what to include in first paragraph of personal statement

Personal Statement Guide

Personal Statement Format

Last updated on: Feb 9, 2023

Personal Statement Format - Detailed Guide & Expert Examples

By: John K.

Reviewed By: Jacklyn H.

Published on: Jul 7, 2020

A personal statement is an essential part of an application when you apply to college, university, or a job. A well-written personal statement is submitted with an application form in which you answer the specific question. Also, it helps you to secure a new job or college placement.

Unlike other academic essays, personal essays are not thesis-driven. They only demonstrate the applicant’s ambitious skills and experience to the college admission officer or recruiter.

Moreover, this type of statement for a university or job has the same format. However, university personal essays are more detailed and longer. They are varying and depend on the institution for which you are applying for.

Therefore, continue reading this blog and get an idea of the personal statement format.

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What is the Format of a Personal Statement?

The personal statement is a major part of college, job, or scholarship application. However, writing a personal essay is not as easy as it sounds.

For a statement, you should understand its format and structure. The format of a statement is not complex and difficult. However, read the college or office guidelines in which you are applying for a better understanding.

Here are some guidelines that you should follow to format a personal statement.

Use a readable font for the readers, e.g., Times New Roman, Cambria, or Arial.
The size of the font should be 12 pt.
Paragraphs must be single-spaced.
It should be 300 to 500 words in length.
Include a page number and header with your name.
It should be 5 to 8 paragraphs long.
Write name and contact info in a cover letter heading at the top.

Therefore, follow these guidelines and write a great statement without any formatting mistakes. Also, be concise, specific, and personal in your writing style.

Here is a complete template of a personal statement format for your ease.

PERSONAL STATEMENT FORMAT TEMPLATE

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How to Format a Personal Statement?

A correct statement format is very important as it makes a visual impression of your essay. The format is the same whether you are applying for a business, law, or medical school. However, only the content and other requirements can change.

Also, a personal statement includes certain information in the following format.

1. Introduction

The opening paragraph of the statement starts with an interesting hook that grabs the reader’s attention. It is a great chance to reflect your personality and leave a good image on the reader’s mind.

When you apply for admission, you need to discuss why you apply and why you enrolled in this course. However, for a job application, you would address why you are interested in the position in which you are applying.

2. Body Paragraphs

The body of the statement contains specific details such as skills, interests, and experiences related to the course or job. It tells the application committee why you are a suitable candidate for their institute or company.

It includes the following elements:

Achievements and Experience : In the statement’s body, write about your grades and work experience related to the job or university.

Relevant Skills and Talents : Discuss the skills and talents you have learned.

What You Would Bring to the Organization : It is an essential part, especially when you apply for a job or college. Describe why you are the right candidate for the company or institute. Also, mention your experience or passion for performing tasks or learning specific skills.

Academic or Professional Goals : Discuss the academic or professional goals that help you achieve your future career goals.

3. Conclusion

The conclusion is the last section of the personal essay. In this section, you do not only summarize all the main points. However, restate the motivation and express your gratitude for reviewing your statement.

In the conclusion section, you should mention these points:

Discuss professional and academic short-term and long-term goals.
Summarize the statement.
Link the conclusion with the introduction paragraph.

The conclusion of the statement for a job is only one sentence. However, for the college, it must be one paragraph. Also, read your personal statement after you finish writing it.

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Personal Statement Format Examples

Examples help you to learn to write a statement for a scholarship, admission, or job. Here we have gathered some good personal statement format examples for you to get an idea.

Personal Statement Format for Scholarship

Writing a winning statement for the scholarship is not difficult if you get help from professionally written examples. The following is a great example to provide you a detailed understanding of the concept.

Personal Statement Format for University

The statement for the university includes skills, interests, qualifications, and hobbies. Also, show why you are a good fit for this particular educational institution. Therefore, check this example and see what a good university statement looks like.

Personal Statement Format for College

A personal statement for a college application is a short essay that introduces you to the admission committee. It is the only part of the application where the candidate reflects their personality, experiences, and major achievements in high school. Check this example and learn how to write a great statement for college.

