personal statement service hints and tips for writing your UCAS personal statement

1# Plagiarism It is very unwise to copy or closely imitate a personal statement that you have read elsewhere so personal statement service uses copycatch to ensure that your statement is unique to you.

UCAS (Universities & Colleges Admissions Service) and some universities now use software to detect plagiarised applications and this is the software that we use. Admissions tutors are also likely to be adept at recognising duplicated content due to the large number of applications they read in their work. This will never happen with our statements as we use your unique information so that no two statements are the same.

The risk of being caught is high and the resultant penalties severe.

It can be helpful to read example personal statements in books and on-line but please be careful not to plagiarise work, either unintentionally or otherwise.

2# Lying

As with plagiarism, if you are caught lying, at interview or later in the course, the consequences are likely to be serious.

You should present yourself in the best possible light. Emphasising your positive attributes, what you have learnt, the skills you have acquired and perhaps obstacles you have over come.

But over exaggerating or even fabricating your achievements is not recommended.

3# Applying late

A statement written in a hurry, without proper research, is unlikely to communicate real enthusiasm and more likely to contain grammatical and spelling errors.

Avoid unnecessary stress and send your application early.

4# Lack of clarity

Not giving concise and convincing reasons for applying is an elementary error.

During each redraft, scrutinise each sentence, in turn, assessing whether what you are saying might be said more succinctly or persuasively.

The sentence with fewer words, is often the more effective and elegant one.

5# Lack of enthusiasm

Do take care to get the tone of your personal statement right.

Whilst keeping a formal tone, you should try to adopt an engaging style that injects your passion and enthusiasm for the subject. Avoid the use of clichés (such as, ‘I have always wanted to study’ ‘I have always loved’ ‘made a big impression on me’ ‘ etc.)

Don’t recount what is self evident from elsewhere on your application. Repeating the names of your school/college and how many GCSE’s you got wastes space. It is information admissions tutors will already have.

Do plenty of research and indicate that you are aware of the demands of the course and the topical or significant issues within your subject.

Read the statement aloud to yourself. Do you sound like an inspiring, motivated candidate?

If you are not sure, take advice from someone with the appropriate skill set, then refine what you have already written.

Your goal should be to present yourself as someone committed, confident and enthused based upon style and content.

Simply stating that you are enthusiastic or committed is no substitute for an engagingly written piece full of supporting evidence.