Writing Your Personal Statement

General Guidelines Majority of universities do not interview applicants, so the Personal Statement is the applicant’s chance to present a strong image of himself/herself to the Admission’s Officer. Personal Statements along with References can at times play a pivotal role in the decision process, especially if applicants have the same academic standard Most statements are written in an essay format. It should be no more than 4000 characters long (with spaces). That’s approx one page of 4 to 5 paragraphs.

Personal Statement Allows You To: Discover if you truly love the subject Explain why you want to study this course Show your motivation and commitment Make a good first impression Sell yourselves to admission tutors

Plan it first Sell yourself Check spelling Check grammar Be honest Remember it's the same personal statement for all courses you apply to – so avoid mentioning universities or colleges by name, and ideally choose similar subjects. If they're varied then write about common themes – like problem solving or creativity.

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How it is divided? Paragraph 1: introduction to the course, the aspects you are interested in and why Paragraph 2: what have you done/ achieved that is related to the chosen subject / major Paragraph 3: work experience and extracurricular activities in school Paragraph 4: interests outside school like hobbies, community service, charitable work …what have you learnt? Paragraph 5:Your goals and closing comment

The Dos and Don’ts