How to write a strong personal statement

Applying for your course of choice is an exciting process. After all, it marks the start of your decision to commit to furthering your education and learning more about a subject that you care about. 

Your personal statement forms a key part of the application process. It provides the best opportunity for you to showcase yourself as a candidate and highlight why you’d be an excellent fit for the course. 

A well-crafted personal statement should tie your entire application together, putting you in the best possible position to receive an offer. However, to ensure that your personal statement works to your benefit, it’s essential to follow all university guidelines. 

When writing your personal statement for a University of Portsmouth online course, you need to adhere to a word limit of 1,000. In terms of the different topics you should cover, we suggest you include the following: 

An introduction to yourself 

Sharing some information about yourself can provide context to the rest of your personal statement. While you don’t have to go into great detail, it could prove useful to mention anything that might offer background to your mindset and motivations for applying.

When putting it together, be as accurate and concise as possible – and always keep in mind that your personal statement needs to communicate your own views and character.  

Your experience and qualifications 

Write about any relevant work experience, accreditations, or education that you have, making sure to emphasise on how you meet the eligibility requirements of the course. 

You can also reflect on how your experience has led you to pursue further education, and the lessons you’ve taken from either your work or studies thus far. This not only illustrates your commitment to the subject, but your ability to discuss it clearly and critically. 

Your reasons for choosing the course 

Explain your reasons for wanting to enrol for the specific course you’ve selected. While your experience and qualifications can display your dedication to the subject, this section can help demonstrate your enthusiasm, which is certainly valuable as well. 

You can also touch upon specific topics or practices within the course that you’re particularly passionate about; why you feel strongly about studying at The University of Portsmouth; or even any personal motivations that brought you to the course. 

How you think the course will benefit you 

Discuss how you plan on leveraging your learnings from the course in the outside world – whether after graduation or during your studies. You can write about how your course choice fits into your wider career plan, and the overall outcome you hope to achieve. 

By detailing the thought and care that you’ve put into your decision to apply, you help further validate your own commitment to the programme. 

It may take some time for you to write a personal statement that you feel confident about. To make sure that you have time to many any revisions you want, it’s always beneficial to start your application as early as possible. 

Make sure to read over your personal statement a few times, checking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Don't get your personal statement written by anyone else – it’s important to show that you have enough understanding of the English language to support your studies. 

What next?

Before you submit, you can get feedback on your personal statement from one of our helpful course advisers. They’ll help ensure you’ve covered all the necessary information. You can call them on +44 (0)23 9400 3692, or email info@studyonline.port.ac.uk 

You can also get more hints and tips on putting together a successful application for a Portsmouth Online course on our application process page: