With a subject like maths and statistics at university, motivation is 90% of the battle – so anything that demonstrates your motivation and enthusiasm for the subject will go down well. Whether you love exponentials and logarithms, trigonometry, algebra or probability, get that passion and interest for the subject across, as well as telling admissions tutors something about what makes you as an individual tick.
-
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?
-
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.
-
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:
- Admissions tutors love to see anything that shows the depth or breadth of your interest in maths and statistics, and especially your interests in the subject beyond the A level (or equivalent) syllabus – like any books you’ve read, clubs you’re part of, or especially any maths challenges you’ve been involved in.
- The University of Bristol looks for applicants who can show participation and success in mathematical competitions: 'There are many of these competitions, whether local, national, or international, and the more recent your participation and the greater the success you attained, the more weight it carries’.
- Tutors also like to see a bit of spark and originality. For example, what first inspired your interest in maths and statistics, or better still, what currently inspires it? Whether you’re a Rubik’s cube whizz, you love SimCity or you’re into programming, try and get your unique interest across.
- Also, give a sense of which aspects of maths you especially like and why. Is it algebra, calculus, statistics or something else?
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 subjects or projects you’ve done that show attributes such as logic and reason. Maybe you carried out a chemistry experiment or a statistical modelling project in geography which required those skills.
- Mention anything specific you’ve learned that you can reference, and how it may help you during your degree, such as learning a programming language in information technology (IT) or managing a project in physics.
- 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?
- You could also demonstrate your self-motivation and ability to focus through describing your study and revision techniques or extracurricular activities, such as learning a musical instrument.
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:
- What hobbies do you have that require problem-solving, analytical, and technical skills? Perhaps you enjoy playing Minecraft, The Talos Principle or Zachtronics games, or maybe you enjoy puzzles, chess or sudoku.
- Think of any jobs or work experience you have and what relevant skills you’ve picked up. If you’ve worked in a fast-food restaurant or a busy bar, you’ll have learned great teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills – even better if you had responsibilities involving financial transactions or cashing up.
- If you play a sport, do community work, or enjoy singing or acting in your spare time, demonstrate how these interests illustrate your drive, commitment, enthusiasm, and your potential to excel.
- Also, show some evidence of knowledge you’ve gained beyond the A level (or equivalent) syllabus. For example, maybe talk about something you’ve seen or heard in the media that struck you as an example of good (or bad!) statistical analysis or reporting.
- 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?
Try to give tutors a sense of your personality through talking about any outside interests that offer an insight into who you are.
Think about your personal and family life and what it says about you. If you’ve had to share a room with your siblings throughout your teens, what skills has that taught you, like compromise, and being able to focus in spite of distractions!
Talk about books you like, movies you watch, cinema or theatre trips you enjoy, sports you play, or charities you volunteer for. It's not just about studying – universities are also communities, and it's great if you can show how you'll contribute to university life.
Some more tips to consider
- Passion for the subject: Write about what first sparked your interest in maths and statistics, what areas of maths you’re particularly interested in, and where you see your degree taking you.
- Examples of your relevant skills: Can you describe situations where you’ve demonstrated relevant skills like problem-solving, analytical skills, research, planning, and project management?
- Making your work experience count: It’s not just what you've done but how you've reflected on it. If you work-shadowed in an accountancy firm, public sector organisation, or engineering firm, that's great – but it will have zero impact unless you spell out what you personally gained from it.
- 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. Try to think outside the box – ok, so you’ve got to Grade 8 in piano; can you explain how that has helped with your self-motivation, commitment, and time management?