UCAS Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
The UCAS personal statement has changed for 2025 entry onwards, and students are now asked to answer three specific questions instead of writing one long essay. The first of these is:
“Why do you want to study this course or subject?”
This opening question sets the tone for your whole personal statement, so it’s worth spending time getting it right. Here’s how to approach it step by step.
How much should I write?
UCAS still sets a total character limit of 4,000 characters across all three questions. I recommend spending around 1200-1600 characters on this first section. That gives you enough space to explain your motivation clearly and discuss your first supercurricular activities, while leaving room for detailed discussion and a mention of extracurricular activities later.
Step 1: Show your motivation
This section is your chance to explain what genuinely excites you about your subject. Avoid vague statements like “I’ve always loved biology” or “I’m passionate about history”. These don’t tell admissions tutors anything new about you and your passion for your studies.
Instead, think about the moments that sparked your interest:
A particular lesson that challenged you
A book, article, or podcast that made you think differently
A problem or question that inspired you to dig deeper
Specificity is key. Concrete examples show authenticity and help your personal statement stand out.
Step 2: Mention your career plans
You don’t need a super detailed plan, but 1-2 sentences about future aspirations can strengthen your answer. For example, if you’re applying to study engineering, you might briefly mention your interest in sustainable design or working in renewable energy.
Keep this short, though. This section is about your interest in the subject itself, not a detailed career plan.
Step 3: Link to supercurricular exploration
The most convincing motivation comes when you show how you’ve gone beyond the classroom. This is where supercurriculars (activities you’ve done to explore your subject further outside of your formal education) start to enter the picture.
For example:
If you loved the genetics module in A-Level Biology, you might describe reading about CRISPR technology and reflecting on its ethical implications.
If a maths problem stuck with you, perhaps you joined a maths competition team or explored number theory in your own time.
You don’t need a long list of supercurriculars - quality matters more than quantity. Choose one or two strong examples and explain what you learned and how you developed your thinking.
You’ll discuss supercurricular activities further in your answer to Question 2 so don’t worry about fitting them all in here.
A note on structure
There’s no single perfect formula for this section, but a clear flow helps:
Start with a spark - what first interested you.
Show how your curiosity grew.
Illustrate how you pursued that interest through specific supercurriculars.
Conclude with a brief note on future aspirations.
This way, you’re showing both your enthusiasm for the subject and your initiative in exploring it further.
In a few posts’ time, I’ll be giving you some example answers to this question so you can see how this structure looks in reality.
Final thoughts
Admissions tutors don’t want clichés - they want insight into your journey as a learner. If you can explain your motivation clearly, with specific examples and evidence of exploration, you’ll have laid a strong foundation for the rest of your personal statement.
I’ll be covering how to find supercurricular activities in my next post, so keep an eye out for that if you’re still unsure where to begin.
If you’d like expert, personalised feedback on your personal statement draft, you can book a free 15-minute chat with me using the button below to discuss how I might be able to help you.
