How to get feedback on your UCAS Personal Statement

So, you’ve had a go at writing your UCAS Personal Statement. The school deadline is looming, and you have no idea whether what you have written is any good.

This is where you need to start looking for some specific help and support. The great news is that there are almost certainly people around to help you.

However, getting feedback is not simple. Knowing who to ask (and when) is not simple. And knowing who’s input to take on board is not simple.

But never fear, I have a few ideas about how to maximise and make the very most of the feedback you can receive, by getting the feedback in a planned manner.

Feedback basics…

Firstly, I’d suggest you get feedback from no more than three (or possibly four) different people. Why? Because any more than that and you will get so much conflicting feedback, and will be pulled in so many different directions that you won’t know who to listen to and what to change.

Secondly, don’t ask for feedback from anyone at any point unless you have checked the spelling and grammar in the statement and are confident they are perfect. Otherwise the danger is that your trusted supporter will simply correct the spelling and grammar, and you will have missed the opportunity for proper feedback about the content.

Thirdly, think carefully about the order that you seek feedback so that you get the final set of feedback from the most expert person you know.

In a bit more detail, this is what I would do if I was looking for feedback and support on my Personal Statement.

Who to get feedback from, and in what order

Friends or Family

Once I have what I think is a strong first draft, with spelling and grammar checked, I’d find a trusted friend or family member and ask them for their comments. They should help you with readability and iron out any sections that don’t make obvious sense. They may suggest you have too much in one section and not enough in another. They may also point out things that they know about you that you have missed, and suggest better examples that will be more relevant. 

Take their suggestions and consider them carefully, but make up your own mind about what is most important. Then redraft and check your grammar and spelling again.

Subject expert

Next I would show it to a subject teacher at school; someone who is an expert in the subject you are applying to. They can comment on the academic aspects and check whether you have demonstrated your understanding, motivation and knowledge of the course effectively. You may be allocated a teacher for this purpose and they are likely to have helped students with this before.

I cannot stress enough how important this particular feedback is for those of you who are applying to high-demand, academic courses at the most competitive universities. Lean on these teachers to help you make sure that your discussion of the subject you are applying for (and about which they are an expert!), is at a suitable level of academic sophistication for a university application, and that you have communicated your ideas concisely and accurately. Once you have their feedback, draft the statement again, and once more check the grammar and spelling.

University counsellor

Finally, at school or college, you will almost certainly have access to a university counsellor, a Careers Adviser, or even Head/Deputy Head of 6th who will help. They will have supported countless students in perfecting their statements, and while they won’t necessarily understand everything you have written about the subjects and courses, they will have a very good idea how to get the right balance in a statement; what to say more about, and what to say less about. They will give pointers on content, style and clarity.

If they are experienced, they’ll be looking to make sure your statement is of a quality that is consistent with your academic achievements and your choices.

Take their feedback, redraft, check and show it to them again to make sure you have addressed their feedback fully. And repeat, once.

How to ask for feedback

I once read that Steve Jobs (Founder and former CEO of Apple) used to ask just one simple question when he wanted feedback on his presentations. He wasn’t interested in having people massage his ego by telling him he was great. Nor did he want people to say what bad, without thinking how it could be improved. So he asked just this: "How can I make it better?".

Asking this simple question makes clear that you are interested in improving your statement, and that you are not just looking for approval. It’s a great way of encouraging people to give you positive suggestions, rather than have them just tell you what is good about it, and what is not so good.

So just ask: “How can I make my Personal Statement better?”.

You should also agree how you are going to receive this feedback. If they are giving you verbal feedback, take notes there and then, and if you don’t understand the feedback, ask them to clarify. If the feedback is written, and something is not clear, then go back to them and ask for clarification. 

Also, don’t expect three or four rounds of feedback from your teacher or your counsellor. In most cases you should expect one round of feedback, then you make the relevant changes, and they look at it once more to check that you’ve made the right improvements. You may get one more round if the statement is particularly far off the mark to start with, and you effectively need to re-write it.

And please, once you have had the sign-off and approval from your counsellor, don’t show it to friends and family and change it all over again, unless you genuinely think your friends and family have greater experience, knowledge and expertise than the counsellor.

Taking feedback on board

There is nothing more demotivating to a teacher or adviser than having their feedback ignored. Then again, this is your Personal Statement, and the final decision is yours on what goes in, and what doesn’t.

So, take every bit of feedback and consider it carefully. Action the feedback and make changes where you agree. Where you don’t agree, and decide not to make the changes, write down your reasons, and let the person know. Otherwise when they see your next draft they’ll just think you didn’t listen, and they won’t bother with any further feedback.

And finally…

Once you have all the feedback, have made the final round of changes, I suggest you do one final spelling and grammar-check, and then upload it straight to UCAS.

Give yourself an enormous pat on the back and go do something you enjoy. You’ve just completed something really significant in your educational and professional journey, and you deserve a reward!

What next?

Interested in more help and support with your UCAS Personal Statement?

Download my free guide, available on Amazon, Apple Books, or here on this website.