Guide to writing your personal statement
What is a personal statement?
Your personal statement is an important part of your postgraduate taught application. This is your chance to engage the Course Selectors and demonstrate your passion, enthusiasm and commitment for your chosen course. You can use it to clarify and expand on any information in your application and highlight what you want us to know. It should be personalised for the specific course you are applying for.
Personal Statements should be approximately 1-2 pages. It must be in English and in your own words.
Do your research
When applying for any course, we strongly recommend you view the course pages on the relevant Warwick department's webpages to read more information on the course description, content, entry requirements and any additional requirements.
Additionally, some departments such as WBS and WMG have particular requirements for what they want you to write about in your personal statement. Please make sure you visit the course pages on your department's website to check for any additional requirements.
What should you write about?
Here are some themes you should consider when writing your personal statement. Please note this list is not complete, but includes useful questions you may wish to explore:
Why are you interested in the course?
What are your reasons for choosing this specific course at the University of Warwick? What motivates you? Why do you want to undertake postgraduate study at this point in your academic or professional career?
How are you qualified for the course?
This may be about your prior study, work experience, internships, skills, achievements or research and how they relate the course. How did your previous experiences give you the skills or knowledge you will need for this course specifically? What did you learn and how would this help you on this course? What might you contribute to your cohort?
How will the course benefit your future career plans?
What are your goals? What skills do you want to develop? How would this course prepare you for the future you envision for yourself?
Quick tips
- Try to avoid vague statements such as 'I have always wanted to go to your University because I have a passion for study' or 'I want a better job'.
- You don't need to repeat information you have already given us. For example, we already know the details of your undergraduate degree from your transcripts.
- Likewise, you can include information about your employment, hobbies and voluntary work, but you need to add more detail to explain how they are related to the course you are applying for.
- Donʼt submit the same generic statement for many different courses. You must tailor the statement for each specific course.
- You may use your personal statement to address any gaps in your knowledge and how you have or plan to address them.
- Make sure your personal statement has a clear introduction (beginning), body (middle), and conclusion (the end). Check your grammar and spelling, and keep your sentences short and concise.