What personal statement will get you an interview? (Cambridge admissions officer explains)

Many prospective applicants ask me what makes a good personal statement in their university application. Speaking as one of the officers who get to select the best applicants from the pile, in my opinion they are overthinking it. Here is some honest advice that I hope will be helpful.

Getting into Cambridge to do computer science (featuring many other people your age):

My home page:

[ELLIPTICALWR]

Hey Frank, i'm currently in year 12 and looking to study at a top university in the field of mathematics because i really enjoy the satisfaction of solving problems in more than 1 way (usually given in the mark scheme) and expanding my maths knowledge through different fields varying from calculus to linear algebra. However, my school doesn't offer Olympiad's or UKMT challenges so do you have any recommendations? Many thanks.

[AndriiMaltsev]

Hey Frank, hope you are doing exceptionally well, really appreciate the advice you are sharing here.

I'm y12, and I'm worried how much my igcses will influence my Cambridge application, my predicted grades for my A-lelels are A's and A*'s currently. And igcse weren't that good because I'm an international student. 
Thank you a lot for your advice!

[sharifjonsharipov]

why does it hurt my ears, is there something wrong with sound quality?

[edwardgao]

Hi Frank,

Thank you for the video and sharing the importance of considering the perspective of the gatekeeper. I agree that truly exceptional people will have their talents recognized, while others' chances of getting in depend on how poorly the gate is constructed. It's very difficult to fake exceptional ability, and it's also unethical. Instead of trying to be someone they're not, people should ask how they can become who they aspire to be and determine the most efficient way to do so. Many believe that the most effective method is to pass the gate, unlocking new environments and opportunities they would otherwise not have access to. This creates a classic chicken-and-egg problem, akin to needing experience to find work but requiring work to gain experience. This problem is perhaps unsolvable, but I'd love to know your take on it. Perhaps you've already covered this subject, and you could point me to some resources. Stumbling across this channel was an absolute gem. Please keep sharing.

[dorianturner]

Hi Mr Stajano,

Am I right in assuming that talking about my projects in the statement is the best way to show my enthusiasm for computer science? I was also wondering about how I should approach talking about academic reading. I have looked at specific aspects of the text-to-image stable diffusion, identified an area that has poor performance and then read a paper that adresses this issue. Am I correct in thinking that this is a good approach for showing that I understand what being an undergraduate is like? Especially if I follow it up with a computer vision project I am currently doing.

Thank you so much.

[harrisonhickman]

Hi Frank!

I enjoyed the video, as usual. I just wanted to ask one question for your personal opinion.

If I am applying for Computer Science, can I still talk about a maths book which I really enjoyed, or do I have to explicitly link it to Computer Science specifically somehow.

An example could be "Bridging the Gap to University Mathematics" - would Admissions Officers appreciate me mentioning something like this?

[kausarlolz]

Thank you for this! In the personal statement, would reccomend mentioning more on programming projects than critically analysing a couple of areas of computer science? In addition, may I ask, what score in the TMUA is required to get invited to an interview?

[yassinekj]

Thank you very much for the information, Mr Stajano.
If I may ask, given that a person has already achieved their A Levels and exceeded the minimum entry requirements for the course, but for some reason the TMUA does not go as well, could that severely affect the candidate or do grades hold a greater weight?

[annai]

5:43 "And it's particularly grating if it's a native English speaker"