engineering personal statement uk

Writing a Winning UCAS Engineering Personal Statement: Ultimate Guide w/Analysed Examples

Engineering Personal Statement: Why It’s Important

With careers in engineering providing  over 20% of the UK’s total economic productivity and with over one-fourth of its workforce working in engineering fields , it’s no surprise that some of  the best and highest-ranked  engineering schools in the world are located in the United Kingdom. So how do you get a spot in one of the best engineering programmes in the world? You need impressive marks, a good resume, and a stellar engineering personal statement.

Before we get to that, though, let’s back up a little and examine everything it takes to get into a good engineering programme.

Engineering Programme Prerequisites

Before you get ready to apply for an engineering programme at any university, there are  several prerequisites  you need to have met first. While these prerequisites may differ slightly from university to university, the majority of them should remain the same.

Completed Coursework

You must have, at a minimum, at least two A-Levels if you expect to get into an engineering programme. In the most popular programmes, you’ll need at least three, with grades of A’s and B’s in each. The exact entry requirements may vary, but they tend to range from CCC to AAA. Most universities prefer you to have ABB.

Additionally, one of your A-Levels needs to be in maths. A second A Level in physics is also encouraged for students hoping to study engineering at Uni. There are other courses that may be accepted in place of physics, such as other science courses, additional maths courses, or design and/or computing courses, but your safest bet will always be maths and physics as two of your A-Levels. If you don’t have an A-Level in maths, you may be required to take a maths and/or mechanics aptitude test before being considered for admission.

Vocational Courses

If you don’t have the required A Levels, another option you can use at some schools is to substitute vocational courses for them. For example, if you have Level 3 or Level 6 qualifications, you might be able to use these as replacements for the A-Level courses. These qualifications include the following:

• SVQ Scientific, Technical & Formulation Processing (SCQF Level 6)
• Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Engineering or Construction and Built Environment

It’s important to note that not all universities will accept these as substitutes for A-Levels, so check with each school individually.

Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering

If you’re interested in a biotechnology or chemical engineering programme, the required A Levels are a little different. Universities usually require two A-Levels in science or a Scottish Highers with either biology or chemistry as one of the subjects. Additionally, you’ll also be required to have five GCSEs that include English, maths, and a science.

Scottish Highers

The most common range for entry into Highers is between ABBB and AAAAB. The majority of universities require AABBB. If a university requests an Advanced Highers to supplement Highers, they most often ask for an AA.

Additional Qualifications for Admission

The only true prerequisites for admission into an engineering programme are those listed above, but there are some additional things you may want to have on your application to make it more memorable. These include relevant work or apprenticeship experience, volunteer experience, and personal references.

Applying for Admission

To apply for any undergraduate programme at a university in the UK, particularly an engineering programme, you have to fill out an application through the  UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) . If you’ve ever applied to a college or university in the United States using the Common App, the UCAS is very similar.

It’s a centralised location for applying to a multitude of different schools/courses, and you’ll use it whether you live in the UK or are an international student. The actual name of the application is the UCAS Apply. Once you’ve completed it, you can apply to up to five separate universities (or five separate degree programmes if you aren’t set in your engineering course) simultaneously.

Filling out the UCAS Apply: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: register for the ucas site.

This is a simple setup process. You’ll sign up by setting up a username and password. You’ll create some security questions in case you lose your password, and then you’ll be asked some basic information such as your name, birth date, and other personally-identifying information.

Step 2: Verify Your Account, Sign In & Enter the Rest of Your Information

After verifying that you really did create an account, you’ll be asked to sign in using the username and password you just created. Then you’ll fill in the rest of your personal information, including your residency status. You’ll also be asked about how you plan to pay for university and whether or not you’ll be requesting scholarships.

Additionally, you’ll be asked about any special needs you have or the accommodations you’ll need. If you have any type of criminal record, you’ll indicate that in this section. You can also give permission for an adult in your life – parent, adviser, mentor, guardian, etc. – to have access to your UCAS profile. This gives them permission to talk to university staff about you, your university goals, and anything else of note.

Steps 3 & 4: For UK Residents Only

If you’re an international student, you won’t be required to fill out steps three and four. (Note: Residents of the EU might possibly be asked to fill out step 4.) Section three asks about your national identity, ethnic origin, and occupational background. There are some additional questions in this section that are optional. These ask about your religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

You’ll also be provided with space to discuss your own, personal circumstances, especially as they relate to your ability to pay for and succeed at Uni. This could include information about your parents’ education or background, activities in which you’ve been involved, whether or not you’ve been in care, etc.

Section four isn’t always asked and only appears if questions in the personal details section have been answered a certain way. If they do appear, they’ll be asking about your finances.

Step 5: Choose Your Courses/Universities

In this section, you’ll be able to apply for up to five different courses and/or universities. This is where you choose what programmes you hope to be accepted into. You can only choose five though, so choose wisely.

Step 6: Provide Your Educational History

Here you’ll enter your entire educational history beginning at secondary education. You’ll enter your A-Levels as well as any vocational courses you’ve taken. It’s important that you list all of these exactly right, including the marks you received in each.

Step 7: Employment History

This is where you’ll attach your work resume. This is for paid work only. If you have any volunteer experience or other unpaid work, it’ll be listed in your personal statement instead. You can only list five places of employment, so if you’ve had more than five jobs, choose the five most relevant to the programme you’re pursuing (in this case, engineering).

Step 8: Your Personal Statement

We’ll discuss this in-depth a little later on.

