- Applying to Uni
- Apprenticeships
- Health & Relationships
- Money & Finance
- Personal Statements
- Postgraduate
- U.S Universities
- University Interviews
- Vocational Qualifications
- Accommodation
- Budgeting, Money & Finance
- Health & Relationships
- Jobs & Careers
- Socialising
- Studying Abroad
- Studying & Revision
- Technology
- University & College Admissions
Guide to GCSE Results Day
Finding a job after school or college
Retaking GCSEs
![](http://cintadecorrer.fun/777/templates/cheerup1/res/banner1.gif)
In this section
Choosing GCSE Subjects
Post-GCSE Options
GCSE Work Experience
GCSE Revision Tips
Why take an Apprenticeship?
Applying for an Apprenticeship
Apprenticeships Interviews
Apprenticeship Wage
Engineering Apprenticeships
What is an Apprenticeship?
Choosing an Apprenticeship
Real Life Apprentices
Degree Apprenticeships
Higher Apprenticeships
A Level Results Day 2024
AS Levels 2024
Clearing Guide 2024
Applying to University
SQA Results Day Guide 2024
BTEC Results Day Guide
Vocational Qualifications Guide
Sixth Form or College
International Baccalaureate
Post 18 options
Finding a Job
Should I take a Gap Year?
Travel Planning
Volunteering
Gap Year Blogs
- Top Rated Personal Statements
Personal Statement Examples
Writing Your Personal Statement
- Postgraduate Personal Statements
- International Student Personal Statements
- Gap Year Personal Statements
Personal Statement Length Checker
Personal Statement Examples By University
Personal Statement Editing and Review Service
- Personal Statement Changes 2025
Personal Statement Template
Job Interviews
Types of Postgraduate Course
Writing a Postgraduate Personal Statement
Postgraduate Funding
Postgraduate Study
Internships
Choosing A College
Ivy League Universities
Common App Essay Examples
Universal College Application Guide
How To Write A College Admissions Essay
College Rankings
Admissions Tests
Fees & Funding
Scholarships
Budgeting For College
Online Degree
Platinum Express Editing and Review Service
Gold Editing and Review Service
Silver Express Editing and Review Service
UCAS Personal Statement Editing and Review Service
Oxbridge Personal Statement Editing and Review Service
Postgraduate Personal Statement Editing and Review Service
You are here
- Mature Student Personal Statements
- Aberystwyth
- Anglia Polytechnic University
- Bath Spa University College
- Bournemouth University
- British College of Osteopathic Medicine
- British School of Osteopathy
- Canterbury Christ Church University College
- Central School of Speech and Drama
- Chester A College of The University of Liverpool
- City College Manchester
- Coventry University
- De Montfort University
- Edge Hill College of Higher Education
- Falmouth University
- Farnborough College of Technology
- Glamorgan Centre for Art and Design Technology
- Glasgow Caledonian University
- Goldsmiths College
- Heriot-watt
- Heythrop College
- King's College
- Kingston University
- Leeds Metropolitan University
- Liverpool Hope
- Liverpool John Moores University
- London Metropolitan University
- London South Bank University
- Loughborough
- Loughborough College
- Middlesex University
- Napier University, Edinburgh
- Newcastle College
- Northumbria University
- Nottingham Trent
- Oxford Brookes
- Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh
- Queen's, Belfast
- Regents Business School London
- Roehampton University of Surrey
- Royal Holloway
- Royal Veterinary College
- Sheffield Hallam University
- Southampton
- Southampton Institute
- St George's Hospital Medical School
- St Mary's University College
- Staffordshire University
- Strathclyde
- Swansea Institute of Higher Education
- Thames Valley University
- The Arts Institute At Bournemouth
- The Glasgow School of Art
- The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
- The London Institute
- The Manchester Metropolitan University
- The North East Wales Institute of Higher Education
- The Robert Gordon University
- The Surrey Institute of Art and Design
- The University of Bradford
- The University of Buckingham
- The University of Gloucestershire
- The University of Huddersfield
- The University of Salford
- University College Northampton
- University College Worcester
- University of Abertay Dundee
- University of Brighton
- University of Central Lancashire
- University of Derby
- University of East London
- University of Glamorgan
- University of Greenwich
- University of Hertfordshire
- University of Lincoln
- University of Plymouth
- University of Portsmouth
- University of Sunderland
- University of Teesside
- University of The West of England, Bristol
- University of Ulster
- University of Wales College, Newport
- University of Wales Institute, Cardiff
- University of Wales, Bangor
- University of Westminster
- University of Wolverhampton
- Writtle College
- York St John College
- Personal Statement Editing Service
- Personal Statement Writing Guide
- Submit Your Personal Statement
- Personal Statement Questions 2025
Cambridge University Personal Statements
We hope our collection of cambridge university personal statement examples provides inspiration for writing your own. please do not plagiarise them in any way, or ucas will penalise your application. our personal statement editing & review services are availble if you feel you need a little extra help..
History Personal Statement Example 2 I am captivated by the diversity and depth offered by a History degree; attracted by the way it encourages us to be analytical of the values and patterns of past societies. It was in my final year of secondary school that I was awarded the History Attainment Award, although my desire to study History dates back to an earlier age when I visited the site of the allied landings in Normandy at just eleven years old...
Linguistics Personal Statement Example 1 My most memorable Christmas came with a parcel of Harry Potter audio books and this was where my quest to understanding language began. The moment Stephen Fry started to narrate chapter one, I fell in love with words and all they could achieve...
Psychology Personal Statement Example 2 Psychology surrounds us. I often observe my class mates and ask myself why they are so different, struggling with attention or eating disorders. While looking for reasons, I also want to find ways to help them and I am confident that psychology will give me the means to do so...
Politics and International Relations Personal Statement Example 4 The era in which we live goes through constant turmoil and shifting powers. Not a day goes by without a change somewhere on our planet, which in turn has an effect on yet another change to come elsewhere...
Education and Drama Personal Statement Example (Oxbridge) "I shall have poetry in my life. And adventure. Unbiddable, ungovernable, like a riot in the heart, come ruin or rapture." Perhaps one should not begin with the words of another when presenting oneself, but as an actress, utilising the words of others is something that has become second nature...
Psychology Personal Statement Example 6 It was the odd behavioural traits displayed by my uncle, who has Asperger’s syndrome that first generated from a young age my questioning about why he acted so ‘differently’ to the rest of us. This was part of what led to my interest of studying psychology, as it made me question how and why humans are so disparate from one another, and what part the brain plays in running our everyday lives...
Politics & International Relations Personal Statement Example 2 It was November 1989. My parents were rattling their keys in the main square of Bratislava with other Czechoslovak youngsters asking for the democracy that was denied by the Communist regime. They raised me in an environment, where appreciation of freedom, expressing my thoughts and being an active citizen have been essential...
Mathematics and Physics Personal Statement Example 1 Mathematics is a fundamental tool for understanding our world: it can be used to define the symmetry of flowers or to manage global companies. What is so appealing about mathematics is the opportunity of applying it in the physical world...
Aerospace Engineering Personal Statement Example 1 Fire, the wheel, boats, book printing, electricity, engines, automobiles, planes, spaceships, wireless information transfer: engineering is determining this progress. Leading engineers are the creators of our future...
Maths and Spanish Personal Statement Example For as long as I have recognised words and numbers, I have seen a connection between the two. As I progressed in the AS Mathematics course I realised how drawn I was to the subject, motivating me to spend 2 weeks at school over the summer holidays learning 2 entire AS Further Maths modules, in order to take the full A-level course in one year...
Languages Personal Statement Example 10 At the age of eight, a friend introduced me to Guy Hamilton's 1969 film 'Battle of Britain'. This instilled in me two things: my doomed childhood ambition to be a Spitfire pilot, long since grudgingly abandoned, but also, perhaps ironically, a love for the sound and feel of the German language that has stayed with me all through the intervening decade...
English Personal Statement Example (Mature Student) Having worked on a secure psychiatric unit for two years, caring for many people unable to or precluded from following their dreams due to mental illness, as well as over a decade employed in positions just to pay the bills, I am finally pursuing my dream of becoming a published novelist...
History Personal Statement Example 7 It isn't an exaggeration to say my devotion to History has moulded me into the diligent and ambitious person I am today. History continues to shape our contemporary world and my opinions have been formed from an intellectual curiosity about the resonances between the past and the present...
Chemistry Personal Statement Example 2 Science is not just a subject taken in school, or a body of knowledge; it is a state of mind as well – always inquisitive and wondering. As a child, the world around me constantly captivated me and inspired questions, and I found delight in having my questions answered, always wanting to learn more, from fundamental particles, to atoms and molecules, to organisms, planets, and the universe...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 2 My fascination with human behaviour and the motivations behind human actions has existed for most of my adult life, to determine a cause however I would accredit this to the voluntary work I participated in with Crisis Single Persons Homeless charity...
Mathematics and Economics Personal Statement Example 2 Every day we make decisions and interact with others; the laws of economics help us make rational choices and consider the irrationality of others, as well as understand the world better. Maths and statistics are the necessary tools for me to understand the modern economics...
Mechanical Engineering Personal Statement Example 2 The ability to apply what I have learnt in the classroom to the outside world is an aspect of physics and maths that I particularly enjoy. An example of this was being able to calculate the coefficient of friction between a book and a table, by knowing the weight and measuring the angle at which it started to move...
Pure Mathematics Personal Statement Example Mathematics is beautiful to me because of the deep and meaningful ideas touched upon by it, the vastness of these ideas, the clearness and elegance of their representation. Mathematics gives me the ability to apply knowledge by approaching things logically, and thinking clearly...
Civil Engineering Personal Statement Example 9 Civil engineering is a discipline which is essential in the modern world: roads, bridges, airports, railways, sewage works and power stations all provide the fabric of today's society, and without them the world would be a very different place...
Mathematics and Engineering Personal Statement Example Questions regarding the reason for my liking of mathematics have only one answer: mathematical logic and concepts contribute to a practical approach in every aspect of life. It is the diversity and universal applicability of this subject that encourages me to delve further and study it in depth...
Maths and Science Personal Statement Example Maths and science, in particular physics, have always been my favourite subjects in school. I have an inquisitive mind and am always asking "how?" and "why?" to find out how things work. I chose maths, physics and biology for my A levels, yet only realised I wanted to do engineering when I started studying topics such as mechanics...
Medicine Personal Statement Example 48 Given that over ninety nine percent of the body consists of just six elements, it is hard to imagine the human body as an intricately synchronised and immensely complex machine. Yet, it has done well to puzzle even the brightest minds in history-but I am drawn to a challenge; I cannot think of anything else more fascinating to work with...
Geography Personal Statement Example (Human/Environmental) The possibility of the human race’s days being numbered by our destructive lifestyles, as planted in my mind by Al Gore’s sensationalised and controversial ‘The Inconvenient Truth’, has fuelled my interest in the global warming phenomenon, forcing me to question society’s reluctance to tackle it and realise the worldwide impact of each of our daily lives...
Psychology Personal Statement Example 51 There is a reason behind everything we do, a purpose to our actions. The cognition behind any decision that we make is one of the many aspects of psychology that I am fascinated by. The following five words, as said by the Prophet Muhammad, I believe explain such a suggestion: "Actions are but by intentions"...
Mathematics Personal Statement Example 12 Mathematics is at the root of many academic subjects, such as mechanics in Physics, organic Chemistry and even Music and this is why I find it so fascinating. The process of starting from a simple set of formulae and deriving nearly all mathematical truth from these is what makes Mathematics a leading academic subject...
Engineering Personal Statement Example 20 Overcoming economic hurdles tempered by ecological limits requires innovative solutions. For centuries mathematical and analytical skills have fused to solve practical problems. The diverse nature of engineering has made advancements possible in an array of fields from the wheel to The International Space Station...
Architecture Personal Statement Example 16 I vividly remember the moment when I knew I wanted to be an architect. I had been taken to Barcelona to see ‘the wavy buildings’, at the time I didn’t know anything about Gaudí or his work so I was relatively unenthusiastic...
History Personal Statement Example 37 My interest in history lies in the simple fact that I have always been fascinated by the past. At eleven I won a full academic bursary to attend my current school. This was a way into a community in which my intellectual curiosity would be valued and where I could further my enthusiasm for history...
Medicine Personal Statement Example 61 While the idea to care for others is appealing to me, the applications of medicine for finding remedies to the complexities of the human body fascinates me even more. Studying medicine opens several career options from general practice to clinical research! Having the interest and aptitude for scientific knowledge and the awareness to promote health safety, it encourages me to choose this highly rewarding and satisfying course...
Aerospace Engineering Personal Statement Example 17 While other children fell asleep to the sound of their parents reading them bedtime fairytales, I was busy re-reading Ladybirds Explorer’s, “Flight” for probably the fourth time that day. I’ve been enthralled by the concept of flight and aerodynamics ever since I was young...
Chemistry Personal Statement Example 17 The realisation I wanted to study Chemistry at degree level came with my growing appreciation of its contribution and significance in shaping modern society, coupled with an increasing interest in the subject as my knowledge and understanding have developed...
History Personal Statement Example 40 History has always fascinated me because of what it can tell us about humanity; the decisions taken, the actions chosen and the mistakes made can all make us reflect on what it means to be human. I firmly believe history is not simply a case of learning facts and dates but rather a chance to analyse the past, enhancing our understanding of how we interact with each other today...
Maths Personal Statement Example 12 Mathematics dictates our understanding of the universe; the sciences that the world depends on today are founded and dependant on maths. Scientists and mathematicians spend their lives making remarkable discoveries contributing to the development of humanity, the findings we have been making in fields like quantum mechanics would be completely impossible without maths...
English Personal Statement Example 30 English is not simply the study of humanity, or society, or history or the written word; it is all of those together and it is this versatility that makes it so appealing to me. The link between literary criticism and psychoanalysis is a great interest of mine...
Psychology Personal Statement Example 67 I first became interested in psychology whilst discussing the underlying causes of criminal behaviour and non-conformity with my father. The nature-nurture debate gave me a huge desire to increase my knowledge and understanding of the human condition...
Economics Personal Statement Example 31 Since my parents were busy with the financial income throughout my childhood, I have been raised up by my grandmother. She was the oldest of 8 siblings in a family who were living in impoverished conditions...
Natural Sciences Personal Statement Example 4 Why and How? I believe these are the two most important question words as they express mankind’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and they have lain the foundation of sciences and have helped us find answers and solutions to problems throughout history from the domestication of fire to Darwin’s theory of evolution, to landing on the moon and so on...
Archaeology Personal Statement Example 6 I have always enjoyed learning about different cultures and civilisations, reflected in my enduring love of history, and more recently, archaeology. Compared to modern history, archaeology carries a sense of enigma which makes it much more stimulating for an imaginative and inquisitive mind...
Mechanical Engineering Personal Statement Example 19 These days, we are surrounded by engineering marvels. From radios to space shuttles, everything involves a vital feat of engineering. That is what I find most attractive about this field as its application is everywhere...
Land Economy Personal Statement Example (Cambridge University) Having been born and lived all my life in Hungary, with an English father and Hungarian mother, I have always wanted to go to university in England and spend most of my summers working in England. Being bilingual gives me an ability to see both sides of the question, and examine things from different perspectives which I feel will be useful for my studies...
Engineering Personal Statement Example 23 As I triggered the release mechanism and watched two pounds of rock hurtle skywards I thought to myself, "trebuchets are awesome!". Years passed before I realised that this was my first engineering project...
Engineering Personal Statement Example 24 When I was a child, most of the sentences I spoke out finished with a question mark, asking how everyday things work. Receiving answers to these questions and learning more about Mathematics and Physics has enlarged my desire to make human life easier and become an Engineer...
Linguistics Personal Statement Example 3 Have you ever heard the Tuvan throat singing technique? Beautiful and intriguing at the same time. The question that's bound to accompany a throat singing performance is how the human voice could possibly produce such a sound...
Computer Science Personal Statement Example 56 Computer Science - the most exciting insight into humanity's mission to conquer the future. It has been my favourite and most fascinating preoccupation since childhood, though back then I did not even know it...
History Personal Statement Example (Oxbridge) 2 Whether considering the real world applications of Bentham's utilitarianism in Religious Studies, analysing the context of a changing Victorian society in English Literature, or debating the evolving ideology of the Labour Party in Politics, there is one common thread connecting what I enjoy most about my studies: history...
