francis madden
personal statement

How I wrote a Cambridge personal statement (and got 5 offers)

Here is the four-part framework I used to get undergraduate offers from Cambridge, UCL, Bath, St Andrews, and Durham.

The four-part framework I used to get undergraduate offers for Psychology - using narrative, structure, and honest reflection.

The “Mr Beast” introduction

Your first sentence needs to hook the reader. I skipped the usual “ever since I was a child” opening and went macro: “The human race is the creator of its own most pressing issues.”

Strategy: use a global hook, then zoom in on your motivation.

I googled the top global issues - climate, wealth distribution, political tension - and linked them back to how the human mind drives these problems. That showed why Psychology matters before I even mentioned myself.

The academic pivot

I applied for Psychology without having studied it at A-Level. My subjects were Philosophy, Maths, Further Maths, and Computing, so I had to bridge the gap.

  • Philosophy: mind–body problem and perception.
  • Maths workload: evidence of rigour and time management.
  • EPQ: research on the psychological effects of imprisonment.

You do not need the exact A-Level; you need to connect what you have done to the subject you want.

The two-book reading strategy

Admissions tutors hate reading the same book list 500 times. I used two angles: one required text and one genuine interest.

  • Reading list: Thinking Fast and Slow (Kahneman) from the Cambridge list.
  • Personal interest: Quiet (Susan Cain) to show curiosity beyond the syllabus.
“Reinsert bias” hack: when describing a taster day, I name-dropped the university and the experiment (the framing effect) to anchor the experience.

Work experience (the takeaway method)

My NHS hospital experience mostly involved making tea. Instead of listing tasks, I focused on what I observed:

  • The mental strain on NHS staff.
  • Exposure to gut-focused hypnosis for IBS.
  • How multidisciplinary teams collaborate under pressure.

Observation beats exaggeration. Reflect on what you learned, even if you were not leading sessions.

Extracurriculars as assets

I linked hobbies directly to resilience and fit for university life: meditation for equanimity, school tours as future ambassador work, and sports for fulfilment even without standout talent.

The tools that saved my sanity

  • Bucket CV: dump every experience, book, and grade into one document before editing.
  • Hemingway Editor: aim for a readable grade around 9; simplicity wins.
  • Reference check: preview your teacher’s reference if possible and fix anything unhelpful.

Seeing it in action

In the walkthrough below, I go through my actual personal statement line-by-line, explaining why I chose each hook, how I pivoted my subjects, and what I would change today.

Set the video ID here or in videos.personal.id inside assets/js/site-config.js.

Key takeaways

  • Hook early: start with a bold, global statement rather than a childhood anecdote.
  • Pivot your subjects: show how your current studies build relevant skills.
  • Balance reading: one required text, one personal choice.
  • Focus on observation: reflect on what you saw, not just what you did.
  • Check readability: use tools like Hemingway to keep sentences clear.

More to explore