Advice for a successful
personal statement
The personal statement is your opportunity to tell universities and colleges about your suitability
for the course(s) that you hope to study. You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and
commitment, and above all, ensure that you stand out from the crowd.
Points to consider when writing your personal statement:
{ Explain why you want to study the course you are
applying for – 70 to 80 per cent of your personal
statement needs to focus on this.
{ Try to link your hobbies and interests to that course.
Use them to demonstrate the skills you have which
will help you to succeed at university.
{ The personal statement could be used as the basis
for an interview, so be prepared to answer questions
on it.
{ Get the grammar, spelling and punctuation right.
{ It is a good idea to brainstorm your hobbies and
achievements, and then you can decide which ones
demonstrate your strongest skills and personality.
{ Try not to mention a university or college by name.
{ If you are applying for a joint degree you will need to
explain why you are interested in both aspects of this
joint programme.
{ An admissions tutor will read hundreds of personal
statements so try to make yours stand out. Be careful
about the humour you use as the admissions tutor may
not necessarily share your humour.
Transferable Skills List
Students often find it difficult to identify the transferable skills they have because they take for granted the things they do on a
regular basis. Both Universities and employers seek evidence of transferable skills.
The list below details some transferable skills. Which ones are you able to evidence?
skills
Analyse data or facts
Articulate
add a 3 or r evidence of skill
Imaging alternatives
Professionalism
Implementing decisions
Providing support for
others
Incentive
Resourcefulness
Being punctual
Interacting effectively
with different groups
Budgeting
Listening
Responding
appropriately to
feedback
Calculating or
manipulating numbers
Logical
Self-awareness
Managing time and stress
Sensitive
Memorising names or
other information
Setting and meeting
deadlines
Networking
Setting goals
Organising projects
Sociable
Outgoing
Speaking in public
Patience
Speaking to capture
attention
Communicate verbally
Compare, inspect or
record facts
Confidence
Cooperating
Creativity
Critical thinking
Developing rapport
Paying attention to detail
Supervising others
Diplomatic
Perceiving non-verbal
message
Able to evaluate
Perseverance
Taking initiative
Expressing ideas
Persuade
Time management
Facilitating groups
Planning ahead
Understanding
Handling things with
precision or speed
Problem solving
Working effectively
under pressure
Identifying problems
Processing data in a
computer
Tactful
Writing letters or reports
Powerful Verbs List
Think about what you have actually done. What role did you play, what did you achieve?
Use phrases other than “like”, “enjoy”, “took part in”. Here are some suggestions:
•Accelerated
•Accomplished
•Achieved
•Acted
•Activated
•Adapted
•Addressed
•Adjusted
•Administered
•Advanced
•Advertised
•Advised
•Advocated
•Aided
•Allocated
•Analysed
•Answered
•Applied
•Appraised
•Approved
•Arbitrated
•Arranged
•Ascertained
•Assembled
•Assessed
•Assigned
•Awarded
•Balanced
•Began
•Boosted
•Briefed
•Budgeted
•Built
•Calculated
•Captured
•Catalogued
•Centralised
•Chaired
•Charted
•Checked
•Clarified
•Classified
•Coached
•Collaborated
•Collected
•Combined
•Communicated
•Compared
•Compiled
•Completed
•Composed
•Computed
•Conserved
•Consolidated
•Constructed
•Consulted
•Contacted
•Continued
•Contributed
•Controlled
•Converted
•Conveyed
•Convinced
•Coordinated
•Corresponded
•Created
•Critiqued
•Cultivated
•Customised
•Decided
•Defined
•Delegated
•Delivered
•Demonstrated
•Designated
•Designed
•Detected
•Determined
•Discovered
•Dispensed
•Displayed
•Dissected
•Distributed
•Diverted
•Documented
•Drafted
•Earned
•Edited
•Educated
•Effected
•Eliminated
•Emphasised
•Employed
•Encouraged
•Enforced
•Engineered
•Enhanced
•Enlarged
•Enlisted
•Ensured
•Entertained
•Established
•Estimated
•Evaluated
•Experimented
•Explained
•Explored
•Expressed
•Extended
•Extracted
•Fabricated
•Facilitated
•Fashioned
•Finalised
•Fixed
•Fit
•Focused
•Forecasted
•Formed
•Formulated
•Fostered
•Found
•Fulfilled
•Furnished
•Gained
•Gathered
•Generated
•Governed
•Grossed
•Guided
•Hired
•Honed
•Hosted
•Hypothesised
•Identified
•Illustrated
•Imagined
•Implemented
•Improved
•Improvised
•Incorporated
•Increased
•Indexed
•Influenced
•Informed
•Initiated
•Innovated
•Inspected
•Inspired
•Installed
•Instituted
•Integrated
•Interacted
•Interpreted
•Interviewed
•Introduced
•Issued
•Joined
•Judged
•Kept
•Launched
•Learned
•Led
•Lifted
•Listened
•Located
•Logged
•Lectured
•Maintained
•Managed
•Manipulated
•Marketed
•Maximised
•Measured
•Mediated
•Merged
•Mobilised
•Modified
•Monitored
•Motivated
•Navigated
•Negotiated
•Operated
•Ordered
•Orchestrated
•Organised
•Originated
•Outlined
•Overcame
•Overhauled
•Oversaw
•Participated
•Performed
•Persuaded
•Photographed
•Pinpointed
•Piloted
•Pioneered
•Placed
•Planned
•Played
•Predicted
•Prepared
•Prescribed
•Presented
•Presided
•Prevented
•Printed
•Projected
•Promoted
•Proofread
•Proposed
•Protected
•Proved
•Provided
•Publicised
•Purchased
•Qualified
•Questioned
•Raised
•Ran
•Rated
•Reached
•Realised
•Reasoned
•Received
•Recommended
•Reconciled
•Recorded
•Recruited
•Reduced
•Referred
•Regulated
•Rehabilitated
•Repaired
•Replaced
•Reported
•Represented
•Researched
•Reshaped
•Resolved
•Responded
•Restored
•Retrieved
•Reviewed
•Revised
•Revitalised
•Routed
•Saved
•Scheduled
•Screened
•Searched
•Secured
•Selected
•Separated
•Served
•Shaped
•Shared
•Simplified
•Simulated
•Spearheaded
•Specialised
•Specified
•Spoke
•Sponsored
•Staffed
•Standardised
•Started
•Streamlined
•Strengthened
•Structured
•Studied
•Suggested
•Summarised
•Supervised
•Supplied
•Supported
•Surpassed
•Surveyed
•Sustained
•Systematised
•Targeted
•Taught
•Terminated
•Tested
•Tightened
•Totalled
•Tracked
•Transcribed
•Transformed
•Transmitted
•Translated
•Travelled
•Tutored
•Uncovered
•Undertook
•Unified
•United
•Updated
•Upgraded
•Used
•Utilised
•Validated
•Verbalised
•Verified
•Vitalised
•Volunteered
•Weighed
•Widened
•Won
•Worked
•Wrote
DOs and DON’Ts when constructing your
personal statement
DO
DON'T
{ Check university entry profiles
{ Include misleading information
{ Relate your studies to your application
{ Submit your form without checking it
{ Demonstrate your interest and knowledge to your
chosen subject
{ Take risks in what you include
{ Write about relevant skills and experiences
{ Write what comes naturally
{ Use bullet points or lists
{ Write things that are not relevant to your
application
{ Check that it is free of grammar and spelling mistakes
www.exeter.ac.uk
Student Recruitment Office, University of Exeter,
The Queen’s Drive, Exeter, EX4 4QJ
Information is correct at time of going to print.
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This advice is not exhaustive
and there is lots more advice
and tips on how to write a
successful statement on the
UCAS website – www.ucas.com
100% recycled 2014AS012
{ Get it checked by a tutor or subject teacher