Can you submit the same personal statement again?

Asked by: Miss Lucy Runolfsson  |  Last update: July 29, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (41 votes)

If there's no prompt or guidelines, you can re-use the same idea for your personal statement – but change the details wherever relevant, making sure to emphasize why you're applying to this specific program.

Can you submit the same personal statement twice to law school?

Revising Your Law School Application

At a minimum, you should write a more compelling personal statement. There is no formal requirement to rewrite your essay, but admissions officers will have access to your previous applications, and recycling the same personal statement would appear lazy.

Can I submit the same personal statement to different colleges?

Yes! It's perfectly okay to use the same essay for both the Common App and Coalition Application. In fact, you can use the same essay for any application that requires a lengthy personal statement—like ApplyTexas—since the prompts are broad.

Can I reuse my personal statement on Reddit?

Is it okay? Not really, it could be classed as self-plagiarism. Odds of them finding out would be low.

Can you submit more than one personal statement?

Although you can apply for up to five courses on your UCAS application, you can only submit 1 personal statement. So it needs to cover all your course choices.

reading my SUCCESSFUL LSE Personal Statement+ top writing tips that uni cannot reject you

28 related questions found

Can I resubmit the same personal statement?

It's OK to reuse your previous statement if you have applied before. However, if you are now applying in a different name, make sure you fill in the 'Previous Name' box in UCAS Apply.

Is 3,000 characters enough for a personal statement?

Personal statement – practicalities

4000 characters (not words, so includes spaces) or 47 lines of text, whichever comes first. No formatting such as bold, underline or italics.

Can I reuse my personal statement for medical school?

While you can technically reuse your personal statement, it's better not to. Much like your recommendation letters, your personal statement should reflect the current version of you.

Do I need to rewrite my personal statement?

So if you are reapplying, you must 100% write a new personal statement. This is the same thing with secondaries and letters of recommendation. It's a new application. Rewrite your personal statement and don't be lazy.

Can you reuse essays for college applications on Reddit?

The admissions office will most likely look at your old application if it's still readily available. It'd make you look lazy if all you did was revise your old essay. You'd be better off looking at it, taking your key points from it, and starting a new essay.

Can I submit the same essay twice?

This is because admissions officers are too busy reading their own schools' applications to compare the essays with other schools. Therefore, a college will not reject an applicant for using the same essay for multiple college applications.

Can you change your personal statement after submitting?

First, the bad news. Once you've submitted your personal statement to a given school, there is no going back. This is why it is absolutely critical that you make sure your essay is exactly what you want it to be before you press submit.

What is the limit for college personal statement?

Generally, 500-600 words is the best choice for the personal statement word count. But it's crucial to pay attention to the requirements provided by the chosen university. If there are no specific instructions concerning the word count, I would aim for approximately 500-800 words.

Can I use the same personal statement for the same university?

If there's no prompt or guidelines, you can re-use the same idea for your personal statement – but change the details wherever relevant, making sure to emphasize why you're applying to this specific program.

What if I have a typo in my law school personal statement?

If you notice a mistake that could potentially jeopardize your chances, try to contact the law school as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence, since law schools are only likely to let you substitute a document with a new version if your application has not yet been reviewed.

Do you need paragraphs in your personal statement?

It can sometimes be tempting to write one long paragraph to make the most out of the character limit, but it's important admissions, and academic staff can read it easily, so don't forget paragraphs and line breaks. Formatting your personal statement into three paragraphs is a good way of making sure it stays focused.

Can I use the same personal statement twice?

It's OK to reuse your previous statement if you have applied before. However, if you are now applying in a different name, make sure you fill in the 'Previous Name' box when completing your application.

What happens if you have a typo in your personal statement?

Making a mistake in your personal statement can have far-reaching consequences, from failing to get an offer to the complete rejection of your application. Whilst it is rare to make them all, just one of these errors has the potential to derail your application completely!

What are the don'ts of a personal statement?

Don't make unsupported claims. 'I am the best student you will see all year' doesn't go down too well, even if you think you can prove it! Don't copy someone else's UCAS personal statement or use something you have found on the internet.

How many med students are reapplicants?

Didn't get into med school the first time? There's still hope! It's normal to have to reapply — after all, medical school acceptance rates are under 50% on average. About 25% of applicants every year are reapplicants.

Can I reuse my personal statement for scholarships?

Yes, but make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, respects the word count, and demonstrates the organization's values. If you plan ahead, you can save time by writing one scholarship essay for multiple prompts with similar questions.

Can you submit the same personal statement to multiple schools?

For many/most applicants, the prompts are similar enough that the same personal statement template can be used with minor adjustments for each school (see Tip #2 on personalization). For some applicants, however, the prompts are different enough that you should write multiple personal statements.

How many books should I read for my personal statement?

"So if you do list books that you read that you either found interesting or inspired you, make sure you re-read them shortly before your interview so that you can talk about them. And it might be good, if you list any at all, to only limit yourself to one or two books.

Is 1500 characters a lot?

Let's say that we have a 1500-character page. Now, that character count can sound big and intimidating – but in fact, it only counts to about 250 words if you use single spacing on a 12-point Arial font.

How much does 4000 characters look like?

The following character counts give an approximate number of an equivalent word count: 1,200 characters = around 200 words. 3,000 characters = around 500 words. 4,000 characters = around 700 words.