Masters – personal statement!

[CorWotcha]

Hi everyone! I’m 40 and decided to apply for a masters this year (courses of interest still accepting applications!). I left HE a while ago, and used to be super confident writing this sort of thing! However I am now stressing (pointlessly!) and doubting everything I write. I’ve been out of the system a while and don’t feel sure I know how to approach it! (I have looked this up of course! Yet still doubting myself) I think it’s the tone as well that I’m unsure of.

So – does anyone with more experience have any insight, advice, tips, dos and don’ts that might point me in the right direction?! Any suggestions very gratefully received!

No specific suggestions but if you browse the

Mature Study and Retraining board

You’ll find countless experiences that may help you identify exactly what you want to achieve. Then you can write that.

Awesome thanks!!!

How To Write A Master’s Personal Statement: An Expert Guide – Personal Statement Planet

Thank you!!!

This is a fantastic resource – thank you again!

You're so welcome! I take my hat off to you studying for a masters as I've just graduated at 50 and that was hard enough. Hope it goes really well for you :)

I’m a lecturer who often reviews master’s applications to our programmes. A couple things I would say:

(a) use your personal statement to emphasise the strengths you bring to the course from your previous work/life experience. 95% of students to our programmes come straight from uni so are very young with limited professional/life experience. The ones who can draw on something they’ve done previously and connect it to how they will be a strength to the cohort look really good.

(b) If the programme requires or recommends certain qualifications or skills, e.g. like project management or interpersonal skills, that may not be obvious just looking at your academic record or previous work, use this to discuss how you acquired those skills and how they’ll be an asset to the programme.

(c) proofread it and get someone else to read it. Usually we make our decisions based totally on the CV/academic record, but sometimes actually it’s the personal statement that loses someone a place because it’s so badly written or just weird. Keep to the word count. Spell check it. Make sure it sounds well put together and professional. But don’t stress about it too much either.

Good luck! We love mature students in our courses so hopefully you get the outcome you want in the programme of your choice.

Congrats on your degree!! Such an achievement – hope you are basking in the post graduation high :D Thanks so much :)

Thanks sooooo much and well done embarking on a new project :)

Thank you very much for this, this is very useful!! Sorry I somehow missed this yesterday morning! Much appreciated, thank you :)