lse personal statement advice

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October 1st, 2023

Top tips for writing a great personal statement.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Having good grades is one thing, but writing an excellent personal statement is one of the main factors contributing to a successful UCAS application, which can grant you a place in an institution such as LSE. That is why the lengthy process of drafting a convincing statement revealing your motivation and competency to study a given course at university might seem stressful and daunting. While there is no easy and quick way to create a compelling personal statement, there are some things that you can do to ensure the essay is well thought out and written, which will facilitate securing a place at your dream university.

My first tip is to thoroughly read and analyse the outline and entry requirements of your programme. For each programme, LSE provides detailed facts about the programme’s structure, different modules that you will take, and information about how your application will be assessed. Try to note down the key characteristics and skills that a candidate for your programme would be expected to have and make use of the website’s indications about the types of students they are looking for. Once you know the most important skills the university is looking for, try to think of any academic or extracurricular activities that you have done in the past that would show that you have characteristics expected of you. For example, if your course requires effective communication skills, mentioning activities like a group project, volunteering or debate would be great to include in your personal statement to reveal your capacity to work with other people. Making use of the information that is provided to you, will not only show that you have researched and thought out your course selection well, but it will also be most helpful when trying to decide what details are relevant to include in the personal statement.

The second tip for a successful personal statement is to read and research the things that interest you about your subject. Whether it is books, articles, podcasts, or documentaries, absorbing knowledge about some key issues of the course you want to study will broaden your knowledge and allow you to critically discuss an issue you found relevant in your personal statement. Since a major part of personal statements for universities like LSE is supposed to concern academics, showing your independent thoughts on ideas you found intriguing or fascinating will highlight your interest, broad knowledge beyond the school curriculum, and capacity to think critically. While many students like to mention work experience they have completed prior to their application, people who did not have an opportunity to do so can equally well express their wide interest in the subject, by demonstrating the knowledge grasped through additional reading.

My final tip is to ask as many people as possible around you to read and share their thoughts about your personal statement. Whether it is teachers, relatives, tutors or friends, feedback from other people will give you a unique perspective on your personal statement and allow you to reflect upon your text to make it even better. Apart from obvious comments about language or grammar, proofreaders can supply you with valuable information about things such as tone or the relevance of arguments raised in your essay, and whether the claims you bring to support your motivation are adequately convincing and persuasive. Sharing your personal statement with others may seem uncomfortable since as the name suggests the essay is indeed very individual and private, having someone not from your immediate surrounding read your work, can prove extremely advantageous and aim for your essay to truly stand out.

About the author

My name is Zosia, and I am a first-year undergraduate student at LSE, studying LLB in Laws. I am an international student from Poland, and my passions include reading, writing, travelling and participating in all kinds of sports.

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Personal statements

Read the phrasing carefully.

Different institutions will phrase what they want to see in their personal statement differently, some examples (as of September 2013) and how you could break the wording down to ensure you address everything are below:

Example of application guidance from LSE:

You must submit a personal statement with your application form. This should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words. It should describe your academic interests and your purpose and objectives in undertaking graduate study. 

Suggestions of what to include for this phrasing:

• Outline what are your academic interests specifically
• How they are related to the course.
• How do you see the course furthering these interests?
• Do you have previous experience of studying these areas?
• Was your undergraduate dissertation, major project or a group presentation relevant to the course or your academic interests?
•  Have you attended conferences, seminars or networking events outside your studies to increase your knowledge?
• What have you learnt recently,
• and how does this link to the course you are applying for?
• Perhaps you can link your academic interests to work experience you have gained?
• Purpose in undertaking graduate study  – Why are you applying for postgraduate study? This could be linked to discussing your academic interests, or perhaps you have a career orientated goal.
• Objectives in undertaking graduate study  – What do you hope to achieve by the end of your postgraduate study, whether educationally or professionally? If you have professional objectives, how will this course help you move towards your career goal?
• What else?  – you could also include some of the suggestions in the guidelines below, but make sure you address everything in their description.

Example of application guidance from SOAS:

Your personal statement should be no more than 1,000 words. It should include the reasons why you are interested in the programme, highlight your relevant experience and suitability for the programme as well as future plans. 

