personal statement for scholarship sample architecture

Sample Architecture Personal Statement (admitted to Cambridge, Cornell, Yale)

by Talha Omer, M.Eng., Cornell Grad

In personal statement samples by field.

The following personal statement is written by an applicant who got accepted to top graduate programs in architecture. Variations of this personal statement got accepted at Cambridge, Cornell, and Yale. Read this essay to understand what a top personal statement in architecture should look like.

Here is the personal statement of the Architecure Student.

I am not particularly fond of tea. However, while working in the Northern regions of XYZ, I realized that sharing a cup of tea was considered a symbol of gratitude by its hospitable populace. This simple gesture transcended the commonplace and made our work for the community all the more personal.

For several weeks I shared many cups of the sugary beverage while volunteering with the Heritage Foundation constructing homes for the people of the XYZ. Their entire dwellings had been destroyed by the floods, and it came to us, a group of young architecture students, to revive this once-thriving community.

The process from etching the lines of chalk for the Women’s Community Centre to seeing it constructed into a beautiful bamboo building to be used for gainful employment is one that affected me deeply. The structures we built stand supported throughout the seasons, representing the enduring strength of the people of the XYZ. By helping to re-establish an entire community affected by an unprecedented natural calamity, I became aware of the power of architectural design to incite social change. Also, the focus on sustainable structures made me realize how designers need to focus on the available resources and capacities of the community they are involved in.

This experience was pivotal in realizing the path I wanted to take as an architect. My fascination with creating and manipulating space, seen from an early age by my experimentation with a Wendy Tent, went to the root of my desire to become an architect. Furthermore, the stories I had heard growing up about my ancestral home in XYZ, a city known for its scorching heat; as well as my childhood divided between XYZ, a country oblivious to any form of energy deficiency, and XYZ, a country struggling with shortages in resources have all served to underscore how design needs to adapt and address the social issues of its environment. This instilled within me a desire to work towards making my homeland self-sustaining.

To channel my proclivity, I applied to the country’s top architecture school, and my joy, I was accepted. During my five years at the XYZ, I studied the fundamental nature of the architectural design. I found its intricacies to be a maze that beckoned alluringly to me. Elected as the Vice President of the Architecture Students’ Association, I was in a position to influence how students would perceive architecture. I led the team representing XYZ and XYZ at the National Architectural Student Convention held in XYZ.

My team was honored with the prestigious Citation Prize for the Rubens Trophy. This victory awarded our design from amongst those submitted from more than a hundred universities. It proved to be a tremendous boost to my belief in achieving the career goals that I had set for myself. It also allowed me to develop a global understanding of architectural design. The following year, I volunteered to go to XYZ, an experience that left an indelible mark on my mind.

I returned with vigor to realize architecture’s power in shaping my community and channeled my motivation into my thesis project. I managed to study the overwhelmingly bustling historic urban center of XYZ and analyzed its context, which resulted in providing macro-level sustainable design solutions. A culmination of my efforts and passion, this project was awarded an ‘honors’ in my thesis.

I followed through with my academic goals by seeking employment at a firm that avidly incorporates sustainability in its design practices. After working at SR Design Works, I was reassured of the practical applications of the theoretical knowledge I attained as part of my undergraduate degree. Furthermore, with a conscious desire to be part of responsible design practices, I became associated with upcoming advocates of green building design. However, at the same time, I also grew aware that to achieve my aims, I would need further education.

While working on individual projects which incorporated the principles of sustainable design, I was exposed to the prospective benefits as well as the limitations of those principles. In light of this nexus, it was apparent that I needed further education to explore all its potential advantages.

Another hurdle I had to overcome in a predominantly patriarchal society like XYZ was to hold my own and work on an equal footing with various people, from clients to retailers; colleagues to contractors. This aspect of my character can be attributed to my mother, who raised my brother and me while working full-time as a real estate agent. She taught me to be independent and not to treat my gender as a disability. I have taken her wisdom to heart and have dared to dream of rising to the zenith in my field.

I realize that many architectural designs in XYZ fail to communicate with their environmental and social context, thus creating more hindrances for its inhabitants rather than presenting solutions. My experience in architecture has made me realize the necessity of greater responsibility and sensibility in building structures in XYZ. I greatly believe in XYZ potential and aim for this country to be a forefront practitioner of sustainable architecture.

