Personal statement

Step 2: Applying

This is your chance to tell the conservatoires why you are applying, and why they should want you as a student. The audition panel will want to know why you are interested in the courses that you have chosen and what you hope to do after your studies. A good personal statement is important - it could influence a conservatoire's decision to offer you a place.

Key points

Explain why you want to study the course you are applying for. If you mention your personal interests and hobbies, try to link them to the skills and experience required for the course.

The personal statement could be used as the basis for an interview, so be prepared to answer questions on it.

This may be your only written work that the conservatoire sees before making a decision: make sure it is organised and literate. Get the grammar, spelling and punctuation right. A statement filled with errors will give a negative impression of your skills and the effort you have put in to being accepted. Your statement must be written in English.

Writing about yourself is probably not something you do very often, so you might need to practise writing in this particular style. It is a good idea to list your hobbies and achievements, and then you can decide which ones demonstrate your strongest skills and personality.

Go to the what to include section for more detailed advice>>

Write what comes naturally

Which of the following examples would you write?

a) Objective consideration of concrete evidence compelled me to realise the phenomenon was not unprecedented.

b) I realised this often happened.

This is not a serious example; but it shows that good writing is often concise, which is very helpful when you have a limited word-count.

In your personal statement you need to put your meaning across directly and simply. You can do this by keeping your sentences to an average of 12-20 words, and using English in a way that is natural to you. Avoid sounding either over-familiar or over-formal and write to get yourself and your message across clearly. Check that each sentence adds something new, otherwise it is just adding to the word count rather than adding value.

The quality of your writing reflects the quality of your thinking. Show that you know your strengths and can outline your ideas clearly. Use words you know will be understood by the person reading your statement; you might find it easier if you imagine you are talking to them across their desk. In fact, you can sometimes spot where your statement doesn't work well by reading it aloud.

Dos and don'ts

Dos and don'ts when writing your personal statement

Do create a list of your ideas before attempting to write the real thing.

Do expect to produce several drafts before being totally happy.

Do ask people you trust for their feedback.

Do check conservatoire prospectuses, websites and Entry Profiles, as they usually tell you the criteria and qualities that they want their students to demonstrate.

Do use your best English and don't let spelling and grammatical errors spoil your statement.

Do be enthusiastic - if you show your interest in the course, it may help you get a place.

Don't feel that you need to use elaborate language. If you try too hard to impress with long words that you are not confident using, the focus of your writing may be lost.

Don't say too much about things that are not relevant - if you think that you are starting to, take a break and come back to your statement when you feel more focused.

Don't exaggerate - if you exaggerate you may get caught out at interview when asked to elaborate on an interesting achievement.

Don't rely on a spellchecker as it will not pick up everything - proof read as many times as possible.

Don't leave it to the last minute - your statement will seem rushed and important information could be left out.

Don't expect to be able to write your personal statement whilst watching TV or surfing the internet - this is your future, so make the most of the opportunity to succeed.

What to include
Suggestions of what to include in your personal statement.

Size and presentation
How to provide your personal statement.

Similarity detection
The Similarity Detection Service