• Why you are interested in the programme  – Look at the course content carefully to decide what it is that most interests you in the programme content-wise. Discuss any relevant research or coursework you might have done in the past, and include technical language or language that shows you have a grasp of the topic.
• Relevant experience  – think back to your work experience, extracurricular activities and voluntary experiences and reflect upon relevant projects you might have worked on, tasks you were set or research you conducted that demonstrates relevance to the course. You might not feel you have this experience yet, but perhaps you have worked in a relevant sector and you could show your technical and commercial understanding.
• Suitability for the programme  – Think about the skills you might need to succeed in this programme. What is your experience that makes you suitable for the programme? Perhaps you will reflect on study or research skills that you have gained, or maybe you’ll need strong negotiation, communication or presentation skills which you gained through mooting or as a student representative? If you can show you were engaged with your undergraduate university’s community then this might be a good place to mention what you did.
• Future plans  – What are your career aspirations and how do you see the course furthering these?

Writing a personal statement

If they do not specify what to include in your personal statement, areas you might want to include are below. There is no set order of when to mention what but starting your personal statement with your most relevant point is advised.

Motivations

• Why are you applying for the programme?
• What do you hope to gain from the programme?
• What is it that interests you about the subject? Can this be related to your previous education or work experience (see below)?
• What are your career aspirations and how will this course help you achieve them?

Educational experience and commercial knowledge

• Do you have past education that gives you the knowledge base you need for the course?
• Is your undergraduate dissertation relevant? Tell the tutor about it and the research methods you used (especially if applying for a research masters).
• Perhaps you like to keep up with current news in the sector you hope to go into. You could mention a topical issue and discuss how you see the course furthering your understanding.

Work experience

• Have you gained work experience in a field relevant to the course or relevant to your career ambitions? Can you link this experience to your motivation to wanting to continue studying in this field?
• Tell the tutor about this experience and reflect on how this could help with the course or use it as an example of your motivation for continued study in a related area.
• If you are a mature student returning to study, why are you returning? Are you looking to make a career change? Why, and how, do you expect the course will support your new ambition?

Other experience

• Include your extracurricular and voluntary experience too. Tutors want rounded people on their course; show that you engaged in university life during your undergraduate course or that you gained some relevant skills or experiences through volunteering.

Anything else

• You can outline your main achievements, awards or successes in competitions. Think about the course you are applying for and if there is anything they might be particularly impressed by.
• Mention relevant summer schools, overseas study or conferences/ short courses you might have attended that are related to the course.

Other circumstances

• Deferred entry – if you would like to start the course the following year explain to the course tutor what you will be doing with the next year.

Final checks

• Spelling and grammar – this will give the course tutor an idea as to your writing skills, so ensure there are no mistakes.
• Abbreviations and acronyms – explain any you have used.
• Content structure – ensure the paragraphs make sense and that the document flows well. Don’t repeat yourself by revisiting an experience or educational point.
• Don’t write a narrative of your life, from leaving school to current day.
• Be positive; don’t use negative language i.e. Although I have little experience of…
• Adhere to the word count (where applicable) or if there isn’t one, keep your statement to two to three pages of A4.

If you are already a student at LSE and would like LSE Careers to check your personal statement before you submit it please  make an appointment for a careers discussion  on CareerHub. It is also advised that if your application is fairly technically subject specific that you get an academic to check the content for accuracy.

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Statement of academic purpose

While all programmes require you to submit a statement of academic purpose, a few programmes require you to follow a specific format when writing your statement. these specific requirements are detailed below., statement of academic purpose – all programmes, excluding those listed below.

You must upload a statement that explains your academic interest in, understanding of and academic preparedness for the programme(s) you are applying for. You should also explain the academic rationale for applying to the programme(s) you have chosen. If applying for two programmes, you are strongly encouraged to write a separate statement for each programme. The statement of academic purpose is an important part of your application, and selectors are looking for evidence of your academic suitability and motivation, and of what you can contribute academically to the programme. We expect statement(s) to be between 1,000 - 1,500 words. 