I aim to practice sustainable architectural design in its true essence and promote green practices that can help build communities, hopefully sharing many more cups of tea in the process.

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Architecture personal statement example 1.

I believe that having a visual stimulus in your environment is important. For example, if I'm walking down the street I want to see an eclectic mix of buildings that I find exciting to look at, rather than rows of uniform houses. David Harvey, in his book Rebel Cities, describes the value of this connection between people and their environment, writing 'animated by neighbourhood life, squares full of people, children relishing the river bank'. This idyllic vision makes me want to create equally vibrant spaces for people to enjoy.

This ideology influenced a design project I completed while on work experience with PTE architects (October 2013). I wanted to create a building that would both excite its users as well as onlookers. The house I designed using Google Sketch-up I was perched on top of two living trees. I imagined how a passer-by might look up in awe at the sight of a tree house in central London, or how the inhabitant would feel as they ascended into their house on a staircase suspended by wires and draped with vines. Architecture combines creativity and art with a significant social function and it is this that attracts me to study the discipline at university.

On Open House London I enjoyed exploring several unique houses from a range of architectural styles and eras. Comparing Erno Goldfinger's modernist house at 2 Willow Road to new developments such as 44 Willoughby Road allowed me to appreciate the advantages of each architectural movement, and how each is influenced by the social conventions at the time of building. For example the conversions adapting older houses into homes more suitable for today's society tended to remove the traditional separation between the kitchen and living spaces, reflecting how open plan living is now more desirable.

This layout has been embraced by Richard Rogers in his design for Oxley Woods, a new housing development. It presents an interesting solution to the current housing shortage, offering an exciting and colourful exterior that contrasts to the often bland and characterless appearance of typical housing developments. Rogers' exhibition at the Royal Academy increased my admiration of his work, particularly the Bordeaux Law Courts. Its design illustrates how architects can implement political ideology into their designs, with the wide entrance steps leading to the court 'pods' representing large seeds that would draw in the public, where they share in the judicial proceedings.

I am also interested in set design as it has the ability to transform the stage and evoke atmosphere. I find it exciting to see how designers overcome the practical challenges of set design with inventive solutions. One example that stands out was in a West End production of Billy Elliot when a bedroom spirals out of the floor and later retracts. This scene change was much more innovative and creative than simply placing a bed in the corner of the stage, and it is this integration of creativity and practicality that relates architecture to set design.

I enjoy taking the time to observe the buildings around me, considering what it is I like or dislike about a building or bridge then recording my thoughts alongside a drawing in my sketchbook. I hope to continue this during my gap year, when I look forward to seeing a range of foreign architecture, and exploring how each is influenced by the country's culture. To improve my drawing and spatial skills I am attending life drawing and art classes at galleries and The Prince's Drawing School, experimenting with a variety of media including sculpture.

As a hobby, I do parkour, which has given me an unusual perspective of, and interaction with, the urban environment. This has made me think more about how we move through surroundings, and the importance of features such as corridors and how they force us to traverse environment. I look forward to applying these experiences to a degree in architecture, while developing new skills and interests.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by George W Smith for application in 2014.

George W Smith's university choices The Glasgow School of Art The University of Edinburgh The University of Sheffield University of Newcastle Upon Tyne The University of Manchester

Green : offer made Red : no offer made

This personal statement is unrated

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How to Write a Personal Statement for a Scholarship + Examples

What’s covered:, what is the purpose of the scholarship personal statement, what to include in your personal statement, personal statement example: breakdown + analysis, how to make sure your writing is effective.

Either before or after you’ve gotten into your dream school, you’ll have to figure out how to pay for it. For most students, this involves a combination of financial aid, parent contributions, self-contributions, student loans, and scholarships/grants. Because scholarships are money out of someone else’s pocket that you never have to pay back, they are a great place to start!

Scholarships come in two forms: merit-based and need-based. Need-based scholarships are also often called grants. These designations tell you whether an organization looks at your financial situation when deciding about your scholarship.

