personal statement for masters bristol

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Top tips: personal statements for postgraduate study

So you’ve made the decision to apply for a postgraduate course and have researched the course and the university, what’s next .

A personal statement is your opportunity to showcase what you have to offer and convince the admissions tutor(s) that you have the motivation, relevant knowledge , and academic capability to successfully complete the course and reflect well on the institution.

Remember, when you have finished the first draft you can have it reviewed with one of our advisers via our Careers information and advice appointments . These can be booked via mycareer .

Best of luck!

Jenny Livesey, Careers Adviser

Before you begin

Check whether the University admissions team has written instructions on what to include, word count, etc
Unless there are contrary instructions, we recommend you write about 500 words, which equates to approximately 1 A4 page.

A personal statement should address these questions:

Why do you want to study this subject.

Begin your personal statement with some concise motivations . Be careful not to waste space here on general comments that anyone could make, such as that you are “hard-working” or “enthusiastic”. Both these characteristics should not need to be stated so instead spend some time reflecting on phrases that are more personal to why you are applying.

Think about specific experiences that have motivated you. Perhaps an inspirational talk you attended, a debate in the field that excites you, or the chance to make a real difference to the world. Remember, don’t just make claims either – ensure your motivations are always demonstrated by brief evidence . Here is an example of this and clearly reflects this applicant’s passion for the subject.

Example: My passion for transport planning was sparked when I attended a talk by John Nash at the Bristol Festival of Ideas in 2016. Inspired by the concept of modal shift as a means of reducing traffic congestion and therefore environmental pollution, I joined the Transport Planning Society and developed my understanding through their policy reports and attending regional events every month. I am now seeking to develop my knowledge through a Master’s in Transport.

Why have you chosen this specific course, at this specific institution?

Reflect on why you’re applying for this course and this institution. Consider what attracted you to it in the first place, and what continues to inspire you about it?

For the course, think about what makes it unique compared to other universities to show you understand what it’s about. What excites you about the units? The course structure. Perhaps you will get to study abroad? Or maybe it’s the reputation of the course within the field?

When it comes to the institution, avoid general statements like ‘you’re an internationally renowned university’, unfortunately, this will show a lack of research and imagination. Instead, choose something specific about the institution you’ve discovered when researching it. Is there an academic you’d love to work with? Do they have strong links with industry? State-of-the-art facilities?

Example: I am applying to the University of Bristol as I was inspired by the ground-breaking research led by Professor Joan Bateman into the impact of music on children’s development. I drew on the project’s unique interdisciplinary methodology combining musicology and psychology in my undergraduate dissertation and would relish the opportunity to contribute to the development of this research.

What are your plans?

Show the admissions tutor that you’re not just doing further study because you can’t think of anything else to do. Even if you have not fully planned your next career steps, a broad statement will suffice. The example here is very focused, however, it is also acceptable to cite a love of learning , passion for the subject, and developing further knowledge as your reason for applying for the course.

Example: As I aim to become an accountant, I am particularly attracted to your programme for two reasons: first, it offers the accreditation needed; and second the extensive practical experience opportunities will allow me to develop good practice in advance of joining the work force and enhance my employability.

Are you academically capable of taking this course?

Admissions tutors will be looking for evidence of academic capability as well as motivation. Show that you understand what’s required to take your subject further, and that you have been developing this knowledge within and outside of your degree.

A good place to start is a dissertation or extended project, as this will show your passion for a certain area and requires the development of advanced knowledge or skills. You should also think about relevant units you’ve taken, projects you’ve been part of any technical skills you’ve developed, and any prizes or scholarships you’ve won.

Example: Attending the weekly seminar series run by the Department of Classics developed my knowledge of Latin and its reception. In my third year I took two optional units on Latin language and founded a Latin reading group for non-classicists. As a result, my Latin is now B1 standard. These language skills will allow me to engage with primary material and contribute to class discussion.

Do you have any relevant work experience?

Key skills for postgraduate study can be demonstrated by a wide range of work experience. In some cases, relevant work experience might be obvious, but even work experience that seems irrelevant provides you with transferable skills . Consider what you’ve been doing outside of your degree and reflect on the skills you have been developing.

For more tips, do’s, and don’ts, visit the Further Study page of our website and have a look at Prospects postgraduate personal statement guide .

Adapted from an original blog post by Dr Tracy Johnson

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How To Write Masters Personal Statement

A strong Masters personal statement is an essential part of your postgraduate application . It is your chance to convince admissions tutors that you are the right fit for the course and deserve a place in their programme.

In this comprehensive guide on how to write a Masters personal statement in the UK, we covered everything you need to know to write a successful postgraduate personal statement. Plus, real student examples.

We really understand how challenging and stressful can be to write a personal statement for a master. Let’s start.

What is a Masters Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a written type of essay that you submit as part of your postgraduate application. It is an opportunity to introduce yourself to the university and demonstrate to admissions tutors that you are a good fit for the course. Admission tutors need to choose among lots of applicants, essay can make a big difference in your postgraduate application.

How long should a personal statement be for masters?

You should aim to write a masters personal statement of around 500 words.

However, some universities may require more, often up to 1000 words. Hence, it is important to check the application guidelines before writing your statement for a specific university and course.

How should I structure my masters personal statement?

When it comes to writing your personal statement for masters or postgraduate, it’s important to have a clear and logical structure in mind.

Starting with a strong introduction that captures the reader’s attention and explains why you’re interested in the specific Masters programme you’re applying to.

Use the following paragraphs to discuss your academic and professional background , highlighting the skills, experience and knowledge that make you a strong fit for the programme. Emphasize how the course aligns with your future career goals .

Keep in mind that you have a limited word count, so make every sentence count . Use short, concise paragraphs that are easy to read and understand.

In your personal statement conclusion, summarise why you’re the ideal candidate for the programme and leave the admission tutors with a good impression.

Keep it short and to the point.

Aim for a total of four or five paragraphs in your personal statement for master degree.

When applying for a Masters degree , use standard fonts and text size of 11 or 12. If you’re applying through UCAS postgraduate service , font style won’t be an issue as text is automatically formatted.

Question to ask before writing

Consider asking yourself the following questions before writing your personal statement for master’s degree:

What inspired you to choose this specific Masters’s programme?
What aspect of the subject matter excites you?
How did your undergraduate studies shape your decision to apply for this programme or university?
Do you have any relevant work experience that can strengthen your postgraduate application?
What personal experiences can you share that align with your decision to apply to this programme?
What accomplishments can you highlight that demonstrate your qualifications for this course?
Why did you choose to apply to this university in particular?
What are your future career goals?

What should I include in a personal statement for masters?

When writing your personal statement for masters degree , it is important to tailor it to the postgraduate course you are applying for.

Some general guidance on what you should include in your personal statement for masters:

Your reasons for applying for a particular postgraduate programme and why you deserve a place above other applicants. Write about your academic interests , career goals and the university’s reputation , and write about which aspects of the specific course you find most appealing.

Address how undergraduate study has prepared you for a postgraduate course, mentioning your independent work (e.g. dissertation) and topics that most interested you.

Highlight relevant skills and experience that will enable you to make an impact on the specific course, summarising your abilities in core areas including organisation, communication, time management, and critical thinking.

You can also cover any grades, include awards, work placements, extra readings, or conferences that you’ve attended and how these have contributed to your Master’s study.

Explain your career aspirations and how the course will help you achieve them. Describe how studying your chosen course fits in with your long-term ambitions and career path.

Tie in your undergraduate studies – for example, if you did your dissertation on something and you’d like to expand on it in your master’s. Trying to link the two together is distinct from the undergraduate personal statement. Shona Barrie – Director Of Admissions, University Of Stirling

How to start a personal statement for a master?

At the start of your personal statement for a Masters’s programme , it’s important to make a strong and lasting first impression . Admissions tutors read hundreds of applications per course, so you want to make sure that your opening sentence is concise , clear , and impactful .

Instead of trying to come up with a catchy opening, focus on getting straight to the point and highlighting your qualifications for the course. Avoid over-the-top statements, gimmicks, or popular quotes as they can come across as contrived and make it harder for admissions tutors to take you seriously.

Here are a few examples of strong opening sentences to consider:

“With a background in Environmental Science and a passion for sustainable energy solutions, I am excited to apply for the Masters programme in Renewable Energy at your university.”

“As someone who has always been interested in the field of Artificial Intelligence and has gained experience in coding and machine learning, I am eager to further my studies in the Masters program in AI at your university.”

“Through my undergraduate studies in Psychology and my professional experience as a mental health counsellor, I have developed a strong interest in neuropsychology. That’s why I am excited to apply for the Masters course in Clinical Neuropsychology at your university.”

In each of these examples, you can see that the students are specific about their backgrounds, interests, and experiences, and how they align with the postgraduate programme they are applying to.

How to end a personal statement for masters

When it comes to ending your personal statement for a Masters application, it’s important to impress university admissions tutors.

Your conclusion in the master’s personal statement should be short , and to the point , and leave no doubt in the mind of the admissions tutor that you are the perfect candidate for the course.

One way to do this is by summarising your key points and highlighting how they demonstrate your qualifications for the programme. Keep it concise and avoid repeating yourself or going off-topic.

Instead, focus on making it clear why you would be a good student at the university.

To give you an idea of what a strong conclusion can include , we wrote a few examples :

“With my background in X and passion for Y, I am confident that I would thrive in the Masters programme at your university. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the department’s research and further my professional growth.”

“I am eager to bring my experience in X and my interest in Y to the postgraduate course at your university. The opportunity to learn from and collaborate with esteemed faculty members is truly exciting for me.”

“As someone who has always been passionate about Y and driven to make a difference in the field of Y, I am confident that the X course at your university is the perfect fit for me. I look forward to the opportunity to grow as a professional and make an impact.”

Work Experience in a personal statement for masters

Including your professional experiences in your masters personal statement can provide valuable insights into your interests and understanding of your chosen area of study.

This is especially crucial when applying for postgraduate courses, as it demonstrates your proactivity and dedication to your future academic or career goals, which universities look for in postgrad applicants.

Instead of simply listing your work experiences, it’s important to reflect on them.

Share with admission tutors not only what you did on your job but also what you learned from it and how you plan to apply those lessons in your postgraduate studies.

This highlights your ability to reflect and learn from your experiences, which is an essential skill for postgraduate students to have.

What should you avoid in a personal statement for Masters?

When writing your personal statement for a Masters courses, there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid and ensure it stands out and increases your chances of being accepted to the study programme.

Be original: Avoid using quotes in your statement, instead use your own words and voice. This will make your essay unique and more personal.
Avoid clichés : To make your statement stand out, avoid using templates or commonly used phrases. Instead, use your own words to express yourself.
Keep it concise: Keep your statement to around a single page and make sure it is relevant to the programmes you are applying for.
Be selective: Only include hobbies or experiences that are relevant to the courses you are applying for and explain why they are important to you.
Show, don’t tell: Instead of saying you’re passionate about the subject, show it through your words and experiences.
Tailor it: Make sure to tailor your personal statement for each programme you are applying for.
Avoid lists: Instead of listing your qualifications, explain how they make you a strong candidate for the masters programme.
Proofread: Before submitting your application, make sure to proofread your personal statement for any errors or typos, and double-check that it is for the correct programme and university. It is always a good idea to get help from professionals, to check grammar and proofreading.

