It is difficult to write a Personal Statement. For most students, it is the first time they write down who they are in an academic context. The idea that students have for a long time been striving towards a particular academic interest is artificial, and yet it would seem that students must provide a summary of their achievements and interests as though it were true. In fact, this becomes true, through the process of writing the Personal Statement. The PS is Personal, as the writing process of the PS is ideally an effort to clearly connect one’s habits and past with the course one hopes to study, given official course descriptions, or whatever one knows from searching for information. But it is mainly a Statement, as the final PS must justify an applicant’s interest in terms of achievements, completed projects, experiences, or other factual information meaningful and relevant to the university.

Some of our members have volunteered to share their PS with you, in case it helps as a prompting example.

Applicants starting in 2020-21

Earlier Personal Statements

Architecture
2015, Gonville and Caius College
2014, St John’s College

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
2019, Murray Edwards College
2018, St Catharine’s College

Chemical Engineering
2018, Christ’s College
2008, King’s College

Computer Science
2019, Churchill College
2019, Pembroke College
2018, Queen’s College
2017, Robinson College
2017, Trinity College
2016, Churchill College
2016, Homerton College
2015, Churchill College
2008, Churchill College

Economics
2018, Christ’s College
2018, Clare College
2016, Pembroke College

Engineering
2019, St John’s College
2017, Pembroke College
2016, Pembroke College
2007, Sidney Sussex College

Geography
2019, Churchill College
2014, St. Catharine’s College

Human, Social and Political Sciences
2019, Homerton College
2015, Churchill College

Land Economy
2018, Selwyn College
2017, Pembroke College
2016, Lucy Cavendish College
2013, Trinity Hall College
2009, Robinson College

Law
2019, St John’s College

Linguistics
2019, Emmanuel College
2015, Christ’s College
2013, Newnham College

Mathematics
2019, Peterhouse College
2019, Christ’s College
2018, St John’s College
2018, Sidney Sussex College
2018, Trinity College
2018, Trinity College (with Physics)
2017, Trinity College
2017, Magdalene College
2017, Queen’s College
2016, Pembroke College
2015, Pembroke College
2015, Trinity College
2009, Peterhouse College

Medicine
2019, Clare College
2018, Churchill College
2018, Emmanuel College

Modern and Medieval Languages
2019, Gonville and Caius College (German and Russian)
2017, Pembroke College (French and Spanish)
2016, Clare College (French and Russian)

Natural Sciences
2019, Pembroke College (Physics)
2019, St Catharine’s College (Chemistry)
2019, St Catharine’s College (Biology)
2019, Trinity College (Biology)
2018, Emmanuel College (Chemistry)
2018, Trinity College (Physics)
2017, Churchill College (Chemistry)
2017, St Catharine’s College (Biology)
2016, Trinity College (Physics)
2015, St Catharine’s College (Chemistry)
2015, Trinity College (Physics)
2014, Trinity College (Physics)
2013, Trinity College (Biology)
2013, Trinity College (Physics)
2009, Trinity College (Biology)
2009, Trinity College (Physics)
2008, Pembroke College (Physics)
2008, Trinity College (Physics)
2008, Trinity College (Chemistry)

Philosophy
2016, Sidney Sussex College

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences
2016, Queens’ College