Step 9: Review the Details

Once you’ve completed all the above-listed steps, you’ll have a chance to review everything. Review it thoroughly and make any changes necessary. You won’t be allowed to edit it once it’s been submitted.

Step 10: Personal Reference, Application Fee & Submit

Finally, you’ll need at least one personal reference. This should be from someone who knows you in a professional capacity, either from working with you or having had you in class. You’ll also be required to pay an application fee of £20 if you’re applying to only one course and £25 if you’re applying for multiple courses. Then you’ll submit the application.

Once you’ve submitted your UCAS Apply application, you’re all set. You can track it using the UCAS Tracker to see if your desired universities have received it. Then you wait for the university to reach out to you for more information, an interview, or acceptance.

Writing Your Personal Statement

If you’re applying to an engineering programme, you’ll be required to write a  personal statement  as part of step 8 on the UCAS Apply application. We can’t overemphasise how important step 8 truly is. There are very few universities that require you to write an additional essay or personal statement for entrance into their engineering programmes, so this is your one chance to get it right.

So what exactly should you write about?

There isn’t exactly a prompt for writing your UCAS personal statement. Under this same question – “What should I write about?” – on the  UCAS website , the answer given is simply, “You.” In other words, write about yourself.

The admissions team wants to know why they should give you a coveted spot in the engineering programme over every other applicant. You need to tell them why you want a spot at the university, but you also need to tell them why you  deserve  a spot  and  what it is about you that should make them want to  give  you a spot. This means showcasing your strengths, achievements, and drive to succeed.

In case you need a little more guidance, here are some questions to ask yourself to help you get started:

• Why are you interested in attending university, and what aspects of university life are you most looking forward to experiencing?
• What are your career goals?
• What first interested you in engineering, and what about it continues to interest you?
• What experiences have you had, either in school or in the work environment, that would prepare you for studying at university?
• Was there anything about your earlier education studies you found to be particularly helpful or interesting?
• What do you most hope to gain from your time at the university, and what strengths and positive characteristics will you bring with you?
• What makes you a good candidate for a position at Uni?
• What elements of your future studies are you looking forward to most?
• Have you taken any higher education courses already, received any awards or accolades, or been recognised for outstanding academic or professional ability?
• What can you write about to prove that you’ve researched engineering beyond what you learned in your early education?

If you consider these questions and keep them in mind while writing, you’ll likely cover everything you need to cover to make a good impression on the admissions team. UCAS also provides you with this  personal statement worksheet  to help organise your thoughts and guide your writing.

Standard Engineering Personal Statement Length & Format

One thing to keep in mind while writing your personal statement is that it has to stay within a  certain character limit . No matter how much you have to say, you have to keep it under 4000 characters or 47 lines of text.

While this isn’t an exact word count, that averages out to approximately 500 words, which isn’t a ton of words. It’s about one single-spaced page worth of text. This means that you must be concise. You want to get in all the important information that’ll help your application stand out from all the other applications universities receive, but you have to do it without being too wordy.

Format Requirements

Worrying about the formatting requirements (double-spaced, single-spaced, font size, etc.) is unnecessary for your engineering personal statement because you’ll be typing or pasting it into a text box on the website. As long as your paragraphs are clearly defined and your font is easy to read, you should be fine on formatting guidelines.

However, because you only get 47 lines of text, it’s important that you  structure your paper correctly . This means breaking your personal statement into roughly three sections, with each section answering a specific question. For the sake of clarity, we’ll call these sections the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Now let’s break it down a little further.

A Brief Introduction

The introduction should take up about 15-20% of your personal statement. That’s approximately seven to ten of the 47 provided lines. In your introduction, try to answer the question, “Why do you want to study engineering?” You can talk about the experiences that shaped your love of the subject and the things about it that continue to interest you. You might even touch on why you feel it’s important that people study engineering at all.

Full, Rich Body Paragraphs

Your body paragraphs should make up about 55-65% of your engineering personal statement, or 26 to 30 lines. In these paragraphs, you’ll address the questions, “What have you done that has prepared you for this course?” and “Why do you deserve a spot in the programme?” This is when you go in-depth into your experiences, educational history,  relevant  employment, etc.

Other questions you may want to address in your body paragraphs are:

• How have you cultivated the knowledge you need to succeed in this field?
• What did you learn while preparing for this course?
• Did you receive high marks in the classes relevant to an engineering course?
• Did you win any awards or receive any other accolades?
• What about your life experiences that has fully prepared you not just to enrol in the course but to excel in it?

A Brief Conclusion

Your conclusion should make up between 20-25% of your engineering personal statement, which is roughly ten to 12 lines. Here you’ll sum up your personal statement and bring it to a close. This is where you’ll add in any other extracurricular activities that might not be relevant to engineering but are impressive enough that you want the admissions team to know about them. You can also touch briefly on your future career goals in this section.

Other Things to Remember

One statement – five applications.

One of the most important things to remember about your engineering personal statement for your UCAS Apply application is that you can only write one statement, even though you could be applying to five different courses/universities. This means you don’t want to mention any specific university by name. If you do, the four other universities to which you’ve applied may think you aren’t seriously interested in them and disregard your application altogether.

Additionally, if you’ve applied to study different subjects rather than simply applying to five different engineering programmes, you won’t be able to focus your personal statement quite so much on the field of engineering. Instead, you’ll have to take a much more general approach to writing your personal statement, discussing your strengths in general terms as opposed to how they would apply specifically to the field of engineering.

