personal statement lines between paragraphs

“Don’t waffle – make sure that all information noted is relevant and you show how skills learnt from hobbies/outside interests are transferable to your chosen degree”. Cardiff University Admissions Team

Admissions tutors are looking for candidates who not only evidence academic suitability but who will cope with the social and practical demands of a more independent Higher Education.

You can check out my post on how to write about transferable skills here .

Perhaps you are looking forward to working as a volunteer counsellor on campus, or maybe your industry experience will be something you will enjoy passing on to your peers?

I've worked in the Further Education and University Admissions sector for nearly 20 years as a teacher, department head, Head of Sixth Form, UCAS Admissions Advisor, UK Centre Lead and freelance personal statement advisor, editor and writer. And now I'm here for you...

Should an Application Essay Be Single-Spaced or Double-Spaced?

Best practices for spacing your college application essay.

Some college applications allow applicants to attach an essay as a file. To the chagrin of many, quite a few college applications do not provide guidelines for formatting personal essays , whether it be for undergraduate, transfer, or graduate admission.

Key Takeaways: Single vs. Double Spacing

The Common Application and many online forms will automatically format your essay, so you have no say when it comes to spacing.

Always follow directions if a school states a preference for single- or double-spaced essays.

If the school provides no guidelines, either single- or double-spaced is fine with a slight preference for double-spacing.

Your essay content matters much more than the spacing.

Should your personal statement be single-spaced so that it fits on a page? Should it be double-spaced so it's easier to read? Or should it be somewhere in the middle, say 1.5 spacing? Here you'll find some guidance for these common questions.

Spacing and the Common Application

For applicants using The Common Application , the spacing question is no longer an issue. Applicants used to be able to attach their essay to the application, a feature that required the writer to make all kinds of decisions about formatting. The current version of The Common Application, however, requires you to enter the essay into a text box, and you won't have any spacing options. The website automatically formats your essay with single-spaced paragraphs with an extra space between paragraphs (a format that doesn't conform to any standard style guides). The simplicity of the software suggests that essay format really isn't a concern. You can't even hit the tab character to indent paragraphs. For Common Application users, instead of formatting, the most important focus will be on choosing the right essay option and writing a winning essay .

Spacing for Other Application Essays

If the application provides formatting guidelines, you should obviously follow them. Failure to do so will reflect negatively on you. So if a school says to double space with a 12-point Times Roman font, show that you pay attention to both details and instructions. Students who don't know how to follow directions are not likely to be successful college students.

If the application does not provide style guidelines, the bottom line is that either single- or double-spacing is probably fine. Many college applications don't provide spacing guidelines because the admissions folks truly don't care what spacing you use. You'll even find that many application guidelines state that the essay can be single- or double-spaced. After all, the school has an essay requirement because it has holistic admissions . The admissions officers want to get to know you as a whole person, so it's the content of your essay, not its spacing, that truly matters.

When in Doubt, Use Double-Spacing

That said, the few colleges that do specify a preference typically request double-spacing. Also, if you read the blogs and FAQs written by college admissions officers, you'll usually find a general preference for double-spacing.

There are reasons why double-spacing is the standard for the essays you write in high school and college: double-spacing is easier to read quickly because the lines don't blur together; also, double-spacing gives your reader room to write comments on your personal statement (and yes, some admissions officers do print out essays and put comments on them for later reference).

Of course, most applications are read electronically, but even here, double spacing allow more room for the reader to append side comments to an essay.

So while single-spacing is fine and will be the default for a lot of essays submitted electronically, the recommendation is to double-space when you have a clear option. The admissions folks read hundreds or thousands of essays, and you'll be doing their eyes a favor by double-spacing.

Formatting of Application Essays

Always use a standard, easily readable 12-point font. Never use a script, hand-writing, colored, or other decorative fonts. Serif fonts like Times New Roman and Garamond are good choices, and sans serif fonts such as Ariel and Calibri are also fine.

Overall, the content of your essay, not the spacing, should be the focus of your energy, and the reality is that your spacing choice doesn't matter much if the school hasn't provided guidelines. Your essay, however, is extremely important. Be sure to pay attention to everything from the title to the style , and think twice before selecting any of these bad essay topics . Unless you fail to follow clear style guidelines provided by the school, it would be shocking for the spacing of your essay to play a factor in any admissions decision.

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Common App Essay Formatting & Style Guide + Common Grammar Mistakes

This guide to how to format the Common App essay and other college essays is dedicated to helping you take some of the guesswork out of punctuation, style, grammar. We’ll also share some common college essay grammar mistakes students make and show you how to fix them.

How to use the guide: We recommend skimming the document, reading the sections most relevant to you, then returning periodically, as a reference, as you write your essays. Use Ctr+F to find something in particular, or scan the Table of Contents for links that’ll take you right to what you’re looking for. To make it easier for you to skim, we’ve listed the top mistakes and style questions first, in order of what we see most often, then list the rest, in alphabetical order.

Quotation Marks

About the Common App Platform

Capitalization

Punctuation

Apostrophes, word choice, 10 common grammar & style mistakes, 1. dangling/misplaced modifiers.