Additionally, different scholarships fall under different categories based on the mission of the organization or person providing the scholarship’s financing. These missions typically emphasize different things like academic achievement, specific career goals, community service, leadership, family background, skill in the arts, or having overcome hardship. As you select scholarships to apply for and complete your applications, you should keep these missions in mind.

No matter what type of scholarship you are applying for, you will be asked to provide the review committee with standard materials. This includes your transcript, GPA, and resume/extracurriculars, but also, importantly, your personal statement. A scholarship personal statement is a bit different from your normal college essay, so we’ve put together this guide and some examples to help you get started!

The purpose of your personal statement is to help a review committee learn more about your personality, values, goals, and what makes you special. Ultimately, like with your college essays, you are trying to humanize your profile beyond your transcript, GPA, and test scores.

College essays all have one goal in mind (which is why you can apply to multiple schools at once through applications like the Common App or Coalition App): convince admissions officers that you would be a valuable addition to the university environment. The goal of your scholarship personal statement is different and differs more from one scholarship to the next. Rather than convincing various review committees that you are a generally good candidate for extra funding for college, you need to convince each review committee that your values have historically aligned with their organization’s mission and will continue to align with their organization’s mission.

Common missions amongst those who give scholarships include:

• Providing opportunities for students with career ambitions in a particular field
• Helping students who have experienced unexpected hardship
• Supporting students who show outstanding academic achievement
• Funding the arts through investing in young artists with strong technical skill
• Supporting the development of civic-minded community service leaders of the future
• Providing opportunities for historically underrepresented ethnic communities 

If a specific mission like this is outlined on an organization’s website or in the promotional material for its scholarship, the purpose of your personal statement is to show how you exemplify that mission.

Some scholarships ask for your personal statement to be guided by a prompt, while others leave things open for interpretation. When you are provided a prompt, it is obvious what you must do: answer the prompt. When you are not provided a prompt, you want to write a personal statement that is essentially a small-scale autobiography where you position yourself as a good investment. In either case, you should identify a focus or theme for what you are trying to say about yourself so that your application does not get lost in the shuffle.

Prompts include questions like:

• Why do you deserve this scholarship?
• How have you shown your commitment to (leadership/community service/diversity) in your community?
• When did you overcome adversity?
• Why is attending college important to you?

If you are provided a prompt, develop a theme for your response that showcases both your values and your achievements. This will help your essay feel focused and will subsequently help the review committee to remember which candidate you were as they deliberate.

Themes include things like:

• I deserve this community service scholarship because my compassion for intergenerational trauma has inspired me to volunteer with a local after-school program. I didn’t just sympathize. I did something about my sympathy because that’s the type of person I am. Within the program, I have identified avenues for improvement and worked alongside full-time staff to develop new strategies for increasing attendance.
• I overcame adversity when my mother had to have a major surgery two months after giving birth to my younger brother. I was just a kid but was thrown into a situation where I had to raise another kid. It was hard, but I’m the kind of person who tries to grow from hard times and, through my experience taking care of a baby, I learned the importance of listening to body language and nonverbal cues to understand the needs of others (baby and nonbaby, alike).

Without a prompt, clarity can be harder to achieve. That said, it is of the utmost importance that you find a focus. First, think about both your goals and your values.

Types of goals include:

• Career goals
• Goals for personal growth
• The type of friend you want to be
• The change you want to make in the world

Values could include:

• Authenticity
• And many more!

After you write out your goals/values, write out your achievements to see what goals/values you have “proof” of your commitment to. Your essay will ultimately be an exploration of your goal/value, what you have done about your goal/value in the past, and what you aspire to in the future.

You might be tempted to reflect on areas for improvement, but scholarships care about you living out your values. It is not enough to aspire to be exemplary in leadership, community service, or your academic field. For scholarships, you have to already be exemplary.

Finally, keep in mind that the review committee likely already has a copy of your extracurricular activities and involvement. Pick one or two accomplishments, then strive for depth, not breadth as you explore them.

