hence why we have developed this tool for you.

Get straight to the point – A good personal statement isn't just informative, it's also succinct and concise. So try keeping it between 100 and 200 words for maximum impact (N.B. personal statements for university will be longer).

At the end of the day, good grades and impressive test scores are still key to college acceptance. "Applications that instantly get accepted are well-rounded students — high GPA, extracurricular involvement (and leadership roles within those activities ideally), and strong short answers and essays," said Murray.

What are the top 3 things colleges look for? ›

Good grades, a challenging high school curriculum, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, and a strong essay are a few key factors admissions officers assess. Each university may emphasize different elements of the application process.

Overusing Flowery Language. You want a personal statement that's dynamic and well-written, but that doesn't mean taking a deep dive into a thesaurus. Use words that convey your message clearly and concisely; don't search for flowery or complex language to impress admissions committees.

If you want to make your personal statement stand out, demonstrate your engagement with the subject - this could be writing about a topic you've studied that you really enjoy, or a book or blog post you read that made you want to learn more.

There is no point flat out lying or even embellishing the facts. Even a little white lie could easily come back to bite you. Universities might arrange interviews and discuss parts of your personal statement. Lying on the spot without the aid of Google is much harder, and it's really not advisable to try.

They don't score Personal Statements, but they do read them with the referee comments and take these into consideration. The PS doesn't form part of the assessment to reach interview and doesn't form part of the scoring at interview.

The most common opening was 'From a young age I have always been interested in/fascinated by…' (used by 1,179 students), while other openings on the list include 'For as long as I can remember I have…' (1,451 students), 'I am applying for this course because…' (1,370 students) and 'I have always been interested in…' ( ...

Personal circumstances

For example, this might be something that caused you to miss school - such as a physical or mental health condition, or caring for a family member. If your personal circumstances have affected your qualification choices, you can mention this in your personal statement.

Here are some of the personal topics to stay away from: Mental health: If you suffer from OCD, depression, an eating disorder, etc it really isn't great material for your college essay. You don't want to give colleges any reason to be concerned that you won't be healthy enough to succeed in college.

Can I write personal statement in one day? ›

If you have the time, leave it for a day (or at least for an hour or two) before giving it a final check. Take any feedback you can get from your teacher and let your parents take a look, too. Reading it out loud can also be helpful when it comes to spotting any sneaky errors.

If you can write interesting, personal, compelling, clear, and effective personal statement in 24 hours or less, hats off to you. Many applicants think they can do it, but the truth is grim. You may be able to write an okay essay at best, it won't be stellar.

You should also plan to complete the process over a month (this provides you time to have others read your statement and give you useful feedback), and spend around 25 hours from start to finish.

As part of the college application process, colleges ask prospective students for a personal essay in order to learn more about them. They want to see context on each student's background, positive traits that the student could bring to campus, and examples of the student demonstrating those qualities.

Your work experience and future plans are important to include. You should share details of jobs, placements, work experience, or voluntary work, particularly if it's relevant to your course. Try to link any experience to skills or qualities that'll make you successful.

Use paragraphs.

This can be tricky as it will eat into the 47 lines available to you so don't use lots of paragraphs but try to have a few. This will make your personal statement easier for the admissions tutor to read than one large block of writing.

Do Brag About Yourself. It's a personal statement—it's okay to write about your strengths and accomplishments. Most people aren't comfortable bragging about themselves. But that is exactly what to do in your personal statement.

Don't be a bluffer

"It's important not to exaggerate or even make something up just because it sounds good – we get that you're out to impress, but when it comes to your personal statement, it's important to be honest and true to yourself," says Lisa at the University of Chester.

Use the third person point of view.

Never use “I,” “my,” or otherwise refer to yourself in formal academic writing. You should also avoid using the second-person point of view, such as by referring to the reader as “you.” Instead, write directly about your subject matter in the third person.

Basically, there are six main factors that college admissions officers consider: AP classes and challenging course loads, high school GPAs, SAT and ACT scores (unless they are test-optional), meaningful extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and your personal statement.

What are the top six factors colleges look for in applicants? ›

The applicant doesn't meet the academic threshold.

Most colleges will base an admissions decision on all aspects of a student's application and not just grades and test scores, but admissions counselors want to know that students have a strong enough foundation to handle challenging courses at their institution.

Your sophomore, junior, and senior years foretell your academic ability to succeed in college. Colleges will look at your sophomore grades, whether it's to see if you maintained an acceptable GPA or improved from the year before.

About 65% of admissions officers view social media as “fair game” when evaluating potential enrollees, according to a survey performed by Kaplan Test Prep in 2020. With that said, only 36% of the 313 officers surveyed said they actually took the time to browse applicants' TikTok, Instagram and other accounts.

A transcript with a mix of A-s and B+s will produce a grade point average in the range of 3.5, which is an important cutoff for many colleges. In general, admissions officers want to see more As than Bs, so having an unweighted GPA of above 3.5 can make a big difference.

A personal statement should include an introduction, your relevant skills/experiences, and your goals. You want to keep your personal statement relevant for the program or job in question.

Doctors and shadowing experiences can have a place in the personal statement, but they should not be the focus. Medical schools prefer to hear about YOUR OWN patient interactions and healthcare contributions.

How do you write a killer personal statement? ›

Raise your chin and make eye contact briefly (about 5 to 7 seconds). Tell the person, "I see that you are resigned to believe what you think happened, but I know what happened. I did not do this, and I'm sorry you can't see that." Refrain from saying anything more, as overly explaining can be misconstrued as lying.

You can use paragraphs to structure your personal statement. It is okay to show off and exaggerate about your experience and skills. Write the statement in any person but ensure you remain consistent (First person, third person etc).

A standout college essay has several key ingredients: A unique, personally meaningful topic. A memorable introduction with vivid imagery or an intriguing hook. Specific stories and language that show instead of telling.

As part of the college application process, colleges ask prospective students for a personal essay in order to learn more about them. They want to see context on each student's background, positive traits that the student could bring to campus, and examples of the student demonstrating those qualities.

Explain the reason for your choice and how it fits in with your aspirations for the future. Give examples of any related academic or work experience. Show you know what the course will involve and mention any special subjects you're interested in.