Getting Started
The UCAS Personal Statement is a tool used by universities in different ways. Before getting started, something that can be helpful to do is to ask all of the institutions what they use the personal statement for: do they work out who to interview from it? Do they score it? Do they simple want to check you are passionate and committed to the course you are applying to?
UCAS have prepared a handy guide about personal statement writing here, to help you get going.
Over the past few years, ChatGPT and AI have become more prevalent and its use more widespread. UCAS have shared a statement here about their stance on it. They believe the personal statement should remain personal. Using AI to generate a personal statement for you is also more likely to trigger UCAS’s similarity reporting feature: which picks up where plagiarism has potentially occurred in personal statements. Plagiarism is taken very seriously and may result in your entire application being rejected if universities consider the offense severe.
Once you know what the universities are looking for, you can brainstorm some ideas for things to include. These may be things that demonstrate your knowledge and experience, things you have learned, or why you are motivated to study the course.
Find your voice
As the personal statement is about sharing your own experiences and goals, it’s important you write it in a way which feels authentic to you. This can be done in a number of ways, for example writing things in a way which you would explain something to another person. This exercise can help you to engage with your topic and find your flow, particularly if writing in a very formal way doesn’t feel very ‘you.’
Personal statements flow much better when the person reading them can get a sense of the human on the other side. Sharing fun and unique anecdotes which demonstrate your personality or values is a good way to connect with the reader.
Be correct
In particular when writing an equestrian personal statement, it is important to demonstrate that you have an understanding of horses. This includes calling things by their correct names or showing that you know the right and wrong way to handle a situation.
For example, if you were writing about your ability to maintain a level head under pressure, and you were using an example of a time where you were leading six horses in from the field at once and one got loose – you should acknowledge that the situation you were in was unsafe and should not have been allowed to occur. Similarly, if you were describing a piece of tack for a purpose, instead of using a generic term like ‘a strong bit’ you should name the type of bit, and if there was space you could explain why it was used.
It’s important that whilst maintaining your own voice, you come across in a manner that is responsible and professional. This is as much about how you tell a story, rather than the manner in which it is written.
Show rather than tell
When someone lists all of their achievements in order to fit them all in, it can lose impact because it’s so much information in a relatively short space. Instead, try to weave your achievements into a narrative which will engage the reader.
An example:
“I have ridden for over ten years and have experience working with lots of different types of young horse producing them for competition, where I always place.”
Whilst this person is clearly an experienced horse person, it does not give much information about the quality of their work, the discipline they compete in or the types of horses they work with.
Instead:
“In my decade of riding experience I have competed up to 2* eventing on a range of horses I have produced myself, from off track thoroughbreds to quirky cobs.”
In this example, you have a much deeper understanding of the horse person they are. Producing an ex racehorse to event, and producing a cob to event are two very different skillsets, so this alone demonstrates the variety of their experiences in a much more meaningful way.
Another example would be:
“I work at a yard where we have a variety of horses which has helped me to realise that I want to become an equine physiotherapist, as I enjoy seeing the differences in the way they move.”
Whilst there is no doubt this person will be used to dynamically assessing a range of different kinds of horses, there isn’t much information here which actually demonstrates that.
Instead:
“I find gait analysis fascinating, and always watch how different horses move. I pay close attention to how breed and conformation impacts their movement.”
This demonstrates the person has an awareness of how different breeds will have different ways of going, and as well that how a horse is put together will also impact the way it moves. Neither statement demonstrates a high level of knowledge, but the second demonstrates a much deeper understanding.
Own what you have
It’s important to remember that personal statements are not a competition. Your personal statement can only be as good as your personal statement can be. Someone who has been lucky enough to have loads of varied experiences will not write a better personal statement to you, because a personal statement is not a score card. Don’t be put off if you read someone else’s and you think they sound like they’ve had more exciting experiences than you have. Everything is relative, and we are all on our own journeys.
Someone who has worked every weekend at a riding school will have a very different skill set to someone who has worked every weekend on a competition yard. If you were to trade places, you would probably find it very hard to do each other’s jobs. All experiences are valid and useful and are unique to ourselves and our own personal journeys.
If you know that an institution is asking for a specific thing, think of a way to incorporate it from your experiences, even if it feels a bit of a stretch. You will be surprised how relevant something can be, when you just think a little bit outside of the box!
Applying to an equine therapy course but work on a livery yard? You’ve probably had experience looking after soft tissue injuries, laminitis, wounds and potentially broken bones. Applying to do an equine assisted therapy qualification but currently don’t work with horses? You have great people skills from delivering great customer service in retail/hospitality/enter customer facing role here. Applying to do equine massage therapy? You know that one of the challenges you will face will be dealing with lots of different kinds of owners, and you’ve met lots of different kinds of horse people from being at your riding school. Your experiences are always someway related to your dreams, you just have to figure out the link.
Conclusion
Your personal statement is just that – personal – and is a sum of everything you’ve ever done and achieved. You should enjoy the process of writing it, rather than stressing about it! By doing your research and being prepared, you will be able to craft a piece of work which allows you to access the stage of your dream.