By following our guidelines on what to avoid, you can ensure that your personal statement is clear, concise, and tailored to the programme you’re applying for. Increasing your chances of being accepted.

Difference between personal statements for postgraduate and undergraduate

A personal statement for postgraduate study and one for undergraduate study are similar in that they both serve as a way for you to introduce yourself and demonstrate your qualifications , but there are some key differences to keep in mind when writing each .

For postgraduate study , personal statements tend to be more specific and targeted . Instead of providing a broad overview of your interests and experiences, you should focus on how your background, skills, and goals align with the specific courses and field of study you’re applying to.

This requires you to do more research on the programme and its entry requirements, and you should highlight how you will be able to contribute to the university and chosen programme.

Postgraduate personal statements require a more detailed explanation of your academic and professional experience. This could include discussing your previous coursework, research experience, and any relevant work or internship experience, and how they have prepared you for masters study.

Also, you will need to mention in a postgraduate personal statement your long-term goals and career aspirations in more detail. This will give the admissions tutors a sense of how you plan to use the learnings from the programme to achieve your career goals.

Lastly, master’s personal statements tend to be shorter than undergraduate ones, usually around 500 words. It is assumed that as postgraduate students have more academic and professional experience, they do not need as much space to prove their worthiness.

While a personal statement for undergraduate study can be more broad and general, a personal statement for postgraduate study should be more focused, specific, and tailored to the course you’re applying for.

Masters personal statement example

I am eager to pursue a Master’s Degree in Finance as I believe it aligns perfectly with my career goals. The programme’s academic rigour and focus on corporate finance, coupled with its practical relevance to the current industry, make it the ideal choice for me. My background in the financial services industry, combined with my undergraduate studies in Electronics and Communications Engineering and my postgraduate diploma in Marketing and Finance, have prepared me well for this next step in my education.

I have a strong passion for problem-solving, mathematics, and analytical thinking, and I am eager to apply these skills within the field of finance. I believe that a Master’s Degree in Finance from your esteemed university will provide me with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical experience to excel in the industry. I am particularly interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of current techniques and developments in finance, financial applications, and financial markets, as well as honing my research skills.

My ultimate goal is to secure a challenging and rewarding role within the finance profession. I understand that there is still much for me to learn, but I am excited to embrace new challenges and become a valuable contributor to the field. I am confident that this program will provide me with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

Read other personal statement examples .

Research Course You’re Applying

It’s essential to research the programme and demonstrate your understanding of the field you are entering. This will show the admissions tutors that you are well prepared for the course and have a clear vision for your future research, study and goals.

One way to present your familiarity with the field is by mentioning specific scholars and researchers who work in the department.

You can find this information on the university’s website, and by reviewing the research interests and publications of the faculty members.

By aligning your interests with those of the faculty members, you can show that your research will fit well within the department and that you have a clear understanding of the master’s degree programme.

It’s also important to avoid generic statements such as applying to the school because it is the highest ranking or because you love the city where it is located.

If you have already contacted a professor or faculty member in the department, make sure to mention it in your personal statement. This will show that you have taken the initiative to learn more about the programme and that you are eager to work with the department’s faculty.

What admissions tutors are looking for a master’s application?

One of the main things that admissions tutors are looking for is an explanation of how the course links your past and future. They want to see that you have a clear understanding of how the programme aligns with your interests , goals , and career aspirations .

This can be demonstrated through your academic and non-academic experiences, as well as your skills, commitments, and enthusiasm for the field – we already discussed this in detail in previous parts of this guide.

Admissions tutors also want to see that you have a solid understanding of the institution’s area of expertise. This means showing that you have done your research on the university’s research focus and facilities, and how they align with your research interests.

Other than that, they want to see evidence of your knowledge and genuine interest in the subject, perhaps including some academic references or readings.

Another key element that admissions tutors are looking for is evidence of your abilities, commitment, and enthusiasm.

Deadline For Postgraduate Applications

The deadline for postgraduate applications in the UK can vary depending on the university and programme to which you are applying.

Some universities may have a fixed deadline while others may have rolling deadlines. It is important to check the specific deadline for the universities and courses you are interested to study. The UCAS postgraduate deadline is usually around the end of March, however, it’s always a good idea to verify with the university you are applying for.

It is also worth noting that some universities may have an earlier deadline for international students or certain programmes, so it is important to check the deadline for your specific situation.

Final Thoughts

A strongly written personal statement is an essential part of your postgraduate application. It is your chance to demonstrate your academic interests, abilities and goals, and demonstrate that you are a good fit for the course.

Remember to tailor your statement to the course you are applying for, be concise, and focus on your strengths and how they align with the programme.

When it comes to applying for a Masters’s programme, the process is often different than that of undergraduate studies in the UK. Probably you will be submitting your application directly to the university. However, it is worth noting that UCAS Postgraduate, a service provided by UCAS , has a search tool for limited master’s programmes.

Most UK universities require a personal statement when applying to a masters degree programme. However, some universities instead have a predefined set of questions for applicants.

You can submit a personal statement to as many universities as you are applying to for your Masters degree.

No, but if you have any questions regarding university programmes for masters, you can contact the admission manager and discuss.

MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate Marketing

Please note this course is closed to new International applications for September 2024 entry.

This course is still open for applications from Home applicants

Page last updated 23 August 2024

Introduction

This course develops the thinking skills required for a successful career in marketing, while also giving you plenty of opportunity to apply those skills to real marketing issues.

If you are looking to forge yourself a career in marketing, the MSc in Marketing at Bristol Business School will give you a solid qualification, and the skills and insights, to help lift you above other candidates in the job market, whatever your background or UG degree subject area.

This well-established and highly respected course will give you a thorough academic grounding in the subject, as well as developing your knowledge, experience and skills, to open the door to a wide range of rewarding marketing careers.

The latest marketing know-how

This is a fast-paced field, and the course is kept constantly updated and relevant to the latest developments in business practice. You will develop a comprehensive grounding in:

Planning, strategy development and implementation
Analysis of customers, markets and industry
Marketing communications
Research, investigations and data analysis.

The skills you need to succeed

The course is also designed to develop your problem-solving abilities and give you extensive opportunities for further personal development. We take a structured approach to developing the professional skills you need to be successful in this field. This includes both intellectual skills exploring different ways of thinking; and practical skills, such as communication, numerical and presentation capabilities.

A real-world focus

The course draws heavily on real-world issues, so you will learn the theory but also how to apply it to real-life situations. You will also have plenty of opportunity to engage with employers, with guest lecturers from industry, and research opportunities where you can work on real marketing problems.

This course is ideal if you are at the start of your marketing career.

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

You'll study:

Customer Behaviour
Customer Relationship Marketing
Data Driven Marketing
Fundamentals of Marketing Communications
Global Marketing
Marketing Strategy.

Plus, one of the following optional modules:

Artificial Intelligence
Corporate Communications
Retail and Fashion
Search Engine Marketing
Social Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Website Design.
Enterprise Project - New Business Plan
Research Project Module: PG Marketing programmes
Work-Based Learning Project.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we'll inform you.

Learning and Teaching

We assume no prior study of marketing. You'll learn though formal classes and seminar sessions, as well as through group work and independent study. The work will include assignments, exercises, case studies and presentations with an emphasis on independent learning to develop your problem-solving skills.

You will also have access to a range of study materials online through our virtual learning environment. This includes online lectures, five-minute 'talking head' discussions and other syllabus-related material to support your learning.

See our glossary of teaching and learning terms .

You will attend the Business School for one year, study two to three days per week, and submit your dissertation in September. You can, however, choose to submit your dissertation in December, therefore taking 15 months to complete the course.

Study support

If you have been out of higher education for a while, we provide skills sessions to help prepare you for studying again as well as sessions for non-native English speakers.

Assessment is through supervised mini-projects, presentations, time-constrained assignments and examinations.

For more details, see our full glossary of assessment terms .

Study facilities

In our £55m Bristol Business School , you'll have access to cutting-edge learning spaces.

Designed with student input, the Business School offers learning spaces for individual and group study, interactive learning environments and conference rooms you can book. It's a space for students and businesses to come together, collaborate and form new partnerships.

Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources .

Take a Virtual Tour of the Marketing facilities and see what's on offer here for you.

Integrity Research Scheme

As a student on this course, you will be able to apply to take part in the Business Advice Clinic. This gives you the chance to gain practical market research experience, where you will work with a client on a real research project and gain valuable insight into what it's like to work as a market research consultant.

Meet leaders of industry

As a student at Bristol Business School, you will have the opportunity to hear about the challenges, issues and decisions being made at the highest level of strategic leadership. Our inspirational line up of speakers has included Will King, CEO of King of Shaves who spoke on 'The Power of Social Media'. Read more about the speakers you can hear from at the Business School .

Postgraduate support

Our support includes access to fantastic facilities, study tools and career consultants, plus practical help to access everything from funding to childcare.

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers / Further study

Marketing is central to success in modern business the professional skills of the marketing expert are increasingly a passport through to the most senior positions in companies. This includes roles such as Digital Marketing Manager, Commercial Director, Marketing and Development Manager, Head of Business Development and Marketing, and Senior Direct Marketing Manager.

The MSc in Marketing at Bristol Business School will give you the broad-based skills and intellectual confidence needed to get started and get ahead in your career.

You will also have the opportunity to focus in on specific areas of marketing through the optional modules and your dissertation. Our graduates have gone on to work with employers such as Creative England, SCISYS and Telefónica UK.

Fees	Amount (£)
Home Award Fee	10750
Home Module Fee (15 Credit)	896
International Award Fee	16750
International Module Fee (15 Credit)	1396
Offshore Award Fee	16750
Offshore Module Fee (15 Credit)	1396

Supplementary fee information

See our funding pages for more information.

We are pleased to confirm that our New students webpages are now available for students starting this course in September 2024. Here you can find links to useful information about registering, course start dates, arriving on campus what to expect before and when you arrive.

We automatically send a message via your Welcome website plus an email to notify you once your Preparing to Study information is available. It is important that you regularly check your Welcome website for new messages.

Entry requirements

You'll need:

an honours degree of 2:2 or above in any subject.

If you do not meet the above grade requirements but have at least 12 months relevant professional experience and/ or equivalent qualifications, we will consider you on an individual basis.

Personal Statement

You are required to complete a personal statement for this course. Please read the personal statement guidance carefully and make sure that you answer the questions on the postgraduate application form within the personal statement tabs, keeping to the advised word count.

UWE Bristol's International College

International students who do not meet the academic or English language requirements to study this course can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College .

English language support

If you meet the academic requirements but require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Students who successfully complete the pre-sessional course can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking an IELTS or equivalent.

Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme .

English Language Requirement

If English is not your first language, you will be required to meet the UK Border Agency and Universities minimum English Language requirements such as the International English Language Test (IELTS) overall score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component.

Further details of our English Language requirements .

How to apply

Read about postgraduate applications .

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates .

For further information

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +44 (0)117 32 83333

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University of The West of England, Bristol Personal Statements

These UCAS personal statements have been kindly provided by students applying to University of The West of England, Bristol. You can click on one of the links below to view the entire statement and find out if the applicant was offered a place.

You can also view our entire collection of personal statements or view personal statements for application at other universities .

Aerospace Engineering Personal Statement Example 2 The Aeronautical industry is currently one of the most rapidly advancing and high tech industries, it fascinates me to see how the machines are being built and developed to achieve magnificent goals. I have a basic understanding of how this is achieved through documentaries and research, however I endeavor to know more about this industry and broaden my understanding as the more I know the happier and more content I will become, the thought of working within this industry and helping mankind to advance and improve really excites me and your university provides me with the key features and opportunities to achieve this...

Marketing Personal Statement Example 4 When you ask somebody what they think of when you say ‘Phones4u’, most people will probably reply with a hand gesture which vaguely resembles a phone, the number four and the letter ‘u’. The power of marketing and the way it can manipulate a person’s view of a company or brand is something which has fascinated me for several years...

Law Personal Statement Example 80 I have chosen a law degree because it will enable me to study criminal and human rights law in more depth. This course has a practical and theoretical basis, which I find fascinating, and will expand my knowledge; it will also help me understand legal aspects of law and their impact on society...

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How To Write A Personal Statement For Masters (17 PDF Sample Examples)

Published: 14 Mar 2022 Study Abroad 108,840 views

A personal statement for masters program is one of the most important parts of your college application and writing a good one is what’s the exception between receiving an offer and being rejected.

If you’ve been tasked with presenting a personal statement, you should keep in mind that whatever you submit must put you forward as the right candidate for the course. Additionally, it should convince the admissions officers that you deserve a place on your program of study.

Achieving the above, is a skill most postgraduate students are yet to acquire but thankfully this article on How To Write A Personal Statement For Masters covers everything you need to know on doing this.

In this article you’ll learn:

What is a personal statement?
Tips for making your personal statement for masters stand out
How to write a personal statement for masters
Personal statement for masters sample
Examples of personal statement for masters
Conclusion – things to avoid when writing a personal statement for masters

Read: Admission Interview Tips .

What Is a Personal Statement?

A personal statement AKA admissions or application essay or statement of purpose is a type of essay or written statement a candidate presents to a college, university, or graduate school they are applying to, explaining why they want to attend that school, study a particular course, and why they would be a perfect fit for these things.

A personal statement for masters is an essay you submit specifically for your postgraduate application. Writing one presents the opportunity for you to promote yourself to a school and show the admissions teachers that you are the perfect candidate for a course.

Tips For Making Your Personal Statement For Masters Stand Out

Before we get into how you should write a statement of purpose for masters, we would first like to share with you certain tips to include in your essay to make it stand out from that of other applicants and be convincing enough to any admissions officer that reads it. The tips we have mentioned here, cover general things like starting and ending your personal statement, timing, length, and what to include and what not to include in the essay, etc.

1. Starting And Ending A Personal Statement

When starting a personal statement, you would want to right off the bat grab the reader’s attention. To do this, start the statement by writing about your degree of choice, next why you want to study it and then how you got interested in it.

The next 2 sentences after that should cover a summary of your background in the chosen field, and you conclude by saying what you plan to do once you acquire your graduate degree.

Also start with that the evaluators reading want to hear first, then every other information should come second. You will notice we’ve used in the sop examples for masters we will share with you later in this article.

2. Plan Ahead

A personal statement is not something you rush while writing, which means if you want to get something good before you application then you must start to decide things like the length and how long it should take to complete.

Let us throw more light on this…

For length, a personal statement should be brief ranging somewhere between 500 -700 words, although schools often detect how long it should be. So, this is dependent on the institution you are applying to.

In terms of what to say in a statement, you could include personal experiences like why you were driven to apply for the program, an experience you had with a scholar in your chosen discipline, a course you took that inspired you to pursue masters, or a key moment during your studies which further motivated you.

No matter what you decide to write, just keep in mind that you need to take your time to craft something good even if it means creating several drafts before the real thing and do not forget to proofread the statement for errors.

3. Research Your Program Of Study

Researching your program of study is one way to establish that you truly understand the discipline you’re getting into and prove to the admissions officer that you thoroughly thought about it before applying.

And because you want to put yourself forward as a serious candidate, one way to make you research easier is for you to visit the website of the department you are applying to. This page will contain information about faculty members, their specialisation, and publications.

From the intel, you gathered there you can now identify which professors match your interests and which ones you will benefit the most from learning under. After you’ve found this out, relate the same in a sentence or two in your statement of purpose for masters.

Example: “I would be honoured to study under the tutelage of Professor Nadia whose work I found resonated strongly with my beliefs and intended projects in this course”.

4. Avoid Clichés, Junks, And Many Details

When writing a statement of purpose for master degree try to avoid clichés, junks, and unnecessary details so that you don’t lose or bore your readers in between. Be as concise as possible, even if it’s your chance to express yourself.

A personal statement is an opportunity for the admissions committee to get information that tells the that you are suitable for the course. So, when you overpower your statement with too many words, stories, and useless details, you come off as someone who is just trying to meet the word count.

5. Include Your Personal History Only If It Adds To The Statement

Do not include your personal history in your statement of intent for masters if it is not relevant to your purpose of study. This means no need for you to tell that story about that time you helped someone treat a cut and immediately realised that you wanted to be a doctor or nurse or how you developed a taste for reading at a very young age.

We can guarantee you that the hundreds of other applications competing for the same spot you are felt the same way, so saying those things really doesn’t make you unique.

On the other hand, if you are going to add personal history to your statement, you can put in things like an internship you did and the experience you got from the job, a major research project you ran by yourself, publications you’ve read or published, conferences you’ve attended or presentations you’ve done. These experiences are more concrete and are directly related to your program of study. They also set you apart from other applicants.

6. Don't Use The Same Personal Statement For All Your Applications

One common mistake applicant make that you shouldn’t is using the same statement of purpose for master degree for all your applications. Using the same information repeatedly even if you are going to change the university names is risky and could land you in a big mistake on a day you forget to be thorough.

All programmes have their own unique set of questions they want to see answered and information they need in your personal statement.

And even if some of them like extracurricular activities, proposal for project, why you are applying to the school, your unique qualities, and research works you’re doing might appear the same, do not use one statement to respond to all of them.

Write a new unique personal statement every time you want to apply.

Check out: How to Write a Good CV for Students - Resume Examples for Students (PDF).

How To Write A Personal Statement for Masters

When writing a personal statement for masters there are several steps and ground rules you need to follow to ensure that it comes out good enough to impress the admissions team of a school, and ultimately convince them to give you a spot on your program of study.

If writing one is something you are currently struggling with and can’t seem to get down the process of it right no matter what, this section on how to write a personal statement for masters, discusses in detail everything you need to get help with yours.

There are 4 parts to consider when writing your personal statement and we have listed them below:

1. Planning A Personal Statement

A personal statement is a piece of writing showing your academic interests and is only for application purposes which means there is no room for any autobiographical information in it about your personal life. Be as to-the-point as possible when writing it and stick to telling the school why you are the right person for the course, plus any other extra information detailing your achievements.

Before You Start:

Allot plenty of time to write your msc personal statement so that you don’t rush it. Remember, this simple piece of writing is your one shot at convincing a school that you are the best applicant they’ve seen and as such can either make or break your application.

Read the information expected of you from the university, rules and guidelines given, selection criteria and understand what they mean. Also research the institution.

Do a thorough research on the course you are applying for; this will help you explain better why you want to study it. The tutors interviewing you can tell when you are lying and presenting yourself as uninformed can cost you the admission.

Ensure that you don’t use the same personal statement for all your applications.

When Writing:

When writing the statement there are some questions to ask yourself that can help you plan it better. Those questions are:

Why you want to study a master’s and how does it benefit you in future?
How does the course you have chosen fit into your pre-existing skill set?
How do you stand out from the crowd as an applicant - e.g., work experiences you’ve had in the same field you are applying for?
What do you aspire to do or be as a future career and how will the course help you achieve that?
How can your work or skillsets contribute positively to the department/ university you are applying to, or society at large?

On the other hand, if you are applying for the masters to change from the field you studied in your undergraduate to another field, you should tell the school why you decided to take a different path in your studies.

Questions to ask yourself for this include:

Your reason for deciding to change your discipline.
How your undergraduate degree will be material for bringing fresh insights into your masters course.
How changing your study path will help you attain your future career.

2. Structuring A Personal Statement

Having good structure for your personal statement for master degree is important because it ensures that everything from the beginning, middle, and ending of the statement is written and equally falls in place perfectly.

We’ve left some tips for you below to help you:

Start your personal statement with an attention-grabbing introduction that is not dramatic or cliché. That means you should not begin with any of these over-used phrases we’ve listed out below:

For as long as I remember…

Since my childhood…

I want to apply to this course because I’ve always felt a strong connection to it…

All my life, I have always loved…

My interest in (course) always ran deeper than…

I’ve always been zealous about…

Ever since I was a child, I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in…

My past educational experiences have always…

'My passion for Child Psychology is influenced by my curiosity in how autism affects the personality of children living with this condition. That's why I dedicated the 3rd year of my undergraduate study interning with the Child Rehabilitation Centre in my community, which caters to the patients and work closely with their families in developing care plans that work for their child.

You would want to be as snappy as possible with your opening because the admission officer has over a hundred applications to read and can’t waste all their time on yours. This means you should avoid overpowering it with unnecessary facts, quotes, and stories from your life.

The middle part of your ma personal statement is where the main content of the write-up should be. This is where you show your dedication to the course you’ve chosen, what motivated you to choose it, and why you are the right candidate for it.

When writing the middle part of a graduate personal statement, you should:

Give concrete reasons why you want to study a course at the University. The reason could be because of how the course is aligned to your future career or the University’s reputation in teaching that program.
Mention relevant things like projects, dissertations, or essays you’ve done, and any work experience you have.
Show proof of your core skills like and how they can contribute to the department.
Prove what makes you a unique candidate.
Discuss who your main influences for wanting to study the course are and why.
Add experiences like memberships to clubs that are related to your field, papers you’ve written before, awards, scholarships, or prizes.
Draw focus to how the course links to your past and future.
Mention your academic and non-academic skills and how they fit the course.

For Formatting:

Keep the statement length between 250 -500 words or as directed by the school.
Sentences should be no more than 25-30 words.
Use headings to break up the content – Why this university? Why this subject? Etc.
Make claims and provide evidence to back each of them up. This can be done by discussing your work experience and academic interests.