Proofread and Edit

Do  not  submit your application and your included engineering personal statement without first proofreading and editing your statement. It’s even better if you can ask a  mentor, professor, or trusted friend  to look over it for you before you submit it. Having a fresh set of eyes looking over your paper is a great way to find errors you might have otherwise missed. Proper grammar and writing style are important, so don’t rush ahead without a proper amount of time spent editing and cleaning up.

The Website Will Time Out

Another important thing to remember is that the UCAS website will time out after 35 minutes of inactivity. For this reason, it’s better if you write your personal statement ahead of time in a separate document and then simply copy and paste it into the text box once it’s been fully edited and is ready to go.

Engineering Personal Statement Examples

Example personal statement 1.

“I hope a degree from your University will allow me to transfer key abilities from a place of study into, eventually, a place in industry. After much extended research, my admiration for the engineering innovator, Karl Benz, has been truly established. Commonly regarded as the originator of the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine, his contributions to the vast domain that is engineering are simply colossal. One creation of his that captivated my mind tremendously was the ‘Blitzen Benz’; a vehicle fabricated solely for the purpose of speed. […]

Understandably, I am mindful that the finest engineers must possess a resilient skill-set, which should include the ability to thrive in both collaborative and solo tasks, flourish under pressure and blossom in positions requiring a leadership mentality. Hopefully, a place on this course will allow me to reinforce and augment my previously developed skills whilst allowing me to simultaneously acquire many more essential abilities that will prove beneficial in later life.”

– Read the rest  here

Although this excerpt is a little longer than we usually like to include, we had to include it. It’s just too impressive to ignore. First of all, you’ll notice the author refers to “your University.” This is how you should always speak of the prospective university in your engineering personal statement because it sounds personal, but it doesn’t call any specific school by name, which would alienate the other four universities to which you applied.

Secondly, the author speaks of his admiration for the engineer and inventor Karl Benz. This shows that he’s researched his field of study outside of what he learned in school. It shows he has a genuine interest and passion for engineering, which means he should do well at Uni. The section that’s been removed goes into more detail about the ‘Blitzen Benz,’ using language that shows he has a solid knowledge of the technical terms associated with engineering.

Finally, he smoothly transitions into highlighting his strengths. He mentions many of the qualities that make for a good engineer and then mentions he has those qualities. In the next section, which has also been removed for the sake of brevity, he talks a bit about how he cultivated those qualities. He also says he hopes his time at Uni will help further these necessary qualities in him, and then transitions into talking about his future goals.

It is a powerfully written personal statement that shows the writer to be an excellent candidate for the engineering programme.

Our Verdict:

Example Personal Statement 2

“Engineers build societies. More specifically, mechanical engineers apply fundamental maths and physics laws to construct mechanical devices that we use every day, despite sometimes going unnoticed. For this reason, I would like to pursue a career in engineering, as it is such a key component in societies. It combines my fascination of how things work and the mechanics behind devices, with the ability to apply maths and physics concepts to real-life situations.

Studying Maths Mechanics at A-level has given me experience with calculus and more advanced mathematics, including differential equations, creating a firm grounding for the mathematics I should encounter at degree level. Physics has given me an understanding of fundamental notions and reinforced the mechanical aspects of maths […]”

his is another example of a well-written engineering personal statement. The introductory paragraph, in particular, is superb and covers everything that should be covered. The writer starts by highlighting why engineering is important to society as a whole. In doing so, she also demonstrates a solid knowledge of what engineering is all about.

She transitions smoothly into why she wants to become an engineer and mentions that she has a fascination with both  “how things work”  and  “the mechanics behind devices,”  which are two key elements for a successful engineer. In her next paragraph, she begins talking about her educational history, showing she has the experience and education necessary for a foundation in engineering.

Altogether, she presents herself as someone with passion, clearly defined goals, and a solid foundation that should allow her to hit the ground running when she begins at the university.

Example Personal Statement 3

“My desire to study Engineering stems from the practical application of Maths and Physics to real world situations to enhance and improve them is a field that I find fascinating and perplexing. After partaking in different engineering-based experiences, I learnt how varied and inclusive this subject is, and that is the reason I want to study Engineering at University.”

In contrast to the first two examples, this is an example of a weak engineering personal statement that wasn’t done well. This is the author’s introductory paragraph, and right from the beginning, it fails to paint the writer in a good light. The first sentence is grammatically incorrect and makes no sense as written. The paragraph is also much too short and vague.

Referring back to the common structure of a personal statement, you’ll remember the introductory paragraph should be about seven to ten lines long. This one is about four. It doesn’t have enough information on it, and the information that’s there is too general. It sounds like a child’s version of what an engineer does and why it’d be fun to be an engineer.

The student mentions  “partaking in different engineering-based experiences”  but doesn’t give any examples to back up that claim. Even his reason for wanting to be an engineer isn’t clearly defined. This is a weak, unmemorable statement that isn’t going to impress anyone on an admissions team.

Example Personal Statement 4

“My extra-curricular activities in and out of school have enhanced my ability to lead a group. I joined stem club at the beginning of year 12 and this has contributed to the improvement of my problem-solving skills which has helped me significantly in my maths modules and physics. […] I play the piano […] piano allows me to improve my thinking skills on the spot. My schedule is very busy and challenges me to manage my time carefully […] I am always challenging my own understanding and I believe that I have the right attitude, skills and personality for this degree. I feel that a career in engineering will make good use of my strengths.”

– Read the rest  here

Let’s look again at the typical structure of a personal statement listed above. You’ll see that the conclusion paragraph should be about ten lines long. It’s also a good place to list all the extracurricular activities that aren’t strictly associated with engineering but that you want the admissions team to know about you.