Please address the following questions/prompts in your statement(s) 

Academic Motivations  

• What prompted your interest in this particular field of study? Perhaps you have unanswered questions from your undergraduate studies or professional work, or you would like to further explore issues and ideas raised in your curricular or extra-curricular reading? 
• Why would you like to study your chosen programme? Perhaps it offers a particular approach, or there are specific modules that will help you develop necessary skills or knowledge. Perhaps the research interests of the academics teaching on your programme, and/or the wider research culture of the department align with your own interests and academic/professional aspirations? 

Suitability 

• What makes you suitable for this LSE programme? Perhaps you have taken relevant undergraduate modules, or have relevant professional, voluntary, or other experience that has prepared for postgraduate study in this area? 

Purpose and Objectives  

• What do you hope to get out of this particular LSE programme? How would this particular programme help you to achieve your personal, academic, and professional goals? Take the time to explain your academic or professional  aspirations and goals, and how your chosen programme will impart the necessary skills and knowledge. Please avoid general statements about LSE’s performance in global rankings, and  generic statements about London being a global/cosmopolitan centre of excellence. 

If there are circumstances that have disrupted your education/significantly interfered with your learning (for example, health problems, displacement, long-term caring responsibilities), please feel free to let us know about them in a separate document added to your application (you can upload this document via the ‘Additional Item’ upload option). If appropriate, please also consult the advice we give to applicants from a forced migration background here , and from a care-experienced background here . 

Please ensure that your statement(s): 

Are all your own work. If we discover this is not the case, your application may be cancelled

Are well-written, well-structured and specific to the programme(s) applied for

Are proofread before being uploaded, and the final correct versions are uploaded

Only include that which is relevant to your programme choice(s). Additional information regarding unrelated extra-curricular activities, personal achievements or work experience should be included in your CV

Have your name and the title of your chosen programme in the header or footer of every page 

MSc Health Data Science

In addition to following the general guidance, please be sure to clearly outline your background in mathematics, statistics or other quantitative subjects. If your background is outside of mathematics or statistics then you should provide further explanation of how your experience is relevant to the programme applied for, as well as further details of your current studies. 

MSc Media and Communications (Data and Society)

If you are applying for this programme, please note the following specific requirements for your statement of academic purpose.

Write a short statement (up to 600 words) about why you want to do the programme. This might cover, for example, what suits you to the programme: your experiences and skills in relation to the analysis of data and society; what attracts you to this particular programme and where you see yourself in ten years after the programme.

In addition, please write a response (up to 400 words*) to  one  of the following questions. You might do so by relying on relevant authors and concepts from previous courses or independent study, as well as on professional experiences.

• What is the most pressing social, political or ethical issue related to data and society? Why should we study it?
• How useful is the concept of "big data"? What are its limitations?
• What consequences do data-based systems have for individuals? How should we address these?
• If you could invent a data-based product or service that would change the world, what would it look like? What would be its best feature and what would be its biggest risk?

*The total length of your statement of academic purpose, including the answers to the above questions, should therefore be between 800-1,000 words.

MSc Media, Communication and Development

Write a short statement (up to 800 words) about why you want to do the programme. This might cover, for example, what suits you to the programme: your experiences and skills in relation to social justice, development or communication; what attracts you to this particular programme and where you see yourself in ten years after the programme.

Also answer the following questions (your answers should be approximately 250 words each)*:  

• What should a developed society be like according to you?
• How will studying theory help you to understand development and communication practice?
• Why do you think we need to be critical of aspects of contemporary communication and development?

  *The total length of your statement of academic purpose, including the answers to the above questions, should therefore be between 1,000-1,500 words.

MSc Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Write a short statement (up to 600 words) about why you want to do the programme. This might cover, for example, what you will bring to the cohort, and what your particular strengths are.

Also, you should answer the following questions (your answers should be approximately 500 words each):

• Tell us about an experience you had with social innovation /entrepreneurship/ a project with high social impact. What role did you play and what did you learn about yourself?  
• How will your past experience, combined with this LSE masters, help you to achieve your goals?

The  total length   of your statement  – including the answers to the above questions - should therefore be  between 1,100 & 1,600 words .