Language and tone to use:

The tone for your masters application personal statement should be positive and enthusiastic, to show you eagerness to learn and so that you convince the evaluators that you have what it takes to succeed.
Use exciting and refreshing language, and an engaging opening line.
Ensure you grammar, punctuations, and spellings are accurate.
Avoid exaggerated claims you cannot backup.
Don’t use cliché generic terms and keep your focus on the course.

Keep the ending of your essay for master degree application concise and memorable, leaving no doubt in the admission officers mind that you deserve a spot on the program.

To create the best ending summarise all your key points without dragging it our or repeating yourself. The ending should be simple, end on a positive note and make it clear that the school will be lucky to have you on their program.

Personal Statement for Masters Sample

In this section, we have left a masters personal statement example for you, which you can use as material to write yours for any course of study you are applying to a school for.

My passion for Filmmaking, was influenced by my growing up reading novels and plays by my idols William Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, and Maya Angelou, which graciously provided me with the opportunity to not just hear good stories, but also appreciate great storytellers whose plays still shake the foundations of the film industry.

Growing up, I loved movies and found myself fascinated by the stories, the characters and most importantly the realization that the human mind could create something so beautiful and gripping. I studied each film like a guide and whenever they ended, I would act out the scenes on my own, putting on a one-woman show for myself whenever I was alone at home. These things would later form the basis of me writing my first published book which was a drama titled The Reward of Evil Deed.

To me, loving literature and chasing it down all these years was something that made me different, but I also enjoyed it because films are more than something I just wanted to watch and forget, it is something that I wanted to be a part of. I didn’t just want to appreciate great films, I wanted to make them.

During my bachelor’s degree in India, I had the privilege of taking Literature classes stemming from British, American, and Indian literature to broaden my mind. I was also opportune to read great authors like John Donne, John Milton, Emily Dickinson, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Anton Chekov, Virginia Woolf, and of course Margret Atwood who I follow closely on Instagram. Three years later not only did I graduate as one of the best students in the school, but I did so with a first-hand knowledge of what it means to be a passionate storyteller whose art transcends time, language barrier, and location.

In addition to devouring Literature and watching satirical films like it’s the news, I am also an avid reader and prolific writer who throws herself into whatever she sets her heart on. I am the proud author of Forgetting Bangalore which is a personal memoir about my three years of studying in India, read amongst my closest friends who I shared those times with. In school, I also wrote the script for a short film for the class Psychology assignment titled The Ordeal which I uploaded to my YouTube page and uploaded to my application form.

Apart from writing for myself, I also function as a content creator/marketer for companies I have worked for in the past and is still working for now. I play the Bass guitar well and occasionally dabble in Lead guitar.

For far too long, I have aspired to be, but now I want to become a filmmaker and I strongly believe that through your institution that I would be able to learn and master all the aspects associated with filmmaking. I hope to attend Central Film School next year, enrolling in MA Practical Filmmaking under the tutelage of the amazing Faculty members.

Although I don’t have the professional skills or much of a background in filmmaking, I am passionate and have a zeal burning strongly that it will set the film industry on fire. I am a good storyteller, I am brilliant, resilient, and determined to succeed, and when I want something, I push until I get it, I am also a fast learner. I strongly believe that these attributes are what will help me successfully complete this master’s program.

Personal Statement PDF

You can also download this statement of purpose sample for masters degree pdf here and take your time to read it later – Personal Statement For Masters Sample .

Examples of Personal Statement for Masters

We have taken the time to source for some of the best postgraduate personal statement examples, which you can use in addition to the personal statement for masters program example as a template to write yours.

While you scroll through our list, you will find the perfect masters essay example for any field you wish to apply for, from business administration, to Psychology, to information technology, and lots more.

1. msw personal statement

We have found one of the best msw personal statement examples out there for you.

social work masters personal statement .

2. personal statement for masters in public health

mph personal statement examples

3. personal statement for masters in management

Personal statement for master degree sample for masters in management . , 4. personal statement for masters in education example.

personal statement for masters in education example

5. psychology masters personal statement

psychology masters personal statement example

6. sample personal statement for masters in data science data science masters personal statement

7. speech and language therapy personal statement statement of purpose for masters sample: speech and language therapy

8. business administration personal statement personal statement for masters in business administration

9. personal statement for masters in cyber security pdf masters degree personal statement examples for cyber security

10. personal statement for masters in finance msc finance personal statement examples

11. statement of purpose for masters in information technology pdf msc personal statement examples for information technology

12. international development personal statement statement of purpose for masters example

13. msc international business management personal statement international business management personal statement examples

14. computer science masters personal statement

statement of purpose for masters in computer science pdf

15. personal statement for masters in economics statement of purpose sample for masters degree in economics

16. mha personal statement statement of purpose format for masters in health administration

Conclusion – Things to Avoid When Writing A Personal Statement For Masters When writing a personal statement for university masters, there are some things you should avoid, so that you don’t ruin your essay. We have listed out those things below: • Avoid negativity. • Following an online template blindly. • Do not include unnecessary course modules, personal facts, or extra-curricular activities in your personal statement. • Do not lie or exaggerate an achievement or event. • Do not include inspirational quotes to your statement. • Avoid using clichés, gimmicks, humour, over-used word such as 'passion' or ‘driven’. • Do not make pleading statements. • Avoid mentioning key authors or professors in your field without any explanation. • Avoid using sentences that are too long. • Avoid flattering the organisation or using patronising terms. • Do not repeat information in your statement that you have already listed in your application. • Avoid waffling i.e., writing at length. • Don’t start writing your personal statement at the last minute.

How to Write a Good Letter of Recommendation for Students (10 PDF Sample Examples).

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How to Write a Good Personal Statement for a Scholarship ( 7 PDF Sample Examples).

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Computer Science Masters Personal Statement Sample

Written by Hannah Slack

This is an example personal statement for a Masters degree application in Computer Science. See our guide for advice on writing your own postgraduate personal statement .

Having grown up in a world increasingly dependent on computers, I have witnessed the fast-paced innovative world that computer scientists work in. From a young age I have been following the advanced technical developments humanity has made in exciting fields such as AI and Robotics. I remember being in awe at what was possible with technology after seeing the footage in 2017 of Atlas, the robot made by Boston Dynamics, doing a backflip. The work conducted in Japan is equally, if not more, impressive, with the development of Pepper, the first robot designed to read emotions, in 2014. Watching what computer scientists make possible greatly inspires me and I believe a Masters in Computer Science at your university will help me enter a fascinating field.

I am on track to graduate from my undergraduate degree in Computer Science with a first. I have enjoyed studying the subject at this level and look forward to continuing to more advanced content.

Since school age I have been good at mathematical subjects. I believe that logical thinking comes naturally to me. During my teenage years I took an interest in self-assembling my own computer. This allowed me to explore the inner workings of computers and learn how each part fits together to work as a larger system. What I enjoy about computers is that behind the complex structures, it is just a lot of simple elements.

After working with the hardware side, I went on to explore software. I first became interested in the different operating systems available. I then went on to learn different coding languages, mainly Python, after starting a GCSE in Computing. I believe that coming from a multilingual family helped me learn coding languages. After finishing my GCSE course, I continued to develop my abilities in Python and began to read about other languages and their uses.

During the first year of my undergraduate I also had the fortunate opportunity to build a robot for the Robot Wars reboot with a team made up of my course mates. Not only was this a particularly valuable learning experience, but I greatly enjoyed the teamwork element of creation. Being able to bounce ideas off each other showed me just how exciting technological creation can be as you face a world of possibilities. Unfortunately, our robot did not win but we had a lot of fun and were able to learn from our mistakes.

Throughout my life my hobbies and qualifications have led up to a growing passion for computers. The world is becoming increasingly reliant on computers to help solve many of humanity’s problems. In addition, Computer Science also a fun medium to work with because of the many possibilities it presents. It is rare to find a field that is so vital to society and is extremely enjoyable and that is why I hope to work in a Computer Science field one day. I believe the education opportunities that this course can provide will help me get there.

What are some of my options for studying a Masters in Computer Science?

Emerging digital technologies msc, university college london faculty of engineering sciences, information management - msc, uwe bristol school of computing and creative technologies, computer science and international business - msc, university of cumbria institute of business, industry and leadership, information technology with management (msc), university of st andrews school of computer science, university of st andrews school of management, our postgrad newsletter shares courses, funding news, stories and advice, find a masters in computer science.

If you're interested in a studying Computer Science, then why don't you check out our regularly updated catalogue of available Computer Science Masters courses .

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Gre prep online guides and tips, 3 successful graduate school personal statement examples.

Looking for grad school personal statement examples? Look no further! In this total guide to graduate school personal statement examples, we’ll discuss why you need a personal statement for grad school and what makes a good one. Then we’ll provide three graduate school personal statement samples from our grad school experts. After that, we’ll do a deep dive on one of our personal statement for graduate school examples. Finally, we’ll wrap up with a list of other grad school personal statements you can find online.

Why Do You Need a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a chance for admissions committees to get to know you: your goals and passions, what you’ll bring to the program, and what you’re hoping to get out of the program. You need to sell the admissions committee on what makes you a worthwhile applicant. The personal statement is a good chance to highlight significant things about you that don’t appear elsewhere on your application.

A personal statement is slightly different from a statement of purpose (also known as a letter of intent). A statement of purpose/letter of intent tends to be more tightly focused on your academic or professional credentials and your future research and/or professional interests.

While a personal statement also addresses your academic experiences and goals, you have more leeway to be a little more, well, personal. In a personal statement, it’s often appropriate to include information on significant life experiences or challenges that aren’t necessarily directly relevant to your field of interest.

Some programs ask for both a personal statement and a statement of purpose/letter of intent. In this case, the personal statement is likely to be much more tightly focused on your life experience and personality assets while the statement of purpose will focus in much more on your academic/research experiences and goals.

However, there’s not always a hard-and-fast demarcation between a personal statement and a statement of purpose. The two statement types should address a lot of the same themes, especially as relates to your future goals and the valuable assets you bring to the program. Some programs will ask for a personal statement but the prompt will be focused primarily on your research and professional experiences and interests. Some will ask for a statement of purpose but the prompt will be more focused on your general life experiences.

When in doubt, give the program what they are asking for in the prompt and don’t get too hung up on whether they call it a personal statement or statement of purpose. You can always call the admissions office to get more clarification on what they want you to address in your admissions essay.

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What Makes a Good Grad School Personal Statement?

A great graduate school personal statement can come in many forms and styles. However, strong grad school personal statement examples all share the same following elements:

A Clear Narrative

Above all, a good personal statement communicates clear messages about what makes you a strong applicant who is likely to have success in graduate school. So to that extent, think about a couple of key points that you want to communicate about yourself and then drill down on how you can best communicate those points. (Your key points should of course be related to what you can bring to the field and to the program specifically).

You can also decide whether to address things like setbacks or gaps in your application as part of your narrative. Have a low GPA for a couple semesters due to a health issue? Been out of a job for a while taking care of a family member? If you do decide to explain an issue like this, make sure that the overall arc is more about demonstrating positive qualities like resilience and diligence than about providing excuses.