2. Absolutes/Extreme language

Examples: Incorrect : Science has always been the lens through which I have observed the world, and it has shown me a different side of diversity. Correct : I observe the world through the lens of science, and it has shown me a different side of diversity. Incorrect : We used to go to the movies all the time. Correct : We frequently went to the movies.

Examples: Mary and her brothers prefer Thai food over Indian. The Lions and their mascot are taking the field.

Examples: The professor or the TA decides how the lab will be graded. Only a small car or a motorcycle fits in that spot.

Examples: Depending on who’s teaching the class, the professor or his assistants are in charge. Depending on who’s teaching the class, the TAs or the professor is in charge.

Examples: The box of cookies sits unopened on the counter. A class with 10 people of various skill sets is difficult to teach. The college campus , which has dozens of buildings spread over several square miles, is difficult to traverse.

Examples: On Friday, the committee votes to determine the new lunch policy. The girls varsity soccer team is on a winning streak. A family of ducks is living in the bush in front of my house.

Examples: The news these days is depressing. Sports is an all-too-common topic for personal statements.

Examples: His pants are too tight. The scissors are broken. The binoculars help you see long distances.

Examples: Everyone in the room knows at least one lyric to that song. No one in the class has earned an A on any of the tests so far. Anyone who has an interest is welcome to join the club.

4. Oxford Comma

The comma is commonly used in academic circles, so the people reviewing your essays are likely more used to seeing it than not.

Not using the comma can cause confusion, as in this sentence: Asked to name her heroes, Sally listed her parents, Maya Angelou and Martin Luther King Jr. (Read one way, this may seem to suggest that Angelou and King are Sally’s parents.) Fun fact: The extra comma was so consequential in one famous instance that dairy farmers in Maine won a multimillion-dollar lawsuit that hinged on its omission—one more reason to favor the extra punctuation point.

For students interested in hearing both sides of the debate, we recommend reading this essay for a well-presented argument against the comma’s use.

Examples: After running out of ingredients for the cake recipe, she went to the store to buy eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. The course teaches kids how to bait their tackle, identify fish species, and cook their catches.

5. Em-Dash vs. En-Dash

Examples: The em-dash — so named because it’s the width of the letter m — is the longest dash. The en-dash – so named because (you guessed it) it’s the width of the skinnier letter n – is the shorter of the two.

Examples: The world-class design won many awards. The design was world class , winning many awards. She wanted to live in off-campus housing. Her dorm was off campus .

Examples: The teacher had a party in her classroom when she turned fifty-six . The Smiths have a 10-year-old .

Examples: He was a self-described genius. He was an ex-military officer. The class was all-inclusive .

Examples: The president-elect will be inaugurated in January. The mayor-elect gave a speech.

Examples: The revolt occurred in the mid-1900s . The pre-Civil War era is also considered the Antebellum Period. Federal authorities believe anti-aircraft missiles took the plane down.

7. Quotation Marks

Examples: “I love it when my teacher gives extra credit,” Sally said. “It helps me stress less about getting every answer right.” He was told to “stand his ground.” Rebecca didn’t know what her teacher meant when she said to “do the right thing,” asking for specific examples. Exception : When question mark isn’t part of the quote, as in: Why would anyone say, “It is what it is”?

Exception : Use single quotes to set off a quote within a quote, as in: “John keeps saying, ‘Don’t do that,’ when I twirl my hair,” Jackie said.

8. Parallel Structure

Examples: Do this : The camp offered fishing , boating and kayaking on weekends in the summer. Not this : The camp offered fishing , boating and rides in a kayak on weekends. Do this : The professor instructed the students to take out their pencils, write down what they think will be on the test, and turn their papers in. Or also : The professor instructed the students to take out their pencils, to write down what they think will be on the test, and to turn their papers in. Do this : The class had several main goals: to teach the basics of physics, to prepare students for advanced physics, and to get students used to working in teams. Or also : The class had several main goals: teaching the basics of physics, preparing students for advanced physics, and getting students used to working in teams. Not this : The class had several main goals: to teach the basics of physics, preparing students for advanced physics, and students learn how to work in teams.

9. Spacing at the End of a Sentence

10. exclamation marks.

Exception : As the cliché goes, there are exceptions to every rule, and the exclamation point is no exception. Below are examples of when the exclamation mark is more acceptable: In direct quotes that express emotion : She looked at me hard and snapped, “I can’t believe you even said that!” When using onomatopoeia : I turned around, and, bam! The door slammed in my face.

Common App Essay Formatting & Style: What You Need to Know

Activities List Style Exceptions:

College Essay Grammar & Style: What Else You Need to Know

Ambiguous pronouns.

Examples: Incorrect : Julie took Sandy to the movies after she got home from work. Correct : After Julie got home from work, she took Sandy to the movies. Incorrect : When the vase toppled onto the glass shelf, it broke. Correct : The vase broke when it toppled onto the glass shelf.

Formatting Do’s & Don’ts

Examples: On first reference : The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert on the coronavirus Tuesday. On second reference : The CDC said all Americans who plan to travel to China should take specific precautions.

