Design a personal statement that illustrates what you know about the course, what you can bring to it, and how you’ll rise to the challenge of a degree in computer games and animation.
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Think about why you want to study the subject
- Have you been inspired by someone, a news story, a documentary, or a podcast?
- Do you have career aspirations in this area of study?
- What interests you about the subject – be specific; rather than saying you enjoy it or are good at it, try to explain the ‘why’ behind your reasoning.
- What do you already know about the subject and what are you looking forward to learning more about?
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What makes you suitable to study the subject?
- Have you done projects or essays in this subject at school or college?
- Think about who you are as a person; your personality, your strengths, your experiences in life – how do these make you suited to study the subject?
- How have you shown an interest in the subject outside of school or college – have you done extra reading, online courses, been part of clubs or competitions?
- Your current subjects and grades will be included elsewhere in your application, so try to think about specific things you’ve learned during your studies that relate to the subject, rather than listing your grades and subjects.
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Look at the bigger picture
- Have you done any work experience, an internship or had a part-time job in this subject area or related? Most job or work experience will give you transferable skills, even if it’s in a different industry.
- Do you have any hobbies you can mention that might relate to your chosen subject? Many hobbies show that you can be motivated outside of school to achieve and succeed in something you’re interested in.
- Think about how your life and personal experiences have helped make you the person you are today, and how these challenges and experiences can support your application by evidencing essential qualities for certain subjects.
- If you’ve got ambitions and goals for your life and career, can you express how this subject will help you reach these goals?
Guidance and examples you can use
Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
This is your opportunity to showcase your passion and knowledge of your chosen subject area and to demonstrate to universities and colleges why it’s a good fit for you and your future ambitions.
Examples:
- Explain why you’re enthusiastic about studying computer games and animation, and where that interest comes from. Critique computer games you enjoy, or explain why you love a particular gaming company or animator and why that has inspired you to go into the industry.
- Mention articles or forums you read, and books you’ve read that have influenced you. Elaborate on one or two things – for example, you may have followed the marketing and launch of the latest Call of Duty release and have observations about that, or you may have been following how the computer games industry is using artificial intelligence (AI) in the news. Relate your observations to the course you're applying for.
- If you know what you want to do after your degree, mention that too – perhaps you want to be an indie games developer or you want to work at one of the big-name UK animation companies. Don’t worry if you don’t know yet – you can still get across why your natural curiosity or creativity would make this degree a good fit for you.
Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
This is your chance to shout about the relevant or transferable skills you’ve gained from your formal education and highlight your understanding of how they will help you succeed in this subject area.
Examples:
- Think about the skills you’ve picked up in subjects at school and why they’ll be useful during this degree. For example, you may have honed your creative and design skills in design technology or art, or your data and analytical skills in computing, maths or sciences.
- Describe the other relevant skills you’ve picked up at school or college too, such as teamwork, time management, and analytical thinking.
- You’ll have also learned things from supercurricular or extracurricular activities, whether that’s good attention to detail at a chess or coding club, or good communication and interpersonal skills from drama or sport.
- Have you done any online courses to boost your knowledge in the subject? For example, why not try Subject Spotlights or Virtual Work Experiences from Springpod to grow your skills and interest?
Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
This is your chance to talk about any other activities you have undertaken outside of your formal education, or personal experiences which further demonstrate your suitability for the course. This section is likely to be highly personal to you and anything you do include should reflect on why you’re including it.
Examples:
- Write about your hobbies and activities and what you get out of them. Do you enjoy playing a team sport or solo sport? What attributes does that bring you, such as commitment, perseverance, and the ability to balance studies with life outside of school?
- Mention any volunteering, work-shadowing, or part-time jobs you’ve done. It’s great if you’ve got experience at a gaming company or animation studio, but if not you’ll have still picked up useful skills working in a library, cafe or shop – like customer service, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
- Think of any personal experiences and attributes too. Perhaps you’ve taught yourself programming, which shows initiative as well as technical skills, or maybe you’ve had a family illness or bereavement which has taught you empathy and a greater understanding of human relationships.
Dos
- Do relate any examples back to the subject you’re applying to – make it relevant
- Do make it personal – admissions staff want to get to know who you are
- Do use a spell-checker and grammar-checker to ensure there are no errors
- Do ask people for feedback, whether that’s family members or teachers
- Do your research to find out what universities are looking for, and make sure you include evidence to show how you are suitable for the course
Don'ts
- Don’t just list out examples, subjects you study, or experiences you’ve had without any evidence
- Don’t copy something you’ve seen online or use AI to write something for you
- Don’t make things up just because you think they’ll make you look good on paper
- Don’t leave it until the last minute – you need time for several drafts
- Don’t worry about making each section the same length; as long as you hit the minimum character count, you can use the 4,000 characters across each answer in the way that suits you best
Tell admissions tutors what makes you tick
Maybe you designed a poster or social media post for a local band or DJ, or perhaps you enjoy sketching your own games characters in your spare time. Describe how this gives you an outlet after a busy day at college, or how it has enhanced your design or technical skills in some way.
Similarly, if you enjoy playing football, rugby, or netball, describe what you personally get out of it, alongside the skills you’ve picked up like resilience, commitment, and good teamwork.
Write about what culture interests you too, whether you’re into anime, graphic novels, Fortnite, or French cinema. If you love playing adventure games, for example, could you critique the way Sonic X Shadow Generations, or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is designed, and some of the techniques that were used? It’s even better if you can relate what you’re saying back to something you’ve read in Skiwgly, heard in their podcast, or read in PC Gamer, or on the BBC News website.
Some more tips to consider
- Research the course: Why do you want to study computer games and animation, what specific aspects of the course interest you, how does it relate to your academic studies, and what additional reading or other activities have led you to apply?
- Creativity and innovation: Try and give examples of when you’ve designed or created something, whether during your studies or in your own time. Mention any awards you’ve entered or won too.
- Make your work experience count: If you’ve work-shadowed at a games, animation, or software engineering company, that’s great, but make sure you also spell out exactly what you gained from it.
- Transferable skills: Brainstorm what skills you’ve picked up through extracurricular or supercurricular activities, work experience or a part-time job that are relevant to your course. Think outside the box – so, you’ve learned pottery; can you explain how that has given you interpersonal skills, self-motivation, and good time management?