Specific Examples

A great statement of purpose uses specific examples to illustrate its key messages. This can include anecdotes that demonstrate particular traits or even references to scholars and works that have influenced your academic trajectory to show that you are familiar and insightful about the relevant literature in your field.

Just saying “I love plants,” is pretty vague. Describing how you worked in a plant lab during undergrad and then went home and carefully cultivated your own greenhouse where you cross-bred new flower colors by hand is much more specific and vivid, which makes for better evidence.

A strong personal statement will describe why you are a good fit for the program, and why the program is a good fit for you. It’s important to identify specific things about the program that appeal to you, and how you’ll take advantage of those opportunities. It’s also a good idea to talk about specific professors you might be interested in working with. This shows that you are informed about and genuinely invested in the program.

Strong Writing

Even quantitative and science disciplines typically require some writing, so it’s important that your personal statement shows strong writing skills. Make sure that you are communicating clearly and that you don’t have any grammar and spelling errors. It’s helpful to get other people to read your statement and provide feedback. Plan on going through multiple drafts.

Another important thing here is to avoid cliches and gimmicks. Don’t deploy overused phrases and openings like “ever since I was a child.” Don’t structure your statement in a gimmicky way (i.e., writing a faux legal brief about yourself for a law school statement of purpose). The first will make your writing banal; the second is likely to make you stand out in a bad way.

Appropriate Boundaries

While you can be more personal in a personal statement than in a statement of purpose, it’s important to maintain appropriate boundaries in your writing. Don’t overshare anything too personal about relationships, bodily functions, or illegal activities. Similarly, don’t share anything that makes it seem like you may be out of control, unstable, or an otherwise risky investment. The personal statement is not a confessional booth. If you share inappropriately, you may seem like you have bad judgment, which is a huge red flag to admissions committees.

You should also be careful with how you deploy humor and jokes. Your statement doesn’t have to be totally joyless and serious, but bear in mind that the person reading the statement may not have the same sense of humor as you do. When in doubt, err towards the side of being as inoffensive as possible.

Just as being too intimate in your statement can hurt you, it’s also important not to be overly formal or staid. You should be professional, but conversational.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Our graduate school experts have been kind enough to provide some successful grad school personal statement examples. We’ll provide three examples here, along with brief analysis of what makes each one successful.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 1

PDF of Sample Personal Statement 1 – Japanese Studies

For this Japanese Studies master’s degree, the applicant had to provide a statement of purpose outlining her academic goals and experience with Japanese and a separate personal statement describing her personal relationship with Japanese Studies and what led her to pursue a master’s degree.

Here’s what’s successful about this personal statement:

An attention-grabbing beginning: The applicant begins with the statement that Japanese has never come easily to her and that it’s a brutal language to learn. Seeing as how this is an application for a Japanese Studies program, this is an intriguing beginning that makes the reader want to keep going.
A compelling narrative: From this attention-grabbing beginning, the applicant builds a well-structured and dramatic narrative tracking her engagement with the Japanese language over time. The clear turning point is her experience studying abroad, leading to a resolution in which she has clarity about her plans. Seeing as how the applicant wants to be a translator of Japanese literature, the tight narrative structure here is a great way to show her writing skills.
Specific examples that show important traits: The applicant clearly communicates both a deep passion for Japanese through examples of her continued engagement with Japanese and her determination and work ethic by highlighting the challenges she’s faced (and overcome) in her study of the language. This gives the impression that she is an engaged and dedicated student.

Overall, this is a very strong statement both in terms of style and content. It flows well, is memorable, and communicates that the applicant would make the most of the graduate school experience.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 2

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 2 – Musical Composition

This personal statement for a Music Composition master’s degree discusses the factors that motivate the applicant to pursue graduate study.

Here’s what works well in this statement:

The applicant provides two clear reasons motivating the student to pursue graduate study: her experiences with music growing up, and her family’s musical history. She then supports those two reasons with examples and analysis.
The description of her ancestors’ engagement with music is very compelling and memorable. The applicant paints her own involvement with music as almost inevitable based on her family’s long history with musical pursuits.
The applicant gives thoughtful analysis of the advantages she has been afforded that have allowed her to study music so extensively. We get the sense that she is insightful and empathetic—qualities that would add greatly to any academic community.

This is a strong, serviceable personal statement. And in truth, given that this for a masters in music composition, other elements of the application (like work samples) are probably the most important. However, here are two small changes I would make to improve it:

I would probably to split the massive second paragraph into 2-3 separate paragraphs. I might use one paragraph to orient the reader to the family’s musical history, one paragraph to discuss Giacomo and Antonio, and one paragraph to discuss how the family has influenced the applicant. As it stands, it’s a little unwieldy and the second paragraph doesn’t have a super-clear focus even though it’s all loosely related to the applicant’s family history with music.
I would also slightly shorten the anecdote about the applicant’s ancestors and expand more on how this family history has motivated the applicant’s interest in music. In what specific ways has her ancestors’ perseverance inspired her? Did she think about them during hard practice sessions? Is she interested in composing music in a style they might have played? More specific examples here would lend greater depth and clarity to the statement.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 3

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 3 – Public Health

This is my successful personal statement for Columbia’s Master’s program in Public Health. We’ll do a deep dive on this statement paragraph-by-paragraph in the next section, but I’ll highlight a couple of things that work in this statement here:

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This statement is clearly organized. Almost every paragraph has a distinct focus and message, and when I move on to a new idea, I move on to a new paragraph with a logical transitions.
This statement covers a lot of ground in a pretty short space. I discuss my family history, my goals, my educational background, and my professional background. But because the paragraphs are organized and I use specific examples, it doesn’t feel too vague or scattered.
In addition to including information about my personal motivations, like my family, I also include some analysis about tailoring health interventions with my example of the Zande. This is a good way to show off what kinds of insights I might bring to the program based on my academic background.

Grad School Personal Statement Example: Deep Dive

Now let’s do a deep dive, paragraph-by-paragraph, on one of these sample graduate school personal statements. We’ll use my personal statement that I used when I applied to Columbia’s public health program.

Paragraph One: For twenty-three years, my grandmother (a Veterinarian and an Epidemiologist) ran the Communicable Disease Department of a mid-sized urban public health department. The stories of Grandma Betty doggedly tracking down the named sexual partners of the infected are part of our family lore. Grandma Betty would persuade people to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, encourage safer sexual practices, document the spread of infection and strive to contain and prevent it. Indeed, due to the large gay population in the city where she worked, Grandma Betty was at the forefront of the AIDS crises, and her analysis contributed greatly towards understanding how the disease was contracted and spread. My grandmother has always been a huge inspiration to me, and the reason why a career in public health was always on my radar.

This is an attention-grabbing opening anecdote that avoids most of the usual cliches about childhood dreams and proclivities. This story also subtly shows that I have a sense of public health history, given the significance of the AIDs crisis for public health as a field.

It’s good that I connect this family history to my own interests. However, if I were to revise this paragraph again, I might cut down on some of the detail because when it comes down to it, this story isn’t really about me. It’s important that even (sparingly used) anecdotes about other people ultimately reveal something about you in a personal statement.

Paragraph Two: Recent years have cemented that interest. In January 2012, my parents adopted my little brother Fred from China. Doctors in America subsequently diagnosed Fred with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). My parents were told that if Fred’s condition had been discovered in China, the (very poor) orphanage in which he spent the first 8+ years of his life would have recognized his DMD as a death sentence and denied him sustenance to hasten his demise.

Here’s another compelling anecdote to help explain my interest in public health. This is an appropriately personal detail for a personal statement—it’s a serious thing about my immediate family, but it doesn’t disclose anything that the admissions committee might find concerning or inappropriate.

If I were to take another pass through this paragraph, the main thing I would change is the last phrase. “Denied him sustenance to hasten his demise” is a little flowery. “Denied him food to hasten his death” is actually more powerful because it’s clearer and more direct.

Paragraph Three: It is not right that some people have access to the best doctors and treatment while others have no medical care. I want to pursue an MPH in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia because studying social factors in health, with a particular focus on socio-health inequities, will prepare me to address these inequities. The interdisciplinary approach of the program appeals to me greatly as I believe interdisciplinary approaches are the most effective way to develop meaningful solutions to complex problems.

In this paragraph I make a neat and clear transition from discussing what sparked my interest in public health and health equity to what I am interested in about Columbia specifically: the interdisciplinary focus of the program, and how that focus will prepare me to solve complex health problems. This paragraph also serves as a good pivot point to start discussing my academic and professional background.

Paragraph Four: My undergraduate education has prepared me well for my chosen career. Understanding the underlying structure of a group’s culture is essential to successfully communicating with the group. In studying folklore and mythology, I’ve learned how to parse the unspoken structures of folk groups, and how those structures can be used to build bridges of understanding. For example, in a culture where most illnesses are believed to be caused by witchcraft, as is the case for the Zande people of central Africa, any successful health intervention or education program would of necessity take into account their very real belief in witchcraft.

In this paragraph, I link my undergraduate education and the skills I learned there to public health. The (very brief) analysis of tailoring health interventions to the Zande is a good way to show insight and show off the competencies I would bring to the program.

Paragraph Five: I now work in the healthcare industry for one of the largest providers of health benefits in the world. In addition to reigniting my passion for data and quantitative analytics, working for this company has immersed me in the business side of healthcare, a critical component of public health.

This brief paragraph highlights my relevant work experience in the healthcare industry. It also allows me to mention my work with data and quantitative analytics, which isn’t necessarily obvious from my academic background, which was primarily based in the social sciences.

Paragraph Six: I intend to pursue a PhD in order to become an expert in how social factors affect health, particularly as related to gender and sexuality. I intend to pursue a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Reproduction. Working together with other experts to create effective interventions across cultures and societies, I want to help transform health landscapes both in America and abroad.

This final paragraph is about my future plans and intentions. Unfortunately, it’s a little disjointed, primarily because I discuss goals of pursuing a PhD before I talk about what certificate I want to pursue within the MPH program! Switching those two sentences and discussing my certificate goals within the MPH and then mentioning my PhD plans would make a lot more sense.

I also start two sentences in a row with “I intend,” which is repetitive.

The final sentence is a little bit generic; I might tailor it to specifically discuss a gender and sexual health issue, since that is the primary area of interest I’ve identified.

This was a successful personal statement; I got into (and attended!) the program. It has strong examples, clear organization, and outlines what interests me about the program (its interdisciplinary focus) and what competencies I would bring (a background in cultural analysis and experience with the business side of healthcare). However, a few slight tweaks would elevate this statement to the next level.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples You Can Find Online

So you need more samples for your personal statement for graduate school? Examples are everywhere on the internet, but they aren’t all of equal quality.

Most of examples are posted as part of writing guides published online by educational institutions. We’ve rounded up some of the best ones here if you are looking for more personal statement examples for graduate school.

Penn State Personal Statement Examples for Graduate School

This selection of ten short personal statements for graduate school and fellowship programs offers an interesting mix of approaches. Some focus more on personal adversity while others focus more closely on professional work within the field.

