Humanities Personal Statement

The Reader

Each admission department every year reads thousands of personal statements. Imagine how hard it must be make a decision when each student has the same grades. The personal statement provides subjective criteria to make a decision.

Admissions Officers frequently complain that each statement sounds the same. Humanities is a diverse subject - it is important that your personal statement clearly details reasons for studying. One of the key complaints Admissions Officers have is that the personal statement is poorly structured.

Get Into Uni surveyed Admissions Officers to find out exactly what is their criteria. Below are the top admissions requirements:

Write in clear English.
Allow friends, family, and teachers to read through your personal statement and provide feedback.
List paragraphs.
Be positive and enthusiastic.
Remember that admissions officers will read thousands of personal statements, and you want yours to be the one they remember.
Write in short sentences.
Be as clear as possible about why you have chosen your course of study.
Set out the unique features and extracurricular activities that will allow you to be selected ahead of your peers.
Take the opportunity to point out any occurrences or circumstances that may have affected your academic results.
Construct the personal statement into 4 to 5 paragraphs.
Keep sentences short and succinct.
Understanding what the admissions officers would like to read, will be advantageous and make your statement stand out.

Getting the right theme throughout your personal statement is important. It is also important that you be aware of your readership because the personal statement should be tailored to what the reader wants to hear.

Now you have a better idea on what the Admissions Officers want to read let’s start our creative workshop.

Next: Start the creative thinking workshop.

Note: This guide is not intended to replace the advice of tutors, admissions officers, or teachers; Get Into Uni simply provides advice and exercises to help you write a compelling personal statement.