A personal statement is a piece of text applicants write to the university to show why they are applying and why they would be a great student for the course provider to accept. It helps the admission tutors to decide how suitable you are for your degree programme.
A selector who needs more than just examination results to assess your suitability for the course. This is usually the admissions tutors.
The earlier parts of the UCAS form enable you to give the factual information needed to assess your present academic skills. However, for some applications, the Personal Statement can play a key role in receiving an offer on a competitive course or university. There are more well-qualified candidates than there are places available!
In some subjects particularly those connected with the Arts, (Drama, Fine Art, Interior Design, Architecture, Music, etc.) a strong candidate may already have relevant experiences that are important for the selector to know about.
For some other subjects, a major factor in suitability of applicants is their motivation, personal values, and attitudes. Medicine is an obvious example of this. Some medical applicants may have acquired some relevant medical exposure or experience, and that should be mentioned.
There is probably no part of the application process that is more challenging than the Personal Statement, so first of all remember that there are thousands of others in the same position as you! So don’t panic, and if you need guidance, feel free to reach out to your MABECS consultant who has helped thousands of others in the same shoes.
Dedicate time to plan your personal statement carefully. Think about the points to be included in your personal statement; begin with a draft, and gradually improve it based on feedback received.
There are no hard and fast rules but the following two are the major points that needs to be covered in your Personal Statement.
You need to convey a genuine interest in the degree/subject you have applied for at the university.
Express yourself thoughtfully in the Personal Statement on why you have chosen the course you have listed. This forms quite an important part of your Personal Statement.
For more detailed writing points, include:
Don’t be intimidated if you don’t possess achievements mentioned in the points above. It is more important to be confident of who you are and be sincere, rather than boasting about what you have not achieved.
Although some universities have indicated that they are looking for well-rounded applicants, the reality is, three quarters (3/4) of your Personal Statement should focus on the discussion of your academic interest. The remaining quarter (1/4) can be used to discuss your non-academic interests. This is something to bear in mind for very competitive courses/universities.
Applicants for Medicine and Dentistry need to highlight and discuss areas that will convey your genuine interest in this field. For example, your voluntary work, practical attachments, etc. Please refer to the MABECS Subject Booklet for Medicine, for further guidelines.
Your personal statement must be an original piece of work. UCAS puts all applications through similarity detection tests such as �?CopyCatch’, which identify statements that have been copied from another source and to detect plagiarism. The universities you have applied to will then be informed if the system detects this in your personal statement.
Avoid flowery language – express yourself simply and precisely. Also try to avoid using too many quotations in your personal statement. The Admissions Tutor is interested in what you think, not what someone else thinks.
Further guidelines on Personal Statements may be obtained from the UCAS website: https://www.ucas.com/applying/applying-to-university/writing-your-personal-statement/the-new-personal-statement-for-2026-entry