My interest in the field of neuroscience began at a young age.  When I was twelve years old, my sister developed a condition called Pseudotumor Cerebri following multiple concussions during a basketball game.  It took the doctors over six months to make a proper diagnosis, followed by three years of treatment before she recovered.  During this time, my love for neuroscience was sparked as I began to research her condition and, then, other neurocognitive conditions.  Later, my love of neuroscience was amplified when my mother began to suffer from brain-related health issues.  My mother had been a practicing attorney in Dallas for over twenty years.  She was a determined litigator who relentlessly tried difficult cases that changed people’s lives.  Now, she suffers from a cognitive impairment and is no longer able to practice law.  Oftentimes, she has headaches, she gets “cloudy,” her executive functioning slows down, she feels overwhelmed, and she forgets things.  My mother has gone from being the strong, confident, emotional and financial caretaker of our family to needing significant help on a daily basis. Once again, with this illness came a lot of research on my part — research that encouraged me to pursue my dreams of exploring neuroscience.

Due to my experiences with my mother and sister when I was in middle school, I knew that I wanted to make a difference in the field of neuroscience.  I also knew that, to obtain this goal, I needed to maintain superior grades in school while also pursuing opportunities outside of school to further my education.  In school, I was able to maintain superior grades to the point where I am currently valedictorian in a class of 567 students.  In addition, in school, I challenged myself by taking 16 Advanced Placement classes and 19 Honors classes.  Two of the most beneficial classes were AP Capstone Seminar and AP Capstone Research.  AP Capstone Seminar and AP Capstone Research are research-oriented classes where students are given the opportunity to pursue whatever track their research takes them down.  As a junior in AP Capstone Seminar, I researched the effects of harmful pesticide use on the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children.  This year, as a senior in AP Capstone Research, I am learning about the effects of medical marijuana on the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  

Outside of school, I furthered my education through taking advantage of the Duke TiP summer program. Duke TiP is a summer program run by Duke University where students who score extremely well on the SAT as middle schoolers are able to take college classes at different universities throughout the summers of their middle school and high school years.  I took advantage of this opportunity twice.  First, I went to Trinity University in San Antonio to expand my horizons and learn more about debate.  However, once I was done exploring, I decided I wanted to go into neuroscience.  This led me to take an Abnormal Psychology class at Duke University’s West Campus.  This class opened my eyes to the interaction between neuroscience and mental health, mental illness, and personality.  Years later, I am currently continuing my education outside of school as an intern at the University of Texas Dallas Center for Brain Health.  Through this internship, I have been able to see different aspects of neuroscience including brain pattern testing, virtual reality therapy, and longitudinal research studies.  With this background, I have positioned myself to be accepted by top neuroscience programs throughout the nation.  So far, I have been accepted to the neuroscience department of University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas, and Southern Methodist University, as well as the chemistry department at University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.  

It is with this passion for neuroscience driven by my family and passion for education driven by internal motivation that I will set out to conquer my career objectives.  My educational aspirations consist of acquiring a bachelor’s degree in a biological or health science that would assist me in pursuing a medical career as a neuroscience researcher.  I decided to attain a career as a researcher since my passion has always been assisting others and trying to improve their quality of life.  After obtaining my Masters and my PhD, I plan to become a professor at a prestigious university and continue performing lab research on cognitive disorders.  I am particularly interested in disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  In the lab, I hope to find different therapies and medications to help treat the 3.5 million people around the world suffering from ASD.  Furthermore, I want to contribute back to underserved populations that struggle because they do not have as much access to medical assistance as other privileged groups.  As such, I hope to do a part of my research in less developed or developing Spanish-speaking countries. This will also allow me to pursue my love of Spanish while pursuing my love of neuroscience.  I think that following such a career path will provide me the opportunity to learn about the medical needs of the autistic community and improve their quality of health.  Furthermore, I hope to train a new generation of students to strive to research and make comparable discoveries.  Whether it be through virtual reality labs or new drug discoveries, I believe that research leads to innovation which leads to a brighter future. 

This student does a great job of making themself appear competent and dedicated to the field of neuroscience. This is primarily because they provided tangible evidence of how they have pursued their dedication in the past—through their AP Capstone courses, their Abnormal Psychology class at Duke TiP, and their internship at UTD. There is no doubt in the mind of a reader that this student is high-achieving. 

