Top tips for writing your Personal Statement!

Putting together a personal statement can be tricky! Every year, we speak to lots of applicants about what universities expect and what they are looking for in the finished piece – it’s something we get asked about a lot!

Part of our FAQ are:

“What should I talk about in my personal statement?”

“How can I make my personal statement stand out?”

“How long should my personal statement be?”

There is no cause for alarm, just relax yourself. The personal statement section on your application is broken down into 3 clear questions so you can write responsive answers, that offer us insight into the key attributes universities look for! That being said, we do have our own tips and guidelines that we like to share, so read on for our full insight!

Firstly,

Why does Universities ask for a personal statement?

Quite simply, they ask for a personal statement because they want to know about YOU. All aspects of your application are important, but many areas tend to be factual and to the point. The personal statement is your opportunity to expand and tell them more about who you are, and what your motivations are for applying to their university.

Universities often rely on the personal statement to help understand your profile and fill in any missing pieces from their assessment.

Secondly,

What questions are included in the personal statement section of my application?

You will be required to complete 5 mandatory questions, which cover your motivation to study, with an additional information section which offers you a chance to detail anything else you haven't mentioned as part of the application. The 5 questions are as follows:

WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

Here in this section, you have to write about your educational profile and work experiences. Write about the course you did at the higher institution, what motivates you in doing it and also after your higher institution what jobs you have taken and places you have worked.

While writing this section, you have to link both your education and work experience to the course you are going for, how they have influenced your decision in going for an advanced course.

WHY YOU HAVE CHOOSEN THE COUNTRY

Here, you need to tell the university why you have chosen to study in that county. Take for instance you pick a school in the UK, they want to know how you think the country affects the school and how you want it to affect you also. You might base you reasons on universities rankings in that country or how the country regulate the universities for quality assurance.

WHY YOU CHOSE THE UNIVERSITY

The university knows their ranking and facts about their school, but they want to know if you have done your findings about them and about the course you want to study. Its just like applying for a job, there must be some details you know about a company before going for an interview.

So search online, do some research about the school, what they have done over the years and what reputations they have. Take a bit of your time here.

WHY YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO STUDY THE COURSE YOU PICKED

Yes you read that right, they want to know what motivates you to opt-in for the course you have chosen.

Is it related to your previous studies?
Do you wish to gain more knowledge in your field?

These are some of the questions you would need to answer in this section. They also want to know what benefits this course will give you.

YOUR FUTURE PLANS AFTER YOU FINISH THE COURSE

This is the concluding part of your SOP. Here, you just need to tell them your plans after you’re done with the course. Maybe you wish to stay and work in that country or you wish to go back to your home country. Maybe you wish to start a company or look for jobs that suits you and so on.

Lastly,

Is there anything I should not write about in my personal statement?

Try not to get too caught up with university rankings or facts about the school: The school wants to hear about you not them, its good to talk about the programme contents but avoid telling them what they already know like their rankings e.t.c. Focus instead on what interests you the most and how you plan to build on past study.

keep it concise! Don’t start writing them stories, they are not interested in that just go strait to your point make sure your answers are clear and succinct.

Check, check, and check again! It’s the golden rule; make sure your personal statement is free from any spelling or grammatical errors. Copying and pasting from any other personal statements you have written, such as one to another institution, is a risky game – don’t reference another university and be sure to use the correct programme title!

If you still have questions or clarifications on anything, feel free to contact our support team, they are ever happy to help. Our support email support@studyspace.ng.

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