motivation letter oxford

Personal Statements for Further Study

A personal statement is your chance to explain your motivation for applying and why you are a great candidate for the course..

Guidelines given vary from the simple “Provide evidence in support of your application” to the more common “Tell us why you are interested in the course to which you have applied. Describe your academic interests and reasons for applying to XXX”. For some courses there may be a much more prescriptive and structured approach, requiring you to write a series of shorter responses to specific questions relating to your motivation, experience and suitability for the course. You may also come across some institutions that ask you to reflect on how you might add to the diversity of a cohort should your application be successful.  

If you are applying to more than one university, each statement will need a different emphasis – do not use the same statement for all applications.  

In your statement, you should demonstrate:

• Motivation, enthusiasm, and a clear understanding of why you are making the application to this particular course, and to this particular institution.
• How your academic background and other experiences have shaped your decision to apply and how the course contributes to your plans for the future.
• Evidence that you have the ability, experience, skills and motivation to successfully contribute to the course, and to complete it.

Structure and Content

The opening paragraph sets the framework for the rest of the statement, think of it as your ‘trailer’. This is where you can grab the reader’s attention or lose it… You might start with a powerful anecdote, a brief narrative of your initial inspiration, or a thought-provoking statement linked to your academic interests.

Within the main body of the essay you should aim to cover:

Why you want to study this topic or field

Is it a natural extension of your current interests? How did you become interested in this area? Why does it continue to fascinate you? What have you done within your degree or outside of your study to fuel this interest? Would the course provide a step towards a longer-term goal?

Why you have chosen this specific course and institution

Are there particular options or modules that interest you? Is there particular expertise in that department? Has access to specific resources such as museum collections, libraries or laboratory equipment been a factor? Has the reputation (through recommendations or other means) of the course inspired you? Are you attracted by opportunities for collaboration or work placements? Have you attended any Open Days or other visits?

How your experience equips you for the course

Consider the subjects you studied at undergraduate level; your relevant skills (technical, language, computing, research methods); independent study or research; prior (relevant) experience; academic awards and other achievements. The focus here is likely to be on your academic suitability for the course, but if you have relevant work experience or extra-curricular activities that provide further evidence of your interest or ability then include them too. Your non-academic achievements might also provide evidence of project management, resilience, effective communication and so on.

Where the course might lead you

You don’t need to have a detailed career plan, but you do need to show how this course fits in with your general aspirations. Are you intending to continue on to a PhD? Do you have a broad interest in contributing to a particular issue or field, e.g. social enterprise, public policy, human rights, sustainability? Or do you have a more specific goal in mind? How will your chosen course help you to achieve your goals?

Closing paragraph

Use your closing paragraph to summarise your application, return to any themes you introduced at the beginning, and to restate your enthusiasm for the course.

Practical Advice

• Writing effective personal statements takes time. Expect to go through several drafts and ask tutors, peers, careers advisers and others to review your statement before you submit it.
• Good English, grammar and spelling are essential. Avoid jargon and make sure it can be understood by non-experts. 
• Keep the tone positive, fresh and lively in order to convey enthusiasm and make yourself stand out, but remember that this is a document introducing you in a professional capacity.
• It’s a good idea to mention relevant individuals whose work has truly inspired you, but avoid name-dropping for the sake of it, and excessive and evidence-free flattery of the institution or the course.
• If you refer to any papers or books then reference these correctly in a bibliography at the end of the statement.
• Pay attention to any word limits. If none are stated then aim for no more than two sides of A4 or 1000-1500 words.
• It is usually possible to apply for multiple courses at a single institution. Many (including Oxford) will require you to complete a separate application form for each course that you wish to apply for.

Research Proposals

For many PhD and some research Masters applications the personal statement is often accompanied by a research proposal – a document that sets out your research interests and proposed area of study. The detail required in this section varies hugely for different disciplines. For some science subjects it may simply be a list, in order of preference, of the named PhD projects you wish to be considered for. However, for most areas – and especially in the arts, humanities and social sciences – you will need to devote a considerable amount of time to developing your ideas, discussing them with potential supervisors and writing a proposal. Your academic tutors should be able to give you some guidance on writing research proposals, and there is some useful advice from  Vitae  and from  Find a PhD .

Admission Essays for US Graduate Schools

The information in this handout applies also to applications to American universities. However, there are subtle differences in the style and approach to essays aimed at the US context. A statement written for the US is likely to feel more personal; think of it as your academic biography – setting out your inspiration for the academic path you have followed in the past, the present and into the future. The Careers Service runs a workshop on US applications early each Michaelmas Term. The Fulbright Educational Advisory Service  also publishes guidelines on completing US applications. US university career services often provide useful advice on writing graduate school admissions essays. See for example: MIT graduate school essay advice , UC Berkeley advice on writing graduate admissions statements , UNC application essay advice and Yale advice on writing personal statements for graduate school.

Teacher Training Applications

The personal statement for postgraduate teacher training is the key part of your application. The question is quite prescriptive, and your focus should be on your motivation for becoming a teacher: particularly how your teaching and other experiences have contributed. Ideally you should also set out how these have helped you to understand the role, and the sort of teacher you aspire to be. The Careers Service runs a workshop on careers in teaching each Michaelmas Term, which includes advice about the application process. For more information, see the Careers Service information on Teaching in Schools .

Graduate Entry Medicine

Applications to graduate entry medicine courses are submitted via UCAS and include a personal statement. Much of the advice in this document also applies to medicine applications, but you are likely to need to place considerable emphasis on the relevant work experience you have gained prior to your application.

See Careers Service's information on Medicine as a Second Degree  for further information.

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• Written work

What is written work?