This student also engages successfully with a past-future trajectory, where they end with a vision of how they will continue to use neuroscience in the future. This helps the review committee see what they are investing in and the ways that their money will go to good use.

This student has two major areas for improvement. As we have said, the purpose of a personal statement is for a student to humanize themself to a review committee. This student struggles to depict themself separately from their academic achievements. A solution to this would be for the student to establish a theme towards the beginning of their essay that relates to both their values as a human and their achievements.

At the beginning of the essay, the student explores how their interest in neuroscience began. They explain their interest through the following sentences: “During this time, my love for neuroscience was sparked as I began to research her condition and, then, other neurocognitive conditions” and “Once again, with this illness came a lot of research on my part — research that encouraged me to pursue my dreams of exploring neuroscience.” The student made the great decision to tell the backstory of their interest, but they described their research in very mundane and redundant terms. Instead, they could have focused on their value of intellectual curiosity as a magnetic force that encouraged them to research their mother and sister’s ailments. Curiosity, then, could serve as a value-related thematic throughline to taking AP Capstone classes, taking college courses during the summer that weren’t required, and interning before even graduating high school.

A second area for improvement would be avoiding statistics. As the student identifies their valedictorian status and the number of AP classes they have taken, they might turn away certain personalities on a review committee by appearing braggy. Even further, these statistics are a waste of space. The review committee already has access to this information. These words distract from the major theme of the essay and would have been better used to humanize the student.

Throughout my academic career, I have been an avid scholar, constantly pushing myself towards ambitious goals. I held and continue to hold myself to a high standard, enrolling myself in rigorous curriculum, including Honors and Advanced Placement courses to stretch my mental potential. During my junior year of high school, I took four AP tests, two on the same day, and earned the AP Scholar with Honor Award. Additionally, I received the Letter of Commendation for the PSAT/NMSQT, and qualified for Rotary Top 100 Students both my freshman and senior year, a sign of my commitment to my studies. However, school has not been all about having the best GPA for me; beyond the numbers, I have a deep drive to learn which motivates me to do well academically. I truly enjoy learning new things, whether it be a new essay style or a math theorem. I always give each class my best effort and try my hardest on every assignment. My teachers have noticed this as well, and I have received school Lancer Awards and Student of the Month recognitions as a result. It is a major goal of mine to continue to aspire towards a high level of achievement regarding future educational and occupational endeavors; I plan on continuing this level of dedication throughout my educational career and implementing the skills I have learned and will learn into my college experience and beyond.

This fall, I will begin attending the University of California Los Angeles as an English major. I chose this major because I am fascinated by written language, especially its ability to convey powerful messages and emotions. I also enjoy delving into the works of other authors to analyze specific components of their writing to discover the meaning behind their words. In particular, I cannot wait to begin in-depth literary criticism and learn new stylistic techniques to add more depth to my writing. Furthermore, I recently went to UCLA’s Bruin Day, an event for incoming freshmen, where I was exposed to many different extracurriculars, some of which really piqued my interest. I plan on joining the Writing Success Program, where I can help students receive free writing help, and Mock Trial, where I can debate issues with peers in front of a real judge. The latter, combined with a strong writing background from my undergraduate English studies will be extremely beneficial because I plan to apply to law school after my undergraduate degree. As of now, my career goal is to become a civil rights lawyer, to stand up for those who are discriminated against and protect minority groups to proliferate equality.

As a lawyer, I wish to utilize legislation to ameliorate the plight of the millions of Americans who feel prejudice and help them receive equity in the workplace, society, and so on. Though this seems a daunting task, I feel that my work ethic and past experience will give me the jumpstart I need to establish myself as a successful lawyer and give a voice to those who are often unheard in today’s legal system. I have been a Girl Scout for over a decade and continually participate in community service for the homeless, elderly, veterans, and more. My most recent project was the Gold Award, which I conducted in the Fullerton School District. I facilitated over ten workshops where junior high students taught elementary pupils STEM principles such as density and aerodynamics via creative activities like building aluminum boats and paper airplanes. I also work at Kumon, a tutoring center, where I teach students to advance their academic success. I love my job, and helping students from local schools reach their potential fills me with much pride.

