Whether you apply through a UCAS application, or through the Mature Learner entry scheme, you will need to write a personal statement.
This is a body of text where you describe your skills and experience and how this makes you an ideal candidate for the course you’re applying for.
Your personal statement is often the only way that admissions officers get to see the person behind the application and it’s your chance to impress. We want you to demonstrate that you are passionate about your chosen subject area and that you’ve done your research and are fully informed about the area you want to go into. Watch this video to find out more, or keep reading below.
We expect you to talk about your experience that relates to the field in question. For example, if you’re applying for an Occupational Therapy course, you may mention your experience of working in a caring capacity such as work experience in a hospital or a care home. If you’re applying for Business, you may mention your experience of being involved in the business admin or accounting side of your job.
As a Mature Student, you may have been out of education for a while. Use this to your advantage and discuss how your time out has given you real-world experience in the world of work. Don’t worry about trying to sound too academic – as long as your writing is professional and grammatically correct you will be fine. Don’t feel pressured to use longer words, a concise personal statement which is clear and easy to read is best. A piece of writing that is difficult to read or understand is not a good way to introduce yourself.
There are lots of ways you can structure your personal statement and there are lots of online tools to help you get started. I’ve listed some below
https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/how-write-ucas-undergraduate-personal-statement
https://www.ucas.com/sites/default/files/ucas-personal-statement-worksheet.pdf
https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/writing-personal-statement/introducing-personal-statement-tool
TOP TIPS
- Don’t lie or exaggerate
- Don’t plagiarise – we use tools to check how similar your personal statement is to others. This is a historic tool, so has a bank of personal statements from previous years.
- Don’t use quotes, humour or get too opinionated
- Don’t rely on spellchecker – make sure you have other people read it and check your spelling and grammar. If you need more help, Grammarly is a really good app to use (it s free)
- Don’t leave it until the last minute – you’ll need to do multiple drafts, and ask someone at your college or someone you trust to read it through and give you feedback.
If you want more support with your personal statement, please email admissions@yorksj.ac.uk