Personal statement for applying to MSc Healthcare Management

Section 1: Academic stuff

• Confirm you meet the academic requirements and highlight your academic strenghts, and link these to specific components of the course you’re applying for, e.g. research, content, assessments. Talk about how the course being applied for, offering modules on certain topics, allowing for development of certain skills, and assessing you in certain ways, interfaces with skills and knowledge already gained as an UG, and how the course allows you to progress there.
• MAKE CLEAR HOW YOU UG COURSE HAS PREPARED YOU FOR THE PG COURSE, AND DO THIS WITH CLEAR LINKS, e.g.
• My empirical project, exploring the effect of xxx and xxx, and finding xxx, has prepared me for the research component of the masters course which entails meeting outcomes such as xxx and xxx.
• Graduating with a clinical pathway award, where all my option modules were predicated on clinical topics, has prepared me well for the xxx module of the masters course which demands xxx and xxx. In my UG studies, in modules such as xxx and xxx, I developer skills such as xxx and knowledge of xxx. These, I notice, are central to xxx module of the masters course, and are listed by the BPS as central criteria for the job of occupational/organizational psychologist, which is my end goal.
• Research the course and identify any essential skills and qualities they’re asking for, and demonstrate, with clear links, how you meet these criteria. Research what learning outcomes you have satisfied by completing your UG couse, and map these on to the course you’re applying for.

Section 2: Do your homework

• Talk about particular interests in psychology, and talk about how the opportunities offered by the course applied for, in domains of research, teaching, content, and skills, will help you develop these
• Talk about what you have been reading (academic only), whether as part of your UG course or in your spare time, and talk about how the PG course (highlight specific aspects) will augment this knowledge, and link this to global career goals where appropriate.
• Anything notable about the course? Any notable academic staff, distinguished research departments, research/teaching facilities, work experience opportunities, internships? Has the institution, the course in particular, won any awards? Tell them why you want to study at that institution, on that programme, in particular. Personal statement should be tailored to the institution.
• Show you have done your homework. How do these things fit into your career blueprint, and do they allow you to build on the portfolio you have developer as an UG? Where they have, make this explicit.

Section 3: Your employability and theirs

• What is the reputation of the course for completion and employability? How many graduated from the course last year, and how many were in employment or went on to further education? Were these statistics good, and is this a reason you want to study at this institution and on this successful course?
• Talk about your own employability skills that you developer and progressed on your UG course, and relate these both to the course being applied for and, where applicable, to future career goals such as being a psychologist/assistant psychologist/social worker etc.
• Talk about employability and transferable skills in the context of eduaction only, and not in the context of part time jobs, with the only exception being part time jobs that are related to psychology… talking about skills developer and knowledge gained from part time jobs related to psychology, like in hospitals, care homes, addiction centres, advice lines etc, is fine, but avoid talking about jobs as bar/serving staff or shop assistants.
• Employability skills: communication, team work, presentation skills, organisation, time management, analytical skills, leadership, resilience etc.

Section 4: Explanations, offerings, and conclusion

• Explain any gaps in your portfolio and make clear how these gaps have been closed. For example, did you perform poorly in one module or several modules clustering in the same domain (e.g., research methods), and have you addressed this issue, and how? Make this clear. Maybe you completed a short course, benefited from additional support session from UG staff, were supported by your personal tutor? Where issue existed, if they were at earlier phases of the course, make clear the issues have been rectified as demonstrated by better marks on later modules that incorporate these same skills, knowledge or assessments.
• What else can you offer the institution? Are you a named author on any papers or won any awards? Are you a member of a society or club? Have you won any scholarships or academic prizes? Any else notable that will make the university think ‚we want this student with us‘
• Concluding paragraph- sum up why you are a good candidate for the course by pulling together the evidence. Keep it short and simple, like the rest of the statement, and conclude by thanking them for taking the time to read you application.

• Tips: keep it professional, keep it concise, be positive, do your homework