Sociology Personal Statement Example 14 The need for the study of Sociology in society is, arguably, universally fundamental. The study of society is of paramount importance in solving social problems of great magnitude such as poverty and family disorganisation...
- University specific personal statements
- All personal statements
Which program are you applying to?
![personal statement for cambridge university Accepted](https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ACCEPTED-1.png)
Accepted Admissions Blog
Everything you need to know to get Accepted
![personal statement for cambridge university personal statement for cambridge university](https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/acceptedblogbanner-e1469630251262-1600x350.png)
March 22, 2021
The Personal Statement That Got Me a Large Scholarship to Cambridge
![personal statement for cambridge university The personal statement that got me a large scholarship to Cambridge](https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/The-personal-statement-that-got-me-a-large-scholarship-to-Cambridge.jpg)
When I submitted my application for the Masters program in Latin American Studies at Cambridge University, I was a bit lost in life. I was what they call a “super-senior” at UCLA, taking my last three General Education requirements during Fall quarter of a fifth year. I had already walked for graduation the June before and the future was oddly wide open, and incredibly empty to me. Like many students who are “good at school,” I thought that a graduate program seemed like a reasonable idea, especially because I graduated during an economic crisis and the job search was difficult. I opened a number of applications for PhD programs in the United States and, on the advice of a professor, I applied to Cambridge because of the opportunity to focus exclusively on Latin American Cinema and a chance to be considered for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
My Gates Cambridge personal statement
While the application to Cambridge’s Latin American Studies program did not differ greatly from that of most global graduate schools, in order to be considered for funding opportunities like the Gates Cambridge award I was required to submit an additional personal statement.
The prompt was daunting:
In not more than 500 words, please describe below how your interests and achievements, both academic and extra-curricular, demonstrate a capacity for leadership, commitment to using your knowledge to serve your community and to applying your talents to improve the lives of others.
I was 22, and I had never really tried to articulate how my curiosity about foreign languages, Latin American literature, culture, and film could demonstrate “ a capacity for leadership ,” or the ability to “serve my community.” But I gave it a go.
The statement of purpose I wrote and submitted to Cambridge:
I grew up in Oakland, California, one of the most violent and disparate urban communities in America. While I knew this as a child, I only knew it in a distant sense. I caught glimpses of newspaper headlines with phrases like “gang violence” and “high homicide rate.” I heard rap songs on the radio that referred to the infamous “O-town of the West,” or the area code “510.” Those were always funny references to my hometown, but they were words and sayings; they never felt like realities to me as I grew up. To my great surprise, these newspaper articles, statistics, and song lyrics only became real to me when I left Oakland and America to spend my junior year abroad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and then return home. Before I arrived there, Brazil only existed on paper, in books like Peter Winn’s Americas, and on screen in films like City of God. The mesmerizing topography and diverse population of Rio de Janeiro were realities that I approached with trepidation. But after a year, I abandoned my preconceptions about the city and was even comfortable using unofficial vans, or kombis, to navigate my way through the chaotic and sprawling city. I overcame my fears and learned how to assert myself appropriately in difficult situations. Just as I had become comfortably aware of the realities of Oakland, I became inured to the violence and class conflicts that had frightened me before arriving in Rio. With regards to this experience, the most educational and enlightening moments of shock came to me as I drove through Oakland on my way home from the airport. I had not been home for a year, my eyes were glued to the car window, and I saw everything differently. Though the terrain between the Oakland airport and my home is relatively flat, that day the socio-economic inequality was as clear to me as the diverse topography of Rio de Janeiro. To put it simply, there were houses with fences and window guards, and houses with large driveways and beautifully landscaped gardens. Through subtle markers and contexts, the issues and conflicts that had surprised and scared me in Rio were suddenly applicable to the scenery and media of my hometown. Both of these experiences, of arriving in Brazil and returning to Oakland, are powerful instances of where academic or literary knowledge solidifies through the experience of real events. I want to know more about issues of urban Latin America because they are directly related to urban American issues. Emotional and analytical access to these socio-economic issues through literature and film is a bridge that I passionately want to extend towards students. Every person who enters a college classroom is profoundly privileged with the opportunity to see herself and her surroundings differently. It is my dream to inspire others to see education as an opportunity to travel, to experience difference, and to return home with critical points of view, and the desire to create positive change.
Here’s what happened after I submitted:
- On December 10, I received an email from the Center of Latin American Studies informing me that I had been accepted to the program and would be hearing from the Board of Graduate Studies shortly.
- On December 14, I was informed that I had made it to the finalist round for Gates Cambridge, and that interviews were to be held in February.
- After finishing my coursework at UCLA , I moved home in December, picked up a job as a waitress at a local diner, and started applying for office jobs in the Bay Area.
- And on January 1, 22-year-old Oscar Grant was fatally shot by a BART cop at Fruitvale Station in Oakland, California.
How I was shocked during my Gates Cambridge interview:
During my 25-minute interview with the Gates committee in February, I was completely stunned by a question that one of the British members posed as a research question. It was something like: “Given that you propose to study Latin American film as part of your research, what do you think of the footage of Oscar Grant’s death?” I was pretty much speechless when this question was asked, and I had a hard time composing myself. Footage of Oscar Grant’s killing was impossible to avoid in Oakland. The cell phone recordings of Oscar Grant’s death were also the first reel of raw film images that I had ever seen to depict the end of an actual person’s life. I had seen American History X, a movie in which a white man brutally commits racist and fatal hate crimes, but those were fictional images. Most of the films that I studied regarding Latin America were also made of fictional images. The footage of Oscar Grant dying was a visceral reality for me, and it came with weeks of rioting in my hometown, a series of incredibly tense conversations with neighbors and family, feelings of guilt about my whiteness, and a deep sense of helplessness about the world around me. None of those words came out in my interview. Overwhelmed with emotions, I just wasn’t able to express myself in that moment, and I tried to move on as quickly as possible. But since then, I’ve thought a lot about that question.
What I learned from writing my personal statement for the Cambridge College Scholarship Application:
In hindsight, the question that the committee asked me was a genuine response to my personal statement, which means that the statement had been effective even before it became timely. Remember, I was selected for the shortlist before Oscar Grant was shot, but the setting that I created by observing my own surroundings in the personal statement is what allowed for the committee to connect with a reality that was (and still is) unfolding around me. When I first wrote this statement, I was afraid it didn’t say enough about my achievements, past leadership experiences, or meaningful accomplishments . I wasn’t ready to discuss obstacles overcome, I acknowledged my privilege, and I didn’t know anything about what the essay was supposed to be like. In fact, I didn’t share any of my applications materials with advisors or friends before submitting (a horrible idea!).
However, after my many years of working with students from a variety of backgrounds on diversity statements and scholarship applications , I understand why this was a successful statement. All I did was observe myself in the world, genuinely and honestly at that stage of my life. I described my relationship to Oakland from an insider’s eyes, and an outsider’s eyes, and that allowed the committee to learn about me within the context of where I grew up. Because I described Oakland from the eyes of someone just off of a plane from Rio de Janeiro, I gave the committee concrete insights that they couldn’t have surmised from the first sentence: “I grew up in Oakland, California.” This is an issue that comes up a lot when I work with people on personal statements. Oftentimes the things that you know about yourself and your surroundings are so obvious to you that you forget to describe these insights to your audience. In a personal statement it is your job to explain who you are, what drives you to accomplish your goals, why your current course of study matters to you and how it can impact others.
How to write a compelling personal statement
If you’re working on a statement like this and you start to wonder what it’s supposed to be, or what you’re supposed to talk about, tell yourself to stop asking that question. Instead ask yourself, what do you know intuitively about how you move in the world? How can you observe yourself so that someone else gets a glimpse of how you think, what you care about, and why you want to do the things that you want to do? I didn’t end up getting the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which felt like a blow at the time.
As a result of the same application materials and essays, however, I was awarded a Cambridge Overseas Trust Scholarship for £10,000 ($17,000) which covered most of my tuition. Because of this funding, I ended up going to Cambridge and studying Latin American film. I also took away some incredible lessons from Gates Cambridge interview, and those personal insights made the whole process worth it.
Applying for multiple sources of graduate funding through the Cambridge Trust
My experience interviewing for the Gates Cambridge scholarship also marked a moment when I began my journey into the world of research, grant writing, and teaching college level composition. What I’ve learned since then is that, when it comes to competitive opportunities like the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, it is important to approach the process with level-headed expectations about the chances of getting through to the final rounds and being selected. However, that doesn’t mean that the time you spend building strong application materials and scholarship essays isn’t worth it, as your effort can likely pay off in other ways.
At universities like Cambridge, there are usually numerous opportunities for funding through entities such as the Cambridge Trust and Funded Research Projects , and they all have different application procedures. Within the Cambridge Trust, for example, there are awards like the Hughes Hall PhD Scholarship, which requires students to select Hughes Hall as a first-choice college and fill out the general College Scholarship application, and the Kanders Churchill Scholarship, which has an entirely separate application process and personal statement.
So, if you find yourself working on personal statement for a specific university scholarship, that’s a sign that there are other available opportunities at the same institution. The frustrating truth is that it is more than likely that these opportunities are not centralized into one application process. In order for you to make the most of all the work you’ve put into composing a personal statement, it is worth it to conduct additional research about how to be considered for additional scholarships and put together multiple applications based on your profile.
Working on your SOP?
Get the help you need to write a personal, meaningful graduate statement of purpose. Work one-on-one with an experienced admissions advisor – one who has personally been there – to create an application you’re proud to submit. And did you know that Accepted’s clients received over $1 million dollars in scholarship offers in the last application cycle? Learn more about how Accepted can help when you check out our Graduate School Admissions Consulting Services .
![personal statement for cambridge university Accepted Admissions Expert Rebecca Lippman](https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Rebecca-Lippman-Accepted-Consultant.jpg)
Related Resources:
• What I Learned about Grant Writing from Putting Together 3 Fulbright Applications Before Finally Being Selected • What Is a Scholarship? And Why Didn’t I Get One? • Awards! Grants! Scholarships! Oh My! a podcast episode
About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service
Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553 © 2022 Accepted
![personal statement for cambridge university Stamp of AIGAC Excellence](https://www.accepted.com/hubfs/aigac-circle-1.png?)
![personal statement for cambridge university logo](https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/themes/custom/christs_college/assets/img/CCC_2-line_rgb.png)
- Personal Statement
As part of your UCAS application you will be asked to provide a personal statement.
Practical information
![personal statement for cambridge university Bookshelves in Christ's Library](https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Chrst%27s%20library%20stacks.jpg)
You have 47 lines of text, or 4,000 characters (as a guide, that's roughly 500 words).
It's a good idea to write write your personal statment into a document so that you can edit it before copying and pasting it into your online UCAS application.
You should spell-check and proof-read your personal statement. A good tactic for proof reading is to start at the end and read every sentence individually until you get to the beginning. That way, you are less likely to get distracted by the content. It is also helpful to let another person read your statement to look for spelling mistakes and typing errors.
How the personal statement is used
![personal statement for cambridge university Dr Tomlinson with students](https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/_CGR5969.jpg)
Your personal statment will be read by both subject specialists in the course you have applied for and our Director of Admissions. If you are invited for interview, you may be asked questions relating to things you wrote in your personal statement or it may not be mentioned at all.
Later in the process when decisions are made, if you are not selected for a place at Christ's College but your application is thought to be strong, then you may be selected for the Winter Pool. This means that your application would be considered by other Cambridge Colleges, who may have had weaker direct applicants. If you are selected for the Winter Pool then your personal statement will also be read by staff from other Colleges, who may be considering you for a place.
What information should be included?
![personal statement for cambridge university Personal Statements webinar poster](https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Personal%20statements_2.jpg)
At Cambridge, we are interested in academic criteria, that is, your ability and your potential to acheive in the future. As part of this, we want to read about your academic interests at this stage. The information in the rest of your application (e.g. what school you attend, dates, previous grades etc.) does not give us this. In your personal statement we would like you to:
- explain your reasons for wanting to study the subject at university
- demonstrate enthusiasm for and commitment to your chosen course
- express any particular interests within the field
- outline how you’ve pursued your subject interest in your own time.
You can be very specific if you want to and mention particular projects / books / authors / articles / experiences that have made an impression on you and why. You can mention things you have done at / for school as well as things you have done on your own initiative. We are not looking for a list, however - we want to know what you got out of your work or research, rather than just the fact that you did it.
Positive approach: make the process work for you
You are likely to need to put a lot of time and thought into your personal statement, as writing one that you're happy with is not an easy task. Try not to think of this work as a chore! Instead, think how the process of drafting and finalising writing your statement can help you to make a strong application. Perhaps it will give you a better understanding of your academic interests, motivation to do extra exploration and thinking about your subject, or that bit more confidence that your course choices really do fit your interests. Applying to spend three or more years studying a subject intensively is a big deal, so having to take time to think about your interests, how they've emerged, how they've developed and what has been important is certainly worth doing.
Concerns about limited resources?
We know that many of you will be concerned that you have not 'done' enough for a strong personal statement , however we can reassure you that this is not a tick-box exercise - what is going to matter is what you've gained from doing things rather than exactly what you've done, as there are many different ways to explore a subject. We have applicants from such a wide range of areas and backgrounds, some of you will live in big cities whilst others of you live on rural coastlines. We advise you to use resources that are available to you to explore your subject in your own time, but we do not expect all Medicine applicants to have access to the same work experience opportunities and all prospective architects to be able to find the same books from the reading suggestions (for example). We have put a 'helpful resources' section on every subject page to help you with ideas but you may have other ideas / books, which is fine.
Further infomation
- UCAS personal statements page
- How to write a great Personal Statement (Cambridge article)
- Cambridge Admissions UCAS application page
- Cambridge SU Guide to Personal Statements (written by Shadab !)
A note for October 2024 applicants: UCAS previously mentioned that they were making changes to the personal statement. We can confirm that these have been postponed and will not affect you.
UK application support / Next: UCAS reference and predicted grades
" It's a good idea to briefly revisit texts you've already read if you plan on mentioning them in your personal statement – interviewers may well ask you your thoughts on them!"
- Post-16 subject choices
- Course research
- Helpful films
- UCAS application
- Reference & predicted grades
- Admissions Test registration
- My Cambridge application
- UK transcripts
- Extenuating Circumstances
- Disability, SLD, long term illness
- Contacting Christ's
- Sample interview films
![personal statement for cambridge university Student working on laptop](https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-09/in_room_10.jpg.webp?itok=BejHKd_d)
How to apply
![personal statement for cambridge university Downing College Crest](https://dow.cam.ac.uk/themes/custom/downing/assets/img/logo.png)
Personal statements
Your personal statement gives you the chance to tell us:
- why you're interested in the course you want to study and what excites you about it
- about your academic interests
- how you've explored your interests outside of school. For example, books you've read or podcasts you've listened to
Your personal statement must be no more than 4,000 characters and is sent to all five of your university choices.
Please remember that interviewers will review your personal statement as part of the admissions process. Make sure you read through your personal statement before your interview and remind yourself of its contents. Your interviewers may or may not draw on your personal statement during your interview.
In addition to your UCAS application, My Cambridge Application gives you the opportunity to submit a second personal statement. This should not repeat information but instead be used to expand or fill in gaps in your personal statement. This option is mainly used by those students applying to unique courses at the University of Cambridge to express what about this course attracted them.
Preparing your personal statement
Information about preparing a personal statement can be found at the:
Personal statements
Your UCAS personal statement is your opportunity to impart specific information about yourself and that you feel it is important that we know. This could be detailed reasons why you wish to study your chosen course at Cambridge, what motivated your interest in this subject, your hobbies and interests outside school, or your future aspirations, to name but a few.
It is important to remember that the person conducting the general interview at St John's will not be a Teaching Fellow in the subject you have applied for, and may therefore rely heavily on your personal statement in order to engage you in discussion of subjects about which you feel comfortable talking at length and in some depth. Therefore, if you have just watched your brother abseiling once or twice, you don’t want to list it as one of your hobbies! Equally, it is not a good idea to list as “favourites” books that you have every intention of reading, or quote as a favourite author someone who has published 20 books, but you’ve only managed to read one so far!
In general, we find that the majority of personal statements are made up of two-thirds information of a more academic nature, and one-third information about extra-curricular interests. However, that being said, the whole idea of a personal statement is that it is personal to you… it is your statement and your chance to communicate to us the things about you that you would like us to know.