Personal Statement Format for Masters

At the master’s level, you do not include autobiographical information about your personal life. It demonstrates your interest, experience, and why you are a suitable candidate for their institute. Also, show that you are a determined and goal-oriented person. Below is an example of a perfect statement for masters.

Personal Statement Format Graduate School

Writing a great statement is essential for graduate school applications. However, some high school students don’t know how to create an excellent statement. Here is an example format for graduate school applications for your ease.

Personal Statement Format Law School

The personal statement allows the law admission committee to know about you as a person other than your grades, and accomplishments. Thus, take a look at this law school format example and write your own without any mistakes.

Personal Statement Format Medical School

The first step of getting admission into your desired medical school is to write a good statement. Therefore, try to make it engaging and appealing but also follow the admission officer requirements precisely. Below is an example that gives a good idea of the medical school statement.

Nursing Personal Statement Format

The statement is necessary for nursing students to advance their career. It is the best opportunity to show that you are the right applicant for its college/institute. For your help, we have mentioned a good example of the nursing statement format.

MBA Personal Statement Format

The hardest part of writing the statement for an MBA application is to decide its format and what to write. It is important that you properly understand the admission committee guidelines and then start writing. Here is an example that guides you in writing an excellent MBA statement.

The personal statement plays a major role in your academic and professional life. Any mistake can lose your opportunity to get admitted to a college or university. However, don’t have time to write a perfect one, don’t worry. Simply consult the professionals at 5StarEssays.com .

You only have to request to write my essay , and our expert writers will help you in writing the personal statement.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a personal statement.

Usually, a personal statement is 4,000 characters long and you should abide by this limit when writing your statement.

Should you say thank you at the end of a personal statement?

No, there is no need to say thank you at the end of the personal statement. But make sure that the conclusion is strong and engaging enough for the readers.

Should I start my personal statement with a quote?

No, it is better to stay away from adding any quotes in your personal statement. It is because these statements are focused on ‘you’ only and adding any quotes would only take up the space and trigger the plagiarism checker.

Psychology Essay, Argumentative Essay

John K. is a professional writer and author with many publications to his name. He has a Ph.D. in the field of management sciences, making him an expert on the subject matter. John is highly sought after for his insights and knowledge, and he regularly delivers keynote speeches and conducts workshops on various topics related to writing and publishing. He is also a regular contributor to various online publications.

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12 Personal Statement FAQs and answers!

There is often a large amount of confusion surrounding how to write personal statements, especially when it comes to oxford and cambridge and other top research universities., every year, we have thousands of students ask us what qualities go into making a successful personal statement., to help, we have broken down this question into 12 of the most frequently asked questions our prospective students ask when they are trying to draft their personal statements., 1. how do i write the introduction.

Introductions are often disappointingly generic. To help you achieve more specificity and concision, the best way to write a good personal statement introduction is to complete the rest of it first. When you are getting started on the first draft, it can be overwhelming to begin at a blank page, but discussing your achievements and interests – relevant to the courses and universities you are applying to – can help you clarify what your motivation to study the subject really is. Then you can come back and explain the reasons behind your passion for Mathematics, Anglo Saxon literature or your subject of choice.

2. How many books should I talk about?

This question can be answered in various ways depending on the subject you intend to study. Clinical scientific subjects will not require many book mentions, however, Arts and Humanities personal statements for Oxbridge see a great benefit from discussing at least two books in detail, with further reading mentioned.

It’s also important to remember that academic sources shouldn’t be only limited to books. A well-rounded personal statement discusses specific theories, touches on lectures you have attended or essays and articles you have read to gain a better understanding of specific academic points rather than a general discussion. One of the biggest pitfalls students fall into when drafting Oxbridge personal statements is getting stuck waffling about general points around a subject of interest. To avoid getting stuck in general chatter, try to use only specific examples in your personal statement.

Centrally, admissions tutors want to see that you know you are getting yourself in for. Only reading a couple of books from their introductory list will therefore not tantalise them; try to follow your interests in a bit more depth and look at readings and ideas which are representative of degree level material.

