PS Tip 94: Oxbridge personal statement

My next sentence is probably going to make me wildly unpopular in certain circles. Writing an Oxbridge personal statement is not wildly different to writing any other personal statement.

The questions your statement must answer are the same as those for a standard UCAS application, the character and line limits are the same, and there is just as much need to write a relevant, concise statement, including your most powerful achievements, experience and skills. In fact, the only real difference is the deadline – three months earlier than most other universities.

That’s not to say, however, that competition won’t be fierce – probably more so than competition for most other university courses around the country. If you need a very good statement for most universities then it pretty much goes without saying that your Oxbridge statement should be excellent as an absolute minimum – and preferably exceptional.

And of course, if your personal statement is successful, you’ll be invited to attend an interview – That’s important to note, because it means at some stage you’re likely to be asked about some of the things you’ve written. With that in mind, you should only include something in your personal statement if you’re going to be comfortable talking about it later.

With that said, the process and tips I’ve provided thus far as just as applicable to an Oxbridge personal statement as they are to any other UCAS statement – follow them closely, and work hard, and your statement is sure to improve.

<< Tip 93 ”College