![personal statement for cambridge university University of Cambridge](https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/profiles/cambridge/themes/cambridge_theme/images/interface/main-logo-small.png)
Study at Cambridge
About the university, research at cambridge.
- Undergraduate courses
- Events and open days
- Fees and finance
- Postgraduate courses
- How to apply
- Postgraduate events
- Fees and funding
International students
- Continuing education
- Executive and professional education
- Courses in education
- How the University and Colleges work
- Term dates and calendars
- Visiting the University
- Annual reports
- Equality and diversity
- A global university
- Public engagement
- Give to Cambridge
- For Cambridge students
- For our researchers
- Business and enterprise
- Colleges & departments
- Email & phone search
- Museums & collections
- Find out more
Teachers and advisers
- Undergraduate Study
- Student life overview
- Why Cambridge
- Accommodation
- Sport and societies
- Courses overview
- Choosing a course
- How you will learn
- Careers and graduate prospects
- Subject A-Z
- Colleges overview
- What is a College?
- Choosing a College
- College contacts
- Area links scheme
- Finance overview
- Tuition fees
- Living costs
- Financial support
- Music awards
- Applying overview
- Application timeline
- Before you apply
- After you apply
- AI and undergraduate applications
- International overview
- Chat with our students
- Why Cambridge?
- What can I study?
Entry requirements
- Tuition fees and costs
- International visits and events
- Visas and immigration
- Year abroad
- Get in touch!
- Open Days and Events overview
- Upcoming events
- Cambridge Open Days
- Virtual Tour
- Think Cambridge
- Subject Masterclasses
- Teachers and advisers' events
- HE fairs and exhibitions
- Find out more overview
- Sign up to our Newsletter
- Widening participation
Parents and supporters
- Getting here
- Why Cambridge overview
- Study facilities and libraries
- Cambridge explained
- Support overview
- College welfare
Disabled students
Mature students
- Counselling
- Care leavers overview
- Realise student snapshot
- Travel Fund
- Young carers
- Student parents and childcare
- Estranged students
- Area links scheme overview
- East Midlands overview
- Leicester City
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Northamptonshire
- Nottinghamshire
- East of England overview
- Bedfordshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Hertfordshire
- Peterborough
- Southend-on-Sea
- Greater London overview
- Barking and Dagenham
- City of London
- City of Westminster
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Tower Hamlets
- Waltham Forest
- North East overview
- Middlesbrough
- North Tyneside
- Northumberland
- Redcar and Cleveland
- South Tyneside
- Stockton-on-Tees
- North West overview
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Telford and Wrekin
- Northern Ireland
- South East overview
- Bracknell Forest
- Milton Keynes
- Oxfordshire
- Southampton
- Isle of Wight
- Buckinghamshire
- West Berkshire
- South West overview
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bournemouth
- Gloucestershire
- North Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
- Wales overview
- North Wales
- Mid and South Wales
- West Midlands overview
- Herefordshire
- Staffordshire
- Warwickshire
- Wolverhampton
- Worcestershire
- Yorkshire and Humber overview
- East Yorkshire
- Huddersfield and Kirklees
- Kingston-upon-Hull
- North East Lincolnshire
- North Lincolnshire
- North Yorkshire
- Isle of Man
- Living costs overview
- Study costs
- Financial support overview
- Cambridge financial support
- Government financial support
- Family contribution
- Outreach Scholarships overview
- Stormzy Scholarship
- Formula 1 Scholarship
- Geography Scholarship
- Clare College Area Links Scholarships
- Student Funding and Sharia Law
- Music awards overview
- Choral awards overview
- Instrumental awards overview
- Organ scholarships overview
- College vacancies and course restrictions
- When are the auditions and interviews?
- What do the Organ Trials involve?
- How do I apply?
- Further information
- Choosing high school subjects
- Improve your application
- Entry requirements overview
- Qualifications we accept
- Sixth Term Exam (STEP)
- International entry requirements
- Application statistics
- Mature student applications
- Second undergraduate degrees
- UCAS application
- Admission tests overview
- Clinical aptitude test (UCAT)
- Law test (LNAT)
- Engineering and Science test (ESAT)
- Mathematics test (TMUA)
- College admission assessments
- My Cambridge Application overview
- Providing a transcript
- Disruption to your studies
- Written work and portfolios
- Cambridge interviews overview
- Prepare for an interview
- Application decisions overview
- Admissions Policy
- Unspent criminal convictions
- Contextual data
- Outcome of your application overview
- Terms of Admission
- Admissions complaints
- After you get your exam results overview
- Information for new students
- Applying for reconsideration overview
- Reconsideration eligibility criteria
- Tuition fees and costs overview
- International financial support
- International visits and events overview
- International webinar series
- Teachers and advisers' events overview
- Teachers and Advisers' Webinars
- Teachers and Advisers' Conference
- Widening participation overview
- Access and Participation Plans
- Insight Discover
- Insight Explore
- Sutton Trust Summer Schools
- Apply: Cambridge
- Safeguarding
- Parents and supporters overview
- Parents' Newsletter
- Teachers and advisers overview
- How similar are Oxford and Cambridge?
- Helping students prepare
- School/college reference
- Teachers' Newsletter
- Events for Teachers and Advisers
- Inspiring Educator Awards
Before applying, applicants need to check that they have, or are likely to achieve, the right grades at the right level and in the right subjects for the course they have chosen. See Entry requirements for general requirements of entry.
It's important that students also check the requirements of their course, as these can vary slightly between Colleges. For example, some Colleges might ask for an A* in a particular subject. Please encourage students to check the course page for their chosen subject carefully - all variations are listed there.
All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges. Queries about College-specific requirements should be directed to the relevant College admissions office .
Submitted work
For some courses, applicants may be asked to submit examples of written work produced during their A level/IB (or equivalent) course. This work might be discussed during their interview so students should submit work they’re happy to discuss. They should also keep copies of anything they send so they can re-read it in preparation.
Details of which Colleges require submitted work are included on each course page. Please check the entry requirements tab. The submitted work requirements for some courses may vary by College so students should check the entry requirements tab before applying.
If submitted work is required, the College will advise the student on exactly what is needed, and where and when it should be sent. The deadline is usually mid-November. If an applicant has any queries, they should contact their College’s Admissions Office for clarification.
Students will need to complete a cover sheet confirming that the written work is their own and detailing the circumstances in which it was written. They will also be asked to provide the name of a teacher who can be contacted about the work, if necessary.
Helping students with their personal statement
Personal statements allow students to tell us about their subject interest, and the process of writing a personal statement can often help a student better understand their academic interests and intellectual motivations. For guidance on what to include, we advise you to follow the UCAS advice on personal statements . See also, our article on How to write a great personal statement .
Admissions decisions at Cambridge are based solely on academic criteria (ability and potential). Personal statements may be used as a basis for discussion at interview. In a personal statement we are looking for applicants to:
- explain their reasons for wanting to study the subject
- demonstrate their enthusiasm for and commitment to their chosen course
- express any particular interests within the field
- outline how they have pursued their interest in the subject in their own time
How important are extra-curricular activities?
Our admissions decisions are based on academic criteria (ability and potential) and we expect to see evidence of students’ wider engagement with areas of academic interest, such as reading and other exploration relevant to the course for which they've applied. Extra-curricular activities which are of no relevance to the course will not increase a student's chances of receiving an offer.
If, however, particular extra-curricular activities have enable a student to develop transferable skills, such as organisation or time management, then these can be included in their personal statement. Such activities might include significant caring responsibilities or paid employment, which can help us fully contextualise an application, as well as sport, physical activity, music, drama and volunteering.
Cambridge-specific comments
Applicants can make additional comments relevant to their Cambridge application in their additional questionnaire ( My Cambridge Application ), for instance to highlight particular features of the Cambridge course that attracted them.
This additional personal statement is optional, applicants will not be disadvantaged if they have nothing to add and should be advised not to repeat information they provided in their UCAS personal statement as we will have already received a copy of this.
Helping students prepare for their interview
Interviews are discussion-based, and predominantly academic and subject-related, so applicants will be asked questions:
- that are relevant to the course they applied for
- about the information provided in the written elements of their application
You can help students prepare by encouraging them to talk with confidence and enthusiasm about their subject and wider interests. A mock interview can be helpful to give the experience of expressing ideas and opinions in response to unknown questions. Students are not expected to have ready-prepared answers; indeed, over-rehearsed answers can be counterproductive if students are preoccupied with recalling set speeches on general topics rather than listening to the interviewers’ questions and responding accordingly.
Students should be encouraged to read broadly in the areas of their A level/IB Higher Level (or equivalent) subjects and must be prepared to think quite hard in their interviews but should be reminded that often there are no right or wrong answers to the questions they are asked. It is the process of reaching their answer that is generally of most significance, rather than the answer itself.
It is important for applicants to realise that interviewers will not be trying to ‘catch them out’, but will be challenging them to think and show how they can apply their existing knowledge and skills laterally to less familiar problems.
It is also important for students to understand that their performance at interview alone does not determine the outcome of their application. Admissions decisions are made holistically, taking all available information into account.
You should encourage your students to check the information and short films on our interviews pages so they can make sure they are fully prepared and know what to expect, well in advance of their interview date.
- HE+ website
The HE+ website is for students looking to expand their subject knowledge outside of the taught curriculum. The website is host to fascinating self-study resources written by Cambridge academics and postgraduates to give potential applicants an introduction to university level learning and independent study.
Related Links
- Entrance requirements
Related Documents
Transcripts.
![application/pdf PDF icon](https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png)
Cambridge Admissions Office
- Cambridge Admissions Office Student Services Centre New Museums Site Cambridge CB2 3PT
- Events: [email protected]
- General admissions: [email protected]
- Students chat
About this site
Our website
Privacy policy
Participant data and booking policies
Information for
Care leavers and estranged students
© 2024 University of Cambridge
- Contact the University
- Accessibility
- Freedom of information
- Privacy policy and cookies
- Statement on Modern Slavery
- Terms and conditions
- University A-Z
- Undergraduate
- Postgraduate
- Research news
- About research at Cambridge
- Spotlight on...
- College Application
The Best Cambridge Personal Statement Examples
![personal statement for cambridge university Cambridge Personal Statement Examples](https://assets.bemoacademicconsulting.com/files/tz7EuOt8UQfhr8Ty3yVNJVmNUOJSXVY7HDlcsMHA.jpg)
A deep perusal of Cambridge personal statement examples can help you understand how to go about crafting your own finely honed statement. You can also look at college letter of intent samples, diversity essay examples – also called diversity secondary essays – or the Common App essay for inspiration.
Writing college essays is tough. Whether you need help with how to start a college essay or how to structure your college essay, reading essay samples written for Cambridge will help you navigate this intimidating process and submit a personal statement that impresses the admissions committee. Now let’s dive in!
>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<
Article Contents 8 min read
Cambridge personal statement examples, example no.1.
Working as a private tutor has changed my life dramatically. I started out because some of my peers wanted assistance with their studies, but I quickly became frustrated. Tutoring seemed like an easy way to make money. All I had to do was explain some concepts – or so I thought. When I started tutoring, I would read out a lesson or concept, then go over problems with my student until I knew they could handle that particular problem, and I would be back for the next session. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something deeper to teaching a subject.
I was working with my friend Eli on math every week. What frustrated me with Eli was that, although he could grasp concepts, he was always in need of help. I realised that I wasn’t helping Eli; I was only teaching him one concept at a time. What I needed to do was teach Eli how to learn. It wasn’t enough to show him answers and equations; I had to teach him how to spark his curiosity. I had to teach him how to think, not what to think. This was the missing element in my instruction. It wasn’t enough that I should help a student grasp a difficult concept, but rather to acquire the tools he would need to grow in his curiosity and approach to studying.
Want to learn easy ways to make your college essay standout? Watch this video:
When next I taught Eli, I changed my methods. Instead of just telling Eli when to use a specific calculus formula, I started bringing in oddly shaped containers and showing him how calculus would be useful in determining their volume. Giving him physical mysteries to solve and showing him the applicability of calculus fired Eli’s imagination and engaged him far more. I was on my way to teaching Eli how to think.
Eli needed fewer sessions after that, which became my measurement of success. Strangely enough, doing my work optimally would put myself out of a job. While there will always be new students to help, the goal of a teacher or tutor should not be to keep working with one student, but to help that student move beyond the teacher and then to seek out the next growing mind to aid.
I felt like I was ready to throw my computer monitor out the window or give up entirely on coding. I was trying to learn how to programme a video game, but I was becoming frustrated with my project. Our deadline was looming, and I felt like I had taken on a bigger project than I could handle.
Fortunately, I learnt the most valuable lesson that day. My friend, Kaylee, noticed my frustration and asked, “Can I help?”. I showed her what was wrong, and she helped me move past my hurdles and smooth out my code. I shared some of my ideas, and we both went away with a better understanding of computer coding. Along with improving my own project and getting over my own frustrating hurdle, I was also able to help Kaylee. Our conversations throughout the day had me suggesting several shortcuts to tighten up her coding language, making it more efficient and precise. While I hadn’t intended to help Kaylee, our collaboration benefited her as well.
The lesson was to stay connected. We live increasingly in a virtual world, from social media to online work-from-home jobs, and it is harder than ever to maintain connections with actual human beings. This led Kaylee and me to found the “Human Programming Club,” which emphasised human interaction, along with collaboration and a team effort. The club grew to include several schools in our area, which improved the programming experience of a lot of computer science students in our city.
Your Computer Science programme emphasises these human and collaborative elements. In second year, students work on a group project “…which reflects current industrial practice.” This emphasis on working together attracted me to your programme and is the reason I am applying. The Cambridge Ring, which emphasises social, career and community, is something I would love to be a part of. This is also because I have long-term goals that I believe will be best served with this type of education.
My plan is to bring the liveliness of the Human Programming Club to our current computing technologies, both in programming environments and through the interactions we have with machines and with apps in our day-to-day lives. I want our interactions with computers to serve relationships and human society, not replace them. Most importantly, I want to bring an inclusiveness and sense of belonging to the world of programming. When we emphasised these aspects of our Human Programming Club, we saw an increase in underrepresented persons among the membership. Making marginalised persons feel more accepted in the world of coding and computer science would be amazing. You also offer positive action programmes for women and LGBTQ+ computer science students, and I find this encouraging and something I would like to support.
I believe your programme is optimal for me to work towards those goals, and I hope to hear from you – and connect – soon.
Want to learn strategies to increase your chances of getting into an Ivy League School? Check this out:
Example No.3
The sky seemed smaller when I saw the eagle pass across the sun. I immediately pulled out the nature journal I had with me. These journals have kept track of every scientific discovery I have experienced. I did a quick sketch of the bird – some extras of the wings – and wrote down my observations. I also recorded questions about the bird – mostly diet and habitat – that occurred to me while sketching. My journals, based on Kipling’s “six honest serving men” (What, Why, When, How, Where and Who), guided and augmented my insatiable curiosity. I returned from my US vacation with two full journals of sketches and questions about everything. Fascinated with how a bird’s wing works, it became an obsession at the library for weeks.
These questions gave me purpose in another favourite place of mine: the lab. I couldn’t wait to get home and get into the science labs of my school, which would provide me the opportunity to ask my questions and get answers. My teacher, Mr. Shepherd, books the lab for me after school to allow me to go deeper into research. He has helped me set up experiments in aerodynamics, lift and velocity, which would help me to understand a bird’s wing better.
I also used my shop class time to build different gliders to test. I tried one that really flapped, but it never got off the ground. Still, I learnt why it couldn’t work – the wood was too heavy for the small engines I used. That failure became as informative as a success would have been.
I love all aspects of scientific inquiry, and it is for this reason that I have applied to your Biological Sciences programme, which is both comprehensive and focused. I am particularly interested in your research projects on organisms, evolution and ecology. How do new species arise? How did we get to the species we have now? Birds’ wings didn’t come from nowhere, and I’d love to explore the past, present and future of the evolution of species. I believe your programme will allow me this opportunity.
Cambridge recommends that you follow the UCAS advice on personal statements when writing your own. While acceptance to Cambridge is based solely on academic criteria (ability and potential), your personal statement may be discussed during the interview, so it is an important aspect of your college interview prep .
When writing your personal statement, consider the following 4 points highlighted by Cambridge:
It will also be helpful to keep Cambridge’s core values and mission statement in mind and reflect those ideals in your essay.
Also remember that every essay is, to some extent, a “ why this college” essay . You should always use that as a baseline for how to write a college essay .
