Your Personal Statement: How to Stand Out From the Crowd

Why they spend just 30 seconds reading it

The admissions committee has hundreds of letters. If your first two sentences are dull — your letter ends up in the bin.

What works:

• A specific story: «At 14 I read a book about neuroscience, and ever since I have dreamed of researching memory» — better than «I have always been interested in science».

• A connection to the programme: mention a specific course or professor. «I was drawn to your course on quantum physics led by Professor Smith» — this shows you've studied the university's website.

• Honesty: don't write «I saved the world». Write «I failed at an academic olympiad, and here's what I learned».

What to avoid:

• Clichéd phrases («I'm highly motivated», «it's my dream»)

• Retelling your CV

• Mistakes and machine translation

A tip from Edunation: write a draft, and our experts will review it, polish the style and tailor it to the requirements of the specific university.