Course names (don’t italicize or use quotation marks) (Ex.: Intro to Clinical Ethics, Medieval & Renaissance Studies)

Note: It’s not necessary to use course code (e.g., Chem 103) in the ‘Why us?’ or other essays, and leaving them out can help you save on word counts. But if you prefer to use them for a specific reason, that’s ok too.

Examples: Chief Marketing Officer Mary Nunez was promoted Thursday. Mary Nunez is chief marketing officer for the Delta Farm Co. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer has led the Senate as minority leader since 2017. Schumer is the Democratic senator from New York. Exceptions: Capitalize your positions or job titles on your resume and Common App activities list.

Do not capitalize high school unless using it as part of a specific school’s name. We’re seeing this more and more in college essays, so we wanted to clarify this here. Take note.

Examples: I attended Berkeley High School for three years before finishing my studies at Fusion Academy Berkeley. My high school doesn’t offer AP classes.

Use for emphasis. (but use sparingly)

Examples: When writing your personal statement, you have a choice: Do you tell the story of your life or a story from your life? The teacher gave us an assignment, but we knew we didn’t really have to do it.

Use for foreign language words.

Examples: I walked into the house, and my abuela greeted me with two besos on the cheek. She had a certain c’est la vie attitude toward life.

Use for internal dialogue.

Examples: If I don’t get started now, Johnny thought, I’ll never get it done. My mind was flooded with questions. How can they get to know me if they’ll never meet me in person? Should I try to get an interview? What if I can’t?

Examples: “How to Revise Your Essay in Five Steps,” from College Essay Essentials “The Ghost at the Window,” from Wuthering Heights

Use for magazine, newspaper articles.

Examples: “Illinois state employee retires at 102” in USA Today “Germany Navigates Its Climate Policies” in U.S. News & World Report “The Flip Phone Is Back and It’s Not a Total Flop” in The Wall Street Journal

Note: Use the headline styling used by the publication you’re quoting. In these examples, for instance, USA Today uses sentence case, capitalizing only the first word or proper names, like you’d do in a sentence (Ex.:“Why did the DOW tumble again on Tuesday?”). U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal, on the other hand, use title case, capitalizing the first letter of each word except certain small words (Ex.: “Alcohol Grows as a Prime Time Killer”).

Use for titles of research studies.

Examples: “An extra-uterine system to physiologically support the extreme premature lamb” “A Non-Canonical Function of BMAL1 Metabolically Limits Obesity-Promoted Triple-Negative Breast Cancer”

Note: Use the headline styling used by the publication you’re quoting.

Use for direct quotes.

Examples: When quoting something someone said : “If you expect to pass this class, expect to put in the work,” our teacher says.

Pro tip: Use direct quotes for statements that express emotion, personality or something specific you’re trying to portray. Otherwise, paraphrase, especially for routine facts. For example:

Do this : The instructions said to only use a piece of paper and a black pen. Not this : “You may use only a piece of paper and a black pen for this exercise,” the instructions said.

When quoting from a publication : “More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists,” the World Health Organization wrote in a recent press release.

Important note: If you cut and paste from another source—a particularly compelling quote, for example—you must use quotation marks and cite the source to avoid violating plagiarism rules. If you don’t want to use quotes and prefer to paraphrase, you have to substantially change the wording of the quote you’re citing.

Incomplete comparisons

Examples: Do this : The meal was healthier and tastier than the students expected of a lunchroom. Not this : The meal was healthier and tastier. Do this : The 2020 Chevy Impala is sleeker and more aerodynamic than earlier models. Not this : The 2020 Chevy Impala is sleeker and more aerodynamic.

Use numerals for 10 and above

Exceptions: Spell out any number that starts a sentence (except years). Examples: She counted 11 people walking with her. Thirty people were standing in line. 2019 had arrived.

Overused words

Passive voice

For anyone who’s curious, passive voice is primarily a verb construction in which the verb contains a form of [to be] + past participle, like “was smashed” or “are driven” in the example above. (Passive voice is often defined as “when a thing isn’t doing the thing that it’s doing in a sentence”... but that doesn’t seem super useful or clear.) And if you really want to dig into it, in particular to see instances in which passive voice is a good choice, UNC Chapel Hill does so nicely here .

Examples: The girls’ soccer jerseys sported the embroidered championship patch from last year’s victory. It was the first time the girl’s mother met her teacher.

Examples: Incorrect : She went through high school and college in the 1990’s . Correct : She went through high school and college in the 1990s .

Examples: He knew what he had to do next: run.

Examples: Here are the top 10 reasons to lower the voting age: (followed by a bulleted or other list) This year, I plan to visit five cities in one trip: London, Manchester, Dublin, Paris, and Versailles.

Examples: I’ll tell you this: Punctuation is tricky. The dog knew how to beg: with his eyes.

After introductory clauses Example: After taking a shower, I put on some clean clothes and headed to bed. Before and after parenthetical clauses Example: She took out her tablet, which she bought two weeks ago, and tried to log in. When addressing someone Example: It’s time to take a bath, Johnny. Before and after a year in a date in the middle of a sentence Example: He was born on June 5, 2005, in Biloxi, Miss. After a state when used with a city in the middle of a sentence Example: He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in the dead of winter. In compound sentences, with a conjunction like “and” Example: My iPad captured their attention, and I could see their eyes light up.