This author wrote a great conclusion paragraph. Although sections have been removed, you can see it’s close to the right length. Additionally, she uses the conclusion paragraph exactly as it should be used, listing all of her extra achievements she wants the admissions team to know. Beyond that, though, she uses these extracurricular activities as another way to show her strengths – strengths that would make her a good fit for any engineering programme.

She mentions having good leadership skills. She also talks about being part of a STEM (science, technology,  engineering,  and mathematics) club. She talks about playing the piano but then adds that her ability to play has improved her on-the-fly problem-solving skills. She talks about work and her busy schedule, but then stresses that this has helped her learn good time management skills.

Instead of just using her conclusion to provide a list of her extracurricular activities, she uses it as another opportunity to casually and naturally highlight her skills. She ends by saying these skills she learned in all these activities will serve her well in her future career as an engineer, which is a great way to end the personal statement on a relevant note.

Example Personal Statement 5

“During my school life, I have enjoyed taking part in sporting events organised by the French charity “Justice au Coeur” […] My extracurricular activities include athletics […] I also attended a scouts’ club in my neighbourhood, and have passed Grade 7 in drama. […]

I am a native speaker of English and French […] I have also studied Latin at my school for six years, and am going to take it as a subject at the French Baccalauréat.

One of my main hobbies is model rocketry. […]

I completed two weeks of unpaid work experience in a WHSmith bookshop in Wimbledon in June 2012. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.”

By contrast, this is an example of a writer who didn’t do a good job of adding in her extracurricular activities. First of all, even though it’s not evident here, this information is listed in this author’s body paragraphs, not her conclusion. These sentences, along with several similar ones that have been removed, make up  four paragraphs  of the body of her engineering personal statement.

She used  four paragraphs  talking about things that have absolutely nothing to do with engineering. She wasted those four paragraphs. All this information is nice information to provide, but it should have all been condensed into one small paragraph at the end of the personal statement.

Instead, she took the paragraphs that should have been devoted to what she’s done to prepare her for engineering and why she deserves a spot in the programme and wasted them on extracurricular activities that aren’t really relevant.

Remember: You only have 4000 characters to write your personal statement, and use those characters wisely.

To Sum It All Up…

The main things to remember when writing your engineering personal statement are to be truthful, be concise, and be authentic. It’s also important that you write a 100% unique, “personal-to-you” personal statement. It’s okay to look at other people’s statements for inspiration or to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t, but there are severe consequences for plagiarism ( here’s a plagiarism-checker you can use ) and cheating, including having your entire application trashed at all the universities to which you applied.

Finally, make sure you dedicate enough time to the process. You want to plan your statement out ahead of time and have enough time to write it thoroughly and completely. It’s also important to save time for the  editing and proofreading stages  after you’ve finished your first draft.

Be specific when talking about your interests, goals, and strengths. Remember, this is one of the few times in life when it is okay to sell yourself. You want to make a good impression, and you want to be memorable. The more easily the admissions team can recall you and your engineering personal statement, the more likely you’ll get a spot in a good engineering programme.

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How to write a personal statement for engineering

Do your reading, be creative and work out what admission tutors are really after. Tips for writing a winning Ucas application

I f you're planning on studying engineering at university, your Ucas application needs to be structurally sound. Most schools don't offer the subject, so reading up on it is all the more important. Luckily, there's no shortage of material to stoke your enthusiasm.

"The range of things you might get into is almost boggling – you never know where it's going to end up," Derek Clarke, admissions tutor for civil engineering at the University of Southampton, says. "Engineering contributes in so many different ways."

Kathy Simmons, admissions tutor for mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham, ideally wants to see evidence of enthusiasm – work experience, a headstart course, a placement or a few months in industry. But she understands that not everyone has these opportunities.

She looks for evidence of scientific and analytical thinking, and a practical approach, but said mechanical engineers don't all need to be good with their hands.

Simmons says she receives some unimpressive statements stating: "I liked maths and physics at school and I didn't know what to do next".

There's no need to have a career plan but have an idea of the sorts of jobs engineering can lead to.

John Robinson, a chemical engineer from Nottingham, who coordinates admissions across the engineering faculty, reiterates the point: "Really it's about making the admissions tutor aware that you know what the subject's about."

Talk about how your interest was sparked. Was it a university open day, chatting with engineers, or researching on the IChemE (Institute of Chemical Engineers) website ?

At Nottingham, Robinson says, the personal statement is only really important if your grades are borderline – so explain why and what you're doing about it.

Both Simmons and Robinson agree that it's difficult to craft a statement if you're unsure what area of engineering you want to study. It can be very off putting when students enthuse about electronics throughout, with a throwaway comment about mechanical engineering at the bottom.

But Chris Williams, a structural engineer who teaches at the University of Bath, receives too many statements from students sure they want to be civil engineers.

"Do schools tell students to display such certainty?" he asks. "In reality the most interesting students are torn between different subjects and would like to do them all. So, for me at least, some discussion of this in a personal statement is good."

And some courses – such as Warwick, Exeter and Aberdeen – offer general engineering until the third year, so your personal statement doesn't have to be specific if applying to these.

Sam Hewlings, who has a degree in civil engineering from Warwick and is about to begin a master's in tunneling, made his personal statement look like a journey which ended up in engineering.

Make sure you understand what engineering is about, he says. Don't expect to be building models or dismantling rockets and racing cars from day one – there's a lot of theory and calculus, with some business thrown in at the start at Warwick, he says.

TV shows like Mega Engineering are often unrealistic. "If you compress building a skyscraper into a one hour programme then it's going to look exciting," Hewlings says. He suggests subscribing to magazines such as Concrete Quarterly for inspiration.

