Preparing your Personal Statement for postgraduate study

Preparing your Personal Statement for

postgraduate study

Anne O’Connor ul.ie/cecd

anne.n.oconnor@ul.ie

What is a personal (or supporting) statement?

The Personal Statement

• Very important part of your postgraduate application

• An opportunity to expand upon your CV and/or application form

• A chance for course directors to find out about you

• You may need to do several drafts before you’re happy with it

What should you include?

 Many universities give clear guidance about what they want you to cover in the

personal statement. In this case, make sure you follow the instructions carefully.

 Others may leave it up to you. If this is the case, you could structure your statement

around the following five areas:

1. Why you want to study this particular course

2. Why you want to study at this institution

3. Why they should select you

4. Specific skills that you have that relate to the course

5. Explain how the course relates to your future career plans

Why you want to study this particular course

• How you first became interested in this field:

e.g. at secondary school or during a particular

module in your undergraduate degree

• How you have learned about it: e.g. through

lectures, tutorials, projects, work experience,

final year project, conversations with

academic staff

• What you particularly enjoy about the subject

area

• How work experience or coop has inspired

you to learn more about the subject

Why you want to study at this institution

• The reputation of the particular course

• The academics there who are well-known in the field you’re interested in - mention if

you’ve read any of their work

• Specific academic staff there that you want to do research with

• How the institution offers the right course content and structure for you: e.g. modules,

projects, placements

• How the institution would provide a contrast to where you did your undergraduate

degree: e.g. larger, more specialised

• Facilities and resources that the institution offers e.g. research equipment, libraries

Why they should select you

• Your academic strengths and interests

• High grades you’ve received for specific

modules, essays, projects

• Academic prizes or bursaries you’ve

received e.g. scholarships, president’s

letter

• Specific work experience that you’ve

done that has prepared you for the

course

• Research activities you’ve been involved

in: e.g. your FYP or any other research

• Any extra-curricular activities which

demonstrate an interest in the area you

plan to study

Mention specific skills you have that relate to the

course

• IT skills and knowledge of particular

software packages

• An understanding of relevant scientific

techniques

• A high level of competence in

particular languages

• Research skills/interests/ methods

application deadlines

• Deadlines differ

• Know when the closing dates are and what the application process is; check

websites

• Some won’t take late applications.

Writing your personal statement

Possible Section Outline

Write the personal statement in essay format and group into sections to ensure a

coherent flow with no repetition. The information below outlines a sample outline

that could be followed when writing your statement.

Section 1 – Intro -Why you have chosen this course/profession/university.

Section 2 – Your academic qualifications, relevant subjects/modules/projects

studied.

Section 3 – Personal qualities and achievements that make you suitable (including

evidence of how you have developed them).

Section 4 – Any work experience you have completed, outlining what you learnt from

the experience and the relevance to the course. How the course will give you the

necessary skills to prepare you for a specific career: e.g. Banking, Psychology, Speech

and Language Therapy, Engineering, Advertising, etc.

Section 5 – Summary – sum up your overall suitability for the course and show

clearly that you know what you want to get out of it

Writing your personal statement

• Pay close attention to paragraphs and sentences. You will not be able to

include everything you have ever done so you will need to be selective in

choosing what is relevant to your application.

• Your writing is a reflection of your work. You need to make sure that it is as

impressive as possible as many courses are highly competitive and it could

be the personal statement that separates successful candidates.

• It is acceptable to use personal pronouns such as ‘I’ or ‘my’ in a personal

statement however be careful not to overuse them.

• Use linking words such as “additionally”, “furthermore” and “however” to

link sentences with common themes.

Referees

• At least one should be an academic referee (lecturer/tutor from relevant

subject area etc.)

• Ask their permission beforehand

• Tell them what you’re applying for, (tell them what you want them say….)

• Give them a copy of your supporting statement.

What to avoid

Over-used clichés

Avoid 'from a young age', 'since I was a child', 'I’ve always loved…', 'I have a thirst for

knowledge', 'the world we live in today'…etc.

Stating the obvious

For example: 'In my work experience I learned to communicate effectively with

children, which is an important skill in teaching.’

Flattery

Some statements have a tendency towards flattery, with sentences like 'it would be

an honour to be offered a place at your world-renowned university'.

Sweeping statements or unproven claims

i.e.: 'I genuinely believe I’m a highly motivated person' or 'My achievements are

vast'. Instead give specific examples that provide concrete evidence

What to avoid

Stilted vocabulary

 Frequent use of words or phrases like 'fuelled my desire', 'I was enthralled by' or 'that

world-renowned author Dan Brown' can make you sound a bit fake or pretentious. If you

wouldn’t say something in a day-to-day discussion, don’t say it in your statement.

Negative comments or excuses

 It can be difficult to ‘sell yourself’ in your personal statement, but don’t talk about why

you haven’t done something, or why you failed a subject. Focus on the positives.

Irrelevant personal facts

 Apply the 'so what?' rule. Does it make a useful contribution and help explain why you

should be given a place on the course? If not, get rid.

Watch your spelling and grammar

• ‘Having been captain of the debating club, I have grate communication

skills.’

• "I am well-respected by my classmates. At school, I held the position of

head bog and it is a post I preformed well.“

• Thanks for considering my application and I hope I will here from you

soon.“

Summary

 Do tailor it to your subject, showing your understanding and interest so far.

 Don’t make a long list of things you’ve done/read/watched without explaining how these developed this understanding.

 Do research what skills and qualities the courses you’re applying to, demand and show how you already have these.

 Don’t mention irrelevant or general hobbies; you want to stand out but not in the wrong way.

 Do mention any career paths you’re considering

 Don’t leave your statement to the last minute; give yourself time to draft and re-draft, plus share with others for feedback.

 Do keep a copy of what you have written as it will probably be referred to at interview

Can we help?

 Make an appointment through CareersConnect to get your statement reviewed

https://careersconnect.ul.ie/home.html

 Careers Resource Area E0 019, Main Building – CV reviewsevery day during term

2-3.30pm, Mon to Thurs and 1-2pm every Friday

 Keep a copy of what you have written as it will probably be referred to at interview.

Thank you