After a question mark or exclamation mark in a quote Examples: Incorrect : “When are we going to be done already?,” she asked. Correct : “When are we going to be done already?” she asked. Around “too” Examples: There is no clear consensus around whether to use a comma before (and after, if it’s in the middle of a sentence) the word “too.” But we prefer not to use the commas because leaving them out saves characters and doesn’t force the reader to pause. (Ex.: He too believes her.). In the comma splice "Comma splice" is the term for when two independent clauses are mistakenly linked together by a comma (essentially, creating a run-on; not to be confused with the compound sentence, which does require a comma before its coordinating conjunction). Examples: Incorrect : He used to root for the Dolphins, now he’s a Patriots fan. Correct : He used to root for the Dolphins, but now he’s a Patriots fan. Correct : He used to root for the Dolphins; now he’s a Patriots fan. Correct : He used to root for the Dolphins. Now he’s a Patriots fan. Separating the subject and verb Examples: Incorrect : Thomas the Train, is still popular among toddlers. Correct : Thomas the Train is still popular among toddlers. After “but” or “yet” in the beginning of a sentence Examples: Incorrect : But, he knew he was wrong about trusting his former bandmate. Correct : But he knew he was wrong about trusting his former bandmate. Incorrect : Yet, those who knew him knew he wasn’t capable of such a crime. Correct : Yet those who knew him knew he wasn’t capable of such a crime. In “not only but also” construction Examples: Incorrect : He was not only kind, but also smart and helpful. Correct : He was not only kind but also smart and helpful.

Examples: He took the long way to school; he had no choice.

Examples: He plays the trombone, and he’s pretty good at it. He plays the trombone; he’s pretty good at it.

Examples: He was not only the smartest person in his class; he was also the most popular.

Examples: The class represented a wide range of cities from across the United States: Peoria, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Los Angeles, California; Dallas, Texas; and Boston, Massachusetts. The campers learned how to tie a knot, using just one hand; how to fish, in a lake and a stream; how to kayak, with and without oars; and how to build a bonfire.

Examples: The campus is dark at night; however, lighted paths are available on certain paths.

Affect/effect

Examples: Her concussion affected her performance in all her classes. We’ve been seeing the effects of climate change for years now.

Allude/elude

Examples: The book alluded to Hitler’s mental decline. The escaped prisoner eluded the dragnet for six days before he was caught. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but the word eludes me. She’s won second place four times, but the top prize continues to elude her.

Assure/ensure/insure

Examples: Rich assured Katrina that he turned off the stove before he left the house. The nurses are responsible for ensuring patients get their medications on time. He didn’t worry about the damage to the fender because the car was insured .

Between/among

Examples: When asked to name my favorite treat, I had to choose between Kit Kats, strawberry ice cream, and gelato. When handing out the treats, the teacher had to distribute them evenly among the class.

Compliment/complement

Examples: The blazer complemented her outfit nicely. Tony complimented his brother on his passing techniques.

Complimentary/complementary

Examples: Freida wore a complementary ensemble of blues and greens. Ivan received nothing but complimentary feedback on his speech. The venue gave out complimentary beverages to military veterans.

Each other/one another

Examples: Tom and Nancy looked each other in the eye and promised not to lie. All 10 students sat next to one another , in adjoining seats, so they could study together.

Emigrate/immigrate

Examples: My parents emigrated from Europe in the 1940s. Juan’s family immigrated to America during the Mariel Boat Lift.

Everyday/every day

Examples: The writer was asked to put the manual in everyday language. Mary uses her favorite pen every day .

Farther/further

Examples: We had to drive farther than we wanted to reach our destination. I plan to explore the topic further when I get to college.

Examples: He tried to hand out supplies to the class, but he had fewer pencils and less paper than he needed. I drink less water than I should. (But: I drink fewer glasses of water than I should.)

Examples: He did well on his exam. The test was a good measure of what we learned in class.

Examples: The candidates homed in on their opponents’ weaknesses in the last month of the race. Shania wanted to find a summer internship that would allow her to hone her skills as a researcher.

Examples: Katrina’s loves classical movies ( e.g. , Casablanca, Some Like It Hot, and On the Waterfront). I prefer certain fruits over others ( i.e. , the ones with seeds and not pits).

Note: Both “i.e.” and “e.g.” are followed by periods and commas, and in formal writings (like college essays), they are typically set off by parentheses, as in the examples above.

Imply/infer

Examples: The instructions implied , without explicitly stating it, that you could take as much time as you wanted. She inferred from the group’s body language that they were getting bored with the lecture.

Examples: One in three women will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime. Sears announced in 2019 that it was closing most of its stores.

Examples: Jeetu lost his phone, but he thinks it’s in the classroom. The chair is in good condition, even though its upholstery is starting to fade.

Examples: Whenever I lie in the sun for longer than 10 minutes, I make sure to use sunscreen. She likes to lay her purse on the chair so she won’t forget it when she leaves. He lay in his bed for hours, tossing and turning, before he finally fell asleep. I laid the paper out on the counter so he could see it.

Examples: Jonathan took the lead in the last lap of the 10K, though he felt like his feet were made of lead. More than 30 Ram trucks led floats in last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Examples: Joe Smith won the primary but went on to lose the general election. Amy wouldn’t spend more than $10 on sunglasses because she knew she’d lose them. The chain was loose around his neck.

Examples: Toby and I went to the movies. Santa left presents for me and my sister, but not for our dog Chase.

Note : “I” comes second in the grouping; “me” comes first. Pro tip : When in doubt on which to use, remove the other person from the sentence. So, for the first example, try: I went to the movies. It wouldn’t be “Me went to the movies,” so “I” is the correct choice. For the second example, try: Santa left presents for me. It wouldn’t be “Santa left presents for I,” so “me” is the correct choice.

Examples: I couldn’t hear the phone ring because the sound was on mute . Jessica was going to explain why she deserved the job, but the point was rendered moot when Clark offered her the position.

Number/amount

Examples: Our teacher taught us a number of lessons on displacement and velocity before our physics test. We had a good amount of practice before we were asked to try the long jump.

Examples: Incorrect : I should of known the concert would be sold out a week before the show. Correct : I should have known the concert would be sold out a week before the show.

Peak/peek/pique

Examples: About 5,000 people have reached the peak of Mount Everest. Rush hour peaks at 6 p.m. Charlie peeked around the corner to see if anyone was coming. His mother was piqued that he didn’t finish the souffle she made just for him. The question piqued my interest; I had to find out more.

Pro tip : Here’s one way to remember the differences: “Peak” has an a, like in “acme;” “peek” has two e’s, like in “eye;” and “pique” has que in it, like “question.”

Principal/principle

Examples: Nick O’Shea is the principal of John I. Leonard High School. Many people argue over the principal cause of the Democrats’ loss in the 2016 election. I agree with you in principle , but I take issue with your arguments. Nelson Mandela was a man of principle .

Examples: He was taller than I thought. Marcus graduated from UCLA, then pursued a doctoral degree in quantum physics at MIT.

Examples: The ball, which has three red spots, sat in the corner of the room. The ball that has three spots sat in the corner of the room.

Note that: The ball which has three spots is in the corner of the room. is also grammatically acceptable. But it’s probably not worth arguing with someone over. Also, some style manuals, such as The Chicago Manual of Style, recommend generally avoiding “which” in restrictive structures. When you’re in college, make sure you’re adhering to style guidelines for different fields (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago). (*Note that in British usage, “which” and “that” are used interchangeably in restrictive clauses. In American usage, there’s disagreement. Though linguists generally seem to think the disagreement is silly —both work.)

are both fine.

Their/they’re/there

Examples: The Kims celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on Wednesday. You’ll love my friends; they’re a blast. He wanted me to go there to bring him the keys. She knew there was only one answer to the question.

Examples: No one knew who ate all the pastries in the breakroom. (Here, “who” is the subject for the verb “ate.”) The coach was still deciding whom he should pick to start the next game. (Here, “whom” is the object of the verb “pick” → he should pick him/her/them/whom.) To whom it may concern: (Here, “whom” is the object of the preposition “to.”)

Note: Sometimes, using “whom” grammatically correctly can sound awkward or formal (in large part because of how we speak). In such instances, consider rewriting the sentence to avoid it. (For instance, “Have you decided whom to invite?” could be rewritten to say: “Have you chosen all your guests?”) General guideline: If you can replace it with “he” or “she,” use “who.” If you can replace it with “him” or “her,” use “whom.”

Your/you’re

Examples: Take your time; I’ll be here all day. You’re better off not knowing.

Nicole learned how to tell other people’s stories after a 30+-year career as a newspaper reporter, covering both the mundane and the unforgettable, from serial killer Duane Owen’s retrial, to the Bush/Gore nail-biter, to the homeless family of four who found refuge in a storage unit. Her ideal day is spent playing Cribbage with her dad, beating her husband at RummiKub and planning the next girls trip with her teenage daughters. Top values: Creativity | Growth | Meaningful Work

Did you know? The Uni Guide is a part of The Student Room Group.

Personal statement FAQs

We've gone through some of the most commonly asked personal statement questions and put all the answers in one place

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Your personal statement is a big part of your uni application. It's where you can show universities why they should give you a place on your chosen course. Read on for quick tips on writing your personal statement. We'll cover what sort of things to include, along with answers to some of the most commonly asked questions that crop up over on our sister site The Student Room . If you can't find an answer to your question here, try posting it to the personal statements forum on The Student Room .

When should I start writing my personal statement?

It’s never too early to start thinking about it! However, you'll need a good idea of what course you’re going to apply for before you launch into writing it. On the other hand, don’t leave it too late as it's quite a long process and you're likely to have a few drafts before reaching your finished product.

Remember, your referee will need to see your personal statement before they can write your reference. As a general guide, begin jotting down a few ideas during the summer and start writing it when you arrive back to school or college in September.

The Ucas application deadline for most undergraduate uni courses starting in September 2023 is 25 January 2023. If you're applying to Oxbridge or for medicine, dentistry or veterinary science courses to start in 2023, your deadline was earlier – 15 October 2022. You can find all the key Ucas deadlines and application dates for 2023 entry in this article .

Read more: universities reveal all about personal statements

How long can the personal statement be?

Statements are limited to whichever is shorter of either:

4,000 characters (including spaces) OR

Be aware that software such as Microsoft Word may not give a character or line count that completely matches what the Ucas form says. The character count should be reasonably accurate, but the line limit is more difficult because lines may wrap at different points depending on the software you're using.

The only way to be 100% sure what the character and line counts are is to copy your draft statement into your online Ucas form (but be careful not to submit it unless you're sure it's the final version). You can edit and save your personal statement without submitting it as many times as you like, and you'll only be able to mark the section as complete when you're on the preview screen.

If testing out your personal statement draft on your Ucas form still feels too risky, you can get a good indication of where you're at by using the Courier New font, size 10, with the default margins, to get a reasonable estimate how many lines your personal statement will be. If you've left a line between paragraphs, then you will probably reach the line limit before the character limit.

Read more: how to write an excellent personal statement in ten steps

Where do I start?

Most people won’t be able to just start writing the statement off the top of their head – so it’s a good idea to jot down a few notes first. The main things to think about are:

Many people have trouble writing about themselves and their personal qualities. If you’re struggling with this step, it can be helpful to look up some information on writing a CV - there are a lot of parallels in how to put yourself forward effectively.

Read more: five practical tips to help with your personal statement

What sort of structure should I use?

Most people write their personal statement in an essay style, starting off with the course, and why they want to do it, then talking about their relevant work experience and skills and finishing off with extracurricular activities.

As a guide, spend around two thirds of the space talking about your course and how you’re suited to it, and one third on your work experience and other activities. Exactly how you write your statement depends on your subject – generally people write more about work experience for vocational subjects like medicine and law than they would for subjects like maths or English where work experience is less important.

Read more: avoid these ten biggest personal statement mistakes

No formatting of any type is allowed in your personal statement (except using capital letters), so any bold, italic, or underlined words will disappear in the preview.

Tabs and multiple spaces will be condensed to a single space, so it is not possible to indent lines. Single spaces at the beginning of lines will also be removed.

You have a very limited set of special characters. Common symbols that aren't allowed are € and the special quote characters “ ‘ ’ ” which will simply be removed from your statement, so remember to replace quotes with " and '.

Backslashes (\) are also not allowed, but will be replaced with forward slashes (/) and curly brackets will be replaced with normal ones.

What’s the most important part of the personal statement?

Write about your aspirations in a meaningful way. The crucial bit about a personal statement is where you talk about the subject you are applying for and why you want to do this at uni. Admissions tutors will always focus on this bit – so make this interesting and not just a list of books. Your personality should emerge here – they should be able to understand what is driving you to apply for this course, as well as getting a sense of your energy and enthusiasm.

Read more: how to write your university application

Should I talk about what I want to do after university?

You could, but only if you have a good idea of what you want to do. If you sound sure about what you want to do after uni it gives the impression that you’ve thought carefully about your course and what you want to do with it. It's also a nice way to round off your statement, rather than finishing on less important stuff like extra curricular activities. If you don’t have any future plans, then leave this bit out – you don’t want to be asked about them at interviews.

Should I talk about my qualifications?

No. There’s already a section on the Ucas form for this, so don’t waste the space on your personal statement. If you have something important which doesn’t go in the qualifications section, ask your referee to put it down in your reference – it will sound better if it comes from them than from you. This goes for module marks as well. Some people are told they should try to link each A-level to the course they are applying for. It can be far more effective to focus your time and space on talking about the subject you are applying for – that is what matters.

How do I write it for two different courses?

There’s no easy way to write a personal statement for two totally unrelated courses. If the courses are similar you may find you can write a statement relevant to both, without mentioning either subject by name. If the courses are completely unrelated, it may be impossible to write for both subjects without your personal statement sounding vague and unfocused. Instead you will need to concentrate on just one subject and just ignore the other – it sometimes works!

What are admissions tutors looking for?

Different admissions tutors are looking for different things, but in general they will be thinking things like: “Do we want this student on this course?” , and “Do we want this student at this university?” And most will be looking for an interest in the subject you are applying for that goes beyond simply your A-level syllabus/reading list.

Remember, most universities and departments now publish information on applications and writing personal statements, so reading the subject section of their website might list more specific information on exactly what they’re looking for. If in doubt, google the name of the university along with the subject/course and admissions statement.

Read more: 6 steps you need to take to apply to university

Is it worth doing loads of extracurricular stuff to make it sound good?

There’s no point doing extra things just to try and make yourself look good to universities – you won’t enjoy it and it probably won’t help much either. An interest and aptitude for the course is likely to be more important to admissions tutors than lots of extracurricular activities. If you do want to do something to boost your application, read relevant books or do work experience related to the subject instead.

What happens if I lie on the personal statement?

If you aren't confident that the universities will accept you based on your predicted grades or something else, you might reconsider applying.

It's best not to write anything which you can't back up in interview if necessary. Interviewers can and do bring up nearly anything in a personal statement as a basis for questions.

Any last tips?

What have you done that's relevant to your subject, that is unique, and that it's likely no one else is going to write about in their personal statement? Many people have similar interests and work experience, so you need something to separate you from the crowd. For example, everyone who applies for economics seems to read The Economist, The Financial Times, and The Guardian. So if you put down those, don't expect them to be amazed by your reading around the subject. Have a deeper think – what makes you special?

Read more: how to write your personal statement in an evening

And the most important thing?

Finally, remember that it’s your personal statement, and you can write whatever you want on it. If everything in this guide conflicts with what you’ve got already, but you think you still have a killer personal statement, then use that. A personal statement is about you , and you shouldn’t let anyone tell you what to put – sticking blindly to a formula will just stop your true personality showing through.

Tricks to squeeze more in

What should I do once I’ve written it?

Get people's opinions on it! Show it to your friends, parents, teachers, career advisors and so on and note down their comments. The most useful comments are likely to come from your teachers in the subject and the people at your school or college who handle Ucas applications. If you have enough time, leave your personal statement for a couple of weeks to a month and come back to it – if you’re not still happy with what you wrote, it’s time to start redrafting.

Definitely do not post it on an internet forum or discussion board. If your personal statement is published online before your application is complete, it may get picked up by Ucas' plagiarism detection .

You may want to look at these...

Personal statement secrets – universities reveal all.

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latex template or example for personal statement

I am writing a personal statement in latex. I don't want the big margin at the top of the page not big title taking a lot of space. I just like to make the layout compact but still clearly spaced with title, name and other necessary information, since there may be restriction on the number of pages. One example would be http://www.hsc.unt.edu/education/CIM/Documents/PS-Sample2_000.pdf . I wonder where to find some good latex templates or examples?

Thanks and regards!

page-layout

3 Answers 3

I would use the geometry package to establish the desired margins. To get the margins in your sample document, try:

Your next requirement was to fix the title block. LaTeX uses the internal command \@maketitle to format the title block. You can redefine this as you like. To achieve the same title block style as in the sample document, use:

The \@title , \@author , and \@date commands will print the title, author, and date. You can use whatever formatting commands you like to set the text in bold, different colors, etc.

Put all of the above commands in the preamble of the document. The preamble is the space between \documentclass and \begin{document} .

Attempt #1: I've used the following style file, which I call cramp2e, for similar purposes. It is probably not right for you, but have a look:

Postscript This is for A4 size paper.

A slightly less LaTeX-ey solution would be to not use the \maketitle command. A couple of times I've simply used this as my title(marginsize helps too).

Set up smaller margins:

(EDIT: 1cm might be even better..) Minimal title:

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Common App Essay Format

Need to format your Common App essay? Follow our top tips to get this step completed as quickly as possible.

1. Use a word processing tool

Should you type your essay directly into the online common application or should you use a word processing tool? Answering this question is your first step in formatting your essay. Either option is possible, but at Studential we recommend using the word processing tool as it allows you to easily plan, check and correct your essay while offline. In any word processing tool, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, you will be able to format your essay.

For example headings using bold, UPPERCASE, italics or underline whichever is your preference (ours is Bold). You will be able to create paragraphs and check not only spellings and grammar, but also word counts. If you’re struggling for a word, most word processing tools provide thesauruses, synonyms etc. These are really useful and can spark ideas.

2. Check your word count

A very important fact is being able to check your word count (remember it is 250 to 650 words for your essay) and continue to recheck and refine it, until it is within this very strict word count. If you’re asking family and friends to proof read and check your essay before you submit it, you’ll also be able to set ‘track changes’ on the document so you can accept or reject their suggestions.

3. Add your essay

Once you’ve formatted it as you want it, the next stage is to cut and paste your essay into the correct field in the online Common Application.

Italics, bold and underline formatting from your word processing version should still be saved when you cut and paste. However occasionally when you cut and paste there may be formatting issues after you’ve pasted it. Don’t assume it’s all pasted correctly. Recheck it and reformat where you have to. For example, has the last line pasted in ok? Do you have any line breaks or spaces that weren’t meant to be there? Are there capitals or lowercases which are incorrect? Is all the punctuation the same as the original? The online application essay field will also create block formatting of paragraphs and new paragraphs will not be indented. Instead there will be one line of space between each paragraph. This is normal for all online common applications and cannot be changed.

4. Beware your internet browser

Different browsers e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome may paste slightly differently, so if you struggle first time, try re-loading the online application using a different browser and then cut and paste again. Alternatively if this still doesn’t work, it’s about trying a different word processing tool. If you think you’re within the word count but it’s saying you’re not or your paragraphs are formatting incorrectly after you’ve cut and pasted them; the best idea is to cut and paste into Notepad (for windows users) or TextEdit (for Macs). Then from here cut and paste into the essay text box. This is because Notepad and TextEdit strip out all the formatting and just paste plain text. This may mean you need to create your paragraphs again but all the weird and wonderful formatting issues will most likely disappear.

5. Preview your essay

Once your essay is uploaded you can preview the page, once you’ve saved your changes and pressed continue. To double check the Common Application across all sections including your essay, you’ll need to fully complete every field and requirement and start the submission process. At this time you’ll have the option to save a pdf version to your computer. Don’t worry if you suddenly realize you’ve missed something. Since 2015/16 applications, the online system lets you make unlimited edits after you’ve submitted your first application.

