A well-written, great statement of academic purpose is a key document as part of the LSE postgraduate application process.

As competition for places is high, sometimes grades that meet the academic requirements are not enough – the academic personal statement is a great way to show the school how passionate and driven you are about your chosen area of study, and how relevant your skills and experiences will be in helping you succeed in the programme. While it might seem daunting to put your motivations into paper, here are a few tips to write a great statement of academic purpose:

Have a clear structure

Usually, statements have to fit one (or two) sides of an A4 sheet, which means that applicants need to be able to explain their motivations and experience concisely (see here for programme-specific requirements for personal statements.) Having a good structure not only makes the statement easy to read (since reviewers will have many, many statements to read through), but it also keeps the reader engaged. Check out Magdalena’s guide for more technical advice on what to include in your statement!

Research, research, research!

What made you apply to the LSE and this programme in particular? Are there any modules or academics that you are excited to interact with? Which resources and facilities at LSE do you look forward to benefitting from?

Clearly answering these questions demonstrates both your motivation to be a student at LSE and your suitability for the programme!

Use emotive language

Using personal, enthusiastic, but professional language can help show your passion for the programme. Language is a powerful tool to demonstrate your drive to succeed at the School and the programme, and using active and emotive words like eager, excited, compelled, etc. show assessors your desire on a personal level beyond suitability.

Sell yourself well

What is your academic and professional background? Do you have any specific skills that will help you in this programme? How have you developed your interest in this field of study in the past?

Remember to relate all these skills and experiences to the master’s course. For example, I have previously worked in cybersecurity, and I wrote about how my experiences of working in a tech firm made me understand various human processes related to organisational functions, which would help me in the MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology programme.

Mention your goals and future plans

Do you have any research ideas for your master’s thesis? What are your career plans, and how will studying this programme at LSE help you in your journey?

One way to prove your interest in a master’s programme is by emphasising your unique approach and fit with the programme- why you decided to pursue postgraduate studies and this programme in particular.

Emphasise soft skills

If your previous academic and work experience are not directly related to the programme (for instance, if you are planning to switch to a new field of study), focus on the soft skills you might have developed that will help you learn new topics.

These could be time management, written and verbal communication, teamwork and leadership, research and analysis.

Give yourself time

It is useful to begin writing the personal statement early, allowing you sufficient time to write and edit your statement, and have it reviewed by other people. Personally, I gave myself about two weeks to write my statement, while working on other aspects of the application in the background.

Don’t be generic

If you’re applying for two different programmes, make sure your supporting statements are different for each course. Admissions officers can detect copy-and-paste jobs, and personal statements must be unique and specific to the programme to stand out.

Proofread

One thing I found useful while writing my statement was to have others proofread my work. For this, I had my friends read my statement to see if people with non-specialised knowledge of the field could easily understand my motivations for the programme. Further, to validate if my experiences and skills were relevant to the programme, I also had my personal tutor and dissertation supervisor at my undergraduate university review my statement.

With these tips in mind, you can work towards writing a well-researched and articulate statement of academic purpose, giving you the chance to stand out from other applicants! If you’ve already applied and are having trouble trying to fill your time, check out this blog by Maya discussing getting applications out of your mind.