Balancing the three questions in your UCAS personal statement
With UCAS introducing three separate questions for the personal statement from 2025 onwards, many students are struggling with one big problem: how to make their answers feel connected.
The new structure is designed to make personal statements fairer and more focused, but it also removes the natural flow of the old essay-style format. However, admissions tutors will still read your three responses together, meaning you need to ensure you build a coherent, consistent picture of who you are as a student.
Understanding the role of each question
Let’s quickly recap the three UCAS questions:
Why do you want to study this course or subject?
→ This is your motivation and inspiration. What sparked your interest and why it continues to excite you.
How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
→ This is your academic preparation. How your school studies and supercurriculars show you’ve developed the right skills and knowledge.
What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
→ This is your broader reflection. How your extracurricular, personal or work experiences complement your academic growth.
The challenge: avoiding three disconnected mini essays
Because each question has a separate word box, it’s easy to fall into the trap of writing three short, self-contained answers. But this makes your application feel fragmented and repetitive.
Instead, you want your answers to read as a continuous story, showing development from curiosity, to exploration, to practical understanding. Think of your statement like a film trilogy: each part has its own focus, but together they tell a single narrative arc.
One of the simplest ways to make your statement cohesive is to use a consistent writing style. Try to:
Keep your tone academic but natural.
Use similar phrasing for transitions (“This experience helped me to…”, “Through this, I developed…”).
Avoid starting each section with “In this question…” or “In this answer…”, since this breaks up the flow.
Balance the content proportionally
As a rough guide for a 4000 character (including spaces) total limit:
Question 1: 1200–1600 characters
Question 2: 1200–1600 characters
Question 3: 350-800 characters
That ensures you’ve spent the most time discussing academic evidence (which is what universities care about most) while still leaving space for a well-rounded conclusion in Question 3.
Create a clear sense of ending
Although Question 3 is separate, treat it as your conclusion.
It’s your opportunity to:
Reflect on your journey as a learner.
Show maturity and readiness for university study.
End with a forward-looking statement about your excitement for the course ahead.
For example: "Overall, my studies and experiences have deepened my curiosity about the human mind, and I’m eager to continue exploring this through a Psychology degree."
Final thoughts
Writing three separate answers can feel awkward, but your goal is to show development. By keeping one clear message and using consistent tone and structure, you can create a personal statement that feels just as cohesive as the old format.
Remember: admissions tutors are looking for a joined-up story of who you are as a learner, not three unrelated lists of achievements.
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.