Further information

For more tips and advice on putting together your common application for college, please see:

Line spacing in AMCAS

Full Member

Jun 14, 2018

hippocratess

I was also wondering about spacing - I have 0 extra characters but want to know if not having adequate spacing will be a problem.

hippocratess said: I was also wondering about spacing - I have 0 extra characters but want to know if not having adequate spacing will be a problem. Click to expand...

A Gimlet Eye

DrRiker said: When writing a personal statement, should I put a single or double line space between paragraphs? From an ADCOM readability standpoint, does it make a difference? Yes, I'm that short on characters. Yes, I also realize this may be overthought. Thanks! Click to expand...

Similar threads

Jun 27, 2006

IMAGES

FREE 9+ Sample Personal Statement Templates in MS Word
Personal Statement Second Paragraph
Opening Lines For A Personal Statement
Personal statement lines between paragraphs
Text in Word displaying lines between paragraphs
personal statement essay exles best template collection

VIDEO

Multiple Paragraph Writing Format about Person's Profession
Tips & Tricks for Writing your Personal Statement

COMMENTS

Issues of Length and Form
Single space your text, skipping a line between paragraphs. You can indent paragraph beginnings or not, as long as you're consistent. At times, especially when you fill out an application electronically or have to cut and paste, word limits will be defined by physical space.
Do you NEED blank lines in between personal statement paragraphs?
I put a blank line between each paragraph. It's how our school teaches us to do it. We were told that if you are reading hundreds of the wretched things then you want them to be as readable as possible. Reply 9 13 years ago A headunderwater 15 I wouldn't, personally. I think appearance is quite important. Reply 10 13 years ago A Mask Of Sanity 14
Personal Statement Format
The perfect length for a statement is 500 words. So, be sure to finish your paper within 495 - 505. Keep your paragraphs single-spaced and aligned with an extra line of space from the next. Times New Roman is a great font choice for every paper. Make sure the font size is 12 pt.
Should Personal Statements Have Paragraphs: A Guide
Personal statements should always have paragraphs. On average, a single page of typed text should contain between 4 and 6 well-written and logically structured paragraphs, and each paragraph should be focused on a single point, although a range of illustrative examples can be used. The provider or employer you are applying to, such as UCAS or ...
Should an Application Essay Be Single-Spaced or Double-Spaced?
The website automatically formats your essay with single-spaced paragraphs with an extra space between paragraphs (a format that doesn't conform to any standard style guides). The simplicity of the software suggests that essay format really isn't a concern. You can't even hit the tab character to indent paragraphs.
How do I reduce my personal statement line count without ...
My personal statement is pretty much complete (~3600 characters), but when I paste it into the UCAS system it's 48 lines long, which is one more than the line limit. How am I supposed to reduce the line count and still get closer to 4000 characters? I could remove the line spacing between paragraphs so it is less like this: Paragraph x Paragraph y
Common App Essay Formatting, Grammar & Style Guide
Sports is an all-too-common topic for personal statements. Nouns that are composed of two things, like "scissors," "binoculars," and "pants" take plural verbs. Examples: ... so add an empty line between paragraphs to separate them. It allows italics, so see Italics in the Style Guide for guidelines on using italics. It allows bold ...
Personal statement FAQs
No formatting of any type is allowed in your personal statement (except using capital letters), so any bold, italic, or underlined words will disappear in the preview. Tabs and multiple spaces will be condensed to a single space, so it is not possible to indent lines. Single spaces at the beginning of lines will also be removed.
latex template or example for personal statement
The \@title, \@author, and \@date commands will print the title, author, and date. You can use whatever formatting commands you like to set the text in bold, different colors, etc. Put all of the above commands in the preamble of the document. The preamble is the space between \documentclass and \begin {document}.
Line spacing on personal statement : r/6thForm
Line spacing on personal statement How important is it to have paragraph separation in your PS. I know it is common practice to submit it as a block of text yet I only need to cut 2 lines of text for me to put in paragraphs, is it worth it to do this or better to not mess with the text and make it be a block of text. 5 7 7 comments Best
Common App Essay Formatting
The online application essay field will also create block formatting of paragraphs and new paragraphs will not be indented. Instead there will be one line of space between each paragraph. This is normal for all online common applications and cannot be changed. 4. Beware your internet browser
Line spacing in AMCAS
Two hard returns (push Enter twice) should give you a single empty line between paragraphs (which are typed in single-spaced format). That is sufficient to ensure readability. You must log in or register to reply here. Next unread thread Similar threads F line breaks in amcas flip_d Jun 27, 2006 Replies 2 Views 2K Jun 27, 2006 QofQuimica D
UCAS Personal Statement Line & Character Counter
UCAS Personal Statement Line & Character Counter. Paste your personal statement here!. Automatic analysis (Not recommended for slow computers) Analyse Separate paragraphs (For readability purpose only. Will NOT be present in the UCAS submission) ... no personal statements are sent to the hosting server. All codes are executed on the client-side.