How to STAND OUT with your

#Oxford academic describes the best ways to stand out with your #UCAS personal statement

[@ChildSarcophagus]

For appying to Oxford, you just have to be enthusiastic and strive for knowledge in your favorite subject, it's not primarily about knowing everything about it. There would be no point in Oxford, if you already knew everything! So take your chances, you can do it! Good luck!

[@tombisatt9165]

thanks good advice

[@catherinekuang9390]

Thank you for uploading these videos! I could not express how reassuring they are to support me during my application process. I love your saying about empowering ourselves and finding joy in exploring the subject...I want to apply to English Literature at Oxford, and my passion for literature is precisely the motivation that underlies my commitment to it! No matter the result, whether I eventually got admitted or not, the process of applying to Oxford (how during the process I became more and more determined on my love of literature, and how I use this opportunity to stretch myself and do all the suprecurriculars) is already rewarding and fulfilling! Thank sir Matt Williams! :)

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Excellent! Thank you for your comment. Best wishes to you!

[@CLAUDIOMBILINYI-fz5kj]

Hey sop is similar to personal statement

[@incognito7960]

This was just the video I needed. I was stressing about writing my personal statement and found this extremely useful.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

I'm very pleased to read that you found this useful. Best of luck to you!

[@catherinehoy5548]

Your videos are a postive cornocopia, and thank you for the excellent word - 'braggadocious' what a word; sounds so modern yet is steeped in old story. Thank you for the massive effort so evident in your outreach.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you kindly! All best wishes.

[@daniellongerich3970]

Your videos are always very informative, rich in illustrative examples and sympathetic. Thanks for the work you obviously put into this! :)

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you, that's very kind of you!

[@AlexandreNarbert]

Thank you for this video! I am from Malaysia and applying to UK universities for 2023. This video has guided me so well for my PS writings :))) I hope I can get into my dream uni. Finger crossed 🤞🏻

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Best of luck!

[@jingqilyu882]

Thank you for doing this video and it is great! Recently I'm worry about what should write in my personal statement and I don't know where to start. But now it seems like I have a lot of thing to do to find what I'm really into. Thank you so much!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

That's great to know! Thanks for your comment.

[@deanmatthewclegg28]

Thanks Matt. Very informative, thought provoking and useful, as usual.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you!

[@alawyersdailyasmin]

This was very helpful, thank you ! Though will there be a video for graduates preparing their personal statement ? That will help me immensely !

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, as soon as possible. Thank you!

[@bidlobster8750]

Fantastic stamina? Thanks for the engaging videos Matt

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thanks very much! I appreciate your comment

[@brunal.6502]

Super excited to see the video on master applications :)

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Coming soon!

[@m135i7]

how does this make sense. if I wanna learn something and im prepared to pay £50,000 for 5 years I should be entitled

[@aarushsingh2801]

Hi, Thankyou so much for making this video. I wanted to apply to an engineering course and I was just wondering, I haven't won any laurels, such as the science olympiad or competed in such competitions, so I don't have much tangible evidence to prove if I'm intelligent enough, but I have read books related to science, seen multiple lectures and feel that I am curious about it however I dont have any awards. Would that put someone such as myself at a disadvantage?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thanks for your comment! No, you don't need competition wins to be admitted. Reading books and research papers, as well as watching university lectures, will indeed help. You'll just need to provide some self reflection on what you learnt from these in your personal statement. You will also need to perform well in the admissions test, which is worth practicing soon: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests/pat

[@Lucaa-uf8lh]

Hi Dr Williams! Thank you so much for the video! I have a question about the personal statement. Your insight is that in the PS we should answer the question "What do you think" about, for example, a book we've read. Now, does discussing overlaps between authors that we've studied that jump out to us fall into that category? For example, I notice that the philosophy of language of an ancient philosopher is very similar to that of a much more well-known scholar. I'm intrigued by how similar the two are (or even complement each other!). Would that be relevant on a PS? Thanks so much for guiding us through this difficult process. Much gratitude

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, that sounds good! Just investigate whether the well-known author is consciously and openly echoing the ancient philosopher. If you use a search engine, they may have drawn that parallel themselves. If not, you can still draw that link yourself. Just explain and justify your reasoning.

[@Lucaa-uf8lh]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thank you so much! Please keep up the great work!

[@thealtaccount879]

Hello professor. I greatly enjoyed this video, it was illuminating and easy to understand, however would you say making a personal statement more conversational (like you mentioned how it ought to be reminiscent of explaining a subject to your friends or family) or should it be more formal? I understand that using slang and acronyms is unprofessional and should be exempt from the personal statement however would rhetorical questions, humorous side notes for context and other similar features be appropriate? I am worried it may slip into overly familiar territory, yet such things add character to personal statements and make it personal. Another thing I was curious about is whether there was any specific structure you’d prefer as I noticed most of the examples had a similar style (possibly because they were all written by the same person but I was unsure if it was that or because this structure is the favoured one for personal statements), for example starting with a quote from somebody in the field you’re applying for and then perhaps refuting (or agreeing with) that and explaining how it’s relevant to what you’ve observed during your supercurricular work. Finally, you mentioned the EPQ being a supercurricular, but when I researched it I was told that Oxford and Cambridge don’t place much value upon it, so could you clarify about the EPQ? Thank you again for the video, I apologise for my plethora of queries and have a nice day.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Hi there. I would err on the side of formality in style, because you don't know who will read the statement, so it's impossible to gauge if they will appreciate the jokes or not. There's no specific structure that is needed, but it is just helpful to have *some* structure to the statement -- i.e. a beginning, middle and end. Oxbridge won't make offers on EPQ, but they provide useful opportunities for super curricular exploration of your interests. These you can then describe in the statement, or in an interview. But EPQ is certainly not required.

[@kevinkevin6445]

you said that we shouldn't include our curricular subjects, does that mean we shouldn't talk about how our a levels link to the degree we apply for?

[@finnpea]

From my experience, only really if you say something like: ‘studying x in my A Level made me want to look up y…’ and then discuss it from there.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, indeed, that approach is fine. What often happens, however, is that applicants use up valuable character count describing what they studied at school, when they should tell us what more they have done.

[@Mito-mp9fk]

Does asking questions in your interview seem okay? Also admitting that you found topics you researched difficult. Thanks a lot for this video!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, asking questions in an interview is fine. Good, even, if you are seeking to clarify the parameters of discussion, or clear up any confusion. Obviously, what you don't want is to take over the interview!

[@Mito-mp9fk]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thanks a lot for your reply! I've heard that a lot of people get nervous too during interviews, what advice would you have in this case?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, that is common. Firstly, note that being nervous will not be held against the applicant, provided they can overcome the nerves enough to answer our questions. Second, the nerves typically come from a notion that the interview is a test of an individual's value to humanity, but the stakes are nothing like that high! Those who recognise that the interview is an opportunity, not a trial, tend to perform best.

[@beautifulmind684]

what makes you happy? what questions do you have? what do you think?

[@priyanka5283]

Thank you for the videos. They are so helpful. Can you please talk about masters courses as well?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, coming soon!

[@msblusky]

thank you for the tips. subscribing for the masters application tips (besides letters of intent, also need to submit a study/research project)

[@oluwaferanmikolawole3546]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 hi, did you make any already ?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

@@oluwaferanmikolawole3546 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGnLhIyhqppnkJY

[@shamyself123]

A lot of the "supercurricular" things I want to mention on my personal statement are borne out of my A-Level courses, is this okay? For example, my RS course does cover ontological arguments, but it caught my attention and I wanted to study it further. Since, I read Graham Oppy's "Ontological Arguments and Belief in God" and have written an essay about how the meta-discussion regarding Ontological arguments demonstrates a dangerous relationship between logic and our reliance on langauge. My fear is that this may come across as simply "curricular" rather than "supercurricular". Need I worry?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

No, that's fine. It's understandable to start with your curriculum and branch out, as you have. That's not a problem. It's good.

[@thereslightinthedark]

Thank you so much for your videos , they are indeed really helpful and give me the courage to be even stronger while applying for Oxford in the future but As a 14 year old , when do you suggest I start applying for Oxford for medicine and what should I do in these couple of years before high school to make me more ready to get admitted to Oxford university as an international student ? I would be very thankful if you could answer my question . Again Thank you so much for your videos , they've inspired me so much already.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you! We can only admit medical students who are over the age of 18, so you don't need to start just yet. Note that spaces for international students on medicine are restricted by the British government. It is the only subject for which this is true: www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/applying/international

[@thereslightinthedark]

​@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thank you so much for the information . It indeed was very helpful.

[@thereslightinthedark]

​@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thank you so much for the information . It indeed was very helpful.

[@NikkiAirytStorytime]

Hello Sir, please could you advise how to build on this approach when applying for a taught masters programme. Thank you kindly for all your videos, they have helped me immensely. I am applying for the MA course in sustainability and enterprise. Best, Nikita

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Many thanks for your comment Nikita. I am planning to make a video for Masters courses shortly. Best wishes!

[@NikkiAirytStorytime]

Thank you Sir, I appreciate your time and effort.

[@archbishopsinha7912]

Sir, I had a question. Do tutors ask questions based on game theory and mathematics in PPE's Economics interview? What could be the best way to prepare for these kinds of questions? Thought of asking this because if it is so, I shall start preparing for it right away. Also, thanks for this video. You have been a great guide to me in this process. I wish the best for you. Take Care.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you for your message. Yes, game theory questions can come up in PPE interviews. You wouldn't be expected to know GT, but will be tested on your intuitions. There's an example GT interview question here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3auc6Zsqcacrtk

[@thereslightinthedark]

Thank you so much for your videos , they are indeed really helpful and give me the courage to be even stronger while applying for Oxford in the future but As a 14 year old , when do you suggest I start applying for Oxford for medicine and what should I do in these couple of years before high school to make me more ready to get admitted to Oxford university as an international student ? I would be very thankful if you could answer my question .

[@Hell_nahiris]

you have literally 4 more years until you apply to university. Heres my advice as a current applicant to oxbridge medicine. work extremely hard for your GCSEs, I'm not joking, EXTREMELY hard. a good target is to have a 9 in at least 75% of your subjects. during your GCSEs and in the summer look for as much work experience as possible, call every GP, if you have medic relatives ask them if you can shadow them. after you start a levels you wont have much time for work experience. make sure you read and take an active interest in any field you like, be it neurology, cardiology, or anything, and do stuff to engage in that field, like watching lectures, and writing essay competitions. finally, live your life a little, don't get distracted, but ur only 14, idk if ur in y9 or y10, but relax for now. the grind starts at the beginning of year 11. don't let yourself get distracted from the end goal. and do well on your UCAT

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Try to have fun with learning about medical sciences. Think of a few questions you'd like to answer, such as: "How do painkillers work?" or "Why do people have growth spurts at different ages?" Once you have a few questions, go and do some gentle research into them. Read some books, listen to some podcasts, watch some KZbin lectures etc. Building a passion for medical science is valuable, as well as getting the grades.

[@Hell_nahiris]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 brilliant advice

[@char7160]

Hi Dr Williams, is it very hard to be shortlisted for an interview or getting an offer if an applicant have not taken GSCE or its equivalents?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

We have applicants from ~140 countries, so individuals come with a wide range of qualifications. Please see here for further details: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/for-international-students/international-qualifications

[@Alex-xy2kb]

Thanks for this video! Very helpful. Just one question - is it worth mentioning MOOCs that you’ve completed on your personal statement, even if you haven’t got a certificate for them (as some certificates, for example on edX, can cost upwards of £100)? Presumably the tutors would be much more interested in the actual content you’d learnt and can possibly talk about at interview than the certificate itself?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, that's right. If you talk about subjects you've pursued and what you found interesting about them, that will be fine.

[@vidhroh1538]

Is it okay sir if we don't mention any extracurricular activities at all in the personal statement? I am going to be applying for the top Russel group universities (Like LSE, UCL etc)

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

It would probably be ok, but I cannot speak for any uni other than Oxford, so I'm not 100% sure I'm afraid.

[@hclaire5655]

Will those looking at personal statements know what is on the curriculum or is it necessary to explain which are your independent research / interests ? Will they recognise that the books and theories you discuss are not A level ones?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Most likely they will know which books are super-curricular. But you can always spell this out on your personal statement with phrases such as "Going beyond my school studies, I read..."

[@tombisatt9165]

If I want to apply for engineering at oxford and civil engineering everywhere else, is it ok that it is tailored to civil mainly? cheers

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, that should be fine. It's not at all unusual for applicants to be in that sort of situation.

[@albarazayani7201]

Hello! Would being school president be something I should write in my personal statement here in Canada it’s seen as a great indicator of leadership. Not only that but as the school president of 700 people make “Laws” (rules) for the school ( or helped to anyways. I could go on and on about this but I was wondering what do you think should this be something I put into my personal statement for law?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Hi there, it likely would not help you get into Oxford, as we don't take non-academic matters into consideration. But, given the personal statement goes to all universities you apply to, I don't see harm in mentioning it. Just be sure to explain why the presidency makes you a strong prospective student of law. In other words, make it academically relevant for your readers. All best!

[@JayeshKarnatac]

hi! Is it important to include the future goals and the reason we want to study in uk if an international student?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

It wouldn't be necessary to include those matters in an undergraduate application. You are only being judged on your academic ability and potential, and your future goals and reasons for studying in the UK are not particular relevant to that. It wouldn't do you harm to include such things, except in so far as it took away valuable words from describing your super curricular activities and evidence of your aptitude to be an undergraduate student. But, explaining why you want to study at Oxford (specifically) can be very important for a postgraduate application (and ONLY FOR A postgrad application). Unlike UG studies where your application is sent to up to five universities, PG applications are tailored to the individual institutions, and it can be helpful to know why you'd want to study at Oxford specifically. Describing your future goals is not typically required for postgraduate applications, although it can be useful if it helps your tutors understand your motivations for pursuing particular qualifications - for example if you want to get into academia. I hope this makes sense. Do come back to me if not.

[@ashzinuo9243]

Hi Dr Williams, I’m currently an IB student from Singapore and planning to apply for Oxford PPE this year. My school curriculum is IB (International Baccalaureate) and I’m also self-studying five APs (with complete different subjects from my IB combination) and took the exam last year and this year. This means i will have a IB overall prediction and five AP final scores. Our school is now concerning that the admission system would select students based on the final scores they have, especially regarding students with mixed curriculums. Hence, they are now strongly discouraging me to submit my AP scores. I really want to submit my AP test scores (at least the 5s) to show my initiative outside the classroom, but I’m also worried that I would get a immediate rejection based on the reasons my school told me. Hence, it would be wonderful if you could clarify this for me. If the school still doesn’t allow me to submit my APs even though there is no legitimate reason, would I still be able to submit my score through college board(the AP organiser) and would the universities receive my results without getting them from the UCAS. Lastly , your videos have inspired so many people around me and we couldn’t t thank you enough for everything you did. Some of my friends are applying to Jesus College because of you. Ashlan

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Dear Ashlan, many thanks for your message. The admissions tutors will only assess your performance on IB, and you would not need to submit the AP subjects as well. I think it's unlikely that submitting the AP subjects will damage your application, however. It's best to contact the Oxford college you apply to and ask their admissions officer. My sense is that if you apply to several UK unis, there may be some confusion as to why you have different qualifications. It may be worth mentioning in your personal statement that you have gone above and beyond IB by taking the AP subjects, but you don't need to formally list them as qualifications. But, as I say, it's best seeking this advice from an admissions officer at the college you intend to apply to at Oxford.

[@ashzinuo9243]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 thank you so much for the prompt response sir! I really appreciate your clarifications and advice:)) Take care!

[@cheemaskillz4935]

Do you have any tips for cutting down the word count if over 4000 characters?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, please see from 28:33 onwards

[@user-ft8yr5cs5q]

hello, do you think I still have a good chance of getting in for medicine with a 7 in my english language gcse

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

That should be fine, provided you obtain the necessary A-levels (or equivalent).

[@avadevlin9316]

Hi Dr. Williams, thank you for posting this! I'm American and last year I was able to enroll in a history course at an actual university. I was wondering if this would be considered an intracurricular activity because it was a class or would it be super-curricular because it was outside of my high school?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Good question! Given that the university course was outside of your school curriculum, and therefore extraneous to the qualifications you're presenting, then it would count as super curricular. Best of luck!

[@avadevlin9316]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 thank you! I will be sure to talk about it in my personal statement :)

[@pugalaenthimurugan8127]

Hi Dr. Matt, I’m interested in robotics, but the field of engineering I’m applying to is mechanical. Is it fine to write a personal statement for mechanical engineering concentrated about robotics, although it’s just a part of the mechanical engineering discipline? And if it’s not, to what extend will be considered going out of context? I hope you’ll answer this, even though it’s been a while since this video came out😅Thanks in advance!

[@songjiacao9675]

Hey Matt, thank you so much for your video! However I’ve a question about references. Because 5 of my teachers left the school this year, including my politics/TOK teacher who knows me the most. As I’m applying in October 15, I’m unlikely to get the chance to fully know the new politics teacher or get them to know me. Is having a mediocre reference going to hamper my application?

[@anianiani602]

Is it possible to ask your previous teacher to write your review?

[@songjiacao9675]

@@anianiani602 I hope. But if he can’t it will be difficult.

[@anianiani602]

@@songjiacao9675 I think it would be a good idea to first ask the school faculty if this is possible and then ask your teacher via email. There shouldn't be a problem given the fact that he has worked with you.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

No, it's unlikely to have a significant impact. The new teachers will need to use institutional information about you, if they lack personal information -- i.e. your position in the school relative to other students.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

It will depend on the policies at your school/college. It's worth asking to be sure where you stand.

[@emilypawlak1949]

I am not applying to oxford, however I am applying to some top unis for history and politics. My alevel combination is history English language and art (in which i achieved A A A*) I am on a gap year and I am a bit worried that I am at a disadvantage to other students because not all my Alevels are ‘academic’ despite it being stated that at least two Alevels should be academic. Is my worry valid as an applicant?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Your A-level choices would be fine for Oxford. The only A-levels we don’t accept are general studies and critical thinking.

[@cheemaskillz4935]

is it okay to mention say an LSE podcast in the ps? or will other unis be put off?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Yes, that's fine. Just be sure to explain what you thought about the podcast. And, note, that podcasts tend not to be as stretching and challenging as books and articles.

[@edparker1143]

I mentioned David Runciman's (Cambridge) history of ideas podcast in my history and politics PS, and it didn't seem to affect anything. If you do mention something like a podcast, I would reccomend linking it to something more academic that you've read to pursue the same ideas. E.g. "having listened to Runciman's history of ideas podcast, I was particularly interested in Weber's definition of a state. Reading his vocation lectures, I noted the functionality of this definition..."

[@lumasky15922]

Hi! I just have a question. If I were to write a personal statement about my interest say in both engineering and medicine, but I wanted to pursue medicine at Oxford, do you think my application will be rejected as to someone who is dedicated to medicine? Thank you Matt Williams! sorry my English isn't very good.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Your English is great! I don't imagine what you have described would be a problem. Provided you describe an interest in engineering that can relate to medicine, which should be fairly easy to do. In that case the admissions tutors will not be perturbed. What might be offputting is if you have a section of your personal statement that makes it seem that you would like to study engineering, as opposed to medicine.

[@lumasky15922]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thank you so much for your reply! :)