Some university courses are more competitive than others, but regardless of what you are applying for, you want to ensure you are giving yourself the best chance of securing a place with a stand-out UCAS personal statement.
Over 706,000 people applied for a place at University via UCAS in 2019 and approximately 541,000 secured a place (UCAS end of cycle report, 2019). Not everyone will have secured a place on their preferred course or at their first -choice university. Next year is set to be even more competitive than ever with many students deferring entry because of restrictions in place to contain covid-19.
Subjects and grades are a very important part of the puzzle, but your academic record may not dramatically differentiate you from many others applying for the same course.
So how can you give yourself the very best chance of securing an offer?
I offer a short coaching programme to students to support them through the process of creating their UCAS personal statement. Students with the most impressive statements are the ones who have loads of great evidence to present in the statement to demonstrate why they are ideal for the course. The best advice I can offer you is to think about this well in advance of writing your statement so you can ensure you put in the leg work in the right places and have loads of great stuff to write about.
To give yourself the best chance possible, don’t leave it until the final year of your ‘A’ level studies. If you are reading this now and you are still at least a year or more away from applying for university, keep reading! You have plenty of time to put this advice into action. If you are reading this and are already close to completing your application, also keep reading! When you really think about it, you may have done more than you think you have, and there may still be time to do more.
Here are my 5 tips for a stand-out UCAS personal statement: