Have you ever wondered what matters when it comes to applying to universities in the UK? Well, it is not your marks, grades, or experience, it is your personal statement, believe it or not. The UCAS personal statement is the deciding point of your application. Be it acceptance or rejection, it relies on the UCAS personal statement more than you think.

But ever wondered how to make your personal statement the best that no one could reject you? Well, don’t worry, in the blog we are covering every angle of UCAS personal statement for you. Just like student accommodation in UK, it is Uninist’s mission to ease student life in every aspect. So, what are you waiting for, keep on reading to find what awaits you!

What is UCAS Personal Statement?

A personal statement brings a chance for potential students to directly speak to the admission committee. And, storytelling is one of the top ways to make it unforgettable. The chance of writing a personal statement allows you to take the committee through your life, from where you were born to your lifestyle. Not only about you, you will also tell them like who you are, why you want to pursue a particular course, why you will be the right candidate and more. And, most important of all: what kind of person you are and qualities you have,

How to Build A Strong Personal Statement?

Now that you know what UCAS personal statement and its importance is, the next thing is how to build one. If we talk in a broad way, a strong personal statement just has 3 important building blocks. Here is what you should keep in mind while penning down your personal statement in UCAS application:

• Hook: Right from the start, you have to make sure that they are hooked. This is your opening line, start with something that immediately signals your passion for the subject like a moment, challenge, or question that ignites the flame in you to choose your interest. Avoid generic openings like “ I have always wanted to…”.
• Body: This is your main content. In this paragraph, you are going to talk about your academics and extracurricular. Use 2-3 short story-style sections to show academic preparation, skills, and subject-related experience. Back up every claim with evidence like projects, competition, volunteering, reading, or related work experience.
• Conclusion: This is the end of your personal statement and our goal is to end it by connecting your journey so far to your ambition. Write what you want to study, why at university level, and how it aligns with your career goal.

Every personal statement consists of these 3 blocks- hook, body, and conclusion because this is the way to write a paragraph. What makes it strong is how you use your building blocks and how you convey your story to them.

Why to Write the UCAS Personal Statement in Storytelling-Style?

Before you miss the UCAS deadline, you must understand why to write a personal statement like a story, isn’t it? Here are the top reasons to write it in a storytelling-style:

1. The psychology of stories: If we look at the psychological aspect, then we will understand that humans are wired to remember stories far better than lists and facts. Stories create an emotional connection and help the reader to imagine you in the academic environment you are describing.
2. How universities read applications: The universities receive tons of applications and the admission tutors often read dozens of statements in one sitting. A personal statement that opens a vivid and relevant anecdote that can cut through the shield of average statements and makes the tutors notice your application.

A good personal statement in a storytelling manner makes your application stand out from the rest. After all, creative applications are more interesting than the boring ones.

Storytelling Techniques That Add an Impact to Your Personal Statement

Here are the top techniques you can use which can add more impact to your UCAS personal statement:

• Show and don’t just tell: Instead of saying “I developed strong research skills”, describe a moment where you investigated, analysed, and applied knowledge. And then give the chance to the reader to infer the skill.
• Use vivid but concise language: Details make the story engaging, but your UCAS statement has a 4000 characters limit. So, choose 1-2 sensory details that bring a moment to life, then get to the point.
• Keep it relevant: Don’t just go on creating a story which is not relevant at all, instead connect every sentence back to your chosen subject. Even non-academic activities should be framed in terms of transferable skills like leadership, communication, organisation, analysis, or creativity.

Follow these techniques to make personal statements impactful and don’t end up in UCAS clearing.

How to Optimize and Refine Your Statement?

There are many ways by which you can refine your personal statement. Here are the top ways to optimise and refine your UCAS personal statement:

• Cut clichés: To refine your statement, cut clichés like “Since I was a child…” or ‘I am passionate about…” these lines are way overused and add nothing unique. Replace them with specific and personal examples.
• Check flow and transitions: Read your statement out loud, if it sounds choppy or has jumps between the topics then add a linking sentence that guides the reader from one idea to the next.
• Get feedback from other people: Ask one academic teacher or tutor and one non-academic person like friend or family to read your personal statement and give you feedback. Academic readers can check subject relevance and friends or family can help ensure it flows naturally and it is engaging or not.
• Proofread for clarity and not just typos: Look for overly long sentences, jargons, or unnecessary details. A clear and concise statement feels more confident and professional. Make sure to make it easy for admission tutors to absorb your points.

What Are the Common Mistakes to Avoid?

Every student often makes a set of common mistakes. So, while preparing the UCAS personal statement, avoid common mistakes to make the cut. Some of the common mistakes you should avoid include:

• Making your whole statement a life story with no academic focus. Writing it in a storytelling-style is great, but don’t just write your autobiography and forget the academics you achieved.
• Using irrelevant anecdotes that don’t connect to your chosen subjects.
• Don’t overload your personal statement with adjectives, instead write concrete examples.
• The most important mistake to avoid is, do not forget the character/line limit and then cutting important parts at the last minute.

Pre-submission Checklist

Here is a pre-submission checklist to check before submitting your UCAS personal statement:

• Does your opening line make the reader want to continue? If not then change it and make it more engaging.
• Did you include specific evidence for your mentioned skills? If not, do it.
• Is your content at least 70% related to academics or subject related? If not, make it more academic and subject related.
• Does your conclusion connect your past to your future goals? If not, write a better conclusion with keeping this in mind.

Check all of these things before submitting and then you are good to go!

Conclusion

As we end our guide, students must understand that UCAS personal statement is essential for every application. Going beyond the ordinary is the key to make the cut and find your dream university in the UK. After all, your future is in your hands, so make it worth living in flexible student accommodation in UK.

The deciding point to cross the line of achievement is your personal statement. And, there is nothing better than a story that the committee will remember for a long time. So, make sure to write a glorious personal statement and no one can reject it. And, for other student life issues, visit Uninist to find everything under one roof!

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