Both being a Girl Scout and working at Kumon have inspired me to help those in need, contributing significantly to my desire to become a lawyer and aid others. My extracurriculars have allowed me to gain a new perspective on both learning and teaching, and have solidified my will to help the less fortunate. In college, I hope to continue to gain knowledge and further develop my leadership skills, amassing qualities that will help me assist others. I plan to join multiple community service clubs, such as UCLA’s local outreach programs that directly aid residents of Los Angeles. I want to help my fellow pupils as well, and plan on volunteering at peer tutoring and peer editing programs on campus. After college, during my career, I want to use legal tactics to assist the underdog and take a chance on those who are often overlooked for opportunities. I wish to represent those that are scared to seek out help or cannot afford it. Rather than battling conflict with additional conflict, I want to implement peaceful but strong, efficient tactics that will help make my state, country, and eventually the world more welcoming to people of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. These goals are close to my heart and therefore I will be as diligent as I am passionate about them. My perseverance and love for learning and community service drive my ambition in both education and life as a whole, and the drive to make the world a better place is one that I will carry with me for my entire life.

This student emphasizes two values in this essay: hard work and community service. These are values that go together nicely, and definitely make sense with this student’s end goal of becoming a civil rights lawyer! That said, some changes could be made to the way the student presents their values that would make their personal statement more convincing and engaging.

Structurally, instead of using a past-future trajectory, this student starts by explaining their academic achievements, then explains their career goals, then explains their history of community service, then explains their future desires for community service. This structure loses the reader. Instead, the student should have started with either the past or the future. 

This could look like 1) identifying their career goals, 2) explaining that hard work and a commitment to community service are necessary to get there, and 3) explaining that they aren’t worried because of their past commitment to hard work and community service. Or it could look like 1) providing examples of their hard work and community service in the past, then 2) explaining how those values will help them achieve their career goals.

Additionally, like with our other example, this student shows a heavy investment in statistics and spouting off accomplishments. This can be unappealing. Unfortunately, even when the student recognizes that they are doing this, writing “beyond the numbers, I have a deep drive to learn which motivates me to do well academically. I truly enjoy learning new things, whether it be a new essay style or a math theorem,” they continue on to cite their achievements, writing “My teachers have noticed this as well, and I have received school Lancer Awards and Student of the Month recognitions as a result.” They say they are going beyond the numbers, but they don’t go beyond the awards. They don’t look inward. One way to fix this would be to make community service the theme around which the essay operates, supplementing with statistics in ways that advance the image of the student as dedicated to community service.

Finally, this student would be more successful if they varied their sentence structure. While a small-scale autobiography can be good, if organized, every sentence should not begin with ‘I.’ The essay still needs to be engaging or the review committee might stop reading.

Feedback is ultimately any writer’s best source of improvement! To get your personal statement edited for free, use our Peer Review Essay Tool . With this tool, other students can tell you if your scholarship essay is effective and help you improve your essay so that you can have the best chances of gaining those extra funds!

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10 Tips on Personal Statements (for Architect Students)

Gone are the days when prospective students applying to architecture schools get away with merely submitting an application form and a high school transcript.

Whether you are applying for entry into a pre-professional Bachelor of Science or Art (B.Sc. or B.A.) majoring in architecture, or the professional Bachelor of Architecture or Master of Architecture, chances are submitting a personal statement is necessary alongside your design portfolio.

But you could be apprehensive about the task of writing a personal statement as the requirement does not come with clear guidelines, unfortunately.

It is usually just one piece of A4-size word document, but a mighty powerful one at that – second only to your design portfolio – as it represents your voice in the eyes of the admissions evaluator.

It is essential to impress the school and show off your skills and suitability all in one place.

Here are some useful tips to get you started:

1. Give Yourself Enough Time

Probably one of the most valuable tips that you can get when it comes to personal statements is to start early.

Give yourself enough time to write your statement.

Research examples of architecture personal statements. Use one which you think is suitable as a reference but never copy.

Ask your current teachers or people in your life for feedback. If you are the only person reviewing your statement, you risk not knowing what it is missing.

2. Understand What the Statement is Asking For

There is no shame in asking for someone to read the question for you, which could help you understand it better. It could be as simple as “Tell us why you want to study architecture,” or “What would you gain from your experience at our school?”

Either way, a personal statement from a prospective architecture student is to convince the admissions evaluator that you deserve a place in their program.

Competition for entry is fierce, and you want to stand out by being yourself – no two persons are alike. So again, don’t merely copy one you found online for free; tweak and add your voice to it.

3. Introduce Yourself

No. Don’t start by saying, “I am (name), and I come from (birthplace). These are standard information already stated in your application form.

Give the school an insight into your personality and how you would add value to their community of young, budding architects.

Are you ambitious? Have any hobbies? Artistic? Work well in a team?

It does not matter what it is, as long as it helps you stand out from others. Writing a personal statement is not the time to be shy about the qualities you bring to the table – write to impress!

4. Craft Skills You Learned

You can write about the extra classes you took outside your school syllabus and how they relate to architecture.

Perhaps you’d enrolled in an oil painting or a woodworking class. Great, add it in!

But don’t just state those skills you picked up matter-of-factly. Go into the details of the intricate crafts you learned in making a piece of art or a unique solution you achieve by applying a tweak to a standard method.

Better still, point the evaluator to the piece you have included in your portfolio. Such cross-referencing can help reinforce the engagement between the evaluator and your application.

5. A Memorable Vacation

You have been to places and experienced different cultures.

Pick one that is rich architecturally, and elaborate on how your experience of walking through an ancient city or a modern architectural wonder made you want to be an architect.

6. Any Work Experience You’ve Got Under Your Belt

If you’ve got quite a bit of work experience, it is crucial to only talk about the relevant experiences that will help set you apart from the other applicants.

Write about something that shows no added value, and the evaluator would lose interest quickly. An architectural technician work experience role would be perfect for showing the school you know exactly what you are doing.

7. Talk about the future

Who exactly do you want to be when you leave architecture school?

Touch on why you want to study at a particular school and how the degree will help you with your future career. Let them know that you’ve got a whole plan set out, and you are determined to achieve it.

8. Don’t sound too academic

Remember, while you want your writing to sound professional, you don’t want it to sound like you have swallowed a thesaurus.

Too many students make this mistake while writing their personal statement, and it is very obvious to the person reading.

Authenticity over everything!

9. Check for Grammatical Errors

This tip is oft-repeated for any writing exercise, but it does not hurt to remind yourself how important this is.

Especially if you are an international student and English is not your first language, have a second pair of eyes proofread your statement.

A grammatical error-filled personal statement can be a real turn-off for the admissions evaluator.

10. Be Yourself

It may sound cliché but writing an excellent personal statement for an architecture school application is really about you.

In your absence, the personal statement represents you, and you want to make sure that it is precisely that.

There is no right or wrong in a personal statement; it is about the things that are uniquely you.

After writing the personal statement, you can start to apply to your school of choice using the complete set of architecture school application documents .

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Architecture Personal Statement Guide

Your application to university is one of the most important you’ll make; it’s not an easy process as it requires a lot from you. The personal statement is one step in that process, but it’s also one of the more challenging ones because of what it demands.

A good personal statement will be introspective and analytical in the right places, but also informative and hopefully enjoyable to read. Its purpose is simple: to tell someone who doesn't know you why you’d be a good fit for a degree course in a subject you’re passionate about.

That said, writing a personal statement is far from simple. Not only are you constrained by space limitations, so will have to exclude much of what you’d like to say, but you also have to satisfy several criteria in very few words to make it an effective testimonial to you and your skills .

Don’t worry, though, everyone’s in the same boat and this guide is here to help you face the writing of it step-by-step, including:

• Why are Personal Statements Important?
• What Should I Include in an Architecture Personal Statement?  
• What Should I Avoid in an Architecture   Personal Statement ?  
• Advice on How to Start an Architecture Personal Statement
• Advice on How to Finish an Architecture Personal Statement

What Should I Avoid in an Architecture Personal Statement ?  

While it’s important to show a knowledge of architecture and an active engagement with it, it’s not beneficial simply to list your favourite architects, buildings, or places you’ve visited on holiday without further analysis , as admissions tutors simply won’t be interested.