The writing in some of these statements is a little dry, and most deploy at least a few cliches. However, these are generally strong, serviceable statements that communicate clearly why the student is interested in the field, their skills and competencies, and what about the specific program appeals to them.

Cal State Sample Graduate School Personal Statements

These are good examples of personal statements for graduate school where students deploy lots of very vivid imagery and illustrative anecdotes of life experiences. There are also helpful comments about what works in each of these essays.

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However, all of these statements are definitely pushing the boundaries of acceptable length, as all are above 1000 and one is almost 1500 words! Many programs limit you to 500 words; if you don’t have a limit, you should try to keep it to two single-spaced pages at most (which is about 1000 words).

University of Chicago Personal Statement for Graduate School Examples

These examples of successful essays to the University of Chicago law school cover a wide range of life experiences and topics. The writing in all is very vivid, and all communicate clear messages about the students’ strengths and competencies.

Note, however, that these are all essays that specifically worked for University of Chicago law school. That does not mean that they would work everywhere. In fact, one major thing to note is that many of these responses, while well-written and vivid, barely address the students’ interest in law school at all! This is something that might not work well for most graduate programs.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 10

This successful essay for law school from a Wheaton College undergraduate does a great job tracking the student’s interest in the law in a compelling and personal way. Wheaton offers other graduate school personal statement examples, but this one offers the most persuasive case for the students’ competencies. The student accomplishes this by using clear, well-elaborated examples, showing strong and vivid writing, and highlighting positive qualities like an interest in justice and empathy without seeming grandiose or out of touch.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 1

Based on the background information provided at the bottom of the essay, this essay was apparently successful for this applicant. However, I’ve actually included this essay because it demonstrates an extremely risky approach. While this personal statement is strikingly written and the story is very memorable, it could definitely communicate the wrong message to some admissions committees. The student’s decision not to report the drill sergeant may read incredibly poorly to some admissions committees. They may wonder if the student’s failure to report the sergeant’s violence will ultimately expose more soldiers-in-training to the same kinds of abuses. This incident perhaps reads especially poorly in light of the fact that the military has such a notable problem with violence against women being covered up and otherwise mishandled

It’s actually hard to get a complete picture of the student’s true motivations from this essay, and what we have might raise real questions about the student’s character to some admissions committees. This student took a risk and it paid off, but it could have just as easily backfired spectacularly.

Key Takeaways: Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

In this guide, we discussed why you need a personal statement and how it differs from a statement of purpose. (It’s more personal!)

We also discussed what you’ll find in a strong sample personal statement for graduate school:

A clear narrative about the applicant and why they are qualified for graduate study.
Specific examples to support that narrative.
Compelling reasons why the applicant and the program are a good fit for each other.
Strong writing, including clear organization and error-free, cliche-free language.
Appropriate boundaries—sharing without over-sharing.

Then, we provided three strong graduate school personal statement examples for different fields, along with analysis. We did a deep-dive on the third statement.

Finally, we provided a list of other sample grad school personal statements online.

What’s Next?

Want more advice on writing a personal statement ? See our guide.

Writing a graduate school statement of purpose? See our statement of purpose samples and a nine-step process for writing the best statement of purpose possible .

If you’re writing a graduate school CV or resume, see our how-to guide to writing a CV , a how-to guide to writing a resume , our list of sample resumes and CVs , resume and CV templates , and a special guide for writing resume objectives .

Need stellar graduate school recommendation letters ? See our guide.

See our 29 tips for successfully applying to graduate school .

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Author: Ellen McCammon

Ellen is a public health graduate student and education expert. She has extensive experience mentoring students of all ages to reach their goals and in-depth knowledge on a variety of health topics. View all posts by Ellen McCammon

How To Write Your Postgraduate Personal Statement

Choosing a university

Fairs and open days
Entry requirements
What are the differences between an undergraduate and postgraduate personal statement?

What's on this page?

What is a personal statement, preparing to write your personal statement, opening your personal statement, work experience and future plans, ending your personal statement.

Your postgraduate personal statement is your chance to get noticed for your expertise and experience you’ve gathered. It’s an important part of the application process as it allows you to talk about yourself and your passions and prove the value you can bring to your chosen university.

In this article, we’re going to talk you through how to write a postgraduate personal statement that stands out and gives you the best chance of being offered a place on the master’s programme you’re applying for.

Shona Barrie – Director of Admissions, University of Stirling

You’ll have already written a personal statement for your undergraduate study, so you’ll know the importance of preparation. There are two things to think about when you’re planning:

The practical and factual information you need to get across.
Then, the more emotional, human parts of you that make you different to everyone else.

Before you start writing, take some time to think about the key things you’d want your chosen university to know about you, and get them down on paper.

Questions to focus your mind

Why have you chosen this master’s programme?
Why are you passionate about this subject matter?
How has your undergraduate study influenced your decision to apply?
Have you got any work experience that might help you?
What life experiences have you had that you could talk about?
What achievements can you talk about to support your application?
Why do you want to study at this particular university?
What plans and ambitions do you have for your future career?

Three top tips

Be specific.

Remember that a postgraduate personal statement needs you to talk specifically about the university you’ve chosen.

Demonstrate experience

Universities will be looking for postgraduate students who are able to demonstrate expertise in a particular subject – so include that.

Show what you've learnt

Tell the university about your university life as an undergraduate and include any clubs or societies you were involved in.

Admissions tutors will be reading a lot of personal statements so it’s important to grab their attention right from the start.

You can find a full guide on How to start a personal statement: The attention grabber but here are the main things for you to think about.

Don’t overthink the opening . Just start by showing your enthusiasm for the subject, showcasing your knowledge and understanding, and sharing your ambitions of what you want to achieve.
Avoid cliches . Remember, this opening part is simply about introducing yourself, so let the admissions tutor reading your personal statement get to know you.
Keep it relevant and simple . You’re limited on how much you can include so avoid long-winded explanations. Why use 50 words when ten can make your point?

Talking about the course

Now you’re ready to start talking about the course and subject you’re applying for.

There are four main areas you’ll need to cover in this section of your personal statement.

Why are you applying for this master’s? Think about your undergraduate study and how this master’s will develop your expertise further. Do you have career aspirations this course will help you achieve?
Why does the subject interest you? This is your chance to show your passion and really demonstrate who you are. If you have work or volunteering experiences related to the subject, include them here.
Why do you think you’ll be an asset to the university? Your personal and practical skills combined together create a unique picture of who you are and why you’ll be a successful postgraduate student, so include both.
How does your previous undergraduate study relate to the course? Showcase your enthusiasm for your current study and take the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and knowledge now, and how you want to build on that.

Next, you’ll need to write about your personal skills and achievements.

Universities like to know the abilities you have that’ll help you on the course, or generally with life at university. Don’t forget to include evidence to back up why you’re so passionate about the programme you’ve chosen.

Your personal skills and achievements

Be bold and talk about the achievements you’re proud of., include positions of responsibility you hold, or have held, both in and out of school., what are the things that make you interesting, special, or unique .

Your work experience and future plans are important to include in your personal statement. You should share details of jobs, placements, work experience, or voluntary work, particularly if it's relevant to your course.

Try to link any experience to skills or qualities that’ll make you successful on your course.
If you know what you’d like to do after as a career, explain how you plan to use the knowledge and experience you’ll gain.

It’s always good to connect the beginning of your statement to the end and a great way to reinforce what you said at the start. You want to see the ending as your chance to end in a way that’ll make the university remember you.

This final part of your personal statement should emphasise the great points you’ve already made and answer the question of why you should be offered a place on the course.

Read our full guide on How to finish your statement the right way .

Aakriti Labra – MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology, University of Surrey

Now you’ve written your postgraduate personal statement, you’ll need to do a couple of final things before you submit it.

Have you proofread your personal statement? Don’t just rely on spellcheckers. We’d recommend reading it out loud as that’s a great way to spot any errors as well as checking it sounds like you.
Have you asked for feedback? Ask friends, family or your undergraduate university tutors to have a read through your personal statement and take their feedback on board.
Check out our personal statement dos and don'ts Have a look at the common pitfalls against your final draft to make sure you haven't made any obvious errors!

Postgraduate

More advice.

Use the UCAS’ personal statement tool alongside this guide to help you structure your ideas.

Do you want to understand the differences between an undergraduate and postgraduate personal statement? Take a look at our guide here.

Why study a postgraduate course? Find out here.

What funding is there for postgraduate courses?

How to write an excellent personal statement in 10 steps

Stand out from the crowd: here's how to write a good personal statement that will get you noticed

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Your personal statement forms a core part of your university application, and the sooner you get going, the better you can make it. You may think that your personal statement won’t matter as much to unis as your grades and experience but a great personal statement could make all the difference between you and a candidate with the same grades. Sure, your application might not reach that deal breaker stage. But is it something you want to leave to chance? Here we’ll take you through the process of planning, writing and checking a good personal statement, so you end up with something you can submit with confidence. And to make sure the advice we're giving you is sound, we’ve spoken to admissions staff at loads of UK universities to get their view. Look out for video interviews and advice on applying for specific subjects throughout this piece or watch our personal statement playlist on YouTube .

Are you looking for personal statement examples? Check our library of hundreds of real personal statements, on The Student Room

The university application personal statement is changing in 2025
University admissions service Ucas has announced that a new style of personal statement will be launched in 2025. This will affect anyone making a university application from autumn 2025 onwards. .

Personal statement deadlines

You'll need to make sure you've got your personal statement written well in advance of your application deadline. Below are the main university application deadline dates for 2024 entry.

2024 entry deadlines

16 October 2023: Deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge universities, along with most medicine, dentistry, and veterinary courses. 31 January 2024: Deadline for applications to the majority of undergraduate courses. After this date, universities will start allocating places on these courses – but you can still apply after the 31 January deadline , as this article explains . 30 June 2024: Students who apply after this date will be entered into Clearing .

Read more: Ucas deadlines and key application dates

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a central part of your Ucas application, where you explain why you’ve chosen a particular course and why you’ll be good at it. It's your chance to stand out against other candidates and hopefully get that all-important offer. You only write one personal statement which is then read by each university you apply to, so if you are applying for more than one subject (or it's a combined course) it's crucial that you include common themes or reference the overall skills needed for all subjects. Personal statements are especially important if you’re trying to get on a very competitive course, where you need to do anything you can to stand out to admissions tutors. Courteney Sheppard, senior customer experience manager at Ucas, advises that your personal statement is "the only part of the application that you have direct control over. Do lots of research to demonstrate your passion, curiosity and drive to pursue your chosen subject." There’s a limit on how much you can write: your personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of 95 characters (including spaces); whichever is shorter. This may appear generous (read: long) but once you've got going you may find yourself having to edit heavily.

Read more: teacher secrets for writing a great personal statement

1. Plan what you want to cover

The first thing you need to do is make a plan. Writing a personal statement off the top of your head is difficult. Start by making some notes, answering the following questions:

What do you want to study?
Why do you want to study it?
What is there about you that shows you’re suited to studying this subject at university? Think about your personality, as well as your experiences.
What are your other interests and skills?