As for style, Hewlings says not to worry too much. "You don't have to write essays for engineering but you do need an eye for detail so it's important that you get spelling and grammar right."

Engineers often work in teams and need to be good communicators, says Ross Woodruffe, 23, who studied aerospace engineering at Liverpool and now works for Airinmar, which supplies aircraft components.

Aerospace engineering is one of the more specific branches, so if you're applying for it make sure you know why you want to work in that industry, says Woodruffe, who picked the course because he originally wanted to join the RAF.

Most courses are accredited by the Engineering Council , so it's a good source of information to use, he says.

Try to avoid clichés in your statement – Nottingham's Robinson advises against referring to famous engineers like Faraday or Brunel, who are "all dead and long gone".

And you won't be the only student to claim your inspiration stems from the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Pick something more imaginative and personal to you, says Bath's Williams.

Different tutors look for different things. Sometimes it's best to contact them directly and ask for advice. While Robinson has no interest in reading about students' hobbies, Dr Kathleen Shennan, an admissions tutor for Aberdeen University, says she wants students to be well rounded.

"You are going to have to have some time out to do something else," she says, adding that you can learn a lot about someone from their extracurricular activities, including their ability to commit to something. "We want to know that they can cope with the stresses of being at university."

But it's no good just saying what you have done, talk about what you learned from it, says Shennan.

She often turns to the personal statement before looking at the course it relates to, to get a feel for an applicant's interests, so make sure you've mentioned engineering from the off.

With rapid technological changes, prospective engineers have an exciting future in front of them – make sure your personal statement reflects your desire to be a part of it.

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10 Do's and Don'ts of Personal Statements

Personal Statements are, by definition, personal. There is no one 'perfect' personal statement, and for a subject like Design Engineering, which covers a wide range of topics and skills, we are looking for a wide range of experiences and interests in our applicants. However, there are some common ​pitfalls, and ​we have created these tips  ​ to help you avoid them and use your personal statement to show off your best self.

Please note, these tips are specifically for applicants applying to study Design Engineering at Imperial College London. Some of them might be useful for other personal statements but some of them are very specific to our course.

5 Things to do:

1. start with your proudest achievement.

Many people view personal statements as the story of their lives and tell that story in chronological order. This means their first paragraph is about a Year 6 project using lollipop sticks and they wait until the last paragraph to mention the two-headed animatronic dragon that they're building in their spare time. We assess more than 600 personal statements each year - putting your most impressive achievements in the first paragraph means that your application stands out straight away.  If you're not sure how to start your Personal Statement, just complete this sentence - 'The thing I am most proud to have created is...' 

2. Provide specific examples with details

It is always better to provide specific examples and go into enough detail to demonstrate that you understand what you are talking about. For instance, just saying 'I'm interested in coding' doesn't tell us anything other than that you know coding will be on the course. Citing the specific coding languages you have been learning and  how   you have used them will tell us that you're interested in coding and that you've applied that interest to learn and build with your new skills.

3. Sometimes, less is more

Don't worry about listing everything you've ever created. You have limited space and sometimes it's better to show depth and understanding of one project than list everything you've ever tinkered with. If you've been working on lots of things, pick the one​ that's most interesting to you, or that you're proudest of, and dedicate a few paragraphs to exploring that project. You can always add a short sentence explaining that this is one of many projects you've worked on.

You will have probably noticed in the first three tips that we talk a lot about building, creating and projects. That's because we are a very hands-on course. From the very first term, you will be designing, drawing, and building. Every year you will work in teams or on your own to develop multiple projects from brief to prototype. Creating things now helps prepare you for this course. Writing about the things you have created in your personal statement shows us that you have done this preparation work.

5. Include your hobbies

Design Engineering looks for people with technical knowledge and creativity. Quite often creative activities are less formally regulated than the technical side of things.  Tell us about your web comics, your indie bands, and your handbag designs. Creativity comes in many forms and just because you haven't been tested on something in a school environment, that doesn't mean you don't learn a lot from it.

5 Things to avoid:

1. don't worry about formal work experience.

Both Design and Engineering are areas where it can be very hard to get work experience when you are under 18. Often you need to know someone who already works in the field or at the very least, you need to live near one of the companies that offer placements. Obviously if you get the chance to get some work experience, grab it with both hands, but if you don’t get that chance, don’t worry! We do not expect our applicants to have had design or engineering work experience. Making something in your own bedroom out of whatever you have available is just as useful, if not more so.

2. Leave out your family history     tell us about  yourself , not the people around you

If your parents or wider family work in engineering or design, it can be tempting to tell us about it in your Personal Statement. Afterall, they are probably strong influences on your choice of course so it’s easy to think that this might be relevant. However, every word you spend writing about your family’s history and experiences is a word that you’re not using to tell us about your own achievements​, plans and passions. We want to know what makes you a suitable candidate for the programme, so use this opportunity to tell us as much as you can about yourself.

3. Look beyond the classroom - we know what’s on ​your school curriculum

If you are taking an ‘obviously relevant’ school subject (see our FAQs  here for a list), we have already taken into account your chosen subjects and predicted grades. What we are looking for in your Personal Statement is interest and application of technical and creative skills  beyond  your school syllabus. Don’t waste too much of the precious word count telling us how good the chair you’re building in A Level Design Technology is - that’s what your A Level assessments are for. Instead, use this space to tell us about your designs, builds and experiments outside of school hours.

