personal statement for computing and technology

Computer Science Personal Statement (Guide + Examples!)

Applying to study computer science can be quite a complicated programs. There are so many programs out there with so many application requirements. But don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Table of Contents

What Is a computer science personal statement?

A computer science personal statement is a document that you submit as part of your application to study computer science.

In this statement, you’ll need to talk about your motivation for wanting to study computer science, as well as your skills and experience . This is your chance to sell yourself to the admissions committee and demonstrate why you’re the perfect candidate for their program.

Anatomy of a personal statement

Now that we’ve covered what a computer science personal statement is, let’s take a look at what it should include.

1. Introduction

2. your motivation for wanting to study computer science.

In this section, you’ll need to explain your motivation for wanting to study computer science. What is it about computer science that interests you? What are your long-term career aspirations? This is your chance to sell yourself to the admissions committee and demonstrate your commitment to the subject.

3. Your skills and experience

In this section, you’ll need to talk about your skills and experience . What computer science-related courses have you taken? Do you have any industry experience? This is your chance to show the admissions committee that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in their program.

4. Conclusion

Who reads my computer science personal statement?

The computer science personal statement is read by the admissions committee of the computer science department to which you’re applying.

How long should my computer science personal statement be?

Your computer science personal statement should be between 500 and 1000 words . This is enough space for you to introduce yourself, talk about your motivation for wanting to study computer science, and discuss your skills and experience.

What should I include in my computer science personal statement?

Some things that you may want to include in your computer science personal statement are:

Your personal statement may also include other information that you feel is important for the admissions committee to know about you. However, make sure that whatever you include is relevant to computer science and will help you stand out as a strong candidate.

What should I not write in my computer science personal statement?

Second, avoid including information that is not relevant to computer science . The admissions committee is looking for evidence that you’re passionate about computer science and have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in their program, so including information about your hobbies or extracurricular activities may not be the best way to go forward.

An exception to this is if you’re including information about extenuating circumstances that have impacted your academic performance, in which case you should briefly explain how these circumstances have affected you and why you’re still a strong candidate for their program.

Tips on writing a top-notch computer science personal statement

Now that we’ve gone over what to include and what not to include in your computer science personal statement, let’s talk about how you can write a top-notch personal statement.

First, start by brainstorming a list of your computer science-related experiences, skills, and accomplishments . This will give you a good starting point for your personal statement and help you determine what information is most relevant to include.

By following these tips, you can write a computer science personal statement that is sure to impress the admissions committee and increase your chances of getting into your dream program.

Computer science personal statement examples

Now that we’ve covered the basics of what a computer science personal statement should include, let’s take a look at some computer science personal statement examples.

“I have been programming since I was 12 years old, and ever since then I have been fascinated by the possibilities that computer science offers. I am motivated by the idea of being able to create something from scratch and see it come to life, and I know that computer science will allow me to do just that. In addition, I have experience in working with code from different languages, which has taught me how to think critically and solve problems. My skills in critical thinking and problem solving are essential for studying computer science, as they will allow me to tackle complex challenges head-on.

Apart from my skills and experience, I am also passionate about learning new things. This is why during my free time I volunteered for Code for America, where I worked with a team of designers and developers to build a civic engagement platform. This experience showed me the importance of collaboration when it comes to creating something amazing, and it solidified my belief that teamwork is key to success.

Last year, I also had the opportunity to intern at Lyft, where I worked on a team that developed a new feature for the Lyft app. This experience was invaluable, as it gave me insights into the inner workings of one of the world’s most successful companies. It also showed me how computer science can be used to solve real-world problems.

Ultimately, I believe that I would be an excellent candidate for your computer science program because of my passion for the field combined with my skills and experience. I am confident that I have what it takes to succeed in computer science, and I hope to use my skills and knowledge to make a difference in the world.”

“I have always been interested in the way computers work and how they can be used to solve problems. This interest began when I was very young and has continued to grow as I have gotten older. My father is a computer scientist, so I have been exposed to computer science my entire life. In high school, I took several computer science courses and really enjoyed them. I also competed in several programming competitions and did well in them. In the following essay, I want to highlight my accomplishments as a computer science candidate and express my passion for this exciting field.

I am a computer science major at *NAME* University. I have taken several computer science courses and have gotten exceptional grades. My favorite course so far has been Introduction to Algorithms, for which I worked as a teaching assistant during my third year. I also competed in the Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest, and our team placed in the top 100 out of 6,000 teams worldwide. This experience showed me that I have the ability to solve complex problems and work well under pressure.