These few points are going to form the spine of your personal statement, so write them in a way that makes sense to you. You might want to make a simple bulleted list or you might want to get all arty and use a mindmap. Whatever you choose, your aim is the same. You want to get it clear in your own head why a university should offer you a place on its course. Getting those details down isn't always easy, and some people find it helpful to make notes over time. You might try carrying a notebook with you or set up a memo on your phone. Whenever you think of something useful for your personal statement, jot it down. Inspiration sometimes comes more easily when you’re thinking about something else entirely. It might help to take a look at The Student Room for some sample personal statements by university and sample personal statements by subjects , to give you an idea of the kind of thing you want to include.

Read more: personal statement FAQs

2. Show off your experience

Some things are worth adding to your personal statement, some things are not. Firmly in the second camp are your qualifications. You don’t need to mention these as there’s a whole other section of your personal statement where you get to detail them very precisely. Don’t waste a single character going on about how great your GCSE grades are – it’s not what the admissions tutor wants to read. What they do want to see is: what have you done? OK, so you’ve got some good grades, but so do a lot of other applicants. What have you done that’s different, that shows you off as someone who really loves the subject you’re applying for? Spend some time thinking about all the experience you have in that subject. If you’re lucky, this might be direct work experience. That’s going to be particularly appropriate if you’re applying for one of the more vocational subjects such as medicine or journalism . But uni staff realise getting plum work experience placements is easier for some people than others, so cast your net wider when you’re thinking about what you’ve done. How about after-school clubs? Debating societies? Are you running a blog or vlog? What key skills and experience have you picked up elsewhere (eg from hobbies) that could be tied in with your course choice? Remember, you’re looking for experience that shows why you want to study your chosen subject. You’re not just writing an essay about what you're doing in your A-level syllabus. Use this checklist as a guide for what to include:

Your interest in the course. Why do you want to spend three years studying this subject at university?
What have you done outside school or college that demonstrates this interest? Think about things like fairs/exhibitions, public lectures or voluntary work that is relevant to your subject.
Relevant work experience (essential for the likes of medicine, not required for non-vocational courses such as English )
Skills and qualities required for that career if appropriate (medicine, nursing and law as obvious examples)
Interest in your current studies – what particular topics have made an impression on you?
Any other interests/hobbies/experiences you wish to mention that are relevant either to the subject or 'going to uni'. Don't just list your hobbies, you need to be very selective and state clearly what difference doing these things has made to you.
Plans for a gap year if you’re deferring entry.

Read more: 6 steps you need to take to apply to university

3. Be bold about your achievements

Don't be bashful about your achievements; that’s not going to help you get into uni. It's time to unleash your inner Muhammed Ali and get all “I am the greatest” with your writing. Do keep it focused and accurate. Do keep your language professional. But don’t hide your qualities beneath a layer of false modesty. Your personal statement is a sell – you are selling yourself as a brilliant student and you need to show the reader why that is true. This doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and if you’re finding it difficult to write about how great you are it’s time to enlist some help. Round up a friend or two, a family member, a teacher, whoever and get them to write down your qualities. Getting someone else’s view here can help you get some perspective. Don’t be shy. You are selling your skills, your experience and your enthusiasm – make sure they all leap off the screen with the way you have described them.

Read more: the ten biggest mistakes when writing your personal statement

4. How to start your personal statement

Type your personal statement in a cloud-based word processing program, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word and don’t copy and paste it into Ucas Hub until it’s finished. One of the benefits of doing it this way is that you can run spell check easily. (Please note, though, that Word adds "curly" quotation marks and other characters (like é or ü) that won't show up on your Ucas form, so do proofread it on Ucas Hub before submitting it to ensure it is how you typed it.) Another big benefit is that you'll always have a backup of what you've written. If you're being super careful, you could always save your statement in another place as well. Bear in mind that extra spaces (eg adding spaces to the beginnings of paragraphs as indentation) are removed on Ucas. In your first sentence, cut to the chase. Why do you want to do the course? Don’t waste any time rambling on about the daydreams you had when you were five. Just be clear and concise – describe in one line why this course is so important to you. Then, in the rest of your intro, go into more detail in demonstrating your enthusiasm for the course and explaining how you decided this is what you want to do for the next three or more years. However you choose to start your statement, just avoid the following hoary old chestnuts. These have been some of the most used lines in personal statements over the years – they are beyond cliche, so don’t even think about it.

From a young age I have (always) been [interested in/fascinated by]…
For as long as I can remember, I have…
I am applying for this course because…
I have always been interested in…
Throughout my life I have always enjoyed…
Reflecting on my educational experiences…
[Subject] is a very challenging and demanding [career/profession/course]…
Academically, I have always been…
I have always wanted to pursue a career in…
I have always been passionate about…

5. Focus your writing on why you've chosen that subject

So you’ve got your intro done – time to nail the rest of it. Bear in mind that you’ve got to be a little bit careful when following a personal statement template. It’s easy to fall into the trap of copying someone else’s style, and in the process lose all of your own voice and personality from your writing. But there is a rough order that you can follow, which should help keep you in your flow. After your opening paragraph or two, get into any work experience (if you’ve got it). Talk about extracurriculars: anything you've done which is relevant to the subject can go here – hobbies, interests, volunteering. Touch on your career aspirations – where do you want this course to take you? Next, show your enthusiasm for your current studies. Cite some specific examples of current work that you enjoyed. Show off your relevant skills and qualities by explaining how you’ve used these in the past. Make sure you’re giving real-world examples here, not just vague assertions like “I’m really organised and motivated”. Try to use examples that are relevant. Follow this up with something about you as a person. Talk about non-academic stuff that you like to do, but link it in some way with the course, or with how it shows your maturity for dealing with uni life. Round it all off by bringing your main points together, including a final emphasis of your commitment to studying this particular course.

Read more: how to write your personal statement in an evening

6. How long should a personal statement be?

You've got to work to a very specific limit when writing your personal statement. In theory you could use up to 4,000 characters – but you’re probably more likely to be limited by the line count. That's because it's a good idea to put line breaks in between your paragraphs (to make it more readable) and you only get a maximum of 47 lines. With this in mind, 3,500 characters is a more realistic limit. But when you’re getting started you should ignore these limits completely. At first, you just want to get down everything that you feel is important. You'll probably end up with something that is far too long, but that's fine. This is where you get to do some polishing and pruning. Keep the focus of your piece on the course you’re applying for, why you want to do it and why you’re perfectly suited to it. Look through what you’ve written so far – have you got the balance right? Chop out anything that goes on a bit, as you want each point to be snappy and succinct.

Read more: universities reveal all about personal statements

7. Keep it simple

8. Smart ways to end your personal statement

Writing a closing line that you’re happy with can feel as tricky as coming up with your opener. What you’re looking for here is a sign-off that is bold and memorable. The final couple of sentences in your statement give you the opportunity to emphasise all the good stuff you’ve already covered. Use this space to leave the reader in no doubt as to what an excellent addition you would be to their university. Pull together all your key points and – most importantly – address the central question that your personal statement should answer: why should you get a place on the course?

Read more: universities explain how to end your personal statement with a bang

9. Make sure your personal statement has no mistakes

Now you’ve got a personal statement you’re happy with, you need to make sure there are no mistakes. Check it, check it a second time, then check it again. Once you’ve done that, get someone else to check it, too. You will be doing yourself a massive disservice if you send through a personal statement with spelling and/or grammatical errors. You’ve got months to put this together so there really is no excuse for sending through something that looks like a rush job. Ask your teachers to look at it, and be prepared to accept their feedback without getting defensive. They will have seen many personal statements before; use what they tell you to make yours even better. You’ve also got another chance here to look through the content of your personal statement, so you can make sure the balance is right. Make sure your focus is very clearly on the subject you are applying for and why you want to study it. Don’t post your personal statement on the internet or social media where anyone can see it. You will get picked up by the Ucas plagiarism checker. Similarly, don't copy any that you find online. Instead, now is a good time to make your parents feel useful. Read your personal statement out to them and get them to give you feedback. Or try printing it out and mixing it up with a few others (you can find sample personal statements on The Student Room). Get them to read them all and then try to pick yours out. If they can't, perhaps there's not enough of your personality in there.

10. Don't think about your personal statement for a whole week

If you followed the advice at the very start of this guide, you’ve started your personal statement early. Good job! There are months before you need to submit it. Use one of these weeks to forget about your personal statement completely. Get on with other things – anything you like. Just don’t go near your statement. Give it a whole week and then open up the document again and read through it with fresh eyes. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on what you’ve written and will be well placed to make more changes, if needed.

Read more: how to write your personal statement when you have nothing interesting to say

10 steps to your ideal personal statement

In summary, here are the ten steps you should follow to create the perfect personal statement.

Personal statement dos and don'ts

Remember that your personal statement is your personal statement, not an article written about your intended field of study. It should tell the reader about you, not about the subject.
Only put in things that you’re prepared to talk about at the interviews.
Give convincing reasons for why you want to study the course – more than just "enjoying the subject" (this should be a given).
For very competitive courses, find out as much as you can about the nature of the course and try to make your personal statement relevant to this.
Be reflective. If you make a point like 'I like reading', 'I travelled abroad', say what you got from it.
Go through the whole thing checking your grammar and your spelling. Do this at least twice. It doesn’t matter if you’re not applying to an essay-based course – a personal statement riddled with spelling mistakes is just going to irritate the reader, which is the last thing you want to do. If this is something you find difficult then have someone look over it for you.
Leave blank lines between your paragraphs. It’s easier for the reader to get through your personal statement when it’s broken into easily digestible chunks. Remember that they’re going to be reading a lot of these! Make yours easy to get through.
Get someone else's opinion on your statement. Read it out to family or friends. Share it with your teacher. Look for feedback wherever you can find it, then act upon it.
Don’t write it like a letter. Kicking off with a greeting such as "Dear Sir/Madam" not only looks weird, it also wastes precious space.
Don’t make jokes. This is simply not the time – save them for your first night in the union.
Don’t criticise your current school or college or try to blame teachers for any disappointing grades you might have got.
Be afraid of details – if you want your PS to be personal to you that means explaining exactly which bits of work or topics or activities you've taken part in/enjoyed. It's much more compelling to read about one or two detailed examples than a paragraph that brushes over five or six.
Just list what you're doing now. You should pull out the experiences that are relevant to the courses which you're applying to.
Mention skills and activities without giving examples of when they have been demonstrated by you or what you learnt from them. Anyone can write "I have great leadership skills" in a PS, actually using a sentence to explain when you demonstrated good leadership skills is much rarer and more valuable.
Refer to experiences that took place before your GCSEs (or equivalent).
Give explanations about medical or mental health problems. These should be explained in your reference, not your PS.
Apply for too many different courses, making it difficult to write a convincing personal statement which supports the application.
Write a statement specific to just one institution, unless you're only applying to that one choice.
Copy and paste the statement from somewhere else! This means do not plagiarise. All statements are automatically checked for plagiarism by Ucas. Those that are highlighted by the computer system are checked manually by Ucas staff. If you’re found to have plagiarised parts of your statement, the universities you apply to will be informed and it could jeopardise your applications.
Use ChatGPT or another AI program to write your personal statement for you. Or, if you do, make sure you thoroughly edit and personalise the text so it's truly yours. Otherwise you're very much at risk of the plagiarism point above.

