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December 20th, 2023
How to write an amazing personal statement: a simple guide to stand out.
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Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Embarking on the UCAS application journey is an exciting yet challenging endeavour. One of the pivotal components is the personal statement , a piece that goes beyond listing achievements to reveal your journey, passions, and future aspirations. Having successfully navigated this process, I’m eager to share my insights and tips to help you craft a standout personal statement that assisted me in securing an offer from LSE.
First, start your personal statement with a captivating introduction that narrates the incident or experience that ignited your interest in the chosen subject. Whether it’s a specific event, class, book, or personal experience, articulate the moment that sparked your curiosity and left you eager to delve deeper into the field.
Next, outline the steps you’ve taken to expand your knowledge of the subject. Mention key readings, focusing on 2-3 books suggested by the university (check the preliminary readings list in the programme pages ). Emphasise the depth of your engagement by highlighting specific chapters and sharing reflections on the material. It’s not about the number of books but the quality of your engagement and the insights you’ve gained.
If you are applying for a combined degree programme, such as the BSc Politics and Economics degree , ensure you balance and effectively convey your interest in both subjects within your personal statement. Avoid predominantly discussing only one subject; instead, demonstrate equal enthusiasm and interest for both disciplines.
Meanwhile, you can discuss activities that showcase your passion for the subject. Whether it’s a case study or volunteer work, explain how these experiences deepened your understanding. Be specific about what you learned, challenges faced, and the impact on your intellectual growth.
Indeed, concisely mention extracurricular activities that honed soft skills crucial to your chosen course. Quantify your impact and focus on outcomes. Connect these skills—whether leadership, teamwork, or communication—to your future success at university and beyond.
In your conclusion, clearly articulate your vision for the future with the acquired degree. Whether in industry or research, discuss your goals and how you see yourself contributing to the community. Highlight the positive impact you hope to make with the knowledge gained from the course.
Acknowledge the complexity of crafting a compelling personal statement by seeking guidance. In my case, CollegeLAH, a Malaysian student volunteer organisation, allocated me a mentor, and my university placement office advisor provided invaluable assistance in reviewing my personal statement.
Crafting a compelling personal statement is a meticulous process. Engage in readings, conduct thorough research, reflect on experiences, connect insights to your content, and structure the narrative. Admitting the complexity, my personal statement took three months to evolve into its final form.
In summary, your UCAS personal statement is a unique opportunity to showcase your journey, passion, and aspirations. By following these tips and investing the necessary time and effort, you can create a personal statement that not only meets the requirements but also stands out among the competition.
Visit the LSE website for more details about the personal statement
About the author
I'm a first-year student of BSc Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics at LSE. I'm on an exciting journey to explore the vibrant and enriching LSE study life, and I'm eager to share the joy of this experience with you. My interests extend beyond academics; I'm passionate about traveling and savouring diverse cuisines. If you find my content intriguing or simply wish to engage in a friendly conversation, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
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Statement of academic purpose
While all programmes require you to submit a statement of academic purpose, a few programmes require you to follow a specific format when writing your statement. these specific requirements are detailed below., statement of academic purpose – all programmes, excluding those listed below.
You must upload a statement that explains your academic interest in, understanding of and academic preparedness for the programme(s) you are applying for. You should also explain the academic rationale for applying to the programme(s) you have chosen. If applying for two programmes, you are strongly encouraged to write a separate statement for each programme. The statement of academic purpose is an important part of your application, and selectors are looking for evidence of your academic suitability and motivation, and of what you can contribute academically to the programme. We expect statement(s) to be between 1,000 - 1,500 words.
Please address the following questions/prompts in your statement(s)
Academic Motivations
- What prompted your interest in this particular field of study? Perhaps you have unanswered questions from your undergraduate studies or professional work, or you would like to further explore issues and ideas raised in your curricular or extra-curricular reading?
- Why would you like to study your chosen programme? Perhaps it offers a particular approach, or there are specific modules that will help you develop necessary skills or knowledge. Perhaps the research interests of the academics teaching on your programme, and/or the wider research culture of the department align with your own interests and academic/professional aspirations?
Suitability
- What makes you suitable for this LSE programme? Perhaps you have taken relevant undergraduate modules, or have relevant professional, voluntary, or other experience that has prepared for postgraduate study in this area?
