St Mary’s Top Tips for International Students Writing Their Personal Statement

Writing a personal statement may be a new experience for many, particularly for overseas students, but is an essential element of a university application process. With this in mind, St Mary’s University, Twickenham has put together a selection of top tips for international students who are applying to study a degree in the UK. 1. Key Information A personal statement is a way of telling a university why you would like to study at the institution and why you should be offered a place. Whilst it isn’t an essay, it does need to contain some key information. Universities will be keen to find out why you want to study in the UK and why you have chosen that particular institution. You should consider why you have chosen a particular course subject and what experience or additional research you have undertaken in the field whilst showing an appreciation of current affairs related to the programme will demonstrate your passion and enthusiasm Make sure you’re familiar with the application criteria of programme you are applying for and write down the skills you have that match those on the profile. This will test your compatibility and make it easier to reference back when writing your statement. 2. Skills and Achievements You should give examples of your skills and life achievements, they do not have to be relevant to your course but they may have played a part in why you have chosen a particular programme or want to continue your studies. Similarly, if you take part in any extracurricular activities you should highlight your passion for such activities and describe what have they taught you. 3. Current Qualifications University programmes will have minimum entry requirements, which will vary from country to country and, if relevant, you may need to outline your level of written and verbal English to show that you are able to undertake a degree in the English language. If English is not your first language, it would be useful to highlight whether you have been taught in English for some or all of your current or previous studies. Don’t forget to list any English qualifications (especially IELTS scores or equivalent) among the qualifications that you have gained, or if you are planning to take an IELTS test, make sure that you make it clear that this is the case. 4. Take Care When Writing When it comes to writing your statement do not abbreviate words, avoid clichés and write in a professional manner. You can use keywords found in subject specifications but do not copy whole sentences. Adapt them so that they are unique to your writing style. Ask teachers, friends and family for help, whether it’s proof reading your statement or asking what they think your strengths are. If you are unsure of how to structure your statement, write a paragraph under different headings so that each point is discussed then replace the headings with a sentence that links the last paragraph to the next one. You can also ask your school or college careers advisor and look at samples of personal statements. Remember – do not copy any part of someone else’s statement as this is plagiarism, which admission officers do look for using the Copycatch system. If you have any questions about your personal statement for your St Mary’s University application the International Office will be happy to help. Contact us on international@stmarys.ac.uk or 020 8240 2307.