One of the most terrifying situations for any student is a blank page and a deadline approaching. The cursor keeps blinking but words or letters do not appear. You write a sentence or two and proceed to delete it. Sometimes you write a paragraph or an entire statement and proceed to delete it. Eventually you may come to the conclusion that you do not know what you are doing and there is no way you will get into the school you want…
The other scenario is that you have so many versions, all of which have been criticized and praised by different people. You are so confused as to what is good and what is not that you have no idea which one to choose from. Even worse, you delete them and start them all over.
I have seen both scenarios before and I want to make sure that neither happen to you this year.
Let’s avoid the above scenarios, shall we?
One of the most difficult parts of writing a personal statement, especially for UCAS, is where to begin. It also does not help that there are numerous websites, books, youtube clips, and teachers that will be giving all sorts of advice on the best way to write a personal statement. The worst part is that you have to write ONE statement even though you may be applying to different schools and programmes; and all within 4000 characters.
There is good news. Over the past two years I have researched immensely on the UCAS application process. So I have decided to share with you what I think are the most useful ways and activities that will best guide you through the writing process.
Let’s start with what you have researched so far. You should be able to fill in the table below. I partially filled this one out but you can download a blank table here. Don’t forget to check the entry requirements, especially the tests that are required for some majors at Oxford and Cambridge. A pdf list can be found here.
| Degree | University | Reason Why | Entry Requirements |
| Biological Life Sciences | Imperial College | ||
| PPE | Oxford | ||
| International Relations | LSE | ||
| History and Politics | Cambridge |
IMPORTANT LINKS
1. List of British Universities and links to their websites.
The Guardian List of British Schools
2. British University Guides all in one document
British University Guidelines/Rankings and Areas of Specialties
IMPORTANT VIDEOS
CONCLUSION
After doing some research and hopefully watching the videos, if you have found a programme and several schools (or even one), I urge you to start the application process. If you have any questions – please do not hesitate to ask me in person.