Mission Statement
“The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence."
Core Values
Freedom of thought and expression
Freedom from discrimination
Integrating Values
You don’t need to specifically use the exact wording Cambridge chooses, but your essays should reflect these goals. Here’s what every essay can include:
- Something to show that you think about your community and the global community, to correspond with the stated goal of contributing to society
- A focus on education and research – mentioning your curiosity or pursuit of knowledge
- Expressing yourself and telling your story to fulfil one half of the core values
- Are there any ways you represent diversity? This could be in your personal profile or experiences, but more important will be ways you might have contributed to assisting diversity, progress, or the advancement of underrepresented persons.
All Cambridge personal statements have a 4,000-character cap, which includes spaces, and must be no longer than 47 lines. Some universities might have college essay topics , but Cambridge’s personal statements are not prompt-based.
These three examples should give you a good sense of the structure, tone and content you can consider in your Cambridge personal statement.
If you still need more examples, you can get good insights from different institutions’ requirements, such as the Oxford personal statement . Columbia Medical School secondary essay examples or Brown Medical School secondary essay examples might not seem germane to your Cambridge essays, but they will still provide you with the structure and focus you need. Looking at other essay systems, such as the one that applies to the AMCAS personal statement , might also give you ideas.
Cambridge University personal statements should be no more than 4,000 characters, and this number includes spaces.
No. If you express yourself well, it doesn’t really matter if you have a shorter personal statement. Brevity is a good thing, provided you have fully communicated why you are the perfect candidate for the programme to which you are applying.
Give examples of your connection to the programme you are interested in, and remember the rule of “Show, don’t tell” when communicating this. Traits you want to show include curiosity, passion, and personal growth. You might choose to highlight some of your extracurriculars for college , too.
Anything irrelevant, which has no bearing on your goals or accomplishments, as well as anything negative. You don’t want to cast yourself in a negative light or just be perceived as a negative person.
Stay very focused on one or two main points. You must show your greatest strengths and connect yourself to the programme. You don’t need to include everything, so just focus on one, driving point.
Start with a good “hook” sentence and use your opening paragraph to set up the rest of the essay. Keep to one theme per paragraph and link everything together with your conclusion for the perfect essay.
They will want to see creativity, curiosity, persistence, a good work ethic, a connection to the material and some sense of goals and aspirations. College admissions consulting , such as a college essay review service , can give you excellent advice on your personal statement.
Two or three weeks, working daily on your statement, to give you the chance to not only write, but re-write, refine, edit, proofread and find someone to read and critique your paper.
Brainstorming for a few minutes will help. Take two or three minutes and a blank page and write down everything you love about your chosen subject. Free-associate, and you’ll almost definitely have something when your time is up.
Want more free tips? Subscribe to our channels for more free and useful content!
Apple Podcasts
Like our blog? Write for us ! >>
Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions, get started now.
Talk to one of our admissions experts
Our site uses cookies. By using our website, you agree with our cookie policy .
FREE Training Webinar:
How to make your college applications stand out, (and avoid the top 5 mistakes that get most rejected).
![logo-Oxbridge-Mind - Oxbridge Mind Oxbridge-Mind](https://oxbridgemind.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/logo-lg-300x86.png)
Top 10 Tips On Cambridge HSPS Personal Statement
Who are you, who would you like to become, and how are you different from other Cambridge applicants? Your HSPS Cambridge Personal Statement is a crucial component in your university application as it gives you a chance to articulate why you’re particularly interested in HSPS and to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Additionally, it offers the HSPS interviewer at Cambridge a focal point to base discussions about your personality, interests and deduce your commitment to the subject you’re applying for. To help guide you through the process, our Cambridge application experts have compiled a list of top 10 tips for everything you should do and not do for your Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPS) Personal Statement for the Cambridge 2023/24 application cycle.
Human, Social and Political Sciences (HSPS) is a course that comprises three fundamental disciplines:
- Politics and International Relations which explores politics between and within varying countries;
- Social anthropologists which studies social and cultural diversity;
- Sociology, which centres on the nature and processes that create modern societies.
Your HSPS Personal Statement must clearly demonstrate the link between all three domains. Moreover, when planning out your HSPS personal statement, make sure you research Cambridge’s achievements in the field of HSPS and include it into your writing to illustrate your interest in HSPS.
Additionally, when creating your HSPS personal statement , understandably you’ll be applying to four other University courses which may result in your statement being more vague. The University of Cambridge is aware of this and will require you to fill out an ‘Online Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ)’ shortly after submitting the UCAS application, so make sure you’ve created another condensed version of your personal statement that can be directly submitted to Cambridge.
Some Cambridge colleges may require applicants for this course to take a written assessment if shortlisted for an HSPS interview. These colleges include Hughes Hall College, King’s College, Murray Edwards College, Newnham College, Peterhouse College, St Edmund’s College, and Wolfson College . You will not need to register in advance for this assessment and the Cambridge college you have applied to will provide details directly to you. Find out more about this here .
![Screenshot-2024-01-23-at-15.52.41 - Oxbridge Mind Cambridge HSPS personal statement](https://oxbridgemind.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-23-at-15.52.41.png)
Top 5 Tips for a Cambridge HSPS Personal Statement
Tell your story.
Your journey to deciding to study HSPS at Cambridge will be what makes you stand out from other applicants. Consider why you became interested, any relevant reading that has helped your decision, and your choice in selecting Cambridge University. The Cambridge admissions tutors will be looking out for relevant skills and experience during the HSPS interview so make sure to mention this.
What makes you suitable
What distinguishes you from all other Cambridge applicants applying for HSPS? What work experience, or extra-curricular work have you done that you can talk about that might set you apart from everyone else? Examples include readings related to the three disciplines listed above, or any other work you have undertaken in sociology, politics or anthropology.
Read around the subject you’re applying for
Because the competition with Cambridge is so great, demonstrating you have undertaken extra-curricular work will impress the Cambridge admissions tutors. Examples include reading around the subject in whichever topics interest you, be it politics or sociology. You can also listen to relevant podcasts online, such as ‘ The Target Oxbridge Podcast ’ to listen to current Cambridge students’ experiences and take their specific advice for when they applied.
Proofread & read aloud your work
Once you’re happy with the content of your draft, check it, check it and check it again! Useful people to ask to proofread your work include a teacher in the field, a current Cambridge student, and a student who is studying HSPS. By allowing people to take a look at your statement, they would be able to pick up mistakes or name improvements that you may have missed.
Why HSPS?
What interested you in HSPS to begin with? With reference to the three disciplines taught by Cambridge above, think about what inspired you to pursue HSPS at Cambridge. Consider the career choices you’ll have – examples include public policy, development work, or charity work. Additionally, mention why you chose to pursue education at Cambridge over other universities.
![Screenshot-2024-01-23-at-15.53.46-1 - Oxbridge Mind Cambridge HSPS personal statement](https://oxbridgemind.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-23-at-15.53.46-1.png)
Top 5 things to AVOID for your Cambridge HSPS Personal Statement
Writing a list of achievements.
Avoid listing things for the sake of it. Make sure each point is relevant and backed up by evidence. This will show the Cambridge admissions tutors that you have an understanding of a HSPS degree and understand some of what it entails.
Don’t write anything that isn’t true
Don’t exaggerate. You may be asked to provide evidence of your stated achievements, or if you are interviewed you may be asked detailed questions about things you’ve mentioned. It will reflect poorly on you if you are unable to answer questions about your Personal Statement.
Copying someone else’s personal statements
Don’t plagiarise. Do not copy someone else’s UCAS personal statement or use something you have found on the internet. UCAS uses software to check every personal statement for plagiarism.
Not reflecting on or justifying your point
Write succinctly and explain points without repeating yourself. Expand on how you’ve acquired certain skills and why they’re important. Examples in HSPS include critical reflection and analytical skills. Remember, quality is always better than quantity- it’s better to expand on a few points than to list every point you can without going into detail.
Don’t sound unprofessional
Steer clear of slang, clichés and quotes. It will sound repetitive to Cambridge admissions tutors to hear about how students are “passionate” about their subject or that they have a “thirst for knowledge”. Write about your personal experience with your HSPS journey, and allow the Cambridge admissions tutors to do the rest.
How can I make my personal statement stand out for the HSPS course at Cambridge?
Your personal statement should reflect a deep interest in and engagement with social sciences. Highlight your understanding of the subjects within HSPS like politics, sociology, anthropology, or international relations. Discuss books, articles, or current events that have inspired you and link them to the course structure at Cambridge. It’s also effective to demonstrate critical thinking and analytical skills by presenting your unique perspective or insights on these topics.
Should I focus on one specific area within HSPS or cover multiple disciplines in my statement?
The HSPS course at Cambridge is interdisciplinary, so it’s beneficial to show a broad interest across the various social sciences. However, if you have a particular passion for one area, it’s good to delve into it, explaining why it fascinates you and how it relates to other disciplines. Balance is key: express your enthusiasm for specific topics while illustrating your openness and curiosity about the breadth of human, social, and political sciences.
How important is it to include extracurricular activities in my personal statement for HSPS?
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Advice and feedback from our expert tutors on writing a standout personal statement
Prepare for your interview with the help of our expert Oxbridge tutors, who will personalise your sessions according to university and college
This comprehensive course includes tutorials, sample scenarios and model answers and award-winning strategies!
- FREE Applying to Oxbridge Course
- FREE Applying to Law Course
- FREE Applying to Medicine Course
- FREE Oxbridge Admissions Test Past Papers
![oxbridge interview - Oxbridge Mind free oxbridge interview questions](https://oxbridgemind.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/oxbridge-interview.png)
- Ask a question Ask
- go advanced Search
- Please enter a title
- Please enter a message
- Your discussion will live here... (Start typing, we will pick a forum for you) Please select a forum Change forum View more forums... View less forums... GCSEs A-levels Applications, Clearing and UCAS University Life Student Finance England Part-time and temporary employment Chat Everyday issues Friends, family and work Relationships Health News Student Surveys and Research
- post anonymously
- All study help
- Uni applications
- University and HE colleges
- University help and courses
- University student life
Postgraduate
- Careers and jobs
- Teacher training
- Finance and accountancy
- Relationships
- Sexual health
- Give feedback or report a problem
- University and university courses
- Universities and HE colleges
- Life and style
- Entertainment
- Debate and current affairs
- Careers and Jobs
- Scottish qualifications
- Foreign languages
- GCSE articles
- A-level articles
- Exam and revision articles
- What to do after GCSEs
- What to do after A-levels
- When is A-level results day 2024?
- When is GCSE results day 2024?
- Studying, revision and exam support
- Grow your Grades
Exam results articles and chat
- Exam results homepage
- A guide to GCSE and A-level grade boundaries
- Year 13 chat
- Year 12 chat
- Year 11 chat
A-level results
- Guide to A-level results day
- Get help preparing for results day
- A-level retakes and resits
- Exam reviews and remarks
- Here’s what to expect on A-level results day
- Six ways to help results day nerves
- Understanding your A-level results slip
GCSE results
- Guide to GCSE results day
- How GCSE combined science grades work
- Stressed about GCSE results day?
- Understanding your GCSE results slip
Finding a uni in Clearing
- Clearing articles and chat
- UK university contact details
- Guide to Clearing
- Seven things people get wrong about Clearing
- How to make a great Clearing call
- Finding accommodation after Clearing
- How Clearing can help you prepare for results day
- All universities
- Applying through Ucas
- Student finance
- Personal statement
- Postgraduate study
- Uni accommodation
- University life
- All uni courses
- Apprenticeships
- Arts and humanities courses
- Stem courses
- Social science courses
Universities by region
- North of England
- South of England
- Greater London
- Distance learning
- International study
University guides and articles
- All university articles
- Applying to uni articles
- Personal statements
- Personal statement examples
- University open days
- Studying law at university
- Student life at university
- Careers and jobs discussion
- Apprenticeships discussion
- Part-time and temp jobs
- Career forums by sector
- Armed forces careers
- Consultancy careers
- Finance careers
- Legal careers
- Marketing careers
- Medicine and healthcare careers
- Public sector careers
- Stem careers
- Teaching careers
- General chat
- Relationships chat
- Friends, family and colleagues
- Advice on everyday issues
- General health
- Mental health
- UK and world politics
- Educational debate
Undergraduate
- Postgraduate Master’s Loan
- Postgraduate Doctoral Loan
- Disabled Students’ Allowances
- Taking a break or withdrawing from your course
Further information
- Parents and partners
- Advanced Learner Loan
Cambridge University Personal Statements
The Student Room and The Uni Guide are both part of The Student Room Group.
- Main topics
- GCSE and A-level
- Exam results
- Life and relationships
Get Started
- Today's posts
- Unanswered posts
- Community guidelines
- TSR help centre
- Cookies & online safety
- Terms & conditions
- Privacy notice
Connect with TSR
© Copyright The Student Room 2023 all rights reserved
The Student Room and The Uni Guide are trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd.
Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. 806 8067 22 Registered Office: Imperial House, 2nd Floor, 40-42 Queens Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3XB
![personal statement for cambridge university Cambridge Students' Union](https://www.cambridgesu.co.uk/stylesheet/template/logo-grn-500.png)
- How we work
- Services we offer
- Access to Cambridge
- Welfare & Community
- Find a Society
- Start a Society
- Support for Societies
- Training & Workshops
- Student Discounts
- Student-Led Outreach
- Cambridge Students' Awards
- Events Calendar
- Student Research Exhibition
- Free Drug Checking Kits
- Gender Expression Fund
- Information and Guidance
- Out of Hours Support
- Sexual Health Scheme
- Student Advice Service
- Exams & Assessments
- Guide to Personal Statements
In this section
- Alternative Bops Guide
- Cambridge Careers Guide
- Content notes guidance for faculties & departments
- Disabled Students' 101
- Disorientation Guide
- Double Time Guide
- Ethical Affairs Campaigning Guide
- Exams Guide
- Freshers' Welcome Guide
- General Information Guide for Students
- Housing Toolkit for College MCRs
- How to spot TERF ideology
- How to support your friends
- Managing supervisor issues
- Managing your society directory profile
- Online safety guide
- Students' Guide to Finance
- Trans Inclusion Guide
- Undergraduate Intermission
- Year Abroad Guide
- Printable Assets
- Reports & Research
- Zines & Publications
GUIDE TO PERSONAL STATEMENTS & WIDER READING
Shadab Ahmed, Access & Funding Officer 2018-19
![personal statement for cambridge university](https://www.cambridgesu.co.uk/pageassets/resources/guides/personalstatements/11.jpg)
The application process is a confusing one when there is little guidance. Austerity has meant that teachers are not properly paid, they are overworked and do not have the time to learn about the intricacies of different admissions systems across the UK and the globe. This puts some students at a significant disadvantage, or at least a perceived one, which is just as harmful.
Cambridge itself has additional steps to take in order to get through the admissions process, including interviews and assessments, when added to an earlier deadline, this puts off many talented individuals from applying to university.
This guide aims to help demystify what Cambridge expects from a personal statement, but is also useful for anyone trying to get to grips with writing one for any university, and will allow students to hopefully engage with wider reading so they can truly see what they want to study.
DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE
The Uni Guide has a fresh new look
- Teacher training
- Bangor University
- Birmingham City University
- Sheffield Hallam University
- University of Aberdeen
- University of East Anglia
- University of Hull
- University of Kent
- University of Reading
- A-level choices
- GCSE choices and university
- Choosing a course
- Making firm and insurance choices
- University open days
- Top questions to ask at a university open day
- Ucas Extra explained
- Understanding conditional offers
- University offers: what they mean and what to do next
- Getting the most from Ucas university fairs
- What do I need to get into Oxbridge?
- What to do if you don’t get an offer from your first choice university
- What you need to know about getting a university scholarship, grant or bursary
- AS and A-levels explained
- Is a higher or degree apprenticeship right for you?
- Universities
By Nik Taylor (Editor, The Uni Guide) | 18 August 2023 | 22 min read
How to write an excellent personal statement in 10 steps
Stand out from the crowd: here's how to write a good personal statement that will get you noticed
Share this page
Email & print.
