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What is ImperiaBusiness School looking for in a personal statement?

Your Master's personal statement is where you tell us why you want to study at º£½ÇÉçÇø, what makes you a strong candidate, and how your experiences will add value to our community. It's your chance to stand out and give us the detail about you, beyond your CV.

How to write your personal statement

Writing about yourself can be tricky. Every year, we get lots of questions about what to include.

If you take some time to think about and answer the two questions thoroughly, you'll do a great job. We've put together some tips to help explain more about what we're looking for and how to avoid some of the most common mistakes others make.

Why does ImperiaBusiness School ask for a personal statement for Master's programmes?

We want to know more about you as a person. Other parts of your application give us the facts, but the personal statement is your opportunity to tell us more about who you are, and why you want to study at º£½ÇÉçÇø.

Our programmes are hugely competitive. Your personal statement helps us understand your profile and fill in any missing pieces from our assessment.

What questions are included in the personal statement section of my application?

Applications to the business school have different requirements for the personal statement compared to other programmes at º£½ÇÉçÇø. We're not just looking for your academic suitability. We want to know how motivated you are and what you can bring to the professional community at ImperiaBusiness School.

You need to answer two mandatory questions:

1. Why do you want to study at ImperiaBusiness School and how will you contribute to our community? (3500 characters, approximately 500 words)

Treat this as a priority. Ideally, your CV and academic history should have already given us a good idea of your achievements to date, so use this space to expand on that. Tell us:

• why you are pursuing postgraduate study
• why you have chosen this programme
• how your past experiences link to your suitability for the programme
• anything else that is relevant

This is also your opportunity to show us how you will enhance the Imperiaexperience of those around you. And how you will make the most of your time at the Business School. Think about how you will make the campus community a better place, whether this be through participation in extracurricular activities or interactions with staff and students across campus.

2. º£½ÇÉçÇø'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. (2500 characters, approximately 350 words)

This could be professional, personal, or extracurricular. We want to know about your achievements, how they embody our values, and how they have shaped you into the person you are today. We love to hear about all the interesting things that applicants have done and achieved, and this is a great way to differentiate yourself from other candidates.

What makes a personal statement stand out?

Lots of people apply to our programmes. We want to find out what makes you different.

Describe your experiences, and how they're a good fit for your chosen programme. Explain your goals for your Master's, and how you plan to make the most of your time here. Tell us about you as a person and why you think you'll be a valuable member of our cohort.

The more our admissions team can understand about you as a person, the more your application will stand out.

Using AI for your personal statement

We know that generative AI is part of professional life now, and we encourage responsible use of any tools that help you work more effectively. However, our admissions team can easily spot an application that's too reliant on AI. If you plan to use AI, we recommend:

• Use AI for support (such as checking grammar or suggesting structural improvements), not generating the core content
• Include personal anecdotes and reflect on your unique experience to keep it genuine
• Write in your own voice to make sure your application sounds human

Mistakes to avoid when writing your personal statement

Talk about yourself, not us

Sometimes, applicants get too caught up with university rankings or facts about the Business School – but we want to hear about you, not us! It's good to talk about the programme content but avoid simply relaying this information back to us. Focus instead on what interests you the most and how you plan to build on past study.

Don't make claims without evidence

Don't just tell us about how enthusiastic you are – show us through examples that demonstrate it. We want to know what experience you have, what motivates you and what your goals are. The more specific you can be about these, the better.

Show you've read the programme description before applying

There's lots of information online about what's involved in each of our programmes. When you apply, we expect you to understand what you'll study and how your experience and skills make you a suitable candidate. Try to match up your achievements and goals to the programme description so we know you've made a considered decision to apply.

Don't make it generic

Copying and pasting from any other personal statements you have written is risky. Don't reference another university and be sure to use the correct programme title! At ImperiaBusiness School, you only apply for one programme, so make your application as specific as possible. It's usually obvious when a statement isn't tailored to the programme.

Avoid clichés

Remember, we receive lots of personal statements. If yours starts the same as everyone else's, it won't stand out.

'From a young age, I've always wanted to study Finance,' doesn't quite cut it. Say something more authentic and unique about why you want to join us.

Don't waffle

Keep it concise. Make sure your answers are clear and succinct.

Avoid mistakes

It's the golden rule: check, check and check again. Make sure your personal statement is free from any spelling or grammatical errors. Our programmes are very competitive, so you'll need strong English skills and to be diligent with checking your work.

One final tip: get started early

It's never to early to start planning your personal statement. You can gather information and examples and spend longer thinking about how to structure your points.

Starting early also means you're more likely to meet the deadlines for earlier rounds, increasing your chances of success.

Good luck with your application. We look forward to reading your personal statement soon!

Find out more about writing a personal statement for our undergraduate programme:

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