International Student Blog | UCAS Application Advice

UCAS Application Advice

January 25, 2021
Student Experience
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BE YOURSELF in your UCAS application!

Firstly, when writing a UCAS personal statement letter, just be yourself. This is where universities can get an insight into who you are, your life, and why it resulted in applying to this subject.

10 things to cover in your UCAS Personal Statement:

Show your passion and interest in your chosen field!
What made you inspired and excited about the course you are applying to?
What are your skills, ambitions, experiences that you have? And how is it relevant for your course?
– Tip: Ask friends and family, or anyone else, what your skills are. What makes you stand out?
Show your knowledge of understanding the subject. A helpful tip here is to read through the Course structure, Course summary, Programme Specification. Write down the keywords and incorporate them into your letter in some way.
What is your motivation to complete the course?
What will you get out of enrolling on the course?
How will it help you in your future life and career?
The tone of the personal statement should be positive, enthusiastic, and focused.
Convince them why they should offer you a place at the university!

Don’t forget to mention unpaid, voluntary work, or any other relevant work in your UCAS application!

Mention it in your personal statement! Write down what the skills are that you gained from participating, and what you learnt from it.

I used 3 months to prepare my UCAS personal statement, so PREPARE in advance!

Yes, that is correct I wanted to make sure that my letter was the best it could be, and think I made over 20 drafts! Don’t rush it at the last minute. Start early, do your research, read carefully over what the course entails. Reflect on why your university should accept you and why you want to study this subject.

Remember your personal statement letter is the most important part of your UCAS application!

By preparing in advance, you can check your personal statement letter with family, friends, teachers, advisers, or anyone else you feel can help you make your personal letter the best possible!

Recommendation Letter

This brings me to the next tip, written recommendation. Think about who will write your recommendation letter. Ask in advance to give the teacher time to write you a letter.

If you feel worried that you haven’t spoken to your teacher referee in too long a time, don’t be afraid to remind them of the teacher-pupil relationship you had. For example, I got a recommendation letter from a teacher that I hadn’t spoken to in 3-4 years. As a result, I felt unsure whether the teacher remembered me. So I wrote a quick summary helping my previous teacher to remember. This makes it easier for the teacher to recognize you, and it gives you a starting point for writing your recommendation request letter.

Finally, I hope that you get into your desired course, but if you get rejected, don’t give up! Good luck with applying!

In my Youtube channel, you can find many university contents, and get an insight into a student studying abroad in London: https://www.youtube.com/c/CharminaRose/

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Charmina Rose studies Fashion Marketing and Promotion BA Honours at the University of Westminster. For more insights from international students studying at the University of Westminster and living in London, visit International Student Blogs.