Of course, ​if you have created something particularly outstanding in school that demonstrates skills and techniques that you have learned in your own time, we want to hear about it. Likewise, if you are studying ‘non-obvious’ subjects but still using creative or technical skills in those subjects, please tell us everything. Perhaps for your History coursework, you data modelled birth and death rates in England after the Black Death, or maybe you designed and 3D printed props for your Media Studies A Level - if so, your Personal Statement is absolutely the place to tell us about it.

4. Keep it relevant 

Your Personal Statement ​should focus specifically on two key points:

1. Why you want to do the course you’ve applied to

2. Why you will succeed on the course you’ve applied to

We are assessing you not on your whole life experience, but specifically on your interest and readiness to study Design Engineering at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. 

5. Don’t fear failure

If you have a project or experiment that you ran and it all went wrong (the wheels literally fell off or the resulting data was both unexpected and unexplainable), that is totally ok!  You can still write about the project in your Personal Statement because failure is a very valuable data point. You learn by failing. When discussing a project, you don’t need to focus only on what went well; embrace what went wrong and demonstrate what you  learned  from the experience. Failure is a very normal part of any process - do not fear it.

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Successful Personal Statement For Engineering At Cambridge

Last Updated: 6th April 2022

Author: Chloe Hewitt

• Engineering

Table of Contents

Welcome to our popular Personal Statement series where we present a successful Personal Statement, and our Oxbridge Tutors provide their feedback on it. 

Today, we are looking through an Engineering applicant’s Personal Statement that helped secure them a place at Cambridge. The Engineering course at Cambridge is unique in that it allows you to keep your options open whilst equipping you with all the analytical, design and computing skills that underpin modern Engineering, so let’s see how the applicant navigated around this to write a strong Personal Statement. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Personal Statement:

SUCCESSFUL?

The universities this candidate applied to were the following:

Enrolling on our Oxbridge Engineering comprehensive Programme will give you access to Personal Statement redrafts. 

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Engineering Personal Statement

As a child being driven over London’s Albert Bridge I was intrigued by the sign saying somewhat cryptically ‘all ranks must break step’. Years later at school next to the Millennium Bridge I wanted to understand what had caused the bridge to be closed just after it was opened and discovered the connection. The same principle applies to both situations. I observed the side to side motion of pedestrians on the reopened bridge and understood how the engineers designing it had not accounted for these lateral forces that were acting at the bridge’s natural frequency, half that of the downward forces. The designers of the older and more rigid bridge had relied on written instructions to avoid the downward forces from soldiers walking in step synchronising with the bridge’s natural frequency. In 2001 the unforeseen problem was resolved using dampers and stiffening against lateral deflection. These bridges and their weaknesses opened my eyes to engineering.

I take pleasure in the challenge of solving problems that require more than just knowledge of how to use an equation and instead necessitate logical thought to work out how the problem can be approached. This includes applying maths to resolve a physical situation, an area which I enjoy very much. I have spent time following up differential equation (simple harmonic motion) and mechanics questions (projectiles) which are also relevant to engineering. My coursework presentation on Kevlar instigated an interest in materials, by understanding how its chemical properties, notably the aromatic bond, combined to make such a strong, flexible and low-density material with uses in many areas of engineering from bikes to bullet proof vests.

During work experience at Halcrow Yolles I witnessed engineering in action in Structural, Mechanical and Facade engineering. In the building services department I partook in a competition for an eco-friendly building in a hot climate by researching ways to achieve HVAC efficiency by designing structures which encourage the stack effect to improve ventilation and using window film to filter out UV rays, reducing the need for air conditioning. My findings were then discussed with my team. I relished my involvement and have since kept up my interest in environmental engineering, particularly geo-engineering, which is likely to become an important field as a last resort to counteract climate change. I would be interested to pursue this as a graduate. This placement introduced me to the analytical, mathematical and problem-solving skills involved in the processes of engineering which I feel well suited to.

Engineering at a top university will provide a challenge that I will enjoy confronting. I have a desire to gain an understanding of the principles that govern our world and how we manipulate them for our own uses as well as enjoying a balance between applied mathematics and the physical aspects of engineering. I will defer entry to university to give myself experience in both the mathematical and practical side of engineering by spending a year in industry. I am looking for a placement in the automotive industry with SEAT to enhance my Spanish. The experience will help me conceptualise the more theoretical aspects of engineering courses. I will allow time to get back up to speed with maths before university begins.

As a senior prefect who mentors Year 9s in maths and takes part in CCF and CSO I have developed my teamwork and organisational skills. Determination and focusing on my targets help me fulfill my objectives. I devised, organised, and encouraged others to train for and join in a 300 mile cycle ride from London to Paris, raising GBP 6000 for our school charity. I enjoy sports, playing football for school in my free time, but also ensure that I complete work efficiently and to a high standard.

For more inspiration, take a look through our other successful Personal Statement a nalysis articles:

Successful Personal Statement For Natural Science (Physical) At Cambridge

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Download our Free Personal Statement Starter Guide 

We have developed an 80-page E-Book filled with expert Personal Statement Advice . Inside, you’ll find guides on planning and writing your personal statement, as well as our full collection of 25+ Successful Oxbridge Personal Statements .

Good Points Of The Personal Statement

This is a very good statement. The statement is well-written, and structured. The student clearly explains their motivation for wanting to pursue engineering. The statement mentions and describes the student’s desire to pursue a number of different engineering disciplines, which is very good as this makes the statement relevant to applications for courses of a single engineering discipline, and to those for general engineering. The student’ use of their desire to study Engineering ‘at a top university’ is very good, as the student does not mention any one university specifically. This makes it clear that the student has taken their application to every university in their UCAS application seriously, something which is often not the case for students who are applying to Oxbridge.

