This is the part of your application where you need to convey your passion for the subject you wish to study, showcase your skills and how you have developed these. Spend time thinking about and preparing for writing your personal statement, familarise yourself with the guidance on the UCAS website before you start. 

Before you start, collate your ideas to the eight questions on the UCAS guidance page, remember to be specific, give examples, be reflective and avoid clichés. This will give you a good structure to keep referring back to as you begin to write. 

Before submitting your personal statement to the biology department, for review by a subject specialist we expect that you complete the self assess checklist. This will give you a clear idea of the criteria you should be aiming to include and the standard we expect your personal statement to be working towards. 

Download personal statement checklist.

Download personal statement checklist

You will need to show that you are passionate and committed to the subject you wish to study at university, this can be done by completing super-curricular activities. This includes going beyond the A level syllabus, exploring topics of particularly interest to yourself in more depth or learning about a new topic. Universities will also get an insight into your ability for independent learning. 

The importance of super-curricular activities, along with top tips and examples can be found here. You are not expected to retain huge volumes of information from your reading, we advise you keep a log (flashcards are useful), detailing your thoughts when reading/ watching, what did you find interesting/ thought provoking/ challenging and what this then led you to delve into. 

Your journey here is what will make your application unique.

Super-curricular activities can include:

• Reading- books, journals

• Watching online videos/ lectures

• Listening to podcasts

• Visiting museums

• Entering academic competitions

• Participating in Biology Journal Club

• Complete a Massive Open Online Course, MOOC, these are free and cover a wide range of topics, usually delivered by universities

Remember, you should be reflecting on the skills developed and experience of doing your super-curricular activities, not just describing what you have read/ done. 

A highly recommended resource, to search for recommended reading for your subject is Staircase 12, a website populated by students and tutors from Oxford University. 

You can also explore the resource hub, for other means of super-curricular resources, including lectures and podcasts.

Keep up to date with the careers bulletins, download the super-curricular edition for more ideas.