Getting started

The aim of the postgraduate personal statement is to highlight your relevant skills, knowledge and experience for the course. Admissions tutors want to know what you can offer, and why they should choose you over everyone else. This means your statement needs to be clear and focused throughout, so the best way to begin is by thinking about and making notes on the following points: #1 Why are you applying for a postgraduate course?Reasons might include your passion and enthusiasm for the subject, a new challenge, and your career aspirations.

#2 What is it about this particular course that appeals to you? Look at the course content - what interests you about the topics covered, and why? If youre applying for a Research Masters, why do you want to undertake a research project in the subject?

#3 Why are you applying to this university?Make sure you research all the institutions you are considering - what do you like about them? What facilities do they provide? Do they have a good reputation in your field? What does the surrounding town/city have to offer? If youre invited to interview, its likely you will be asked why you have chosen their university, so make sure you have some good reasons, or it will look like you dont really care.

#4 What work experience do you have that demonstrates your interest in the subject? Think about any placements youve completed since your GCSEs - what did you learn, and how is this related to your subject? Part of writing a good personal statement is being able to provide examples in order to back up your claims. Work experience is a great source to use for this, so note down anything you think might be useful or relevant.

#5 What skills have you gained from your undergraduate studies that will help you make the transition to postgraduate study?Again, think about what you learned during your degree. Skills you might talk about include: Communication Analytical Problem-solving IT Numeracy Teamwork Public speaking Practical e.g. laboratory or fieldwork (if you are applying for a Research Masters)

How did you improve or develop these skills? Try to think of specific projects as examples.

#6 What hobbies and interests do you have, and how might they help you on the course? If youre part of any clubs or societies, done voluntary/charity work, or held a position of responsibility during your degree, e.g. student representative, then write a bit about your experiences and how they could assist you with your postgraduate studies. Try to be as detailed as possible with your notes - the more you get down at this early stage, the easier it will be to put together your first draft.

Starting your personal statement From your notes, you can now begin to write the first draft of your statement. The opening should grab the readers attention, so they want to carry on reading until the end. One way of doing this is to talk about an incident or experience in your life that has compelled you to study the subject to postgraduate level. Take a look at our Postgraduate personal statement examples to see how others have used this technique. Another way of starting your statement is to pick one aspect of your subject and talk about why it fascinates you. Look back at your notes to point #2 above. Although these suggestions will help make your opening unique and more likely to stand out from the crowd, you dont have to use them. If you can think of another way to achieve the same effect with the first few sentences, then thats fine. Filling in the middle This is the point where you should read through the rest of your notes, and draft several paragraphs that cover your skills, experience and knowledge. The easiest way to do this is to allocate a paragraph to each point: one for work experience, one for your skills, etc. Make sure you include everything you jotted down earlier, and most importantly, relate it to the course you are applying for. Remember, making claims are no good unless you back them up with evidence. Dont worry about spelling, grammar, punctuation, paragraph structure etc. at this stage - you can fix all this later once youve got the essentials in place. Rounding it off Generally, its a good idea to conclude your statement with a short paragraph about your career aspirations and/or how you believe a postgraduate course in the subject will help you in the future. Youve spent the rest of the statement talking about the past and what youve learned from your experiences, so looking to th e future is a nice, positive way to round things off. The next step Now youve got a basic draft down, show it to your family, friends and anyone else you think might be able to help. Don't feel bad about asking other people for help - it's actually a great way to get that perfect personal statement in shape. Sitting and staring at it yourself for too long will just give you a headache, and a fresh pair of eyes will pick up on things that you would otherwise have missed. Take their comments on board, and make any necessary amendments to your statement.You don t have to implement all recommendations, but showing it to several or more people should highlight any common areas where changes need to be made. Its advisable to redraft and ask for other peoples input at least several times before polishing it up into your final statement. This will give you the best possible chance of success with your application. Before you send off your application Check your statement carefully for spelling and grammar mistakes. Remember that a Spellcheck tool isnt infallible, a nd could easily fail to pick up errors. Go through it several times, and ask someone else to take a look in case youve missed anything. Also check that it isnt overly long - if youve been given a word count, make sure youve stuck to it. Generally, you will be allowed one side of A4 for your statement. If the application form has asked you to answer a specific question in your statement, or talk about particular aspects of your skills, experience or background, check these have been covered as well.