Bad Points Of The Personal Statement

The student uses several acronyms which are not written out in full. This assumes that the reader will be familiar with such acronyms, which may not be the case. This reader has no idea what ‘CSO’ means, rendering its inclusion in the statement useless. There are commas missing in places, however this is a minor error.

UniAdmissions Overall Score:

This is a very good statement, however the reader is left to work out what the meanings of several acronyms are for themselves. With a little more attention to the reader, this statement would be excellent.

This Personal Statement for Engineering is a great example of a statement done right. The candidate’s interest is clearly shown which is vital to Admissions Tutors.

Remember, at Cambridge, these Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years so you need to appeal directly to them.

There are plenty more successful personal statements and expert guides on our Free Personal Statement Resources page.

Our expert tutors are on hand to help you craft the perfect Personal Statement for your Cambridge Engineering application.

With our  Oxbridge Engineering Premium Programme we help you craft the perfect Personal   Statement , produce and submit the best Written Work  and teach you how to  Interview effectively .

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10 Top Oxford Engineering Personal Statement Tips

What makes you different from all the other applicants? Your engineering Oxford personal statement is a crucial component in your university application. It gives you a chance to articulate why you’re interested in Engineering and to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Additionally, it offers the interviewer a focal point to base discussions about your personality, interests and deduce your commitment to the subject you’re applying for. To help guide you through the process, our Oxford application experts have compiled a list of top 10 tips for everything you should do and not do for your Oxbridge Engineering Personal Statement for the 2024/25 application cycle. 

The Engineering Science programme is a four-year course, leading to the degree of Master of Engineering. The first two years are devoted to topics which Oxford believes all Engineering undergraduates should study. In the third and fourth years there is scope for specialisation into one of six branches of engineering. These include Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Information and Mechanical. Decisions about which of these will be your specialisation can be deferred until the third year.

All candidates must take the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT) as part of their application. Find out more about this here .

For the first time, for entry in October 2023 Oxford offered a Foundation Year route to access Engineering Science. So if you’re interested in studying Engineering Science but your personal or educational circumstances have meant you are unlikely to achieve the grades, then choosing to apply for Engineering Science with a Foundation Year might be the course for you. More information can be accessed here .

Top 5 Tips for an Oxford Engineering Personal Statement

1. tell your story.

Your story will be what makes your UCAS personal statement stand out. In your Engineering personal statement Oxford admissions tutors will be looking for you to outline the reasons as to why you want to study Engineering, along with relevant experience and skills for the subject. Some ways to do this include thinking about your plans for the future, why you have decided to pursue Engineering, and any relevant experience you have.

2. Choosing a discipline

Oxford offers six branches of Engineering- (Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Information and Mechanical). While you can still write about your interest in Engineering more broadly, both academically and as a professional field, you can also narrow down on your chosen discipline and discuss some skills and experiences specific to this branch. This will show the Oxford Admissions tutors that you have a clear plan for your studies and where you hope your degree will take you in your career.

3. Read around the subject you’re applying for

Students who carry out extra-curricular work are more impressive to Oxford admissions tutors than those who do not. Podcasts such as ‘ The Engineering Commons ’, or those produced by the University of Oxford itself are useful for students. Additionally, reading research, such as that from ‘Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal’ could act as a talking point at an interview.

4. Proofread & read aloud your work

Once you’re happy with the content of your engineering Oxford personal statement draft, check it, check it and check it again! Certain people such as a current Oxford student, a teacher of Engineering, or an Engineering student would be useful in proofreading your work as a fresh pair of eyes can pick up improvements that you may have glossed over.

5. What makes you suitable

In your engineering personal statement Oxford tutors will also be looking for what qualities you possess that means they should grant you a place on an Oxford Engineering course. Think back to any relevant skills or experience you have undertaken on placements and link these to your future career. Relevant skills would include problem-solving and teamwork, as well as more.

Top 5 things to AVOID for your Oxford Engineering Personal Statement

1. writing a list of achievements.

Avoid listing things for the sake of it. Make sure each point in your Oxford Engineering personal statement is relevant and backed up by evidence. Expand on statements in order to explain why you’re an ideal candidate. It will look more impressive if you are able to reflect on your experience because it will show that you have learnt and understood a little of the Engineering speciality.

2. Write anything that isn’t true

Don’t exaggerate. You may be asked to provide evidence of your stated achievements, or if you are interviewed you may be asked detailed questions about things you’ve mentioned. It will reflect badly on you if you are asked questions about an event that didn’t happen, so don’t exaggerate for the sake of trying to impress the Oxford admissions tutors.

3. Copying other people’s personal statements

Don’t plagiarise. Do not copy someone else’s UCAS personal statement or use something you have found on the internet. UCAS uses software to check every personal statement for plagiarism. Not only will this reflect badly on you, but it won’t sell your personal statement as being authentic.

4. Not reflecting on or justifying your point

Write succinctly and explain points without repeating yourself. Don’t tell the admissions tutor what they already know – instead, expand on how you’ve acquired certain skills and why they’re important. Remember, quality is always better than quantity- it’s better to expand on a few points than to list every point you can without going into detail.

5. Don’t sound unprofessional

Steer clear of slang, clichés and quotes. It will sound repetitive to Admissions Tutors to hear about how students are “passionate” about their subject or that they have a “thirst for knowledge”. Write about your personal experience with your Engineering journey, and allow the Admissions Tutor to do the rest.