Purpose and Objectives
- What do you hope to get out of this particular LSE programme? How would this particular programme help you to achieve your personal, academic, and professional goals? Take the time to explain your academic or professional aspirations and goals, and how your chosen programme will impart the necessary skills and knowledge. Please avoid general statements about LSE’s performance in global rankings, and generic statements about London being a global/cosmopolitan centre of excellence.
If there are circumstances that have disrupted your education/significantly interfered with your learning (for example, health problems, displacement, long-term caring responsibilities), please feel free to let us know about them in a separate document added to your application (you can upload this document via the ‘Additional Item’ upload option). If appropriate, please also consult the advice we give to applicants from a forced migration background here , and from a care-experienced background here .
Please ensure that your statement(s):
Are all your own work. If we discover this is not the case, your application may be cancelled
Are well-written, well-structured and specific to the programme(s) applied for
Are proofread before being uploaded, and the final correct versions are uploaded
Only include that which is relevant to your programme choice(s). Additional information regarding unrelated extra-curricular activities, personal achievements or work experience should be included in your CV
Have your name and the title of your chosen programme in the header or footer of every page
MSc Health Data Science
In addition to following the general guidance, please be sure to clearly outline your background in mathematics, statistics or other quantitative subjects. If your background is outside of mathematics or statistics then you should provide further explanation of how your experience is relevant to the programme applied for, as well as further details of your current studies.
MSc Media and Communications (Data and Society)
If you are applying for this programme, please note the following specific requirements for your statement of academic purpose. Write a short statement (up to 600 words) about why you want to do the programme. This might cover, for example, what suits you to the programme: your experiences and skills in relation to the analysis of data and society; what attracts you to this particular programme and where you see yourself in ten years after the programme. In addition, please write a response (up to 500 words*) to one of the following questions. You might do so by relying on relevant authors and concepts from previous courses or independent study, as well as on professional experiences.
- What consequences have you been able to observe about the introduction of data-driven systems in your own professional or personal experience? Briefly explain how you might address these through study on this programme.
- Why is data relevant to media and communication? Provide a brief outline of how your experience and interests shape your answer to this question.
- If you could develop a data-based product, service or regulatory approach that would bring positive change , what would it look like? What would be its best feature and what would be its biggest risk?
* The total length of your personal statement, including the answers to the above questions, should therefore be between 900-1,100 words.
MSc Media, Communication and Development
If you are applying for this programme, please note the following specific requirements for your statement of academic purpose.
Write a short statement (up to 800 words) about why you want to do the programme. This might cover, for example, what suits you to the programme: your experiences and skills in relation to social justice, development or communication; what attracts you to this particular programme and where you see yourself in ten years after the programme.
Also answer the following questions (your answers should be approximately 250 words each)*:
- What should a developed society be like according to you?
- How will studying theory help you to understand development and communication practice?
- Why do you think we need to be critical of aspects of contemporary communication and development?
*The total length of your statement of academic purpose, including the answers to the above questions, should therefore be between 1,000-1,500 words.
MSc Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Write a short statement (up to 600 words) about why you want to do the programme. This might cover, for example, what you will bring to the cohort, and what your particular strengths are.
Also, you should answer the following questions (your answers should be approximately 500 words each):
- Tell us about an experience you had with social innovation /entrepreneurship/ a project with high social impact. What role did you play and what did you learn about yourself?
- How will your past experience, combined with this LSE masters, help you to achieve your goals?
The total length of your statement – including the answers to the above questions - should therefore be between 1,100 & 1,600 words .
Department of Statistics - MSc Programmes
MSc in Data Science - G3U1
MSc in Statistics (Research) - G4U1
MSc in Quantitative Methods for Risk Management - G4U2
MSc in Statistics - G4U5
MSc in Statistics (Financial Statistics) - G4U6
MSc in Statistics (Financial Statistics) (Research) - G4U7
Your statement should explain why you are pursuing your selected programme and why you have chosen LSE's Department of Statistics. Brief details of your academic background and aspirations are also useful. If your background is outside of mathematics or statistics then you should provide further explanation of how your experience is relevant to the programme applied for, as well as further details of your current studies. Your statement should be concise and should not exceed 500 words .