• Do I need to send written work?

What should I send?

• How can I submit written work?

Many of our courses require applicants to send in a sample of their written work as part of their application. The tabs on this page will give you more details of what you need to send (if anything), how to send it, and the deadlines by which the work must be received.

The deadline for submitting written work is 10 November . Please note that the deadline for submitting Fine Art portfolios is earlier. 

If the course requires you to submit written work as part of your application and you are worried that you don’t have a suitable piece of work to submit, please contact the college you are applying to (or the college you are allocated to after you apply) to discuss what your options are.

Please read the information on each tab on this page carefully.

Please remember that most courses require you to complete an admissions test or tests, so make sure to check our ' Admissions tests' page  as well. 

If the course you are applying for requires written work please send work that demonstrates your analytical, reasoning, language and writing skills, as appropriate for your chosen degree course.

The written work may well form a springboard for discussion at your interview should you be shortlisted, so make sure to keep a copy for your own reference.

Do I need to send written work

Does the course you are applying for require you to send in written work?

This list will show you whether your course requires you to send in written work, but you must check the 'How to Apply' tab on each course page to view more details of what the course tutors want you to send.

Archaeology and Anthropology

Yes. View  Archaeology and Anthropology for details of what you need to send.

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Yes. Visit  Asian and Middle Eastern Studies  for details of what you need to send.

Biochemistry

None required.

Biomedical Sciences

Classical archaeology and ancient history.

Yes. View  Classical Archaeology and Ancient History for details of what you need to send.

Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Yes. Visit  Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for details of what you need to send.

Yes. View  Classics for details of what you need to send.

Classics and English

Yes. View  Classics and English for details of what you need to send.

Classics and Modern Languages

Yes. View  Classics and Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

Computer Science

Computer science and philosophy, earth sciences (geology), economics and management, engineering science, english and modern languages.

Yes. View  English and Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

English Language and Literature

Yes. View  English Language and Literature for details of what you need to send.

European and Middle Eastern Languages

Yes. View  European and Middle Eastern Languages for details of what you need to send.

Yes, you must submit a portfolio. View  Fine Art for details of what to send and the Ruskin School of Art website for information on how to submit your portfolio.

Yes. View  History for details of what you need to send.

History (Ancient and Modern)

Yes. View  History (Ancient and Modern) for details of what you need to send.

History and Economics

Yes. View  History and Economics for details of what you need to send.

History and English

Yes. View  History and English for details of what you need to send.

History and Modern Languages

Yes. View  History and Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

History and Politics

Yes. View  History and Politics for details of what you need to send.

History of Art

Yes. View  History of Art for details of what you need to send.

Human Sciences

Materials science, mathematics, mathematics and computer science, mathematics and philosophy, mathematics and statistics, medicine (six year course, a100), medicine (accelerated four year course, a101), modern languages.

Yes. View  Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Yes. View  Modern Languages and Linguistics for details of what you need to send.

Yes. View  Music for details.

Philosophy and Modern Languages

Yes. View  Philosophy and Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

Philosophy and Theology

Yes. View  Philosophy and Theology for details of what you need to send.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

Physics and philosophy, psychology (experimental), psychology, philosophy, and linguistics (ppl), religion and asian and middle eastern studies.

Yes. View  Religion and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for details of what you need to send.

Theology and Religion

Yes. View  Theology and Religion for details of what you need to send.

The work you send in must be original and ideally have been produced during the course of your school or college work, marked by a teacher and not re-written or corrected in any way.

Please make sure to include details about the circumstances under which your work was produced on the cover sheet provided. Tell us under what conditions you wrote the essay, with what help, and in what timeframe. Tutors will take that information into account.

If you are a mature applicant you can decide (but it is not necessary) to produce a new piece of work, as you may want to give a clearer reflection of your current abilities. Again, we understand that this means it may not be possible to have it marked. Please use the space on the form to describe the circumstances in which the work was produced. 

It may be typed or handwritten – as long as it is legible – and photocopies are acceptable. We would expect each piece of written work to be no more than 2,000 words. 

You will need to complete a  written work cover sheet  for each piece of work that you submit.

Extended essays

Extended essays for the International Baccalaureate, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), or other pieces of work which exceed the 2,000 word limit are not acceptable as submitted written work.

However, you may like to submit an extract from an extended essay. Also, if you mention your essay in your personal statement, tutors may like to discuss this with you at interview if your application is shortlisted.

All written work must be in English (except where required for Modern Languages ). If your work is in another language please submit both the original work and your own translation into English.

How can I submit written work

After you have submitted your UCAS application (and usually before the end of October), the college considering your application will get in touch to tell you how to submit your written work. These instructions will include:

• how to send the work electronically (please do not send hard copies)
• information about file formats
• the details of whom to send your written work to for consideration

In addition to those specific instructions, please remember that:

• your written work must entirely your own and original
• ideally it will have been produced as part of your school work, marked and not re-written or corrected for this application
• all work must be in English (except where otherwise required for Modern Languages)
• each piece of written work should be no longer than 2,000 words
• each piece of written work must come with a completed cover sheet

If your application is shortlisted, we recommend that you re-read your written work before your interview, as tutors may ask you about it. 

When to submit

Written work must be submitted to arrive at the college no later than 10 November. 

Fine Art portfolios have an earlier deadline. View  Fine Art  for details of what to send and the  Ruskin School of Art website  for information on how to submit your portfolio.

Please  contact the college  that is considering your application if you are not sure what to send, or if you are concerned that you do not have suitable written work.

A step-by-step guide for applicants

• UCAS application
• Admissions tests

WRITTEN WORK COVER SHEET:

Download the cover sheet.

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