As well as cultural references and critiques, and a sense of who you are, admissions tutors want you to be clear about the type of course you're applying for (especially the balance of practice and theory) and to write a personal statement that flows logically and is as engaging as possible. And here's how to prepare that all-important audition piece.
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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, colleges, and conservatoires why it’s a good fit for you and your future ambitions.
Examples:
- Professor Anna Furse, Head of Theatre and Performance at Goldsmiths, University of London, advises applicants for her course to avoid saying things like 'I simply love to perform and want to be a musical star'. 'It's fine to have a passion to perform', she says, 'but think also about why you want a university degree and tell us about this’.
- Admissions tutors also ask for ‘Genuine enthusiasm for drama, along with evidence that you've studied or read beyond the curriculum’. Whether you’ve enjoyed Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones, or the original one-woman play of Fleabag, think about plays you’ve seen or read and explain how they’ve ignited your passion for drama and theatre studies.
- If you can, articulate your career aspirations and how your degree will help you gain the experience, knowledge, and skills to help you prepare for it.
- Professor Furse also advises applicants to be clear about whether they’re looking for a course with a practice-theory ethos at an interdisciplinary university like hers, or a more practical course at a conservatoire or drama school. 'It’s fine to apply to both,' she says, 'but simply be aware and don’t write too generically’.
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:
- Focus on your most recent and relevant creative experiences. If you’re applying for a practical course, can you reference work you’ve done in your theatres studies or performing arts at school and the skills you picked up?
- Think how studying English or law, for example, has helped develop your analytical and critical skills, and how these will help you on your course.
- Talk about the skills gained from your critical and creative experiences, both within and outside your studies, or how you feel you’ve benefited from them. Think outside the box if you need to – giving presentations in any subject and receiving feedback can inform future acting work you do.
- 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:
- Think how any positions of authority, charity work, employment, hobbies or other relevant activities have benefited your development, or their relationship to drama and theatre studies.
- Talk about any amateur productions you’ve been involved in outside of school and what you learned from them, including the technical aspects of a production.
- Maybe you enjoy writing short stories or scripts, or you’ve sent an idea to a producer you love, and received a written reply. How can you show you have a flair for storytelling or the audacity to put yourself forward for things?
- Don’t forget about things like sports, school councils, or even coming from a large family – you can use all of these to demonstrate your teamwork and communications skills.
- 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’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
How to set yourself apart
The key to setting yourself apart in your application is to remember how important the ‘personal’ bit is to your personal statement. What makes you, you?
For Professor Furse’s practice-based course at an inter-disciplinary university,, she’s interested in applicants who are looking for a broader education in the range of creative, technical, and intellectual skills that will prepare them for a wide range of careers in the performing arts. For any course you apply for, relate how your particular personality and experience is suited to it.
Think about your life experiences, how they’ve shaped you and what qualities you can therefore bring to your drama or theatre studies course. If you have cared for a parent or sibling, you’ll have a lot of empathy, which can be useful when taking on a character role. Maybe your background has made you very culturally aware and you feel this is something which will inform your drama work. Or maybe changes in your family or school circumstances have meant you’re very adaptable, a key skill for any theatre studies student.
Include your interests
Some more tips to consider
- Structure: Your personal statement should be as engaging as possible, making the reader want to read on and show you can articulate your ideas in a succinct but interesting way. Check punctuation, grammar, spelling, and syntax carefully too.
- Relate it to your skillset: Get the right balance between subject-specific material and outside interests, which Nick Strong suggests should ideally be 75% / 25%.
- Examples of your relevant skills: Describe situations where you’ve demonstrated relevant skills like good communication or teamwork, adaptability and creativity, character development or the technical aspects of theatre production.
- Research the course: Why do you want to study drama and theatre studies, 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?
- Transferable skills: Whether through extracurricular or supercurricular activities, work experience or a part-time job, you’ll have lots of skills that will be relevant to your course. If you’ve learned a musical instrument or gained a lifeguard qualification, these show you have commitment, self-motivation and good time management.