![personal statement for cambridge university personal statement for cambridge university](https://cdn.theuniguide.co.uk/uploads/image/file/10945/advice_related_at_75_percent_quality_shutterstock_1907325295_TUG_header.jpg)
Your personal statement forms a core part of your university application, and the sooner you get going, the better you can make it. You may think that your personal statement won’t matter as much to unis as your grades and experience but a great personal statement could make all the difference between you and a candidate with the same grades. Sure, your application might not reach that deal breaker stage. But is it something you want to leave to chance? Here we’ll take you through the process of planning, writing and checking a good personal statement, so you end up with something you can submit with confidence. And to make sure the advice we're giving you is sound, we’ve spoken to admissions staff at loads of UK universities to get their view. Look out for video interviews and advice on applying for specific subjects throughout this piece or watch our personal statement playlist on YouTube .
- Are you looking for personal statement examples? Check our library of hundreds of real personal statements, on The Student Room
Personal statement deadlines
You'll need to make sure you've got your personal statement written well in advance of your application deadline. Below are the main university application deadline dates for 2024 entry.
2024 entry deadlines
16 October 2023: Deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge universities, along with most medicine, dentistry, and veterinary courses. 31 January 2024: Deadline for applications to the majority of undergraduate courses. After this date, universities will start allocating places on these courses – but you can still apply after the 31 January deadline , as this article explains . 30 June 2024: Students who apply after this date will be entered into Clearing .
- Read more: Ucas deadlines and key application dates
What is a personal statement?
A personal statement is a central part of your Ucas application, where you explain why you’ve chosen a particular course and why you’ll be good at it. It's your chance to stand out against other candidates and hopefully get that all-important offer. You only write one personal statement which is then read by each university you apply to, so if you are applying for more than one subject (or it's a combined course) it's crucial that you include common themes or reference the overall skills needed for all subjects. Personal statements are especially important if you’re trying to get on a very competitive course, where you need to do anything you can to stand out to admissions tutors. Courteney Sheppard, senior customer experience manager at Ucas, advises that your personal statement is "the only part of the application that you have direct control over. Do lots of research to demonstrate your passion, curiosity and drive to pursue your chosen subject." There’s a limit on how much you can write: your personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of 95 characters (including spaces); whichever is shorter. This may appear generous (read: long) but once you've got going you may find yourself having to edit heavily.
- Read more: teacher secrets for writing a great personal statement
1. Plan what you want to cover
The first thing you need to do is make a plan. Writing a personal statement off the top of your head is difficult. Start by making some notes, answering the following questions:
- What do you want to study?
- Why do you want to study it?
- What is there about you that shows you’re suited to studying this subject at university? Think about your personality, as well as your experiences.
- What are your other interests and skills?
These few points are going to form the spine of your personal statement, so write them in a way that makes sense to you. You might want to make a simple bulleted list or you might want to get all arty and use a mindmap. Whatever you choose, your aim is the same. You want to get it clear in your own head why a university should offer you a place on its course. Getting those details down isn't always easy, and some people find it helpful to make notes over time. You might try carrying a notebook with you or set up a memo on your phone. Whenever you think of something useful for your personal statement, jot it down. Inspiration sometimes comes more easily when you’re thinking about something else entirely. It might help to take a look at The Student Room for some sample personal statements by university and sample personal statements by subjects , to give you an idea of the kind of thing you want to include.
- Read more: personal statement FAQs
2. Show off your experience
Some things are worth adding to your personal statement, some things are not. Firmly in the second camp are your qualifications. You don’t need to mention these as there’s a whole other section of your personal statement where you get to detail them very precisely. Don’t waste a single character going on about how great your GCSE grades are – it’s not what the admissions tutor wants to read. What they do want to see is: what have you done? OK, so you’ve got some good grades, but so do a lot of other applicants. What have you done that’s different, that shows you off as someone who really loves the subject you’re applying for? Spend some time thinking about all the experience you have in that subject. If you’re lucky, this might be direct work experience. That’s going to be particularly appropriate if you’re applying for one of the more vocational subjects such as medicine or journalism . But uni staff realise getting plum work experience placements is easier for some people than others, so cast your net wider when you’re thinking about what you’ve done. How about after-school clubs? Debating societies? Are you running a blog or vlog? What key skills and experience have you picked up elsewhere (eg from hobbies) that could be tied in with your course choice? Remember, you’re looking for experience that shows why you want to study your chosen subject. You’re not just writing an essay about what you're doing in your A-level syllabus. Use this checklist as a guide for what to include:
- Your interest in the course. Why do you want to spend three years studying this subject at university?
- What have you done outside school or college that demonstrates this interest? Think about things like fairs/exhibitions, public lectures or voluntary work that is relevant to your subject.
- Relevant work experience (essential for the likes of medicine, not required for non-vocational courses such as English )
- Skills and qualities required for that career if appropriate (medicine, nursing and law as obvious examples)
- Interest in your current studies – what particular topics have made an impression on you?
- Any other interests/hobbies/experiences you wish to mention that are relevant either to the subject or 'going to uni'. Don't just list your hobbies, you need to be very selective and state clearly what difference doing these things has made to you.
- Plans for a gap year if you’re deferring entry.
Read more: 6 steps you need to take to apply to university
3. Be bold about your achievements
Don't be bashful about your achievements; that’s not going to help you get into uni. It's time to unleash your inner Muhammed Ali and get all “I am the greatest” with your writing. Do keep it focused and accurate. Do keep your language professional. But don’t hide your qualities beneath a layer of false modesty. Your personal statement is a sell – you are selling yourself as a brilliant student and you need to show the reader why that is true. This doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and if you’re finding it difficult to write about how great you are it’s time to enlist some help. Round up a friend or two, a family member, a teacher, whoever and get them to write down your qualities. Getting someone else’s view here can help you get some perspective. Don’t be shy. You are selling your skills, your experience and your enthusiasm – make sure they all leap off the screen with the way you have described them.
- Read more: the ten biggest mistakes when writing your personal statement
4. How to start your personal statement
Type your personal statement in a cloud-based word processing program, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word and don’t copy and paste it into Ucas Hub until it’s finished. One of the benefits of doing it this way is that you can run spell check easily. (Please note, though, that Word adds "curly" quotation marks and other characters (like é or ü) that won't show up on your Ucas form, so do proofread it on Ucas Hub before submitting it to ensure it is how you typed it.) Another big benefit is that you'll always have a backup of what you've written. If you're being super careful, you could always save your statement in another place as well. Bear in mind that extra spaces (eg adding spaces to the beginnings of paragraphs as indentation) are removed on Ucas. In your first sentence, cut to the chase. Why do you want to do the course? Don’t waste any time rambling on about the daydreams you had when you were five. Just be clear and concise – describe in one line why this course is so important to you. Then, in the rest of your intro, go into more detail in demonstrating your enthusiasm for the course and explaining how you decided this is what you want to do for the next three or more years. However you choose to start your statement, just avoid the following hoary old chestnuts. These have been some of the most used lines in personal statements over the years – they are beyond cliche, so don’t even think about it.
- From a young age I have (always) been [interested in/fascinated by]…
- For as long as I can remember, I have…
- I am applying for this course because…
- I have always been interested in…
- Throughout my life I have always enjoyed…
- Reflecting on my educational experiences…
- [Subject] is a very challenging and demanding [career/profession/course]…
- Academically, I have always been…
- I have always wanted to pursue a career in…
- I have always been passionate about…
5. Focus your writing on why you've chosen that subject
So you’ve got your intro done – time to nail the rest of it. Bear in mind that you’ve got to be a little bit careful when following a personal statement template. It’s easy to fall into the trap of copying someone else’s style, and in the process lose all of your own voice and personality from your writing. But there is a rough order that you can follow, which should help keep you in your flow. After your opening paragraph or two, get into any work experience (if you’ve got it). Talk about extracurriculars: anything you've done which is relevant to the subject can go here – hobbies, interests, volunteering. Touch on your career aspirations – where do you want this course to take you? Next, show your enthusiasm for your current studies. Cite some specific examples of current work that you enjoyed. Show off your relevant skills and qualities by explaining how you’ve used these in the past. Make sure you’re giving real-world examples here, not just vague assertions like “I’m really organised and motivated”. Try to use examples that are relevant. Follow this up with something about you as a person. Talk about non-academic stuff that you like to do, but link it in some way with the course, or with how it shows your maturity for dealing with uni life. Round it all off by bringing your main points together, including a final emphasis of your commitment to studying this particular course.
- Read more: how to write your personal statement in an evening
6. How long should a personal statement be?
You've got to work to a very specific limit when writing your personal statement. In theory you could use up to 4,000 characters – but you’re probably more likely to be limited by the line count. That's because it's a good idea to put line breaks in between your paragraphs (to make it more readable) and you only get a maximum of 47 lines. With this in mind, 3,500 characters is a more realistic limit. But when you’re getting started you should ignore these limits completely. At first, you just want to get down everything that you feel is important. You'll probably end up with something that is far too long, but that's fine. This is where you get to do some polishing and pruning. Keep the focus of your piece on the course you’re applying for, why you want to do it and why you’re perfectly suited to it. Look through what you’ve written so far – have you got the balance right? Chop out anything that goes on a bit, as you want each point to be snappy and succinct.
- Read more: universities reveal all about personal statements
7. Keep it simple
8. Smart ways to end your personal statement
Writing a closing line that you’re happy with can feel as tricky as coming up with your opener. What you’re looking for here is a sign-off that is bold and memorable. The final couple of sentences in your statement give you the opportunity to emphasise all the good stuff you’ve already covered. Use this space to leave the reader in no doubt as to what an excellent addition you would be to their university. Pull together all your key points and – most importantly – address the central question that your personal statement should answer: why should you get a place on the course?
- Read more: universities explain how to end your personal statement with a bang
9. Make sure your personal statement has no mistakes
Now you’ve got a personal statement you’re happy with, you need to make sure there are no mistakes. Check it, check it a second time, then check it again. Once you’ve done that, get someone else to check it, too. You will be doing yourself a massive disservice if you send through a personal statement with spelling and/or grammatical errors. You’ve got months to put this together so there really is no excuse for sending through something that looks like a rush job. Ask your teachers to look at it, and be prepared to accept their feedback without getting defensive. They will have seen many personal statements before; use what they tell you to make yours even better. You’ve also got another chance here to look through the content of your personal statement, so you can make sure the balance is right. Make sure your focus is very clearly on the subject you are applying for and why you want to study it. Don’t post your personal statement on the internet or social media where anyone can see it. You will get picked up by the Ucas plagiarism checker. Similarly, don't copy any that you find online. Instead, now is a good time to make your parents feel useful. Read your personal statement out to them and get them to give you feedback. Or try printing it out and mixing it up with a few others (you can find sample personal statements on The Student Room). Get them to read them all and then try to pick yours out. If they can't, perhaps there's not enough of your personality in there.
10. Don't think about your personal statement for a whole week
If you followed the advice at the very start of this guide, you’ve started your personal statement early. Good job! There are months before you need to submit it. Use one of these weeks to forget about your personal statement completely. Get on with other things – anything you like. Just don’t go near your statement. Give it a whole week and then open up the document again and read through it with fresh eyes. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on what you’ve written and will be well placed to make more changes, if needed.
- Read more: how to write your personal statement when you have nothing interesting to say
10 steps to your ideal personal statement
In summary, here are the ten steps you should follow to create the perfect personal statement.
Personal statement dos and don'ts
- Remember that your personal statement is your personal statement, not an article written about your intended field of study. It should tell the reader about you, not about the subject.
- Only put in things that you’re prepared to talk about at the interviews.
- Give convincing reasons for why you want to study the course – more than just "enjoying the subject" (this should be a given).
- For very competitive courses, find out as much as you can about the nature of the course and try to make your personal statement relevant to this.
- Be reflective. If you make a point like 'I like reading', 'I travelled abroad', say what you got from it.
- Go through the whole thing checking your grammar and your spelling. Do this at least twice. It doesn’t matter if you’re not applying to an essay-based course – a personal statement riddled with spelling mistakes is just going to irritate the reader, which is the last thing you want to do. If this is something you find difficult then have someone look over it for you.
- Leave blank lines between your paragraphs. It’s easier for the reader to get through your personal statement when it’s broken into easily digestible chunks. Remember that they’re going to be reading a lot of these! Make yours easy to get through.
- Get someone else's opinion on your statement. Read it out to family or friends. Share it with your teacher. Look for feedback wherever you can find it, then act upon it.
- Don’t write it like a letter. Kicking off with a greeting such as "Dear Sir/Madam" not only looks weird, it also wastes precious space.
- Don’t make jokes. This is simply not the time – save them for your first night in the union.
- Don’t criticise your current school or college or try to blame teachers for any disappointing grades you might have got.
- Be afraid of details – if you want your PS to be personal to you that means explaining exactly which bits of work or topics or activities you've taken part in/enjoyed. It's much more compelling to read about one or two detailed examples than a paragraph that brushes over five or six.
- Just list what you're doing now. You should pull out the experiences that are relevant to the courses which you're applying to.
- Mention skills and activities without giving examples of when they have been demonstrated by you or what you learnt from them. Anyone can write "I have great leadership skills" in a PS, actually using a sentence to explain when you demonstrated good leadership skills is much rarer and more valuable.
- Refer to experiences that took place before your GCSEs (or equivalent).
- Give explanations about medical or mental health problems. These should be explained in your reference, not your PS.
- Apply for too many different courses, making it difficult to write a convincing personal statement which supports the application.
- Write a statement specific to just one institution, unless you're only applying to that one choice.
- Copy and paste the statement from somewhere else! This means do not plagiarise. All statements are automatically checked for plagiarism by Ucas. Those that are highlighted by the computer system are checked manually by Ucas staff. If you’re found to have plagiarised parts of your statement, the universities you apply to will be informed and it could jeopardise your applications.
- Use ChatGPT or another AI program to write your personal statement for you. Or, if you do, make sure you thoroughly edit and personalise the text so it's truly yours. Otherwise you're very much at risk of the plagiarism point above.
You may want to look at these...
How to write your university application.
Tips for writing your university application, including deadlines and personal statements
What to do if you miss the 25 January Ucas deadline and still want to apply to uni
How long does it take for universities to reply to your application?
It might feel like it's taking forever for your uni offers to come through. Find out what's going on, and when you should hear back
Where could your A-levels take you?
Enter your a-level choices below to find out.
- Enter A-level option 1 Accounting Afrikaans Anthropology Arabic Archaeology Art and Design Bahasa Basque Bengali Biology Business Studies Chemistry Chinese Classical Civilisation Communication Studies Computer Science Craft and Design Critical Thinking Czech Dance Danish Design Design and Technology Drama and Theatre Studies Dutch Economics Electronics Engineering English Language English Language and Literature English Literature Environmental Studies Fijian Film Studies Fine Art Finnish Food Technology French Further Mathematics Gaelic General Studies Geography Geology German Government and Politics Graphics Greek Gujurati Health and Social Care Hebrew Hindi History History of Art Hungarian ICT Irish Italian Japanese Latin Latvian Law Leisure and Recreation Malay Mathematics Media Studies Mongolian Music Nepali Norwegian Panjabi Performing Arts Persian Philosophy Photography Physical Education Physics Polish Portuguese Product Design Psychology Religious Studies Romanian Russian Sanskrit Science Slovak Sociology Spanish Statistics Syariah Tamil Textiles Travel and Tourism Turkish Urdu Welsh World Development
- Enter A-level option 2 Accounting Afrikaans Anthropology Arabic Archaeology Art and Design Bahasa Basque Bengali Biology Business Studies Chemistry Chinese Classical Civilisation Communication Studies Computer Science Craft and Design Critical Thinking Czech Dance Danish Design Design and Technology Drama and Theatre Studies Dutch Economics Electronics Engineering English Language English Language and Literature English Literature Environmental Studies Fijian Film Studies Fine Art Finnish Food Technology French Further Mathematics Gaelic General Studies Geography Geology German Government and Politics Graphics Greek Gujurati Health and Social Care Hebrew Hindi History History of Art Hungarian ICT Irish Italian Japanese Latin Latvian Law Leisure and Recreation Malay Mathematics Media Studies Mongolian Music Nepali Norwegian Panjabi Performing Arts Persian Philosophy Photography Physical Education Physics Polish Portuguese Product Design Psychology Religious Studies Romanian Russian Sanskrit Science Slovak Sociology Spanish Statistics Syariah Tamil Textiles Travel and Tourism Turkish Urdu Welsh World Development
- Enter A-level option 3 Accounting Afrikaans Anthropology Arabic Archaeology Art and Design Bahasa Basque Bengali Biology Business Studies Chemistry Chinese Classical Civilisation Communication Studies Computer Science Craft and Design Critical Thinking Czech Dance Danish Design Design and Technology Drama and Theatre Studies Dutch Economics Electronics Engineering English Language English Language and Literature English Literature Environmental Studies Fijian Film Studies Fine Art Finnish Food Technology French Further Mathematics Gaelic General Studies Geography Geology German Government and Politics Graphics Greek Gujurati Health and Social Care Hebrew Hindi History History of Art Hungarian ICT Irish Italian Japanese Latin Latvian Law Leisure and Recreation Malay Mathematics Media Studies Mongolian Music Nepali Norwegian Panjabi Performing Arts Persian Philosophy Photography Physical Education Physics Polish Portuguese Product Design Psychology Religious Studies Romanian Russian Sanskrit Science Slovak Sociology Spanish Statistics Syariah Tamil Textiles Travel and Tourism Turkish Urdu Welsh World Development
- Enter A-level option 4 Accounting Afrikaans Anthropology Arabic Archaeology Art and Design Bahasa Basque Bengali Biology Business Studies Chemistry Chinese Classical Civilisation Communication Studies Computer Science Craft and Design Critical Thinking Czech Dance Danish Design Design and Technology Drama and Theatre Studies Dutch Economics Electronics Engineering English Language English Language and Literature English Literature Environmental Studies Fijian Film Studies Fine Art Finnish Food Technology French Further Mathematics Gaelic General Studies Geography Geology German Government and Politics Graphics Greek Gujurati Health and Social Care Hebrew Hindi History History of Art Hungarian ICT Irish Italian Japanese Latin Latvian Law Leisure and Recreation Malay Mathematics Media Studies Mongolian Music Nepali Norwegian Panjabi Performing Arts Persian Philosophy Photography Physical Education Physics Polish Portuguese Product Design Psychology Religious Studies Romanian Russian Sanskrit Science Slovak Sociology Spanish Statistics Syariah Tamil Textiles Travel and Tourism Turkish Urdu Welsh World Development
- Get results
![](http://cintadecorrer.fun/777/templates/cheerup1/res/banner1.gif)
Related to this article
Search the uni guide, find further advice or search for information on a course or university.
