How do I make my personal statement effective?

Although personal statements can seem like an overwhelming task, they don't need to be! They are what it says on the tin - a short piece of writing that’s about your interest in the subject and your experience. It can be difficult and might even seem cringe-worthy to write about yourself, but my main pieces of advice to avoid this, and make your personal statements more effective, are:

1. Avoid generic statements like ‘Since the age of 5 I’ve been interested in XYZ’. Instead, think about what genuinely interested you and made you apply for the subject, using evidence and perhaps referencing a particular occasion/lecture you attended/article you read to back this up.
2. Don’t use more words than you need to! Writing in simple language shows clarity and confidence, and makes it clear that you’ve got a genuine passion and are not hiding behind long words and sentences.
3. Focus on your skills. Even if you think you don’t have experience that is specific to your course, think again! For example, you might not have extensive experience of laboratory work, but perhaps you have held a job that required organisational skills and attention to detail – both of which are key for good scientific research. So, using simple language, focusing on your skills, and keeping your personal statement focused on the real-life experiences that led you to apply for the course will help make it a compelling piece of writing. Just take it step by step and you’ll get there!