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On Writing Personal Statements

Updated: Nov 4

I spent countless hours on my personal statement! Undoubtedly, too many.


In Year 12, I took part in LSE Springboard, a program run by LSE which allowed me to receive personalised support on my Personal Statement from an LSE admissions tutor - someone who reads applications.


All in all, I've learnt a lot about what makes a strong Personal Statement, so hopefully this post helps with that! There's a slight social science/humanities bias here though, so keep that in mind...


Best of luck :)


Initial Advice for your Personal Statement

Your Personal Statement should have a theme
  • Examples: meritocracy, immigration, religion, etc.

  • Bonus points if YOU are linked to this theme.

    • e.g a PS on Islamic Law if you're a Muslim applying for Law would be great!


Your Personal Statement is an argumentative piece
  • State a theme, give three arguments you've learnt through reading, conclude


Here's an Example
  • Economics with Immigration Theme

    • Intro: Why immigration matters to YOU

    • Para 1: Argument for/against points based migration system

    • Para 2: Argument for a welfare system including/excluding migrants

    • Para 3: Argument for Open Borders

    • Concl: Looking forward to studying XYZ at uni; one sentence is fine


Use crisp, clear language
  • Do NOT be flowery - LSE specifically hates this

  • Clear language = clear communication


Cut characters everywhere

  • Be as concise as possible while getting your point across

  • No adjectives, adverbs, etc

  • When mentioning a book, use this format:

    • Pork's 'How to Kill a Cat' introduced me to...

  • Also, as above, use single quotes


Look at these examples before starting

Introduction:

Your opening line should be genuine and personal, ideally introducing your theme (in a somewhat profound manner)
  • I started with 'I am frustrated with the governance of Britain' --> that's my hook

  • My theme was about building a fairer future


Your introduction should ideally say something smart and show your motivation
  • I criticised UK policy and stated that I'm interested in how we can fix it


Main Body:

Each paragraph should have a clear theme
  • The immigration example above has three clear themes:

    • points based migration

    • welfare systems

    • open borders


Start the paragraph with your theme and then pose an argument
  • Example: My IEA internship introduced me to UBI

  • Then: I agreed that a UBI... But I'd question whether...


Use 2-3 super-curriculars per paragraph
  • The super-curricular itself isn't that important! Essay comps are great, but so are books are documentaries

  • It can be anything, so long as the quality of your engagement is impressive

  • High quality of engagement looks like:

    • Snowball Effect: X was interesting so I did Y which led to Z

    • Read book -> watched video -> wrote essay -> won award = excellent paragraph!


THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: CRITICAL THOUGHT
  • Most people say I read X and learnt Y --> this is boring and basic

  • Instead, give YOUR original thoughts on the SC! It's far more interesting, thoughtful, and unique. Emphasis on unique; that's how you stand out!

  • Example: I said a piece of architecture in London (the Barbican) reminded me of meritocracy, making me critically reflect on whether it's ethical to use architecture this way through the lens of Plato's Republic


Use evidence/counter arguments to strengthen your argument (aka your critical thought/opinion)
  • Find evidence from studies using Jstor, it shows really great depth of engagement with subject

  • You can also mention books with counterarguments, then beat them up


Avoid assertions and GO IN DEPTH
  • This is the main issue I see with PS

  • People don't use critical thought and, if they do, it's one sentence

  • Instead, you must go into huge levels of depth!

  • Really go deep into your argument: support and oppose it using research (as above)

  • Also, minimise assumptions! Make sure your point is clear and not resting upon things which aren't proven


Weave in 1-2 extracurriculars if you've done something cool
  • The 80/20 academic to extracurricular rule died years ago imo

  • Instead, 99% academic is ideal for top universities like Oxbridge, LSE, and Imperial

  • The best way to weave in extracurriculars is to find links

  • E.g: include debating at the end of a paragraph on free speech

  • Also, if you're Head Boy/Girl applying for a STEM degree, that shows you touch grass and have social skills, which might help lol


Try include 2-3 key thinkers in your arguments
  • This is a niche bit of info I got from LSE, it shows strong understanding of your subject

  • For example, in Economics, consider Keynes, Friedman, and Smith

  • Doesn't need to be in too much depth

  • I did a 2 sentence Keynesian analysis of UBI


Conclusion

One sentence conclusion is great!
  • I said I'm excited to see how Britain can become fairer and more equal through further study

  • Anything more than one sentence is questionable


You can include ECs if you really want
  • Reminder: top unis don't care about them!

  • Only incl them if you've done something incredible or if you're also applying to lower tier unis


Final Thoughts

LSE cares the most about your PS by far
  • If you optimise for LSE, you'll be more than fine for Oxbridge and anywhere else


Do NOT use The Student Room
  • The Student Room is brainrot & their examples are old :(


If you're really struggling to write a PS, consider whether the course is right for you
  • The beauty of the PS is you can figure out what's best for you

  • I personally switched from CompSci to PPE to Econ!


Don't include generic books
  • Go to a book store and pickup whatever looks cool related to your subject

  • Basic books are boring (poor economics/freakonomics/the bottom billion/why nations fail etc)


I will be updating this post continually, either making it read better/look nicer, or adding advice I've received from my mates.


Reach out if you have Qs!


Wishing you all the best of luck.

1 Comment


Afternoon,

I want to apply for politics and economics at LSE, my concern with my personal statement is whether my ' theme' isnt related to the course. I want to write about how colonialism in middle eastern countries have cause political and economical issues but idk if this suits the course, and i dont want to change my course. Thank you for all the information.

:))

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