A STEM Oxbridge Personal Statement has a very different focus compared to other personal statements. By the end of this post I hope to demystify the process on creating a personal statement that can aid your application to Oxbridge. There will be three websites from Cambridge and Oxford that I have referenced in the making this post. The links to them will be at the end of the post.
The Big Picture 🖼️
Sometimes we get so caught up with the nitty gritty details of writing that we can’t see the forest for the trees. Its always good to take some time to zoom out and look at the big picture before starting on a project like writing your personal statement. Here are a few things to think about before diving into the writing process.
Your Personal Statement does NOT need to Stand Out 💥
This is not a Common App essay. There is no need to flood your personal statement with bombastic language and dramatic content if you feel like you’re pressuring yourself to. Applying to Oxbridge is not a talent show where you may only have a few seconds to make an impression. Having the right content in your personal statement is much more important than making it “attention-grabbing”.
Goals of The personal Statement 🥅
The personal statement should answer a few important questions. After writing a personal statement, do check if you have answered the following questions
- Why do you want to study this subject?
- How committed and enthusiastic are you about studying this course?
- Do you have any particular interests in your field?
- What have you done to expose yourself more to knowledge related to your study?
- Do you have the academic ability and potential required to pursue the course?
When answering the questions above, it is also important to be thorough. For example, instead of stating that you like propulsion systems, say that you are interested in the full-flow staged combustion Raptor engine and how its choice of metholox is ingenious. These details will not only add more words to your personal statement, it will also show your depth of knowledge in the field.
The Academic Personal Statement 📜
How academic should your personal statement be? Short answer: at least 70%. Oxbridge admission tutors put their main focus on academic ability and potential above all else. However, the way you convey your passion towards the field does not need to be just a mix of jargon. Often applicants think that having an academic personal statement means referencing research papers. However that is not necessary. In my personal statement, I never referenced a single research paper. Instead, I talked about my experience learning about concepts that I found interesting such as the divergence theorem in multivariable calculus and also my experience designing a scientific experiment to be sent out to space in an event called “Mission Discovery Asia”. I don’t mean that you should not use any scientific language at all though, just use it in moderation when appropriate.
On Internships 💼
Having an internship definitely helps to show that you have taken concrete action in deepening your understanding of your subject. It also shows that you have gotten exposure to the work associated with it. However, internships are NOT NECESSARY as there are many ways to take steps to expose yourself to your subject. For example, since I did not get a chance to do an internship, I emailed a few professors from local universities and inquired on academic topics in my field. I included what I learnt from these correspondences in my personal statement. Be creative and find your way to learn more about your subject.
Online Courses 👨💻
If you have the time for it I definitely recommend doing online courses related to your course. I have always been doing online courses and it gives you a chance to explore many different topics in your subject for your to expand upon in your personal statement and the relevant basic terminology and fundamental ideas to understand it. During the interview stage, your interview might even contain material that you’ve covered in an online course you’ve taken. That certainly was the case for me and my interview.
For Physics and Engineering Students, I recommend the 8.01 Classical Mechanics course in MITOpenCourseWare. After all, it was the course that got me started in my hobby of learning Online Courses in my spare time. You can also choose to watch videos from scientific and mathematical Youtube Channels instead, but I still think the structured nature of a course really helps build your understanding in an organised manner if you have the time to complete it.
On Extracurriculars 🏃
Since Oxbridge heavily values academics, it might be beneficial to include more extracurriculars that are related to your field of study. Whenever you mention an extracurricular activity make sure to explain what skill you’ve gained from it and how it makes you a good fit for studying the courses that you have applied for.
First Draft Creation: QnA PS content generation ❓
After getting a rough idea on the way your personal statement should be structured, you should get a first draft started as soon as possible. Important thing to remember: Your first draft DOESN’T need to be perfect. My first draft as I remember it is nothing like my final personal statement and was terrible beyond imagination. Having a first draft allows you to make changes and its easier to edit than to make something out of thin air. To generate content, a good method is to ask yourself questions and answer them. For instance, “Why is Engineering interesting to you?”. If this still doesn’t work, have a conversation about studying your course with your parents and friends and record the conversation. People tend to loosen up and speak their mind when in a casual setting so you’ll be able to get most of your main points from it. It doesn’t matter if the content you generate exceeds the word limit, its always a great idea to write out everything you have so that you can trim down your content later on in the writing process to leave behind only the best ideas in the most concise manner possible.
Finishing Touches and Feedback ✨
Now you’ve gotten a draft ready, how do you make it better. The first step is to ensure your personal statement is approximately around the word limit. Start thinking about what ideas you can combine, what ideas aren’t really that important, and what sentences can be reworded to be more concise. Next, you can start checking every sentence for clarity, and find better words to explain parts that are more convoluted. Finally, you should check whether or not the flow of the personal statement is smooth, ensuring that the train of thought from sentence to sentence isn’t abruptly halted or unnatural.
Should I let others take a look at my personal statement? 👀
Definitely yes. It always helps to have a second opinion on your personal statement to ensure that your personal statement is conveying what you intend to convey. However, too many cooks👨🍳 spoil the broth, don’t let different viewpoints confuse you and think before accepting someone’s feedback on your personal statement.
Should I use up all the words available? 💬
A resounding yes but you don’t need to use up exactly the number of words allotted. Just ensure you get as much relevant content into the word limit as possible because more words allow you to explain yourself better.
Extra: Cambridge’s Additional Personal Statement 🏰
For those of you who are applying to Cambridge, you might want to consider writing an additional personal statement in your COPA. It is an opportunity to further express yourself to Cambridge specifically using 1200 characters including spaces. Many people are usually confused on how to write this personal statement, but even more important than that is the fact that it is optional. If you feel like you’ve already said enough in your personal statement, it is not necessary for you to write this one. However, if you do choose to write it, here is some advice.
What to include?
You couldn’t talk about Cambridge specific things in your original personal statement but for this optional one you are free to expand on many things in Cambridge that make you feel like it is the university for you. For example, I expressed my interest in joining a society in Cambridge called CUSF that stands for Cambridge University Spaceflight and the interesting engines and rockets that they are developing. Cambridge specific things might include, supervisions, lecturers and their research, clubs and societies, modules in the course, the Cambridge environment and more.
Conclusion 😀
All the best with crafting an Oxbridge personal statement that will boost your application. However do remember that in comparison to your grades, interview and admission tests, the personal statement takes a back seat. Do stay tuned for my next post on the Oxbridge interview by subscribing to my newsletter.