3. What do I do if I have no work experience?

Referencing work experience in your personal statement is dependent on the subject you intend to study. A rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether you think an academic in the faculty you are applying to will think your work experience was relevant for the course. If you are applying to study History, for example, your two-weeks at an accounting or law firm organising files will be of little interest.

For Medicine, work experience is integral not only to the application process but will help build a strong personal statement. When applying to a vocational subject such as Medicine, where possible you should always ensure you are able to reference at least one work experience placement held. If you don’t have any work experience and your personal statement is due, make sure to arrange some and refer to this in the future tense in your personal statement when talking about your upcoming placement.

Work experience can also be useful for other more vocation-leaning subjects, such as architecture and engineering. More widely, doing work experience is extremely useful to help you begin thinking about what you might want to do with your career, and can build highly useful skills, but, unless it is relevant to the course content, it is unlikely to proffer you any credit for university admission.

4. How long should I talk about extra-curricular activities?

Leading research universities are looking for your potential to succeed on the course you are applying for. Nevertheless, two applicants who seem academically matched might be distinguished from each other by their ability to balance their time with several other things. Do include what you do outside of academia, then, but keep non-relevant activities mentioned to a minimum rather than an exhaustive list. This might mean sacrificing some of the things you do outside of your course and focus on those few things you do most often, or to the highest level. (N.B. Your reference might be able to discuss some of your extra-curricular activities too, and you don’t want to overlap this material).

What you do mention, try to link to your subject. This might be easy, as with an English literature student who has directed lots of theatre, or less easy, such as a maths applicant who plays the violin to a high level. Nevertheless, making these links convincingly can bring originality and creativity to your statement.

5. How can I tailor it for different courses?

Subjects like HSPS at Cambridge or Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at Oxford might make it tricky to tailor your statement for different courses. Oxford and Cambridge are very understanding of this, and specific guidance can usually be found on faculty websites about their expectations.

However, as a rule of thumb, focus on the areas of convergence between the courses you are applying for. If these differ in title, then avoid stating the title of the course in your statement and instead refer to the disciplinary area or focus instead. This involves: a) making sure the courses you are applying for are sufficiently similar to give you a chance of doing this, and b) doing your research on the course content and options so that you are covering the appropriate material.

This research stands even if you are applying for the same titled course everywhere. English, for example, is taught very differently at Oxford to Bristol, and focusing on an interest which does not feature in either course will result in your application being put aside.

Doing this research early can also help you to direct your reading and research to build material for your personal statement which speaks to all your choices.

6. How should I talk about my other A-level subjects?

Lots of students are told to discuss the skills they have gathered from their A Level subjects, but we caution around this; your UCAS application includes a full list of A-Level subjects studied, and your school reference will discuss your A-Level abilities. Talking about the time management or analytical skills you gained from studying history, and the logical skills you gained from physics, can therefore come across as ‘fodder’ which could have already been inferred.

You can, however, talk about how other subjects provide further insight into the course or subject you’d like to study. For example, students who have taken Classics that intend to study English Literature at university can talk about translating texts, such as the Aeneid, and how this helped gain a greater understanding of classical influence in modern English Literature. As with the whole statement, the more specific you can make this, the better.

7. How long should it be?

This is an easy one. Your personal statement should be at most, 4,000 characters or 47 lines, whichever you meet first. Although it can be shorter, we strongly recommend taking full advantage of the available space. Ideally, you want your first draft to be much longer so you can cut down and edit your personal statement to be shorter, rather than using general waffle or struggling to fill the space.

Cutting it down is usually relatively easy, but it might take an outside eye to see the ‘wood from the trees’. Any non-relevant, generic material, anything which is likely to be in many other statements, and frilly, decorative language or repetition can all be chopped down.

If you find you are struggling to reach 4,000 characters or 47 lines, you probably need to revisit the body of your personal statement and discuss more subject-specific content. You may, alternatively, need to go back to the research and reading phase of writing.

8. What formatting should I use?

The final version of your personal statement will be submitted in a digital form with no formatting options, so there is no need to worry about formatting. That means you won’t have to decide what font or colour to use and there is no need for styles such as bold or italics. If you do include these, they won’t appear in the submitted version.