Instead, you should discuss particular architects or buildings as part of a broader point you’re making, or to demonstrate a particular interest or inspiration in your architecture journey so far. This goes for all resources, including books, films, podcasts, exhibitions, artists; you should never name-drop something or someone in isolation, but rather discuss it analytically.

You should avoid familiar and informal language , but also avoid pretentious and affected turns of phrase and expressions . Equally, don’t include lots of quotations or rely on clichéd lines about ‘always appreciating architraves for as long as I can remember’ as no one will believe you. Any extra-curricular activities or interests should be related back to your proposal to study architecture , so mentioning your Grade 8 flute award is unlikely to add any value.

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Advice on How to Start an Architecture Personal Statement  

Beginning any piece of writing can be a struggle, and personal statements are no exception. There are lots of ways to open your personal statement, so here are a few options that students have gone with in the past.

You could open the personal statement by reflecting on the beginning of your interest in architecture , i.e. where did it all start? Remembering to avoid clichéd openings, grab the reader’s attention by letting them know what first grabbed your attention. Was it a church? Your school? The Pantheon? Whatever it was, communicate how your personal relationship with architecture began and how it burgeoned into a passion.

Alternatively, you could begin by jumping straight into an academic discussion around a particular architect, building, or exhibition that has inspired you. You don't need to have personal connections to the work other than your academic interest, but make sure that you have researched the work or architect in question and have something analytical or interesting to say about it (rather than just stating facts about it). This could be a useful jumping off point for the rest of your personal statement.

However you open your statement, be direct and use uncomplicated language whilst making it as memorable and enticing as possible. The first impression is all important, and you want to encourage the reader to continue further into the statement.

Advice on How to Finish an Architecture Personal Statement  

As with an essay, the end of your statement should draw together what you’ve discussed up until that point . In statement terms, this should cover your suitability to undertake a degree in architecture and how enthused by the prospect of this you are. You’ve also hopefully relied on substantial examples to demonstrate your passion, so writing the statement’s conclusion shouldn’t be too difficult.

Remember not to repeat yourself ; the idea is to emphasise what you’ve said already, rather than to say it again verbatim. These will be your departing words to the reader so, as with the introduction, you want to be remembered and leave a positive impression that leads to the next stage, be that an interview or an offer.

• What are some Tips for Writing a Strong Architecture Personal Statement?
• How Long Should my Architecture Personal Statement Be?
• What Kind of Extracurricular Activities Should I Include in my Architecture Personal Statement?
• How Can I Tailor my Architecture Personal Statement to the Oxford/Cambridge Course?

Architecture degrees are a blend of theory and practice, so it’s advisable that you express an interest in both aspects of the discipline. As with all else you mention, it’s important to use examples from your research to support your points, so don’t just assert your interest – prove it! You should also look at modules that are common to all the universities you’re applying to; this way you can narrow down what appeals to you and show that you’ve looked into the degrees themselves.

Think hard about why you’re interested in architecture as a subject in general and in studying it at university in particular. This isn’t easy, as likes and dislikes are always difficult to scrutinise. That said, admissions tutors will want to see a good level of consideration from you as they won’t want to admit anyone who has applied on a whim or because they couldn’t think of anything else to do.

The length of your architecture personal statement, like all personal statements, is limited by UCAS. They’ve set a restriction of 4000 characters (including spaces), or alternatively 47 lines of the UCAS form; the relevant limit is the one you reach first. For this reason, it’s imperative you plan the statement’s structure and content as you don’t want to waste valuable words.

You’re lucky in that architecture is a subject that we’re all involved with to some extent. Buildings and structures are part of our everyday lives, and we can’t escape them. When it comes to extra-curricular activities, you can draw on anything you deem to be a worthwhile engagement with the built environment, or aesthetic history, or material culture; this includes reading around the subject, of course. As long as you can relate the activity to your interest in architecture, and talk about the benefit derived from it, then it will be relevant.

While you shouldn’t tailor your personal statement to any one university if you’re applying to more than one, it is possible to gauge the specialisms of certain universities and to emphasise your attraction to those, provided this doesn’t by definition rule out any other university in your application. Oxford and Cambridge value academic independence and freedom of thought, so try to be original in your views and be able to support them with evidence from your wider reading and research.

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