How to write a personal statement in 5 steps featuring extracts from my two personal statements accepted to Cambridge and Imperial College London. I was accepted to study Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial in 2018 as well as subsequently Architecture at the University of Cambridge in 2020 (after realising I had chosen to study the wrong subject and consequently taking a leap of faith to withdraw and switch to the course where my heart really lies!).
If you are applying to university - comment which one and which course below! Feel free to ask me questions, I will do my very best to reply to you all personally.
If you are applying for Architecture or for Cambridge - look out for my videos about my architecture portfolio and how I prepared for my interview at Cambridge respectively.
The five steps are as follows:
1. Write down why you want to study your subject in one sentence
2. Decide a structure and write down a plan outlining the contents of each paragraph. I suggest the following general areas but advise you check with subject teachers if you need anything specific for your particular subject:
-Introduction
-Evidence of Interest (the majority of the statement)
-Wider Life
-Conclusion
3. List of stuff: write down all your achievements over the years and categorise them, working out which things correlate to which paragraphs in your statement
4. Start drafting: using the plan you have now created from steps 1-3, start turning those bullet-pointed achievements into prose. Focus on getting completed, coherent drafts asap then fine tune them later. I use the analogy of sculpting a statue from a block of stone - start with the rough shape and get into details later.
5. George Orwell's rules for writing - these are a final check to help you keep your writing concise.
Intro - (0:00)
Important info - (0:20)
1. Main theme - (0:27)
2. Structure - (1:34)
3. List of stuff - (3:22)
4. Start drafting - (5:10)
5. George Orwell's writing rules - (7:49)
Imperial Statement Extract - (9:25)
Cambridge Statement Extract - (9:51)
Important final notes - (10:50)
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CALLUM HENDERSON: Architecture | Drawing | Student Lifestyle
Current video upload day: Sunday!
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Music in this video:
"Summer Dreams" by Ryan Little
Soundcloud: / iamryanlittle