- Search Advice
- Search courses &/or universities
The Uni Guide and The Student Room are both part of The Student Room Group.
Promoted universities
- Durham University
- Lancaster University
- University of Glasgow
- University of the Arts London
- University of Southampton
- Swansea University
- Aston University, Birmingham
- Ulster University
- Cardiff University
Browse expert advice
- Oxbridge applications
- Ucas application
- Personal statements
- Ucas deadline 2024 countdown
- Clearing and results day
- Preparing for university
- Student accommodation
- Student life
- Student finance
- Advice for parents
About this site
- Cookie policy
- List of universities and colleges
- Privacy notice
- Terms and conditions
- Where we get our info
Who we work with
- Your account settings
Ad privacy settings
Popular tools and features
- A-level Explorer
- Course search
![personal statement for cambridge university personal statement for cambridge university](https://cdn.theuniguide.co.uk/assets/logos/ucas-3f90b0b1f3c72ebc8c62e68571d9c146237bdf9957afed16e020a73f12650830.png)
Connect with us
- Enquire Now
- About SI-UK
- All Global Offices
- Find Your UK University Course
- Free Service
- Premium Service
- Visa Service
- Oxbridge Service
- Medicine Service
- Art and Design Service
- View all Services
- UCAS and Applying
- UK University Rankings 2024
- University Subject Guide
- Scholarships and Funding
- All UK Study Information
- Undergraduate
- Postgraduate and Masters
- All Study Options
- UK University Profiles
- UK University Study Guide
- Language Centre Home
- Pearson Academic English Test
- University News
- Open Days and Events
- Work with Us
![personal statement for cambridge university personal statement for cambridge university](https://siuk-europe.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/banner/Queen-Elizabeth-II-1920-px.jpg)
We use cookies to give you the best online experience. Please let us know if you agree to these cookies.
Updates for International Students If you are an international student interested in UK study from January or September 2022 and need advice and support on topics such as travel, quarantine and financing your studies, stay up to date with the latest Studying in the UK and Coronavirus (COVID-19) information.
Connect with one of our team who can help with your 2022 UK university application today. Enquire Now Close
Connect with one of our team who can help with your 2022 UK university application today.
Enquire Now Close
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Saudi Arabia
- Philippines
![personal statement for cambridge university UK Fair](https://siuk-europe.s3.amazonaws.com/static/original_images/UK-University-Fair-Banner_Desktop.jpg)
- UK University Blog
- Personal Statement for Medicine
Top Tips for your University of Cambridge Medicine Personal Statement
Medicine Oxbridge Personal Statement
Last updated: 10 October 2023
Are you considering applying to study medicine at the prestigious University of Cambridge ? If so, you're undoubtedly aware of the stiff competition and the importance of a well-crafted personal statement. Medicine at Cambridge is highly sought after, attracting some of the brightest and most ambitious students worldwide. Your personal statement is a crucial component of your application, allowing you to stand out and demonstrate your passion for medicine and suitability for the course.
In this article, we'll provide you with the best tips for creating a personal statement for medicine at Cambridge that grabs the admissions team's attention, showcases your qualities, and maximises your chances of being invited for an interview.
Contact SI-UK about your Cambridge application
![personal statement for cambridge university preparing a medicine personal statement cambridge](https://siuk-europe.s3.amazonaws.com/static/original_images/preparing-a-medicine-personal-statement-cambridge.webp)
Understanding the Cambridge Medicine Programme
Before diving into the specifics of crafting your personal statement , it's essential to understand what the Cambridge medicine programme entails. Cambridge's medicine course is unique, with an integrated approach combining clinical and basic sciences from the beginning. The course is designed to produce highly skilled and adaptable medical professionals capable of dealing with the challenges of modern healthcare.
Key Features of the Cambridge Medicine Degree Include:
- Preclinical and Clinical Phases : The course is divided into preclinical and clinical phases, with students gaining early exposure to clinical practice.
- Problem-Based Learning : Cambridge emphasises problem-based learning, where you'll work in small groups to solve clinical cases, promoting critical thinking and teamwork.
- Research Opportunities : The university encourages research and offers numerous opportunities for students to get involved in cutting-edge medical research.
- Supervision System : You'll benefit from the renowned Cambridge supervision system, which provides personalised teaching and support.
- Early Patient Contact : Students have early patient contact, allowing them to develop clinical skills and gain valuable experience.
Understanding these aspects will help you tailor your personal statement to align with the Cambridge medicine programme's philosophy and expectations.
Personal Statement for Cambridge Medicine
Crafting a standout personal statement for Cambridge medicine requires careful planning and ample time. You should start well before the application deadline to allow for multiple drafts and revisions. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
Step 1: Self-Reflection
Begin by reflecting on your motivations for studying medicine and why you want to study it at Cambridge specifically. What experiences have shaped your interest in the field? What qualities and skills do you possess that make you a suitable candidate for the course?
Step 2: Research the Course
Thoroughly research the Cambridge medicine course's structure, teaching methods, and core values. Familiarise yourself with the university's ethos and what they look for in prospective students.
Step 3: Create an Outline
Outline the key points you want to include in your personal statement. Consider how you can demonstrate your passion for medicine, commitment to learning, and suitability for the course.
Step 4: Draft and Revise
Start drafting your personal statement, keeping it concise and focused. Aim for a compelling introduction, a clear body that addresses the key points, and a strong conclusion. Review and revise your draft multiple times to ensure clarity and coherence.
Step 5: Seek Feedback
Share your draft with teachers, mentors, or peers who can provide constructive feedback. Consider their suggestions and make necessary revisions.
Step 6: Final Touch
Before submitting your personal statement, perform a final review for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Ensure that it adheres to Cambridge's guidelines and word limits.
Crafting a Compelling Introduction
Your personal statement's introduction is your chance to captivate the admissions team's attention. Here are some tips to create a compelling opening:
1. Start with an Anecdote
Begin with a brief, relevant anecdote or personal experience that illustrates your passion for medicine. This could be a moment that sparked your interest in the field or a meaningful encounter with a healthcare professional.
2. Use a Thought-Provoking Quote
Consider opening with a thought-provoking quote related to medicine or a broader issue in healthcare. Ensure that the quote is relevant to your narrative.
3. Showcase Your Enthusiasm
Clearly convey your enthusiasm for the subject and your eagerness to embark on the journey of becoming a medical professional. Show that you are genuinely passionate about the field.
Demonstrating Your Suitability
The body of your personal statement is where you should demonstrate your suitability for the Cambridge medicine programme. Here are essential points to cover:
1. Academic Achievements
Highlight your academic achievements and any relevant subjects or courses you've excelled in. Mention any academic awards or distinctions that showcase your commitment to learning.
2. Work Experience
Discuss any work experience or volunteering in healthcare settings. Describe what you learned from these experiences and how they influenced your decision to pursue medicine.
3. Extracurricular Activities
If you've been involved in extracurricular activities related to medicine or healthcare, such as medical societies, research projects, or first aid training, emphasise them. Show how these activities have enhanced your skills and knowledge.
4. Personal Attributes
Highlight your personal qualities that make you well-suited for a career in medicine. These may include empathy, resilience, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication skills. Provide specific examples that demonstrate these attributes.
5. Motivation
Explain why you are specifically interested in the Cambridge medicine programme. Discuss how the programme's unique features align with your aspirations and how you plan to make the most of these opportunities.
Reflecting on Your Experiences
In addition to listing your achievements and qualities, reflecting on your experiences and what you've learned from them is essential. Admissions officers want to see evidence of your self-awareness and your ability to learn and grow. Here's how to do it effectively:
1. Show, Don't Tell
Rather than simply stating your qualities or achievements, provide concrete examples and anecdotes that illustrate them. For instance, instead of saying, "I am empathetic," you could describe a specific patient encounter that showcased your empathy.
2. Discuss Challenges
Don't be afraid to discuss challenges or setbacks you've faced and how you've overcome them. Admissions teams appreciate resilience and the ability to learn from adversity.
3. Link Experiences to Medicine
Whenever possible, link your experiences to your motivation for studying medicine. Explain how each experience has shaped your understanding of and commitment to the field.
Addressing the Ethical Dimension
Medicine is not just a science; it's also an ethical and moral pursuit. Cambridge places significant emphasis on ethical considerations in medical practice. Therefore, it's crucial to address the ethical dimension in your personal statement, Cambridge:
1. Ethical Dilemmas
Discuss any ethical dilemmas you've encountered during your experiences in healthcare or medicine. Describe how you navigated these dilemmas and the ethical principles that guided your decisions.
2. Ethical Reflection
Demonstrate your capacity for ethical reflection. Share your thoughts on the importance of ethical considerations in medicine and how you plan to approach ethical challenges as a medical student and future practitioner.
The Importance of Genuine Passion
While it's essential to include all the necessary elements in your personal statement, being genuine is equally important. Admissions teams can spot insincerity from a mile away. Your passion for medicine should shine through every word and example you provide.
Avoid clichés and generic statements that could apply to any applicant. Instead, focus on your unique experiences, perspectives, and aspirations. Be authentic in sharing your journey and why you are truly committed to pursuing a career in medicine.
Tailoring Your Personal Statement for Cambridge
Cambridge has its unique ethos and expectations, and your personal statement should reflect these. Here are some specific points to consider when tailoring your statement for Cambridge:
1. Embrace the Challenge
Highlight your willingness and enthusiasm for tackling the challenges of the Cambridge medicine programme. Discuss how you thrive in a rigorous academic environment and your capacity for self-directed learning.
2. Supervision System
Mention your excitement about the Cambridge supervision system. Emphasise your belief in the value of personalised teaching and mentorship and how you plan to make the most of this opportunity.
3. Interdisciplinary Approach
Cambridge's medicine programme is known for its integrated approach to learning. Show that you appreciate the benefits of combining clinical and basic sciences and how this aligns with your educational goals.
4. Research Focus
If you have a keen interest in medical research, highlight it. Discuss any research experiences or projects you've been involved in and your enthusiasm for contributing to medical knowledge.
Proofread and Polish
Once you've written your personal statement, it's crucial to proofread and polish it to perfection. Here are some tips for the final stages:
1. Proofread for Errors
Thoroughly check your personal statement for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Typos and mistakes can detract from your overall presentation.
2. Ensure Clarity
Make sure your writing is clear and concise. Avoid overly complex language or jargon that might confuse the reader.
3. Stay within Word Limits
Adhere to the word limits set by Cambridge. Going significantly over or under the word limit can negatively affect your application.
4. Seek Feedback
Ask teachers, mentors, or trusted friends to review your final draft. Fresh eyes can catch issues you might have missed.
5. Format Properly
Ensure your personal statement is formatted correctly. Use a legible font, appropriate spacing, and a professional layout.
Final Thoughts
Crafting a compelling personal statement for the Cambridge medicine programme requires careful planning, self-reflection, and attention to detail. Remember that your personal statement is your opportunity to showcase your passion for medicine, your suitability for the course, and your alignment with Cambridge's values.
Be genuine, provide concrete examples, and demonstrate your ethical awareness. Tailor your statement to Cambridge's unique features and emphasise your willingness to embrace the programme's challenges. With dedication and the right approach, you can create a personal statement for medicine admission that stands out and increases your chances of securing a place in the prestigious Cambridge medicine programme. Good luck with your application!
Which is better for medicine, Oxford or Cambridge?
Oxford and Cambridge are both excellent choices for studying medicine, and the quality of education at both universities is top-notch. It's essential to consider factors such as the specific program, faculty, and your personal preferences. You might want to research each university's curriculum, teaching methods, and available clinical opportunities to determine which aligns better with your goals.
Is it hard to study medicine at Cambridge?
Yes, studying medicine at Cambridge is challenging. Medicine is a rigorous and demanding field everywhere, and Cambridge is no exception. You'll have a busy schedule with lectures, practicals, and clinical placements. It requires dedication, time management, and a strong work ethic. However, the support and resources available at Cambridge can help you succeed if you're committed to your studies.
How do I get a full scholarship to Cambridge?
To secure a full scholarship to Cambridge, focus on academic excellence, early application, and a compelling personal statement medicine. Seek scholarships aligned with your field of study, gather strong letters of recommendation, and prepare well for interviews if required. Explore external scholarship options, and contact Cambridge's financial aid office for guidance. Be persistent and dedicated, as competition is high.
Can I get into Cambridge with AAA?
Getting into Cambridge with AAA can be challenging, but it's not impossible. Cambridge University is highly competitive, and they often require top grades. AAA is a good start, but it also depends on the specific course you're applying for and other factors like your personal statement, interview performance, and any additional tests or requirements. So, while AAA is a strong foundation, you should also focus on other aspects of your application to maximise your chances.
Is Oxbridge better than the Ivy League?
Comparing Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge) with the Ivy League universities in the United States is tricky because they have different strengths and specialities. Both are prestigious and offer world-class education, but it depends on your field of interest and personal preferences. Oxbridge is known for its tutorial-style teaching and rich history, while the Ivy League has a broader range of universities with various strengths. Ultimately, it's a matter of which suits your academic and career goals best.
![personal statement for cambridge university study in UK](https://siuk-europe.s3.amazonaws.com/static/original_images/study-guide-free-consultation.webp)
Universities featured in this article:
![personal statement for cambridge university University of Cambridge](https://siuk-europe.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/static/original_images/cambridge-logo.webp)
You might also be interested in...
Blog common admission tests required to study in the uk, blog how to draft a meaningful uk law school personal statement, blog studying medicine in the uk: an event for international students, blog what are the best subjects to study at cambridge university, blog tips and advice for a cambridge architecture personal statement, blog university of cambridge engineering personal statement writing tips.
My consultant was very helpful and motivating. She helped me every step of the way, even when the deadline was so close. I feel I could not have done it without her. I'd highly recommend this service to any and all of my many friends interested. Brishti Basu Biosciences at Coventry University
Leading Universities and SI-UK Partners
![personal statement for cambridge university abbey-dld-colleges](https://siuk-europe.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/static/original_images/abbey-dld-college.jpg)
- © 2024 SI-UK
- All rights reserved
- Privacy Policy -->
![personal statement for cambridge university twitter](https://siuk-europe.s3.amazonaws.com/static/original_images/twitter-x-logo.webp)
Book your Free Consultation
A member of the SI-UK team will be in touch within 24 hours to arrange your initial consultation with one of our UK education experts.
