how to write a good personal statement for honours course

by Brandi Ward 8 min read

Your Personal Statement should be between 350 and 500 words in length and contain a number of paragraphs that link together in a logical, well-written style. In the first half you need to explain why you want to do the course and why you are well suited to it. This part should be between 150-250 words. The second half should be about yourself and your interests.

Full Answer

How do you write a personal statement for a joint honours course?

Nov 23, 2020 · Personal Statement Examples. 25 August, 2021. 23 November, 2020. Here’s an example of a personal statement from a student wanting to study a joint honours degree in English and Spanish. The student got an interview at Oxford and received offers from Edinburgh, Manchester and Exeter….

How do I write a personal statement for a course?

Your Personal Statement should be between 350 and 500 words in length and contain a number of paragraphs that link together in a logical, well-written style. In the first half you need to explain why you want to do the course and why you are well …

What is an example of a personal statement?

Dec 18, 2019 · Concentrate on the main content of your statement and write the introduction last.'. 'I often advise applicants to start with paragraph two, where you get into why you want to study the course. That's what we're really interested in.'. The best statements tend to be genuine and specific from the very start.

How do you write a good introduction for a personal statement?

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How do you write a personal statement for Honours?

You should list your achievements, work experience, skills and any obstacles you've overcome. Talk about what you're good at and what you're proud of. Include any voluntary work or activities, as these are a great reflection of who you are as a person and what you believe in.

How do you write a personal statement for a course?

You should include:why you are applying for the course – show your enthusiasm.how your current skills, experience and qualifications will help your application.relevant engagement with your chosen degree subject, such as work experience (if you have it) or extracurricular activities.More items...

How do you write a strong personal statement?

10 Tips for Writing a Strong Personal StatementRead the instructions carefully. ... Focus on yourself. ... Demonstrate your genuine interest and enthusiasm. ... Start early. ... Explain any discrepancies in your application in your personal statement. ... Review good sentence and paragraph structure. ... Use the active voice.More items...

What should a good personal statement include?

What makes a good personal statement?Explain the reason for your choice and how it fits in with your aspirations for the future.Give examples of any related academic or work experience.Show you know what the course will involve and mention any special subjects you're interested in.More items...

How do you introduce yourself in a personal statement?

Here are two easy, surefire ways to begin your introduction: A story about yourself. A story about someone else who affected you....Avoid Cliches. ... Use Active Voice. ... Use Strong Verbs (but appropriate verbs) ... Paint an Image. ... Keep the Story in the Introduction.Jun 19, 2013

How do you start a personal statement for university example?

Here's a guideline of what you should include:Reasons for wanting to study. First things first, you need to explain why you're interested in the course. ... Why you're suitable. ... How your current study is relevant. ... Your related hobbies and interests. ... Your skills and achievements. ... Your work experience.

Do I put my name on my personal statement?

In the absence of any guidelines provided by the graduate school, your heading should include the name of the document you are submitting (e.g., “Personal Statement”), the school and department for whom you are writing it (e.g., “Ohio University College of Education”), and your name.

What is a good length for a personal statement?

Unless otherwise specified on the school's admission website, most personal statements are between 2-3 pages in length. Personal Statements are typically 1.5 or double spaced and adhere to regular one inch margin space. Use a font that is common and easy to read (Calibri, Times New Roman, etc.).

How many words is 47 lines?

Dealing with the personal statement character limit Regardless, the 'word' limit is 47 lines of text, or 4000 characters. This equates to (roughly) 500 words.Feb 9, 2018

What does a good personal statement look like?

Your personal statement should include a brief overview of who you are, your strengths and any work experience and/or education you've got. Be sure to include skills you've gained, such as time management, customer service, teamwork, computer skills etc.Jan 11, 2018

Can you blend your statement?

It might be possible to blend your statement in such a way that everything you write provides appropriate evidence of your skills, academic interests, and the way you think that's relevant to all of the courses you've chosen.

Can you write a personal statement for more than one course?

