Writing a personal statement for postgraduate applications

What we look for in a postgraduate personal statement

Your personal statement should usually be no more than one side of A4, or around 300 – 500 words. It should be a reflection of your experience, skills, aspirations, enthusiasm and personality.

We want to know the specific reasons why you have chosen to study a particular subject and how this is linked to your future goals. We’re interested not only in what the programme can do for you, but also what attributes you have that would contribute positively to the programme.

What to avoid when writing your personal statement

• Repeating information that we can find in the rest of your application (such as previous academic results). Keep your statement relevant and to the point
• Being vague – we specifically want to know about you and the reasons behind your application
• Copying any part of your personal statement from another source
• Poor grammar and spelling – triple check your statement before submitting and be cautious when using spell-checking tools

Read more tips and advice on writing your postgraduate personal statement.