When students applying to university approach me for advice on writing personal statements, I tell them something that usually surprises them.
“Ask AI how it would answer your personal statement question(s).”
The point, however, is not to have AI write their statements for them, but to use AI’s version as an example of what not to do. AI parrots wording and ideas that appear most often in the data it is trained on, so it tends to think like the bulk of the population. Since personal statements should make applicants stand out, submitting one that sounds like countless others defeats the entire purpose.
Below are two responses to the first question students face when writing personal statements for UK university applications. One is written by AI; the other, by me. Which one better displays the applicant’s personality and turn of mind?
“Why do you want to study this course or subject?”
AI’s version
The subject that excites me most right now is English Writing, because creative expression allows me to explore both imagination and identity. I am fascinated by how stories and poems can transport readers into new worlds while also revealing truths about everyday life. Writing gives me a unique freedom to experiment with voice, perspective, and form, and I enjoy the challenge of shaping raw ideas into pieces that resonate with others.
Outside the classroom, I read widely across genres, from contemporary novels to modern poetry, studying how different writers craft character, rhythm, and imagery. I keep a notebook where I draft poems, short stories, and fragments of dialogue, often revisiting them to refine tone and structure. Sharing my writing in workshops and with peers has taught me the value of feedback and revision. English Writing excites me because it combines creativity with craft, offering endless opportunities to grow as a writer.
My version
“When you want to stop, you have to connect up to a special battery that doubles your effort” – this was the advice Swedish pianist Kabi Laretei’s coach gave her after she agreed to a rigorous regime of practising endless scales to perfect her playing.
The coach’s words, recounted by the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman in his memoirs (Bergman was married to Laretei at the time), have profoundly shaped my development as a writer. Every time I’m on the verge of giving up on a piece of work, if I will myself to imagine that there’s a spare battery in my brain I can tap into, I am supplied with just the surge of energy I need to continue writing.
Another source that has helped me make sense of the agony and ecstasy of being a writer is Gavin Larsen’s “Being a Ballerina.” One moment, she is so tired that she takes advantage of every possible occasion to rest her exhausted body, like kneeling on the floor when she’s in an elevator, or sitting on the edge of her bathtub when she’s brushing her teeth. The next moment, she is performing the lead in The Nutcracker, soaring above her partner’s head to pull off a split jump midair. “Suddenly,“ Larsen rhapsodizes, “at the height of the lift and on that one magnificent note, everything was crystal clear: this is the apex of life. This is the happiest a person on earth can be.”
To reach this type of mental high, I have to sit at my computer, stare at the blank screen till the pounding in my temples becomes so acute that I half-believe my neighbours can hear it. Then, if I hold on long enough, I will cross that inflection point where words begin to flow so effortlessly that my sentences and paragraphs seem to write themselves. It is strange to treat these euphoric interludes as the point of my existence, but then it’s not as if I can find a compelling reason to live life differently.
Michelle Ng
英國牛津大學畢業，前《蘋果日報》和《眾新聞》專欄作家，現在身在楓葉國，心繫中國大陸和香港。
聯絡方式： michelleng.coach@proton.me
個人網站： https://michellengwritings.com
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