- Oxbridge Law 24/25 Entry
- Non-Oxbridge Law 24/25 Entry
- Oxford PPE 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Economics 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Modern Languages 24/25 Entry
- Cambridge Land Economy 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Psychology 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge English 24/25 Entry
- Oxford Human Sciences 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge History 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Geography 24/25 Entry
- Cambridge Philosophy 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Classics 24/25 Entry
- Cambridge Architecture 24/25 Entry
- Cambridge HSPS Programme 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Medicine 24/25 Entry
- Oxford Biomedical Sciences 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Engineering 24/25 Entry
- Cambridge Natural Science 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Maths 24/25 Entry
- Oxbridge Computer Science 24/25 Entry
- Oxford Physics 24/25 Entry
- Oxford PPL 24/25 Entry
- Cambridge Veterinary Science 24/25 Entry
- Oxford Chemistry 24/25 Entry
- Oxford Biology 24/25 Entry
- Oxford Biochemistry 24/25 Entry
- Non-Oxbridge Medicine 24/25 Entry
- Non-Oxbridge Dentistry 24/25 Entry
- IMAT Medicine 24/25 Entry
- Can’t Find Your Subject?
- Law Interview Programme
- PPE Interview Programme
- Economics Interview Programme
- Oxbridge Medicine Interview Programme
- Natural Science Interview Programme
- Engineering Interview Programme
- Maths Interview Programme
- Dentistry Interview Programme
- Medicine MMI Interview Programme
- Our Guarantee
Our Students
Student Success Stories
- University Access Scheme
- New Tutor Application Form
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How Does It Work?
Enrol on an Oxbridge Programme before 31st July & benefit from a complimentary session with an ex-Oxford lecturer. Schedule your consultation here today.
Enrol on an Oxbridge Programme before 31st July & benefit from a complimentary session with our study psychologist (an ex-Oxford lecturer). Schedule your consultation here today.
- +44 (0) 208 068 0438
- [email protected]
SCIENCE PROGRAMMES (25/26 ENTRY)
HUMANITIES PROGRAMMES (25/26 ENTRY)
GET STARTED
Can't find your subject?
OXFORD TESTS (25/26 ENTRY)
CAMBRIDGE TESTS (25/26 ENTRY)
MEDICINE TESTS (25/26 ENTRY)
View Our Free admissions guides & resources
How UniAdmissions Cracked The Oxbridge Formula
Applying for Oxbridge is an opportunity seldom approached correctly. So how do you enter the top 16% of a strong cohort of applicants that get an offer? Discover how UniAdmissions get 2/3 of our students in.
UCAT Registration 2024: What You Need To Know
Every year, thousands of medicine applicants take the UCAT aiming for top scores. To take the test, you must register first. This guide provides all the information you need to secure your UCAT registration.
Inside The UniAdmissions Portal: The UA Advantage
UniAdmissions students have access to the world's first dedicated Oxbridge admissions preparation platform, and this guide will help you discover exactly how the Portal will help you get your offer.
Discover all guides
ABOUT UNIADMISSIONS
Learn about who the world's first Oxbridge prep school are.
Learn about the Portal; the heart of our Programmes.
UniAdmissions' Foundation
The Foundation is our charitable arm to support disadvantaged students.
Students & Tutors
Discover who a UniAdmissions student is and our admissions criteria.
Learn about our high-performing Oxbridge tutors.
We're proud of our alumni. Read about their journey with UniAdmissions here.
Admissions Resources
Free Admissions Guides
Visit our Learning Centre and read our in-depth free guides.
We are the world's biggest Oxbridge application publisher. Learn more here.
Teachers Learning Hub
Learn about how to help your students get their place at Oxbridge.
Get Started
- Access Student Portal
- Oxbridge Programmes
- Open Day Webinar
- Tutor Application Form
- Common Questions
- Download Our Prospectus
Successful Personal Statement For Natural Science (Physical) At Cambridge
Last Updated: 12th April 2022
Author: Chloe Hewitt
- Natural Sciences
Table of Contents
Welcome to our popular Personal Statement series where we present a successful Personal Statement, and our Oxbridge Tutors provide their feedback on it.
Today, we are looking through a Natural Science applicant’s Personal Statement that helped secure a place at Cambridge University. The Natural Science Course at Cambridge is a unique and demanding course focused on blurring the boundaries between the different fields of science.
Read on to see how this candidate wrote a Personal Statement that helped secure their place on a reputable degree.
Here’s a breakdown of the Personal Statement:
SUCCESSFUL?
The universities this candidate applied to were the following:
Enrolling on our Cambridge Natural Science comprehensive Programme will give you access to Personal Statement redrafts.
Your tutor will give you actionable feedback with insider tips on how to improve and make your Personal Statement Oxbridge quality for the best chances of success.
Natural Science (Physical) Personal Statement
The more I discover about physics, the less I realise that I know, and the keener I am to further explore unfamiliar topics at university. Studying areas such as special relativity and quantum mechanics have made me question concepts I took as given, such as the nature and manipulation of time and the degree of certainty to which we can truly know anything.
My particular interest in physics was sparked when I read an article on quantum physics, and was introduced to a simple description of the fundamental constituents of matter. This led me to read further about particle physics. I particularly enjoyed Brian Greene’s The Elegant Universe, which gave me a brief insight into the intricacies of string theory, and The Feynman Lectures on Physics, from which I learnt new mechanics and probability theory. I watch lectures on the MIT website, read New Scientist and am a junior member of the IoP to further my knowledge of new scientific developments. I enjoyed visiting CERN last year and learning more about the experiments conducted there. I have also competed in national challenges to develop my thinking skills further, achieving bronze in the Physics Olympiad, silver in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge and gold in the Senior Maths Challenge. Additionally, this year I won the school leavers’ physics prize.
Last summer I attended a residential Headstart physics course at the University of Leicester, and spent three days at the Debate Chamber physics school. I enjoyed performing undergraduate experiments, and was particularly interested by the lectures on recent developments in nanotechnology and the ways in which nanoparticles could be used to destroy cancerous cells in the body. I also had a tantalising glimpse of some of the complex mathematics behind General Relativity, and would love to study this intricate topic in more detail. These experiences confirmed my love of physics as well as increasing my appreciation of more complicated subjects not covered by my A Level courses. Furthermore, they helped to develop my skills in processing new information and quickly adapting to unfamiliar concepts.
I recently took part in an extended-essay competition at school, producing an independently researched piece of work on the superluminal neutrinos apparently found in 2011. I focused on the impossibility of faster-than-light travel according to special relativity, and the implications for time travel the discovery would have had if the measurements had been correct. This gave me the chance to explore further a subject I was interested in but had not studied at school. I researched my essay by reading scientific journals and textbooks, and speaking to scientists I met at physics events.
I will shortly begin a paid internship at Hildebrand Technology Ltd, where I will be using mathematical modelling of real life situations for statistical analysis. This will be an opportunity to apply mathematical techniques I have learnt in school to more complex problems. This placement, along with self-studying university textbooks and extra further maths modules, will ensure that I maintain and expand my maths skills and scientific knowledge during my gap year.
In my final year I was captain of the school Boat Club. I have rowed in the top senior boat since I was 15, and in 2013 I won silver at National Schools and gold at Schools Head. This sport has involved intensive training, which demands self-discipline and commitment. I love music, and take part in many close harmony groups and choirs, as well as taking grades in musical theatre, singing and piano. My music and sport, along with lifeguarding and weekly volunteering at a local primary school, have allowed me to develop my time management skills and use the time I have for work efficiently and productively.
I am a hardworking and intellectually curious student and am excited by the prospect of developing my mathematical skills and studying physics at a more advanced level at university.
For more inspiration, take a look through our other successful Personal Statement a nalysis articles:
Successful Personal Statement For Economics At Cambridge
Successful personal statement for land economy at cambridge, successful personal statement for chemistry at oxford, successful personal statement for geography at oxford, successful personal statement for classics at oxford, successful personal statement for law at oxford, successful personal statement for classics at cambridge, successful personal statement for engineering at cambridge, successful personal statement for philosophy at cambridge, successful personal statement for veterinary medicine at cambridge, successful personal statement for psychological and behavioural sciences at cambridge, successful personal statement for psychology at oxford, successful personal statement for history at oxford, successful personal statement for physics at oxford, successful personal statement for cambridge mathematics and physics, successful personal statement example for computer science at oxford, successful personal statement for english at cambridge, successful personal statement for oxford english language and literature, successful personal statement for medicine at oxford university, successful personal statement for modern languages at oxford, successful personal statement for engineering at oxford, successful personal statement for natural sciences (biological) at cambridge, successful personal statement for economics & management at oxford, successful personal statement for ppe at oxford, successful personal statement for law at cambridge, successful personal statement for dentistry at king’s college london, successful personal statement for medicine at cambridge.
Download our Free Personal Statement Starter Guide
Good Points Of The Personal Statement
This is a very good statement. The statement is well structured, and the student’s motivation to study physics is clear. All points are explained clearly, and experiences expanded on. The student uses examples beyond their A-level studies to explain their desire to study physics, which comes across very well to the reader.
Bad Points Of The Personal Statement
The student forgets to use quotation marks around the names of books etc., and also ‘the’ before ‘New Scientist’. Whilst these are rudimentary errors, a simple proof-read would have found these. The main issue with this statement is its length. There are eight paragraphs in total. By the penultimate paragraph it is clear enough that the student has done many physics-related extra-curricular activities. The quality of the statement will not be reduced if it is shortened. The student does not explain acronyms, e.g. ‘IoP’. Some sentences can be shortened in order to save space, e.g. ‘I have also competed in national challenges to develop my thinking skills further, achieving bronze in the Physics Olympiad, silver in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge and gold in the Senior Maths Challenge’ can be shortened to ‘I have also competed in national challenges to develop my thinking skills further, achieving bronze, silver and gold medals in the Physics Olympiad, Cambridge Chemistry and Senior Maths Challenges respectively’.
UniAdmissions Overall Score:
In general, this is a very good statement. It is well written, and the student’s motivation to study physics at university is clear from the very beginning. Due to the length of the statement, it is quite cumbersome to read. With some shortening, this would be a compact and powerful statement.
This Personal Statement for Natural Science is a solid example of demonstrating a wealth of knowledge, motivation and interest, vital to Admissions Tutors.
Remember, at Cambridge, these Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years, so you need to appeal directly to them.
Check out our other successful personal statements and our expert guides on our Free Personal Statement Resources page.
Our expert tutors are on hand to help you craft the perfect Personal Statement for your Cambridge Natural Science application.
With our Cambridge Natural Science Premium Programme, we help you craft the perfect Personal Statement , perform strongly on the Admissions Test and teach you how to Interview effectively .
Discover our Cambridge Natural Science Premium Programme by clicking the button below to enrol and triple your chances of success.
UniAdmissions students placed at Oxford And Cambridge
Continue learning about Oxbridge...
Esat specification guide: what you need to know.
The ESAT tests applicants on four major subjects; Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Within each of these subjects, there are…
ESAT vs NSAA & ENGAA: What’s Changed?
The Engineering & Science Admissions Test (ESAT) is the replacement exam for Cambridge's NSAA and ENGAA. While they're both science-based…
ESAT Basics: The Complete Guide
The Engineering & Science Admissions Test (ESAT) is the brand new admissions test for Cambridge and Imperial College London applicants.…
AI Writing & UCAS Personal Statements: What You Need To Know
When it comes to writing in the 2020s, AI-Generation has become one of the most important issues for many industries,…
Cambridge Announces The ESAT To Replace The NSAA & ENGAA
In 2023, it was announced by the University of Cambridge that many of their established admissions tests would stop being…
Oxbridge Personal Statements: A Complete Teacher’s Guide
As a teacher, you will support students with their UCAS Personal Statements every year, but what about Personal Statements for…
The Secrets to Oxbridge Admission.
- We cracked the Oxbridge formula . Find out what we discovered here.
- Looking for application support? Don't work with a random tutor. This is what you need to know first.
- Get up-to-date Oxbridge advice with our webinars. Follow our Open Days led by our experts and stay updated.
View Natural Science Premium Programme
Natural Science Quick Links
Personal statement starter guide.
We have developed an 80-page E-Book filled with expert Personal Statement Advice. Inside, you’ll find guides on planning and writing your personal statement, as well as our full collection of 25+ Successful Oxbridge Personal Statements.
Get it directly to your inbox by registering your email.
How would you like to speak to an Admissions Consultant?
UCAS to replace personal statement essay with three questions to help disadvantaged people
UCAS surveyed potential applicants about to start their personal statement and found more than three-quarters prefer the new three-question format.
By Claire Gilbody Dickerson, news reporter
Thursday 18 July 2024 03:37, UK
![personal statement for cambridge university personal statement for cambridge university](https://e3.365dm.com/24/07/768x432/skynews-university-ucas_6630243.jpg?20240718010729)
Students applying for university through UCAS will be required to answer three questions under new plans to help support people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Under the current system, prospective students have been filling out a free-response essay for their personal statement, which can be up to 4,000 characters long.
But amid concerns the task helps advantaged people who can get support, the essay will, as of September 2025, be replaced with three mandatory questions.
The questions are:
• Why do you want to study this course or subject?
• How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
• What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences helpful?
More on Higher Education
![personal statement for cambridge university File pic: PA](https://e3.365dm.com/24/07/192x108/skynews-university-students_6636632.jpg?20240722182819)
Minister does not rule out some universities may close over funding crisis
![personal statement for cambridge university personal statement for cambridge university](https://e3.365dm.com/24/01/192x108/skynews-csj-bridget-phillipson_6415885.jpg?20240109105630)
Labour's Bridget Phillipson criticised for refusing to rule out tuition-fee hike
![personal statement for cambridge university File photo dated 24/04/2018 of a general view of St Salvator's Hall at the University of St Andrews. The University of St Andrews has taken the top spot in a national league table, beating Oxford and Cambridge. St Andrews has been placed higher than the elite Oxbridge institutions for only the second time in the 30-year history of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. The rankings show that Oxford fell from first to second place with Cambridge remaining in third place. Issue date](https://e3.365dm.com/23/09/192x108/skynews-university-of-st-andrews_6285317.jpg?20230915092230)
Good University Guide: St Andrews comes out top, with Oxford bumped to second
Related Topics:
- higher education
Read more: Welsh is UK's most relaxing accent, study finds Graduate visa route should remain, report finds
Students seeking to start university in 2026 will be the first to experience the reformed application form, which will allow for the same amount of writing as the essay.
The move comes as UCAS data suggests the gap in university application rates between the most and least advantaged students has widened in the last year.
![personal statement for cambridge university Follow Sky News on WhatsApp](https://e3.365dm.com/24/03/512x512/skynews-gfxwhatsapppromo-gfxwhatsapp_6490206.png)
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Data shows the application rate from the most disadvantaged backgrounds has fallen slightly to 25.4% in England, while the application rate for the most advantaged has marginally increased to 60.7%.
UCAS surveyed potential applicants about to start their personal statement, and found more than three-quarters prefer the new three-question format.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
![personal statement for cambridge university personal statement for cambridge university](https://news.sky.com/assets/ui-graphics/ui-app-promo-apple-app-store.png)
Previous UCAS research found 79% of students felt that the process of writing the personal statement was difficult to complete without support.
Jo Saxton, chief executive at UCAS, said: "The changes to the personal statement, along with our recent fee waiver for students in receipt of free school meals, are all part of UCAS's contribution to the sector-wide effort to ensure more people from disadvantaged backgrounds can benefit from the life-changing opportunity of higher education."
Related Topics
![personal statement for cambridge university Home](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/logo.png)
Study at Cambridge
About the university, research at cambridge.
- For Cambridge students
- For our researchers
- Business and enterprise
- Colleges and Departments
- Email and phone search
- Give to Cambridge
- Museums and collections
- Events and open days
- Fees and finance
- Postgraduate courses
- How to apply
- Fees and funding
- Postgraduate events
- International students
- Continuing education
- Executive and professional education
- Courses in education
- How the University and Colleges work
- Visiting the University
- Annual reports
- Equality and diversity
- A global university
- Public engagement
Artificial intelligence outperforms clinical tests at predicting progress of Alzheimer’s disease
- Research home
- About research overview
- Animal research overview
- Overseeing animal research overview
- The Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body
- Animal welfare and ethics
- Report on the allegations and matters raised in the BUAV report
- What types of animal do we use? overview
- Guinea pigs
- Equine species
- Naked mole-rats
- Non-human primates (marmosets)
- Other birds
- Non-technical summaries
- Animal Welfare Policy
- Alternatives to animal use
- Further information
- Funding Agency Committee Members
- Research integrity
- Horizons magazine
- Strategic Initiatives & Networks
- Nobel Prize
- Interdisciplinary Research Centres
- Open access
- Energy sector partnerships
- Podcasts overview
- S2 ep1: What is the future?
