International student personal statement tips

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a short essay that tells the admissions staff more about you and why you’re a suitable candidate for their school. It’s a chance to highlight your skills, achievements, goals and explain why you want to study in the UK.

How long should a personal statement be?

We suggest one A4 page, around 350 – 500 words, for an international student’s personal statement. Try to keep your statement focussed on the points above and avoid including unnecessary information.

What should an international student personal statement include?

• Tell the school why you want to study in the UK. Explain what interests you about studying in the UK and what you want to gain from it. If you’ve undertaken some of your education or examinations in English already, mention it here.

• Include details of any extra-curricular activities that you do, such as hobbies, clubs and interests. Explain what you enjoy about them, include any relevant skills that they help you develop, such as teamwork or independence.

• Mention your past achievements, both academic and non-academic. Try to describe any difficulties you faced and how you overcame them, this will help to show the school your personal strengths.

• If you’ve previously been to the UK to attend an educational course, summer school or similar, include details of it, why you did it and what you learnt from it.

• Tell the school about your plans for the future. Include any plans for higher education and your career aspirations. Try to explain how studying in the UK could help you succeed with your goals.

Top tips for an international student personal statement

1. You only get one personal statement

Your personal statement submitted through the OBAS platform will be sent to all the schools you apply to, so make sure you don’t mention any specific schools that you are applying to in your statement. You can name previous schools or courses you’ve attended though.

2. Give it a structure

Simply structuring your statement with a beginning, middle and end will go a long way. It makes your statement easier to read and demonstrates good essay writing skills to the reader.

Start your statement with an introduction that briefly explains your reasons for applying, then expand on this in the main part of the statement – remember to include the points we mentioned here. Finally, finish your statement with a conclusion reiterating why you’re suitable for the school.

3. Read it, re-read it, then read it again

We recommend you start writing your personal statement early so you have plenty of time to perfect it. After you’ve written a draft, read through it and check for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Once you’ve done this, ask someone you trust; like a parent, teacher or your educational recruiter to read your personal statement and give you their opinion. Remember, once your personal statement has been uploaded to OBAS, it cannot be changed.

Dos and Don’ts for an international student personal statement

Dos

• Try to use your best English
• Show your enthusiasm for studying
• Talk about any courses you’ve already attended in the UK
• Ask people you trust to check your statement
• Write about your strengths and achievements
• Draft and edit your statement several times before submitting
• Use paragraphs to make it easier to read

Don’ts

• Don’t leave your statement until the last minute
• Don’t rely on a spellchecker or grammar service
• Don’t copy and paste from other people’s personal statements
• Don’t name the specific school(s) you are applying to
• Don’t copy and paste from any type of translator
• Don’t exaggerate about your skills and achievements
• Don’t worry if English isn’t your first language
• Don’t try to sound too clever

Useful sentence starters for a personal statement