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It might feel like it's taking forever for your uni offers to come through. Find out what's going on, and when you should hear back

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University of Bristol Business School

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Postgraduate research

The University of Bristol Business School has an enthusiastic research community, a welcoming atmosphere and excellent research facilities.

Find out more about our PhD programme details, such as entry requirement, duration, supervisors and tuition fees.

PhD Management PhD Accounting & Finance

Students may enroll in two interdisciplinary pathways offered by the South West Doctoral Training Partnership: Global Political Economy and Sustainable Futures .

We refer to your research proposal to assess your suitability for PhD studies. If you are considering applying for a PhD programme, explore our concise guideline below. It offers insights to help you craft a compelling research proposal for a successful application.

PhD Research Proposal Guideline

Research is central to the University of Bristol Business School. We are large enough to have expertise in many fields, but small enough to be friendly and allow regular contact between students and staff members.

Why choose the University of Bristol Business School for your PhD?

Work with the brightest minds in academia. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) rated 88 per cent of the research in Business and Management as 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent' (3*/4*).
Be part of an active research culture working to make a difference by critically addressing the significant challenges that face individuals, communities, organisations and economies.
Gain access to our broad portfolio of research and impact partnerships, which include advisory roles to international and national government, non-government organisations (NGOs), professional bodies and regulators, and private and social enterprise.
Fulfil your career aspirations with our customised personal development strategy.
Receive excellent support within a vibrant PhD community.

Find out more about areas of research by exploring our Academic Groups and Research Groups.

How to apply

Read the application page and admissions statement for full details.

Apply for PhD Management

Apply for PhD Accounting and Finance

Our research focuses on driving change towards a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous world.

Bristol Doctoral College

Our Bristol Doctoral College supports the community of postgraduate researchers across our research degree programmes.

Bristol University has a great and active research community. I had the opportunity to attend top-notch international conferences and seminars led by distinguished researchers. This exposure to different research topics and approaches proved to be extremely helpful for my own work.

IMAGES

Example of An Engineering Masters Personal Statement
FREE 9+ Personal Statement Samples in MS Word
Masters Personal Statement
💐 Masters personal statement format. Writing Personal Statements for
How To Write Masters Personal Statement In 2024
Personal Statement for Masters Example PDF 2023

VIDEO

An interfaith statement regarding recent extremist actions in Bristol
Veterans Masters Bristol
Veterans Masters Bristol
Veterans Masters Bristol

COMMENTS

Top tips: personal statements for postgraduate study
Begin your personal statement with some concise motivations. Be careful not to waste space here on general comments that anyone could make, such as that you are "hard-working" or "enthusiastic". Both these characteristics should not need to be stated so instead spend some time reflecting on phrases that are more personal to why you are ...
Submit supporting documents
However, please make every effort to upload your documents online, as sending documents separately by post may cause a delay in your application being assessed. If you need to post documents to us, you must include the following details: your full name. your date of birth. your applicant ID number. the name of the programme you are applying for.
Your application
How we assess your application. To assess your application we look at: your university degree grade (or your results so far, if you are still studying) the grades achieved in individual units/components of your degree. your references (if requested) your personal statement (if requested) your research proposal (for relevant programmes only).
University of Bristol Personal Statements
Bristol University Personal Statements. These UCAS personal statements have been kindly provided by students applying to University of Bristol. You can click on one of the links below to view the entire statement and find out if the applicant was offered a place. You can also view our entire collection of personal statements or view personal ...
Personal statement guide for Masters courses
A personal statement is an important part of your postgraduate application. This guide gives a top tips as well as a breakdown of how to write a strong personal statement to optimise your chances of success. ... Personal statement guide for Masters courses ... Bristol BS16 1QY United Kingdom Switchboard: +44 (0)117 9656261 View full contact ...
Personal statements for postgraduate applications
Your Masters personal statement is an essential part of your postgraduate application as it's this document that will convince admissions tutors that you're worthy of a place on a course. Discover how to write a Masters personal statement and take a look at some examples for inspiration ... 4 Portwall Lane, Bristol, BS1 6NB. Registered number ...
Admissions statements
Postgraduate admissions statements. Admissions statements detail the admissions criteria, application process and selection process for all postgraduate programmes at the University of Bristol. These admissions statements relate to programmes starting during the 2023-24 academic year. If you cannot find your programme or have any questions ...
How To Write Masters Personal Statement In 2024
Keep it short and to the point. Aim for a total of four or five paragraphs in your personal statement for master degree. When applying for a Masters degree, use standard fonts and text size of 11 or 12. If you're applying through UCAS postgraduate service, font style won't be an issue as text is automatically formatted.
Postgraduate Personal Statements
These are some of the most essential attributes of a successful postgraduate personal statement: Positive, enthusiastic language. Professional tone of voice. Compelling evidence to back up your claims. Concise and clear sentences. Meanwhile, this is a list of the tendencies to avoid in your personal statement:
PDF What is a UCAS personal statement?
What is a UCAS personal statement? Personal Statement 47 lines 4,000 characters 'No definite formula' Positive document Concise and enthusiastic www.ucas.com No text formatting Draft in Word first
MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate
Personal Statement. You are required to complete a personal statement for this course. Please read the personal statement guidance carefully and make sure that you answer the questions on the postgraduate application form within the personal statement tabs, keeping to the advised word count. UWE Bristol's International College
University of The West of England, Bristol Personal Statements
These UCAS personal statements have been kindly provided by students applying to University of The West of England, Bristol. You can click on one of the links below to view the entire statement and find out if the applicant was offered a place. You can also view our entire collection of personal statements or view personal statements for application at other universities.
Personal Statement For Masters (17 PDF Sample Examples)
7. speech and language therapy personal statement. statement of purpose for masters sample: speech and language therapy. 8. business administration personal statement. personal statement for masters in business administration. 9. personal statement for masters in cyber security pdf.
Business Management Masters Personal Statement Sample
This is an example personal statement for a Masters degree application in Business Management. See our guide for advice on writing your own postgraduate personal statement. Businesses have been instrumental in building our modern way of living. The versatility and innovation of business quickly captured my attention when I started my first job ...
PDF Postgraduate Admissions Statement for
Postgraduate Admissions Statement for . Management (MSc) ; Management (Corporate Social ... • Personal statement . Interviews . Interviews do not form part of the selection process. ... should email [email protected]. to notify the admissions team as soon as possible.
Computer Science Masters Personal Statement Sample
This is an example personal statement for a Masters degree application in Computer Science. See our guide for advice on writing your own postgraduate personal statement. Having grown up in a world increasingly dependent on computers, I have witnessed the fast-paced innovative world that computer scientists work in.
3 Successful Graduate School Personal Statement Examples
Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 3. PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 3 - Public Health. This is my successful personal statement for Columbia's Master's program in Public Health. We'll do a deep dive on this statement paragraph-by-paragraph in the next section, but I'll highlight a couple of things that ...
How To Write Your Postgraduate Personal Statement
Just start by showing your enthusiasm for the subject, showcasing your knowledge and understanding, and sharing your ambitions of what you want to achieve. Avoid cliches . Remember, this opening part is simply about introducing yourself, so let the admissions tutor reading your personal statement get to know you. Keep it relevant and simple.
Reading the Personal Statement That Got Me Into Manchester, Bristol
Reading through my personal statement section by section, talking about how I wrote it and giving you my top tips to ace your applications for top universiti...
How to write an excellent personal statement in 10 steps
Use your closing couple of lines to summarise the most important points in your statement. 9. Check your writing thoroughly and get someone else to check it, too. 10. Give your brain a rest by forgetting about your personal statement for a while before going back to review it one last time with fresh eyes.
&X1F4DA; How to Write a Master's Personal Statement
Usually, the word limit is around 500 words. However, some universities set a higher word count range, such as LSE, which usually specifies a 1,000-1,500 word count. Make sure you always check directly with the university if you're unsure of the word count or any other element of the application process. Joe's tip: Some courses, such as LSE ...
PDF Postgraduate Admissions Statement for ...
stgraduate Admissions Statement for Psychology (conversion) (MSc)This Admissions Statement applies to applications submitted for. ntry to the programme between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024.It should be read in association with the University Admissions Principles and Procedures for Postgraduate program.
PDF Postgraduate Admissions Statement for phd Management
PhD Management. This Admissions Statement applies to applications submitted for entry to the programme between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024. It should be read in association with the University Admissions Principles and Procedures for Postgraduate programmes, the relevant prospectus entry and general application guidance.
PhD programmes
Univeristy of Bristol Business School is the perfect place for your PhD or postgraduate research study. University of Bristol Business School ... Fulfil your career aspirations with our customised personal development strategy. ... Read the application page and admissions statement for full details. Apply for PhD Management. Apply for PhD ...

Top tips: personal statements for postgraduate study

Before you begin

A personal statement should address these questions:

Why have you chosen this specific course, at this specific institution?

What are your plans?

Are you academically capable of taking this course?

Do you have any relevant work experience?

What is a Masters Personal Statement?

How long should a personal statement be for masters?

How should I structure my masters personal statement?

Question to ask before writing

What should I include in a personal statement for masters?

How to start a personal statement for a master?

How to end a personal statement for masters

Work Experience in a personal statement for masters

What should you avoid in a personal statement for Masters?

Difference between personal statements for postgraduate and undergraduate

Masters personal statement example

Research Course You’re Applying

What admissions tutors are looking for a master’s application?

Deadline For Postgraduate Applications

Final Thoughts

MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate Marketing

Introduction

The latest marketing know-how

The skills you need to succeed

A real-world focus

Learning and Teaching

Study support

Study facilities

Integrity Research Scheme

Meet leaders of industry

Postgraduate support

Sports, societies and activities

Health and Wellbeing

Campus and facilities

Careers / Further study

Supplementary fee information

Entry requirements

Personal Statement

UWE Bristol's International College

English language support

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University of The West of England, Bristol Personal Statements

How To Write A Personal Statement For Masters (17 PDF Sample Examples)

What Is a Personal Statement?

Tips For Making Your Personal Statement For Masters Stand Out

1. Starting And Ending A Personal Statement

2. Plan Ahead

3. Research Your Program Of Study

4. Avoid Clichés, Junks, And Many Details

5. Include Your Personal History Only If It Adds To The Statement

6. Don't Use The Same Personal Statement For All Your Applications

How To Write A Personal Statement for Masters

1. Planning A Personal Statement

2. Structuring A Personal Statement

Personal Statement for Masters Sample

Personal Statement PDF

Examples of Personal Statement for Masters

1. msw personal statement

2. personal statement for masters in public health

3. personal statement for masters in management

5. psychology masters personal statement

16. mha personal statement statement of purpose format for masters in health administration

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