- S2 ep2: What did the future look like in the past?
- S2 ep3: What is the future of wellbeing?
- S2 ep4 What would a more just future look like?
![personal statement for cambridge university Brain on molecular structure, circuitry, and programming code background](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/styles/content-885x432/public/news/research/news/gettyimages-1357965100-web.jpg?itok=vO2U91nT)
Cambridge scientists have developed an artificially-intelligent tool capable of predicting in four cases out of five whether people with early signs of dementia will remain stable or develop Alzheimer’s disease.
We’ve created a tool which is much more sensitive than current approaches at predicting whether someone will progress from mild symptoms to Alzheimer’s Zoe Kourtzi
The team say this new approach could reduce the need for invasive and costly diagnostic tests while improving treatment outcomes early when interventions such as lifestyle changes or new medicines may have a chance to work best.
Dementia poses a significant global healthcare challenge, affecting over 55 million people worldwide at an estimated annual cost of $820 billion. The number of cases is expected to almost treble over the next 50 years.
The main cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 60-80% of cases. Early detection is crucial as this is when treatments are likely to be most effective, yet early dementia diagnosis and prognosis may not be accurate without the use of invasive or expensive tests such as positron emission tomography (PET) scans or lumbar puncture, which are not available in all memory clinics. As a result, up to a third of patients may be misdiagnosed and others diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective.
A team led by scientists from the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge has developed a machine learning model able to predict whether and how fast an individual with mild memory and thinking problems will progress to developing Alzheimer’s disease. In research published today in eClinical Medicine , they show that it is more accurate than current clinical diagnostic tools.
To build their model, the researchers used routinely-collected, non-invasive, and low-cost patient data – cognitive tests and structural MRI scans showing grey matter atrophy – from over 400 individuals who were part of a research cohort in the USA.
They then tested the model using real-world patient data from a further 600 participants from the US cohort and – importantly – longitudinal data from 900 people from memory clinics in the UK and Singapore.
The algorithm was able to distinguish between people with stable mild cognitive impairment and those who progressed to Alzheimer’s disease within a three-year period. It was able to correctly identify individuals who went on to develop Alzheimer’s in 82% of cases and correctly identify those who didn’t in 81% of cases from cognitive tests and an MRI scan alone.
The algorithm was around three times more accurate at predicting the progression to Alzheimer’s than the current standard of care; that is, standard clinical markers (such as grey matter atrophy or cognitive scores) or clinical diagnosis. This shows that the model could significantly reduce misdiagnosis.
The model also allowed the researchers to stratify people with Alzheimer’s disease using data from each person’s first visit at the memory clinic into three groups: those whose symptoms would remain stable (around 50% of participants), those who would progress to Alzheimer’s slowly (around 35%) and those who would progress more rapidly (the remaining 15%). These predictions were validated when looking at follow-up data over 6 years. This is important as it could help identify those people at an early enough stage that they may benefit from new treatments, while also identifying those people who need close monitoring as their condition is likely to deteriorate rapidly.
Importantly, those 50% of people who have symptoms such as memory loss but remain stable, would be better directed to a different clinical pathway as their symptoms may be due to other causes rather than dementia, such as anxiety or depression.
Senior author Professor Zoe Kourtzi from the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge said: “We’ve created a tool which, despite using only data from cognitive tests and MRI scans, is much more sensitive than current approaches at predicting whether someone will progress from mild symptoms to Alzheimer’s – and if so, whether this progress will be fast or slow.
“This has the potential to significantly improve patient wellbeing, showing us which people need closest care, while removing the anxiety for those patients we predict will remain stable. At a time of intense pressure on healthcare resources, this will also help remove the need for unnecessary invasive and costly diagnostic tests.”
While the researchers tested the algorithm on data from a research cohort, it was validated using independent data that included almost 900 individuals who attended memory clinics in the UK and Singapore. In the UK, patients were recruited through the Quantiative MRI in NHS Memory Clinics Study (QMIN-MC) led by study co-author Dr Timothy Rittman at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trusts (CPFT).
The researchers say this shows it should be applicable in a real-world patient, clinical setting.
Dr Ben Underwood, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at CPFT and assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, said: “Memory problems are common as we get older. In clinic I see how uncertainty about whether these might be the first signs of dementia can cause a lot of worry for people and their families, as well as being frustrating for doctors who would much prefer to give definitive answers. The fact that we might be able to reduce this uncertainty with information we already have is exciting and is likely to become even more important as new treatments emerge.”
Professor Kourtzi said: “AI models are only as good as the data they are trained on. To make sure ours has the potential to be adopted in a healthcare setting, we trained and tested it on routinely-collected data not just from research cohorts, but from patients in actual memory clinics. This shows it will be generalisable to a real-world setting.”
The team now hope to extend their model to other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia, and using different types of data, such as markers from blood tests.
Professor Kourtzi added: “If we’re going to tackle the growing health challenge presented by dementia, we will need better tools for identifying and intervening at the earliest possible stage. Our vision is to scale up our AI tool to help clinicians assign the right person at the right time to the right diagnostic and treatment pathway. Our tool can help match the right patients to clinical trials, accelerating new drug discovery for disease modifying treatments.”
This work was in collaboration with a cross-disciplinary team including Professor Peter Tino at the University of Birmingham and Professor Christopher Chen at the National University of Singapore. It was funded by Wellcome, the Royal Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Diagnostics Accelerator, the Alan Turing Institute, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.
Reference Lee, LY & Vaghari, D et al. Robust and interpretable AI-guided marker for early dementia prediction in real-world clinical settings. eClinMed; 12 July 2024; DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102725
![personal statement for cambridge university Creative Commons License.](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/inner-images/cc-by-nc-sa-4-license.png)
Read this next
![Child playing on tablet , Credit: Nick David/Getty Child playing on tablet](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/styles/rectangle-349x183/public/news/research/news/tkstory_1.jpg?itok=xYJtOvE8)
AI Chatbots have shown they have an ‘empathy gap’ that children are likely to miss
![Colour-enhanced scanning electron micrograph showing Salmonella Typhimurium (red) invading cultured human cells, Credit: Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH Color-enhanced scanning electron micrograph showing Salmonella Typhimurium (red) invading cultured human cells](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/styles/rectangle-349x183/public/news/research/news/salmonellaniaid-web.jpg?itok=7WeLWnmD)
AI able to identify drug-resistant typhoid-like infection from microscopy images in matter of hours
![Illustration of a tired African American mother crying, Credit: Olli Turho (Getty Images) Illustration of a tired African American mother crying](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/styles/rectangle-349x183/public/news/research/news/gettyimages-1301005455-web.jpg?itok=SbkS0PBK)
Genetic study points to oxytocin as possible treatment for obesity and postnatal depression
![Metaverse portrait, Credit: Andriy Onufriyenko via Getty Images Digitally generated image of a young man](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/styles/rectangle-349x183/public/news/research/news/gettyimages-1742440400-crop.jpg?itok=sTISKxA_)
What’s going on in our brains when we plan?
Media enquiries.
Brain on molecular structure, circuitry, and programming code background
Credit: Yuichiro Chino (Getty Images)
Search research
Sign up to receive our weekly research email.
Our selection of the week's biggest Cambridge research news sent directly to your inbox. Enter your email address, confirm you're happy to receive our emails and then select 'Subscribe'.
I wish to receive a weekly Cambridge research news summary by email.
The University of Cambridge will use your email address to send you our weekly research news email. We are committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about what information we hold. Please read our email privacy notice for details.
- Artificial intelligence
- Spotlight on neuroscience
- Neuroscience
- Alzheimer's disease
- Zoe Kourtzi
- Ben Underwood
- Timothy Rittman
- School of Clinical Medicine
- School of the Biological Sciences
- Department of Psychology
- Department Clinical Neurosciences
- Department of Psychiatry
Related organisations
- Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
- Royal Society
- Alzheimer's Research UK
- The Alan Turing Institute
- NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
Connect with us
![personal statement for cambridge university Cambridge University](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/logo.png)
© 2024 University of Cambridge
- Contact the University
- Accessibility statement
- Freedom of information
- Privacy policy and cookies
- Statement on Modern Slavery
- Terms and conditions
- University A-Z
- Undergraduate
- Postgraduate
- Cambridge University Press & Assessment
- Research news
- About research at Cambridge
- Spotlight on...
Advertisement
‘The Buck Stops With Me’: Secret Service Director Soldiers On
Kimberly Cheatle returned in 2022 to lead the agency she had served for nearly 30 years. Now, an assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump has thrown her tenure into uncertainty.
- Share full article
![personal statement for cambridge university](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/16/multimedia/16DC-CHEATLE-wczf/16DC-CHEATLE-wczf-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
By Kate Kelly
- Published July 17, 2024 Updated July 22, 2024, 10:43 a.m. ET
Follow live updates as Secret Service Director, Kimberly Cheatle, testifies about the Trump shooting.
In the summer of 2022, Kimberly A. Cheatle, who handled global security at PepsiCo, delivered surprising news shortly before a board of directors meeting, according to a colleague at the time: President Biden had asked her to run the Secret Service.
The opportunity to return to an agency she had served for a quarter century was one she could not resist, the colleague recalled Ms. Cheatle saying.
She was sworn in that September. Now, less than two years later, an assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump has thrown her tenure into uncertainty.
Since a gunman’s bullet grazed Mr. Trump’s ear at a campaign rally on Saturday, Ms. Cheatle has been forced into an uncomfortable limelight. Critics have questioned how the agency could have missed a man with a gun on a rooftop less than 500 feet from the former president — especially when law enforcement was amassed just below.
An influential congressional panel will press Ms. Cheatle for answers at a public hearing next week on the first shooting of a current or former American president since 1981.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in .
Want all of The Times? Subscribe .
![](http://cintadecorrer.fun/777/templates/cheerup1/res/banner1.gif)
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
We hope our collection of Cambridge University personal statement examples provides inspiration for writing your own. Please do not plagiarise them in any way, or UCAS will penalise your application. Our Personal Statement Editing & Review Services are availble if you feel you need a little extra help. Computer Science Personal Statement Example 1
In the personal statement, we therefore want to read about your academic interests at this stage. We would like you to: explain your reasons for wanting to study the subject at university. demonstrate enthusiasm for and commitment to your chosen course. express any particular interests within the field.
It's time to: Register and prepare for your admissions assessment, if needed for your course. Read our tips to complete your UCAS application and write a great personal statement. Prepare to complete My Cambridge Application. This is an extra form that you need to fill in once you've submitted the UCAS application.
a Cambridge specific personal statement. This is optional. For example, if you are applying to a course that is only offered at Cambridge, you can give information about why you want to study that course specifically. details of how your studies will be funded, if you're an international student; Completing My Cambridge Application form ...
As a result of the same application materials and essays, however, I was awarded a Cambridge Overseas Trust Scholarship for £10,000 ($17,000) which covered most of my tuition. Because of this funding, I ended up going to Cambridge and studying Latin American film. I also took away some incredible lessons from Gates Cambridge interview, and ...
This Personal Statement for English is a great example of enthusiasm and passion. The candidate's interest is clearly shown which is vital to Admissions Tutors. Remember, at Cambridge, these Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years so you need to appeal directly to them.
During your time at Cambridge you will find yourself doing a lot of reading. As such, reading books outside of your school curriculum is a good way to begin the process of transitioning to university life, as well as giving you content for your personal statement. For many arts and humanities subjects, the
You have 47 lines of text, or 4,000 characters (as a guide, that's roughly 500 words). It's a good idea to write write your personal statment into a document so that you can edit it before copying and pasting it into your online UCAS application. You should spell-check and proof-read your personal statement. A good tactic for proof reading is ...
Your personal statement gives you the chance to tell us: why you're interested in the course you want to study and what excites you about it. about your academic interests. how you've explored your interests outside of school. For example, books you've read or podcasts you've listened to. Your personal statement must be no more than 4,000 ...
Personal statements. Your UCAS personal statement is your opportunity to impart specific information about yourself and that you feel it is important that we know. This could be detailed reasons why you wish to study your chosen course at Cambridge, what motivated your interest in this subject, your hobbies and interests outside school, or your ...
For guidance on what to include, we advise you to follow the UCAS advice on personal statements. See also, our article on How to write a great personal statement. Admissions decisions at Cambridge are based solely on academic criteria (ability and potential). Personal statements may be used as a basis for discussion at interview. In a personal ...
Today, we are looking through a Philosophy applicant's Personal Statement that helped secure a place at Cambridge University. The Philosophy Course at Cambridge explores human thought, the basis of knowledge, the nature of reason, consciousness and cognition, as well as the foundations of value and political theory.
This statement is thoughtful and interesting, and conveys clear motivations for studying Economics, as well as demonstrating a good level of preparation for university study. The student elaborates on their response to each preparatory activity they engaged in, rather than falling into the trap of simply listing books read and lectures attended ...
Cambridge interviews a very large proportion of our applicants, and we use personal statements to inform the interview process. It is the personal statement, not the academic record that tells us something about the applicant's personality, their passion for their chosen subject and how well they may adapt to university life. Our Supplementary ...
A deep perusal of Cambridge personal statement examples can help you understand how to go about crafting your own finely honed statement. You can also look at college letter of intent samples, diversity essay examples - also called diversity secondary essays - or the Common App essay for inspiration.. Writing college essays is tough. Whether you need help with how to start a college essay ...
Don't sound unprofessional. Steer clear of slang, clichés and quotes. It will sound repetitive to Cambridge admissions tutors to hear about how students are "passionate" about their subject or that they have a "thirst for knowledge". Write about your personal experience with your HSPS journey, and allow the Cambridge admissions ...
Personal Statement:French and Italian 2. Personal Statement:French and Russian 1. Personal Statement:French and Russian 2. Personal Statement:French and Spanish 3. Personal Statement:French and Spanish 5. Personal Statement:Modern Languages- French and Spanish.
GUIDE TO PERSONAL STATEMENTS & WIDER READING. Shadab Ahmed, Access & Funding Officer 2018-19 ... This guide aims to help demystify what Cambridge expects from a personal statement, but is also useful for anyone trying to get to grips with writing one for any university, and will allow students to hopefully engage with wider reading so they can ...
📌Watch for FREE my 2.5 Hour Personal Statement Masterclass: https://www.doctorshaene.com/personal-statement-masterclass📄FREE Personal Statement Guide: http...
Start with a clear statement on why you want to do the course. 5. Make sure your writing focuses on why you want to do that subject. 6. Write your personal statement as long as you like; you can edit it later. 7. Avoid flowery language. Write simply and concisely. 8.
Step 4: Draft and Revise. Start drafting your personal statement, keeping it concise and focused. Aim for a compelling introduction, a clear body that addresses the key points, and a strong conclusion. Review and revise your draft multiple times to ensure clarity and coherence.
This Personal Statement for Natural Science is a solid example of demonstrating a wealth of knowledge, motivation and interest, vital to Admissions Tutors. Remember, at Cambridge, these Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years, so you need to appeal directly to them.
The Hawking Archive contains not only his scientific papers but personal correspondence and mementoes which brings into focus an incredible life and career as one of the most famous scientists (and personalities) of the 20 th and 21st centuries.. Across 113 boxes of archive material is a treasure trove of tens of thousands of pages of papers relating to his work on theoretical physics, early ...
UCAS surveyed potential applicants about to start their personal statement and found more than three-quarters prefer the new three-question format. ... Students seeking to start university in 2026 ...
People applying to university will no longer have to write an essay for their personal statement, Ucas has confirmed. Instead, those applying to start in 2026 will answer three guided questions.
The University of Cambridge will use your email address to send you our weekly research news email. We are committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about what information we hold. Please read our email privacy notice for details.
The global computer outage affecting airports, banks and other businesses on Friday appears to stem at least partly from a software update issued by major US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike ...
Kimberly Cheatle returned in 2022 to lead the agency she had served for nearly 30 years. Now, an assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump has thrown her tenure into uncertainty.