Whether you want to travel the world, deliver first-class customer care, or be a successful entrepreneur, explain why you’re passionate about this subject, what you’re looking forward to learning, and where you hope it might take you.
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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 what it is that’s made you want to study this subject at degree level. You may have already experienced a stay in a hotel, a school outdoor pursuits trip, or a holiday in the UK or abroad, and have reflections on that. Or you may know you want to work with people from different backgrounds or cultures, or you just want to see other people enjoying themselves!
- Can you expand on one or two things you’ve read, reviewed, or experienced? Perhaps you were really impressed with the customer service during a trip or activity you did and can elaborate on the skills you think are needed for those roles. Or maybe you love Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, and it has made you want to work in an environment like that.
- Explain why hospitality, leisure, and tourism is a good fit for you. Have you always been organised, outgoing, and good with people? Perhaps you love travel and culture, and know you want to work aboard, and you’ve been learning a language on Duolingo or Babbel in your spare time?
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:
- What skills have you picked up in English, business, or geography, for example, such as good writing and communication skills, finance, or analytical skills?
- You may have learned how to budget during your business studies, as well as learning about leadership on that course, or through managing a team project in lessons or an extracurricular club. If related, mention an EPQ you’ve done at school and how it will help you during this degree.
- 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:
- Can you show you’ve already got an entrepreneurial spirit or enjoy organising experiences, perhaps through a team-building event you arranged for you and your friends, or a freelance job you have coaching swimming or kayaking, for example?
- Write about events you’ve been to, or experiences you’ve had and reflect on them. Perhaps you went on holiday but there was a train or airport staff strike, and you had to be flexible and problem solve the situation? How will you apply those skills to hospitality, leisure, and tourism?
- If you’ve had part-time or volunteering jobs in a hotel, shop, restaurant, travel agency, or leisure centre, you’ll have learned customer service, communication, sales, and marketing 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
Have you taken a trip that you budgeted for?
Mention if you’ve captained a sports team, directed a play at school, or led a Scouts or Duke of Edinburgh’s expedition, as these all demonstrate your leadership skills, as well as your planning and time management.
And talk about what culture and other interests you have too. You may enjoy watching travel documentaries, you may have already written reviews of hotels or activities for an online publication, or you may enjoy reading and baking in your spare time. All of these are valid activities, just make sure you explain why they’re relevant.
It's even better if you can link your interests and experience to something you've learned in your English, psychology, or business studies, or read on UK Hospitality, Time Out, Leisure Week, or on hospitality, leisure, and tourism companies’ social media.
Some more tips to consider
- Research the course: Why do you want to study hospitality, leisure, and tourism, 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 shown good organisation and presentation skills, data analysis, initiative, and worked with people from different countries or cultures?
- Problem-solving and resilience: Think of times when things have gone wrong, or you’ve had to cope under pressure. This could be related to your exams or situations outside of school or college. Explain how you managed things.
- Make your work experience count: Mention any relevant work or volunteering you’ve done at a hotel, restaurant, sports centre, activity centre, or travel agency, and be clear about what you personally gained from it.