Writing a personal statement for more than one course. Ok, it is easier if all five of your choices are the same Throughout our personal statement advice, the message is clear: admissions tutors are very keen to hear why you've chosen that course, the reasons you're so enthusiastic about it, and what aspects you especially want to learn more about ...

How to write a personal statement?

Ten steps to writing a personal statement. 1. Make time. Writing a personal statement takes time. Writing an excellent one takes even longer! Don’t leave it until the last minute – give yourself plenty of time. 2. Just start. Nearly everyone finds it hard to get started writing a personal statement.

What is a stellar personal statement?

Your statement is an opportunity to shine a light on your achievements, especially if you’re applying as a mature age student. It’s your chance to offer a peek ...

Is it stressful to apply to university?

Applying for university can be stressful. You’ve got a lot riding on your application, so you must get it right. One place many students seem to get stuck is writing a personal statement.

Not sure how to start your personal statement?

Our video contains advice from an admissions tutor about how to plan, start, structure, and end your personal statement.

How to start your personal statement

One of the dangers of trying to come up with a great opening sentence is that you can end up overthinking it, and going overboard. As one admissions tutor said: 'Be succinct and draw the reader in, but not with a gimmick. This isn't the X Factor.

Beginning your personal statement – tips from the experts

We spoke to a number of admissions tutors to get their number one tip for starting a personal statement. This is what they said:

Five cliche statement beginnings to avoid

However, try to avoid the most obvious opening sentences in your personal statement, so you stand out from the first line. To help, every year UCAS publishes a list of the most common opening lines in personal statements, and urges applicants to avoid using these hackneyed phrases. Previous years' top five included:

And don't rely on someone else's words – ditch the opening quotes

Quotations are top of the list of admissions tutors' pet hates. They particularly dislike it if you put a quotation in right at the start – and it's even worse if you don't actually explain why it's there.

Connect the beginning of your statement to the end

A final thought. One technique that can be effective is the 'necklace approach'. This is when you make a link between your opening sentence and closing paragraph, reinforcing and adding an extra dimension at the end to what you said at the start.

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But What If Your Five Choices Aren't All The same?

  • With thousands of possible courses, it's hardly surprising that you may find it difficult narrowing down your choices to one specific subject or course. It's possible that you may want to apply to two quite different courses, or to a mixture of singl...
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So How Do I Write A Personal Statement For More Than One Course?

  • Here are some personal statement pointers depending on how different the courses you're applying to are: 1. If there are only slight differences, or you've chosen joint or combined degrees with slightly different subject combinations... This shouldn't be a problem. Just try to make everything in your statement as relevant as possible to all five choices. If you've included some j…
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Finally, If in doubt...

  • Go straight to the horse's mouth: the university themselves. First, check their website, as they may well have received previous enquiries about this and have published specific advice around it. Secondly, department staff at a lot of universities will be quite happy to answer a quick email or phone enquiry. Better still, go to an open dayand speak to them face to face. While there will be …
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Choosing Your Course….And Why I Chose A Joint Honours Degree…

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When it came to choosing what I wanted to study at university I was rather undecided. I wasn’t sure what career route I wanted to go down or what subject I enjoyed enough to want to study it exclusively for the next three to four years of my life. I ...
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The Writing Process Begins…

  • I began writing my personal statement around the middle of September in my final year of school. Beginning the process then, gave me a couple of weeks to settle back into my daily rhythm and routine after a work-free summer where I was able to have a good long break before starting into the madness of the last year of school. The first step that I took was to make a plan. It can be s…
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The First Draft…

  • The first draft is always going to be far from perfect and will always require editing. Do not let this put you off, instead use it to your advantage. When I was writing my first draft I included everything, knowing that it was most likely going to be over the character limit. I highly recommend including everything initially because it is much easier to remove points and phrase…
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How to Know When You Have Reached The Final Version…

  • I knew that I had reached my final version when the character count was met, all of the spelling, punctuation and grammar had been checked by both my computer and by a human with fresh eyes. I knew that there was nothing more that I could include that was relevant. As soon as all of this was done I uploaded it to the UCAS system and breathed a sigh of relief! One you too will b…
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