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We know that writing your personal statement can be a difficult and confusing experience, so we have come up with some tips that can help make the process easier! 

Showcase your enthusiasm for the course through wider research

Universities want to see that you’re applying for their course because you are genuinely interested in the subject. Reading a book, attending a lecture and watching documentaries are great ways of showing your interest in your desired course as it will allow you to show universities what specific aspects of the course interest you.

Mind map your motivations for applying to your particular course

We know it can be hard finding ways to show your motivations that aren’t cliche or cringey. Making a mind map can help you break down your ideas and give you topic headings for each paragraph. 

For example, if you are applying for law: do you want to qualify as a solicitor at the end of your degree? Do you have a passion for advocacy? Do you believe that English Law needs to be reformed to be in line with today’s society? 

Talk about your extra-curricular activities

Universities want to see that you are a well rounded individual. Do you regularly partake in a sport? Can you play an instrument? Are you an avid home baker? Do you have a large TikTok following? 

Extra-curricular activities are great because they show that you know how to organise your time and understand the importance of taking care of your mental health. Universities want to know what your hobbies are, so make sure you tell them!

Explain how your A-Levels will help you on your case

There are so many transferable skills that you gain from your A-Levels. For example, Chemistry can help develop your analytical thinking which can be incredibly useful for Law or Business as well as Biomedicine and Chemistry. Drama can help develop your public speaking skills as well as creativity and teamwork. 

What characteristics do you display that would make you a good fit for the course

Is there something about you that you believe makes you an ideal candidate? Are you very organised? Are you resilient? There may be times in your degree that are more challenging than others. If you can show that you have the skills to help yourself through those hard times universities want to know!

Have someone read each draft

Sometimes it can be useful getting someone else to read your work as they can give you advice on the punctuation and the flow of the statement. If it is someone who is close to you, they may also give you ideas of other things that you could include. 

We hope that you’ve found these tips helpful and that they’ve given you some ideas of what to write. At the end of the day, universities want to read why you want to apply and why you are the best applicant.

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Mechanical engineering personal statement example 30.

I remember my first experience of engineering was when I was quite young. In year 2, a couple of students and I were taken to complete a project where we had to build a small cart out of household items and we competed against schools in our local area to see how far our cars could travel down a ramp. However, we didn’t do very well. Obviously, the reasoning was far above my understanding at the time but experiences like that established an inquisitiveness for the way the world works especially regarding engineering.

My interest in engineering and computer science has determined my choices at A Level as Maths, Further Maths, Physics. I also study Music as it’s one of my passions and am about to complete my Grade 8 Piano. I love problem solving; it is what engineering is all about. To develop my problem solving skills, I started attending further physics sessions in Year 12. Using Isaac Physics, we worked through higher level questions including mechanics. Motivated by these sessions, I asked my teachers to recommend some resources that provided a greater challenge and my physics teacher brought out a book called “Professor Povey's Perplexing Problems''. This has provided a great insight into the world of physics in general. Since joining The Royal Latin, I have also been selected to take part in UKMT Maths Challenges and British Physics Olympiads and receive bronze and silver awards regularly. I particularly enjoy these because they encourage thinking outside the box and develop problem-solving; they are part of the reason why I wanted to study A level Further Maths.

During Sixth Form, I put myself forward to join [Insert Sixth Form]’s student leadership team. Following a very rigorous and thorough interview process, I was selected to be deputy head boy. This role has enabled me to work with younger students, parents and staff. During the year I have developed my time management and organisational skills enabling me to balance my academic studies with this added responsibility. Taking parents and prospective students on tours of the school has developed my communication skills further and I’m very proud to be representing my school in this way.

I have taken the opportunity to complete my DofE Gold award whilst at school. I am a keen sportsman and enjoy sports such as swimming and cycling. For the service part of the award, I am a volunteer coach at my swimming club. Working with other coaches and talking to swimmers has definitely improved my communication, confidence and teamwork skills. Another one of my hobbies is computing. During Summer 2021, I applied for the CS50: Introduction to Computer Science course that is led by Harvard University on edX. While also studying C, Python and computing fundamentals, this course offered me an insight into how lectures and homework assignments are like at a university and gave me a chance to establish independent learning skills.

I took the initiative to arrange work experience with a company called EM Motorsport for a week. In this role, I helped to build the control panels for the Bahrain Grand Prix that year. This involved soldering wires to boards, building the control panel itself and briefly looking at the code. I particularly enjoyed the week as I’m interested in Formula 1 and the inner workings of cars. I’d also love to be a part of a Formula Student team and build and design cars . I enjoy watching videos on the topic and I am subscribed to channels such as Engineering Explained. Road cycling has played a big part in my interest in engineering and in particular the mechanical workings and aerodynamic saving. I enjoy researching newer technologies that are being developed such as the effort to decrease rolling resistance in tires, testing the sweet spots between aerodynamic design and low weight for hills. Therefore a degree in engineering or computer science will provide a good foundation for this and I relish the opportunity of studying for it at university.

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Author's Comments

I decided to apply to Cambridge pretty late (like 2 weeks before the deadline) so I can't imagine it's the best personal statement I could've produced but I'm still pretty happy with it. I was never good with writing but it does the job I think. If I could redo it, I'd probably include some more academic content and try to come up with a less cringy/cliche introduction. Not too hopeful about Cambridge (especially with the ENGAA lmao) but it doesn't hurt to try ig. Happy to answer any Qs! 3977 characters with spaces, 667 words.

Applying to: Southampton Bath Loughborough Cambridge Warwick (but for Computer Science)

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