My three UCAS Personal Statement articles re-published for 2024/25

A free resource for applicants, parents and guardians, schools, colleges and advisers

Since 2008 I’ve written two books and more than fifty articles on the topic of UCAS personal statements. More recently I adapted three of my most popular articles and republished them on my blog as a free resource. I’m pleased to say that they’ve proved to be very popular, with some 12,500 views around the world and lots of positive feedback too.

After many years without any significant changes, UCAS has been undertaking a consultation process with a view to reforming the way personal statements are structured. The reforms are due to be implemented at the start of the 2025/26 application cycle, but this means that the existing format remains in place for students applying during 2024/25. Hence, my articles are still very relevant and I’ve made a few small tweaks and updates to them as well.

I certainly don’t want to claim that my advice on this subject is authoritative, especially as the original articles were first written several years ago. I would therefore urge applicants to seek guidance from a range of sources and especially from universities themselves.

That said, I continue to hear students saying that they find the process daunting, or they don’t know where to start, or they’ve been told things like ‘you must include a quotation’ or ‘you must mention all of your subjects’, or they’re anxious because they haven’t had any work experience or got any hobbies. So I do want to dispel a few myths and misconceptions, ease young people’s anxieties and offer some practical suggestions and inspiration, whilst also highlighting what to try and avoid.

Here are the three articles. The first two are generic, whilst the third is aimed specifically at students who are thinking of applying for a mixture of different courses: