Admissions tutors will want to know what it is that interests you about studying education at degree level, what you hope to gain from it, and where you hope it might take you. Sprinkle in some relevant experience and something about you as a person, and you’ll have the perfect route to a 10/10 statement.
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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 want to study education – include insights like why you want to explore what education means, how it’s used around the world, and the different forms education can take.
- Reflect on topical issues such as how education is portrayed in the media, and reference recent news stories you’ve seen or articles you’ve read that expand on this – whether it’s to do with education and social change, teacher retention, or teaching children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
- If you know where your interests lie beyond your degree, then mention those too – for example a career in curriculum development, education management, further research, or higher education teaching.
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:
- Write about subjects you’ve studied and reflect on how they were taught. For example, if you studied history, how is the way you were taught to analyse sources and question whose viewpoint a text is being told from potentially useful in wider society?
- Describe what skills you’ve picked up from other studies, such as research methods in humanities or sciences, written and communication skills in English, or analytical skills in law or economics.
- 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:
- If you haven’t already, try and get some experience observing in a classroom or other educational setting, and reflect on what you see. Can you write about a particular teaching method, such as phonics, and how you feel it did or didn’t help pupils engage with the topic?
- Mention any other relevant work experience you have, whether that’s spending a few weeks teaching yourself or tutoring young people locally, and what you’ve learned about how children learn, or educational techniques you feel are effective.
- Mention any personal accomplishments or extracurricular activities that show your broader interests and skillset, whether that’s a drama or book club, learning a musical instrument or picking up sports skills.
- Expand on any relevant skills or qualities you've demonstrated in a part-time job, such as good communication skills, empathy, and organisation.
- 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
Tell admissions tutors what makes you tick
Do you enjoy reading science fiction, making jewellery or playing volleyball? Whatever it is, give a sense of what you’d bring to studying education through your cultural and other interests, showing you’re a rounded person who’ll also gain a lot from university life.
Many courses look at education from a global perspective so, if you can, show you’ve travelled to other countries or taken an interest in education outside of the UK. Maybe you’re interested in the emphasis on play in the early years in Scandinavian countries, or you’ve been to visit a Steiner Waldorf school in the UK to see how they teach in comparison to schools following the national curriculum.
Reflect on things you’ve read in Schools Week, or the education section of The Times, The Guardian, or The Independent, or books like Why Don’t Students Like School? or Creative Schools by Sir Ken Robinson.
It’s even better if you can relate what you’ve written back to something you’ve learned in your English, maths or psychology studies, heard on TED Talks such as How every child can thrive by five, or read on the BBC Bitesize website.
Some more tips to consider
- Research the course: Why do you want to study education, 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?
- Examples of your relevant skills: Can you describe situations where you’ve demonstrated relevant skills like planning, good time management, communication, research skills, and strong motivation?
- Make your work experience count: Highlight any experience you’ve had in a school or education setting, alongside any other experience you’ve had working with or observing children, such as summer camps, sports coaching or working as a lifeguard. Make sure you spell out why it’s relevant and what you personally gained from it.
- Don't forget the basics: The coherence, spelling, grammar, and punctuation of your statement will all be important.