The thing is, I really didn’t mind the interview – in fact, I quite enjoyed it! The LNAT (the admissions test I had to sit) was a bit stressful, but also not a negative experience in any way. Filling out my UCAS was boring, but tolerable.
But yikes, that personal statement.
I re-drafted that thing four (FOUR!!) times and spent hours and hours and HOURS worrying about it – and for what good??
So yeah, today I’m gonna talk about the personal statement. For those of you reading the blog, as yet untainted by mandatory trips to London for the UCAS Exhibition, the personal statement is a 4000 character (so, like, 1 page) piece on why you should be accepted by the universities you’re applying for. It’s basically an advertisement, except you’re advertising yourself.
By the way, for many subjects at Oxford (especially sciences!) it certainly isn't the be all and end all!
I straight-up had one of the tutors who interviewed me tell me, a few months ago, that he’d never even read my personal statement!
I know it’s a bit more important for other tutors – one of my tutors used a throwaway line about studying Japanese as an ice-breaker in my interview, and apparently for English they’ll actively use it to see what books you’ve read and thus direct your entire interview. But still, please don’t break your head over the personal statement!
Top Tips on how to write your personal statement, coming soon!