My August blogs are devoted to aspiring university students set to begin the application process in September. Yes, it’s the middle of your summer holiday; no, you don’t want to be drafting your personal statement right now. In 15 minutes each week, this series of steps will help you build a solid first draft of your personal statement, to make the process easier and more productive.

Step 3: Key Experiences

Once you have written an introduction recounting your origin story (Step 1), and identified from that beginning a useful framing concept for your personal statement (Step 2), you need to compose the main body. A personal statement is a short document, usually one typed page in length, made up of 4-5 paragraphs: an introduction, 2-3 main body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Those middle 2-3 sections should present key experiences in your education and life to date, and link them to your academic goals.

Key experiences include:

Encountering theories and concepts in the core curriculum or in doing coursework, an EPQ, wider reading or MOOCs;
Attending academic courses, seminars or conferences, or performing work experience in a field of interest;
Meeting, attending lectures or reading seminal texts by significant scholars who work in your chosen discipline;
Participating in super- and extra-curricular activities, jobs and/or volunteering roles which have actively shaped your academic candidacy.

Any one or part of the above bullet points can be used to shape a paragraph in the main body of your personal statement, and those paragraphs are shaped by connecting those key experiences to the studies you want to pursue. In my post published last September, I outline 5 action points for an outstanding personal statement. The third is to show your research, and the fourth is to link your pursuits.

Step 3: Instructions

GENERAL GUIDANCE: In applying to be part of an academic community, it benefits you to show you have done research into your subject or field of choice. Referencing a scholarly work, an advanced concept or theory, or the work of a leading academic demonstrates knowledge, skill, initiative and interest all at once. The more competitive and research-oriented the university is, the more research you should demonstrate.

All pursuits mentioned in your statement—as key experiences—should be linked to your subject interest through the knowledge, insights, interests and skills you gained from them. For example, in teaching dance to children in your community, you learned about the mechanics of the body, and about how movement contributes to physical and mental health, sharpening your interest in preventative medicine.

STEP 3 ASSIGNMENT: Pick several key experiences from your education and life (see the above bullet points) and write 2-3 paragraphs which demonstrate distinct aspects of you as a student and person. Writing quickly, without editing, explain how the experiences connect to your desired course and subject of study—perhaps to the career you would like to pursue beyond university. If possible, touch briefly on your framing concept once or twice; this will ensure all parts of your statement are working together to form a holistic portrait of your academic self and candidacy.

Next Instalment: Drafting Your Personal Statement - Step 4: Clarity and Cohesion.