Your school should already have discussed best practice for writing your personal statement but as a reminder – do not write your statement draft in the real form! As with any content that is going to be submitted digitally, you should write it in a word document first (Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Pages, etc) where you can save a copy locally to your computer (and back-up regularly). This way, you can avoid the devastating loss of your best statement draft due to an accidental refresh or the internet dropping out.

9. How many paragraphs should it be?

There is no set-in-stone rule for the number of paragraphs but generally, a well-structured personal statement will be broken up into five or six paragraphs and be easy to read. Admissions tutors will need to comprehend your statement very quickly, so structure with this in mind.

A frequently-successful structure follows this pattern: an introduction, two to three course/subject-specific main paragraphs, a penultimate paragraph detailing your extracurricular activities, and then a final summary paragraph. The final two paragraphs are sometimes pushed together to form one.

10. Will they find out if I slightly…exaggerate my talents?

Yes! Your personal statement for Oxford and Cambridge should be considered a springboard for your interview and you could and should expect to be questioned about any single detail of it. At Oxbridge Applications, every year, we have students that approach us in January who are upset that their Admissions Tutor spent 20 minutes focused on a certain author when “I only mentioned that book briefly as a side note”.

However, you DON’T need to be an expert, or even particularly knowledgeable, about a particular idea or author to mention it in your statement. If you are questioned about an aspect of an author’s work you have mentioned which you are unsure about, then be intellectually honest and say so, but try your best to have a go given what you already know about them or similar authors/ideas.

This is not only the case for authors/books mentioned, but also if you put forward a highly ambitious or critical view in your statement. If you want to argue that Marx was totally wrong, then you better be ready to defend your view in a nuanced way. The bottom line is: stay intellectually honest and err on the side of modesty; academics tend to become less rather than more sure about the ‘truth’ the further they delve into their subject matter.

11. How many teachers should check my personal statement?

Preferably, you will get your drafted personal statement checked by at last two of your teachers or guidance advisers. One should be subject-specific who can check over the content of your paragraphs and the other can be from a different department to provide feedback on grammatical accuracy and quality of the statement.

Getting guidance from second and third parties can be useful ensure you retain editorial control, and that your voice and taste runs through the statement. If you try to include everyone’s different opinion, you can quickly end up with a jumbled statement that no longer reflects on you and your communication style and strengths.

Make sure you leave plenty of time between completing your first draft and the Oxbridge personal statement deadline ensuring you have time for others to check it over and you can make changes as necessary.

12. Should I start my personal statement with a quote?

‘Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.’ Oscar Wilde.

How much have you learned about me from reading Wilde’s words?

Quotes are used each year by applicants who end up getting offers from top universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. It’s not necessarily going to bring your application to an end. Quotes are also awarded marks in certain A Level subjects, if you have taken the time to remember them and give them a bit of context.

However, your personal statement gives admissions tutors the chance to hear your voice, and to get a sense of what you might be like as a student on their course. By definition , using a quote – i.e. someone else’s words – is not personal. It is therefore preferable to avoid using a quote unless it’s absolutely essential. Using a quote doesn’t make YOU sound more interesting.

Before you decide to use a quote, think long and hard. If you would really like to use a quote, try to make it as pithy and concise as possible, and make sure it elevates and builds on what you are saying; that it expresses something you couldn’t have otherwise expressed on your own. (Also, by ‘quote’, we are not talking about specific concepts or theories – these are absolutely fine to include.)

Driven by 20 years of research and first-hand experience in guiding thousands of applicants, our consultations provide an honest and detailed assessment with guidance on individual personal statements.

If you would like to speak to one of our oxbridge-graduate advisors about your own personal statement, contact our oxbridge advising team on +44 (0)207499 2394 , email at [email protected] , or request a callback to discuss your situation., explore oxbridge applications, request a callback, application resources, related content, top 6 pointers for the physics aptitude test (pat), interviews – the last hurdle, june: tips for writing an outstanding ppe personal statement.

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