How to write your personal statement
You will need to complete a personal statement as part of your application.
This statement supports your application by demonstrating:
- the course is right for you; and
- you have the skills, knowledge and aptitude to achieve the course requirements.
It is normally one to two pages long.
You'll find a description of the course and the key course requirements, including skills, experiences and technical abilities on our course pages.
Use this description as a guide to the points you address in your statement.
You can also talk about how the course fits in with your desired academic progression or career aspirations.
What to include
You could structure your statement like this:
- Current studies and how they're useful or relevant
- Why you chose this course in particular
- Relevant work experience and skills
- Extracurricular activities and interests
- Why you chose this university
- Concluding paragraph
Business School personal statements
Personal statements for courses in the Business School are slightly different than for other courses. Your personal statement provides an opportunity for you tell us a bit more about yourself and your motivation for undertaking this programme.
In the personal statement section of the application, we ask you to answer the following questions:
- Why do you want to study at Imperial College Business School, and how will you contribute to our community?
- Imperial’s values are Respect, Collaboration, Integrity, Innovation, and Excellence. Describe a time where you embodied one or more of these values, and explain the impact it had.
Each section of the personal statement has a 2500 character limit (including spaces).
Applying for two courses
If you are initially applying to two courses, you can submit two personal statements.
You will have two options when submitting your personal statements:
- You can submit one document with both your first and second choice personal statements (marked clearly with headers); or
- You can submit your first-choice personal statement when applying. If your application to your first-choice course is unsuccessful, you can then send your second choice personal statement to the appropriate Admissions team.