Management Personal statement My greatest achievement to date was when I was appointed head of the 6th form Management committee. I have turned it from a minor committee to a thriving active part of my school. Whilst maintaining the balance between academic and extra-curricular pursuits I have used my initiative in starting and managing the Cafe at my school to raise funds for any 6th form investments. Having planned this project from the outset, I have learnt how to analyse problems and come up with solutions whilst meeting deadlines and executing a basic business strategy. These formal positions have taught me vital life skills such as leadership, planning, working with others in a team, and delegation. It has given me my first taste in managing a business, and I am eager to learn more. After a lot of research into many careers and thorough background reading such as "The Irrational Economist", I realized a career in business is something I would like to pursue. Having observed the rapid changes in global economics, and the way firms react has inspired me to take this knowledge further. My enthusiasm for business has always been in its management: the fine art of ensuring that a set of high quality cogs create a functioning timepiece. When choosing my A level subjects I took into consideration which transferable skills would be of use whilst pursuing a business based degree. I took the highly analytical subject Economics due to its relevance to the current climate in the business world as well as to train me in writing focused persuasive essays. Not only has my study of critical thinking supported this, but it has taught me how to critique the arguments of others. Further Mathematics has taught me how to analyse problems and to interpret information. My study of Biology provides me with the logical mindset required to approach any subject which will no doubt be helpful in studying for my chosen degree. Finally, in studying AS level Religious Studies during my free time, I learned valuable lessons, in philosophy and ethics as well as working independently whilst exercising well developed time management. As well as my schoolwork I take part in many extra-curricular activities; I am currently head of my local youth group, where I have learnt how to take control and organise different activities. I have always been interested in the wellbeing of others and have taken part in voluntary work. I enjoy my volunteer work at Childline, as it gives me a sense of purpose and achievement, whilst enabling me to communicate in an empathic and systematic manner. Not only has it taught me to be a team player but also some key skills of how to be a leader, such as how to listen to peoples problems and remain uninvolved, and follow certain guidelines on how to deal with a situation. My communication skills are further supported by my work in speech and drama, when I have both delivered and judged speeches and debates, teaching me how to assess objectively and give constructive and positive feedback. I understand that a business based degree is a highly demanding course and needs dedication and hard work. I have taken up activities which involve these attributes; karate is a sport which I enjoy and its basic principles of motivation and hard work are qualities I value. I have also taken up ballet and modern dance, Duke of Edinburgh, drama and piano; reinforcing discipline, dedication and performance skills. A business based degree is exceptionally diverse and can lead to many opportunities; I will thrive on studying its many depths and breadths. At present I have only just ventured into the business world and I am eager to learn more. Potentially I would like to set up my own business in the future and a business based degree will aid me. I see myself as a very capable and enthusiastic person who will grasp this challenging degree with both hands to further my academic potential and become an asset to your university.

Business and Management Personal Statement

Academically, I have always been a very determined and studious individual, hence why I knew that a degree at University would be the definite next step. I have a broad interest in many subject areas yet feel drawn towards a law or business orientated degree. With regards to Business, the reasoning behind my choice is the complex and intriguing nature of the subject. I particularly enjoy the way business so appropriately blends in with everyday issues. Since taking the subject at A-Level my interest has grown and matured and I am able to view many businesses analytically and make suggestions regarding possible improvements. Law is an area which has interested me from an early age. I enjoy extensive reading and recognise that this is essential in studying law. I consider myself to be well suited to a career in law as I pay much attention to detail and take pleasure in undergoing work which raises social issues in today's society and requires the skill to manipulate evidence and present persuasive arguments. I also believe that the Psychology A-Level I have has aided me in observing the actions of others and how their opinions and memories are influenced by external factors. This area of work requires much confidence which I believe I posses and can use to my advantage in order to gain recognition in this competitive field of work My work experience is very broad due to a variety of positions I have held in differentiating working environments. My experience working for Royal Worchester & Spode in the Debenhams' department store has been the most influential. The up-market company requires a confidant disposition from a Sales Advisor such as myself and a proficient memory in order to ensure product knowledge is to an optimum standard I was also given the responsibility to train a new employee which displays the high degree of trust my employers have for me My educational experiences have been of great use to me from a position of form captain in Secondary School to aiding the organisation of mass celebrations in College. Responsibilities such as these have helped me to mature and take my positions seriously so that I am respected by staff. My position of English Prefect in Year 11 required a large portion of my time as I was in charge of aiding the entire English department. My interest in the Italian language has also led me to have an article I wrote regarding the exploitation of women on Italian Television published in 'L'Italiano' newspaper, to which I was very content to have my views expressed During Secondary School I also attended evening Italian classes where I was presented with 'The Student of the Year Award' due to my excellent standard of work. The class required me to organise my time efficiently so that other schoolwork did not suffer as a result of my extra GCSE. As a result of these classes and of my Italian parents I now speak the language fluently Sport and leisure also interests me and during college I decided to use this interest to do charity work for RNIB where I raised GBP250 and abseiled 120ft down Westminster University. I played Netball for the Harrow Netball Team and competed in the OGI UK Games for the Harrow and Wembley team where I was awarded several trophies and a gold and bronze medal for long jump and javelin.