10 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your UCAS Personal Statement
Avoid These 10 Frequent Errors in Your UCAS Personal Statement
The UCAS Personal Statement is a chance for students to shine, and really show their passion for their chosen course, subject, and universities. It is a great opportunity for the student applying to UK universities to talk about their degree-specific achievements and academic interests in their own words. Understandably however, it can also be the most daunting part of the process, summing up a lifetime of work in 4,000 characters or fewer. Even UCAS itself calls it the hardest part of completing the application. Many applicants therefore make common mistakes that can hurt their chances at their top universities.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss ten mistakes and pitfalls to avoid in your UCAS personal statement and offer tips to improve your writing. Keep reading to see how to make your statement the most compelling it can be, and be sure to check out the other resources we have online at Personal Statement Service!
1. Ignoring the UCAS guidelines
This error is so simple, yet one often committed. The word count and character limits which UCAS sets for the Statement are there to guide the applicant in structuring their writing, and it is crucial to plan and draft your Statement with those boundaries in mind.
Not only do you not want to physically run out of space in the UCAS interface when uploading your Statement, but the limits are there to tighten and streamline your writing, as an exercise in both breadth and depth.
Adhering to UCAS guidelines shows the candidate’s attention to detail, and making use of your available words as best you can is also a keen identifier to those reading your Statement of your skills in language and argumentation, so don’t let the first time you ‘cut down’ your Statement be in a panic, when you’re just about to send it off.
2. Lack of Clear Structure
Planning and structure go hand in hand, as we saw above. Your Statement needs to have a distinct introduction, body, and conclusion. There is no point in having an essay brimming with impressive achievements and accolades, only to have those lost in a block of text. Use clear signposting, guiding your reader through your reasons for applying for your chosen course, your relevant experience and interests, and what makes you an impressive candidate overall. In the planning process, create different sections for the points you want to cover (which can be something as simple as the What, Why, and How), and make sure everything you mention under each is relevant to the header. This will help you organise your content logically and coherently when you come to fully fleshing out the Statement paragraph by paragraph.
3. Going for the Generic
University personnel are going to be reading hundreds, if not thousands, of Statements for any given course, and you need to make sure yours does not get lost in the crowd. One trap people often fall into is using generic language, failing to convey individuality of the writer. Generic language means that you often end up talking about experiences specific to you, but which end up sounding vague and applicable to anyone. Did you explore an interest in financial analysis by attending a number of (unnamed) insight days, or did you participate in a five-week banking program at Morgan Stanley, and attend a number of conferences at the Bank of England in your own time, covering everything from mathematical methods to algorithms, which made you decide Economics at university was the right degree for you? Do you have a general interest in French literature, or did you choose to specifically research the French Symbolist movement after reading and enjoying Baudelaire’s Fleur du Mal? Getting down to specifics is key in signposting your personal investment in, and passion for, the course you are writing about. The best examples of Personal Statements will be able to operate on both the micro and macro level.
4. Failure to Reflect on Personal Experience
This point goes hand in hand with the last one. The Statement is designed for you to be able to give a unique picture of your suitability for the course. There is no way for admissions officers to tell if you’re a right fit if you do not draw on your personal experiences and achievements. These can range from events and open days you’ve attended, and work experience you’ve had (especially useful for vocational courses), to any extra reading you’ve done around the subject, or courses you’ve completed. What did these entail, and more importantly, what did you gain and learn from these opportunities? Universities want to see that you have not plucked your degree choice out of thin air, and this is evidenced by how you have engaged precisely with your personal experiences.
5. Overemphasis on Academics
The Personal Statement is not an academic transcript, and candidates would do well with remembering this fact. Listing your grades in the Statement will get you nowhere. Universities already have a record of your school subjects and results to date, including predicted grades, and now want to get a holistic view of the person they would potentially be admitting. It is therefore important to go a step further, and link academic and extracurricular achievements to offer balance and variety. Leadership positions in societies can show diligence and ability to work under pressure, perfect for an aspiring lawyer; a role in school publications can attest to advanced writing and editing skills, useful for an English Literature applicant; voluntary experience at a local gallery would boost an Art History application, as would coding courses for a Computer Science Statement. These so super-curriculars really stand out in applications, offering a balanced view of strengths, and any distinguished Statement would include them.
6. Ignoring the Course Requirements
In line with avoiding generic language, it is vital that the applicant tailors the Statement to their chosen course. A sure-fire way to get your application rejected is making it abundantly clear that you have not paid any attention to the course criteria, and therefore are not suited to the line of study you have applied for. This often has to do with required qualifications, specific GCSE and A-level subjects, and acquired and predicted grades. Make sure you are clear on what each university and course expects of its students, and make a list of entry requirements and expected grades that you can refer to throughout the process. It is fine to be ambitious in the UCAS process, but applying to a course which requires an A-level you are not studying for is a step too far.
7. Failure to Demonstrate Passion
Admissions officers can tell when you have put little thought into your course and subject choice, and the lack of enthusiasm comes through. Demonstrable passion and genuine interest make the cornerstones of the Statement. If this is a subject you already do at school, what have you read and participated in that shows your enjoyment of it outside of the curriculum? If it’s a new subject, what evidence and experience do you have for pursuing a fresh academic path? Practise delivering your Statement and talking about your subject to friends and family, telling them why it’s the right course for you. Your enthusiasm should come through in speech and can be easily transferred to paper, and is also useful for any course which have interviews later down the line, like for Oxbridge, and in Medicine.
8. Poor Proofreading and Editing
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors reflect poorly on students, and are so easy to correct! Having an error-free Statement is really important for students applying to courses which rely on competent and intelligent writing, especially in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Things to look out for effective editing include proper names, clause length, foreign and scientific words and titles, and correct punctuation. Give yourself enough time to review your Statement – re-reading is the best way to ensure an error-free submission!
9. Relying on Clichés
Clichés, like childhood dreams, wanting to do XYZ subject for as long as you can remember, or an inspirational quote from an unrelated figure, weaken the impact of the Personal Statement. They show the reader that the applicant lacks original and unique motivation for doing the course, and they often makes for a lacklustre opening. Instead, think of fresh ways to express common ideas: have you always liked theatre generally, or did seeing a particular production of Pinter when you were in sixth form highlight him as a playwright you wanted to know more about? Do you love all animals, or have you developed a detailed interest in agricultural farming and animals after work experience lambing? Keep things concise, ambitious, and relevant. It is fine to have developed your passions later in life, so long as you have evidence for your in depth engagement with them.
10. Procrastination
Time management is key to all parts of the UCAS process, but especially in the planning, writing, and submitting of your statement. Keep a keen eye on your UCAS deadline, and get started with brainstorming as soon as you can. Procrastinating the Statement can leave you with an underwhelming finished product, if put together at the last minute, and is much more likely to feature uninspired clichés, poor structure, and spelling errors, which you should want to avoid. You also want to set aside time for teacher input on the Statement, and this is less likely if you are cutting timings fine.
Avoiding these common mistakes can significantly enhance your UCAS personal statement. By focusing on clarity, authenticity, and structure, you can create an impressive statement that captures the attention of admissions tutors and strengthens your application.
If you’re interested to see more of what we offer at Personal Statement Service, please feel free to contact us. A team member will be happy to discuss your specific needs and help with personal statement for your application today!