MSc in Statistics (Social Statistics) - G3U2
MSc in Statistics (Social Statistics) (Research) - G3U3
Your statement should explain why you are pursuing your selected programme and why you have chosen LSE's Department of Statistics. Brief details of your academic background and aspirations are also useful. If your background is outside of mathematics or statistics then you should provide further explanation of how your experience is relevant to the programme applied for. Your statement should be concise and should not exceed 1000 words .
Executive MSc in Health Economics, Outcomes and Management in Clinical Sciences
Your statement should be typed and no longer than three sides of A4 paper and should address the following questions:
- What are your career goals over the near (2-3 years) and medium term (5-7 years)?
- In concrete terms, how will your career benefit from completing this programme?
In addition, you may wish to discuss the following:
- Motivation for undertaking the programme
- Academic interests, strengths and background relevant to the programme
- Areas of specific interest within the programme
- Academic ambitions and/or research interests related to the programme
- Any professional aspirations, and how academic work within the programme might help you realise such aspirations
- Other relevant information, such as additional reading or research, work or other relevant experience that has informed your decision to apply for the particular programme
Please ensure that your statement:
- Is all your own work. If we discover this is not the case, your application may be cancelled
- Is well-written, well-structured and specific to the programme applied for
- Is proofread before being uploaded, and the final correct version is uploaded
- Has your name and the title of your chosen programme in the header or footer of every page
Executive Global MSc in Management
Your personal statement should be a maximum of 2 pages long, and highlight why you want to do the programme. Make sure you address the following points:
- details on your suitability for the programme
- your motivations for choosing this programme in particular and what you hope to get out of it
- any career highlights to date, in particular any leadership or international experience
- future career objectives and how you think the programme will help you achieve them
- what you think you can bring to the classroom learning environment that makes you stand out from other applicants
Executive MSc in Social Business and Entrepreneurship
The Academic Statement of Purpose consists of two parts. The total combined word count for both parts should not exceed 1,200 words.
- A personal statement: Your personal statement should persuasively explain why you want to do this programme. This may include your personal suitability such as career achievements and ambitions, what you hope to get out of the programme, your particular strengths, and what you will bring to the cohort. 600-700 words.
- For the second part, please submit your thoughts on the following statement. 400-500 words. “The business of business is social improvement. Describe briefly the role of markets in social progress.”
Atlantic Fellows Residential programme with MSc Inequalities and Social Science
Your statement(s) should be typed and no longer than two sides of A4 paper. There is no fixed word limit, but we expect statement(s) to be no longer than 1,000 - 1,500 words.
In your statement(s), you should address the following:
- Why are you interested in joining the AFSEE programme and what do you hope to gain by being part of it? In your answer, please:
o Describe what area of socioeconomic inequality you engage in and the type of work you have done.
o Please give examples of how you have meaningfully contributed to collective endeavours to address inequalities.
o Explain why you would like to learn more about social and economic equity and how this will contribute to your social change work.
o Explain, in one to two paragraphs, the MSc dissertation you plan to undertake as part of the requirements of the MSc in Inequalities and Social Science.
- Within 5 years of completing the AFSEE programme, what do you hope to achieve in your work/field? How do you see participation in the AFSEE programme contributing to you achieving those goals?
- What academic knowledge would you like to gain via the MSc in Inequalities & Social Science and how do you plan to apply this knowledge to your future work on social change?
- Please indicate any research interests.
Atlantic Fellows Non-Residential Programme
In your statement(s), you should address the following:
Why are you interested in joining the AFSEE programme and what do you hope to gain by being a part of it? In your answer, please:
Describe the area of socioeconomic inequality you engage in and the type of work you have done.
Please give examples of how you have meaningfully contributed to collective endeavours to address inequalities.
Explain why you would like to learn more about social and economic equity and how this will contribute to your social change work.
What is the project you are planning to undertake as a part of the AFSEE programme? Explain it in two paragraphs.
Within 5 years of completing the AFSEE programme, what do you hope to achieve in your work / field? How do you see the AFSEE programme contributing to you achieving these goals?
FAQs The Knowledge Base will provide you with answers, and allow you to email us
How to apply Information on the application process, and our video guide
Available programmes Check if your chosen programme is currently recruiting
Current processing times See which date we are currently processing and find out when you are likely to hear from us
News and events Current processing dates, holiday closures, events on campus and around the world
Contact Graduate Admissions Our Knowledge base and getting in touch with our team by Zoom, email, and Live chat
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