News and Events
Personal Statements in UCAS applications: a clarification
20 May 2009
Recent media reports about the use of personal statements and their value in the admissions process have created a number of misleading impressions which we want to rectify.
We would like to assure all applicants and their advisers that, when making our admissions decisions, we do take into account all the information available to us, including that contained in personal statements and references.
Moreover, the University recognises that the process of writing a personal statement can help a student to better understand and express their own interests and motivations. This in itself is an important element in the preparation for an interview.
Similarly, teachers' references are of significant value to us because they express the opinion of a person who knows the student's academic ability.
Cambridge interviews a very large proportion of our applicants, and we use personal statements to inform the interview process. It is the personal statement, not the academic record that tells us something about the applicant's personality, their passion for their chosen subject and how well they may adapt to university life.
Our Supplementary Application Questionnaire includes specific questions that allow students to expand on or fill in gaps
in their personal statements. In this way we try to ensure that we have consistent, salient information about all our
applicants, making our selection process as fair as possible.
- Useful links
- Undergraduate Admission at the University of Cambridge
- Featured video and audio
- Cambridge Ideas
- More video and audio
- Related pages
- Staff newsletter
- Research Horizons magazine
- Reporter
- Information for staff and students