Department of Statistics - MSc Programmes

MSc in Data Science - G3U1

MSc in Statistics (Social Statistics) - G3U2

MSc in Statistics (Social Statistics) (Research) - G3U3

MSc in Statistics (Research) - G4U1

MSc in Quantitative Methods for Risk Management - G4U2

MSc in Statistics - G4U5

MSc in Statistics (Financial Statistics) - G4U6

MSc in Statistics (Financial Statistics) (Research) - G4U7

Your statement should explain why you are pursuing your selected programme and why you have chosen LSE's Department of Statistics. Brief details of your academic background and aspirations are also useful. If your background is outside of mathematics or statistics then you should provide further explanation of how your experience is relevant to the programme applied for, as well as further details of your current studies. 

Your statement should be concise and should not exceed 500 words .

Executive MSc in Health Economics, Outcomes and Management in Clinical Sciences

Your statement should be typed and no longer than three sides of A4 paper and should address the following questions:

• What are your career goals over the near (2-3 years) and medium term (5-7 years)?
• In concrete terms, how will your career benefit from completing this programme?

In addition, you may wish to discuss the following:

• Motivation for undertaking the programme
• Academic interests, strengths and background relevant to the programme
• Areas of specific interest within the programme
• Academic ambitions and/or research interests related to the programme
• Any professional aspirations, and how academic work within the programme might help you realise such aspirations
• Other relevant information, such as additional reading or research, work or other relevant experience that has informed your decision to apply for the particular programme

Please ensure that your statement:

• Is all your own work. If we discover this is not the case, your application may be cancelled
• Is well-written, well-structured and specific to the programme applied for
• Is proofread before being uploaded, and the final correct version is uploaded
• Has your name and the title of your chosen programme in the header or footer of every page

Executive Global MSc in Management

Your personal statement should be a maximum of 2 pages long, and highlight why you want to do the programme.  Make sure you address the following points:

• details on your suitability for the programme
• your motivations for choosing this programme in particular and what you hope to get out of it
• any career highlights to date, in particular any leadership or international experience
• future career objectives and how you think the programme will help you achieve them
• what you think you can bring to the classroom learning environment that makes you stand out from other applicants

Executive MSc in Social Business and Entrepreneurship

The Academic Statement of Purpose consists of two parts.  The total combined word count for both parts should not exceed 1,200 words.

• A personal statement: Your personal statement should persuasively explain why you want to do this programme. This may include your personal suitability such as career achievements and ambitions, what you hope to get out of the programme, your particular strengths, and what you will bring to the cohort.  600-700 words.
• For the second part, please submit your thoughts on the following statement.  400-500 words. “The business of business is social improvement. Describe briefly the role of markets in social progress.”

Atlantic Fellows Residential programme with MSc Inequalities and Social Science

Your statement(s) should be typed and no longer than two sides of A4 paper. There is no fixed word limit, but we expect statement(s) to be no longer than 1,000 - 1,500 words. 

In your statement(s), you should address the following:  

• Why are you interested in joining the AFSEE programme and what do you hope to gain by being part of it? In your answer, please:  

 o   Describe what area of socioeconomic inequality you engage in and the type of work you have done.  

o   Please give examples of how you have meaningfully contributed to collective endeavours to address inequalities.  

o   Explain why you would like to learn more about social and economic equity and how this will contribute to your social change work.  

o   Explain, in one to two paragraphs, the MSc dissertation you plan to undertake as part of the requirements of the MSc in Inequalities and Social Science. 

• Within 5 years of completing the AFSEE programme, what do you hope to achieve in your work/field? How do you see participation in the AFSEE programme contributing to you achieving those goals? 
• What academic knowledge would you like to gain via the MSc in Inequalities & Social Science and how do you plan to apply this knowledge to your future work on social change?
• Please indicate any research interests.

Atlantic Fellows Non-Residential Programme

In your statement(s), you should address the following: 

Why are you interested in joining the AFSEE programme and what do you hope to gain by being a part of it?  In your answer, please: 

Describe the area of socioeconomic inequality you engage in and the type of work you have done. 

Please give examples of how you have meaningfully contributed to collective endeavours to address inequalities.   

Explain why you would like to learn more about social and economic equity and how this will contribute to your social change work. 

What is the project you are planning to undertake as a part of the AFSEE programme?  Explain it in two paragraphs. 

Within 5 years of completing the AFSEE programme, what do you hope to achieve in your work / field?  How do you see the AFSEE programme contributing to you achieving these goals?

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