As a student, I also worked as a part-time research assistant in the AI and Robotics laboratory, where I assisted in the development of a computer vision system for an autonomous robot. This experience allowed me to develop my skills in programming and computer science. In addition, I have also been a member of the Student Senate and have served on the Executive Board of the Student Government Association. These experiences have allowed me to develop leadership skills and learn how to work with others.

I am interested in computer science because it is a field that is constantly changing and evolving. There are always new problems to solve and new ways to solve them. I find this challenge exciting and invigorating. I am also interested in computer science because it is a field that combines creativity with logic. I enjoy using both my creative and logical sides when solving problems.

I am applying to your program specifically because I believe that it will allow me to further develop my skills in computer science. I am looking forward to taking classes from renowned professors and working with other talented students. I believe that your program will provide me with the skills and knowledge that I need to become a successful computer scientist.”

“Computers have always been a part of my life. As a toddler, I would watch my father work on computer programs for his business. Fascinated by the blinking cursor on the screen, I would ask him what he was doing and how it worked. My parents bought me my first computer when I was in grade school and I taught myself how to program in BASIC.

One of my biggest accomplishments in the field of computer science so far has been developing a computer program that can generate 3D models of human faces. This program has the potential to be used in a variety of applications, such as video game development, computer-aided design, and even law enforcement. I am currently working on submitting this program to a computer science conference for publication.

I have also been involved in a number of extracurricular activities related to computer science. I am a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. I have also volunteered my time to teach computer science to elementary and middle school students through a local program called Girls Who Code.

Besides this, I have worked on several personal coding projects of my own. For example, I created a computer program that can solve Sudoku puzzles by using a technique called constraint satisfaction. I also developed a website for a local business called Joe’s pizzeria. My skills in computer science have also helped me in my other hobbies, such as photography and video editing. For the latter, I made a light correction tool that can automatically color-correct a video based on the primer of a still image.

I believe that my passion for computer science, as well as my experience in the field, makes me an ideal candidate for a graduate program in computer science. I am excited to continue learning and expanding my skills in computer science so that I can make an impact in this field. For this reason, I am excited to submit an early decision application to your computer science graduate program.”

What should I do after I have my first draft?

After you have completed the first draft of your computer science personal statement, you should follow these steps to edit, polish, and finalize your computer science personal statement:

2. Proofread and edit it : This step is crucial. A well-written and error-free computer science personal statement will make you look more professional and competent. Use spell check and grammar check , and then have someone else proofread it for you.

3. Ask for feedback : Once you’ve proofread and edited your computer science personal statement, ask a few people for their feedback. Choose people whose opinions you trust and who will be honest with you.

5. Modify personal statement for each program : Don’t just submit the same computer science personal statement to every program you apply to. Tailor it to each individual program, highlighting why you’re a good fit for that specific school.

6. Submit : Once you’re happy with your computer science personal statement, submit it along with the rest of your application.

Elmar Mammadov is a software developer, tech startup founder, and computer science career specialist. He is the founder of CS Careerline and a true career changer who has previously pursued careers in medicine and neuroscience.

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• FindAMasters
• Computer Science Masters Personal Statement Sample

Written by Hannah Slack

This is an example personal statement for a Masters degree application in Computer Science. See our guide for advice on writing your own postgraduate personal statement .

Having grown up in a world increasingly dependent on computers, I have witnessed the fast-paced innovative world that computer scientists work in. From a young age I have been following the advanced technical developments humanity has made in exciting fields such as AI and Robotics. I remember being in awe at what was possible with technology after seeing the footage in 2017 of Atlas, the robot made by Boston Dynamics, doing a backflip. The work conducted in Japan is equally, if not more, impressive, with the development of Pepper, the first robot designed to read emotions, in 2014. Watching what computer scientists make possible greatly inspires me and I believe a Masters in Computer Science at your university will help me enter a fascinating field.

I am on track to graduate from my undergraduate degree in Computer Science with a first. I have enjoyed studying the subject at this level and look forward to continuing to more advanced content.

Since school age I have been good at mathematical subjects. I believe that logical thinking comes naturally to me. During my teenage years I took an interest in self-assembling my own computer. This allowed me to explore the inner workings of computers and learn how each part fits together to work as a larger system. What I enjoy about computers is that behind the complex structures, it is just a lot of simple elements.

After working with the hardware side, I went on to explore software. I first became interested in the different operating systems available. I then went on to learn different coding languages, mainly Python, after starting a GCSE in Computing. I believe that coming from a multilingual family helped me learn coding languages. After finishing my GCSE course, I continued to develop my abilities in Python and began to read about other languages and their uses.

During the first year of my undergraduate I also had the fortunate opportunity to build a robot for the Robot Wars reboot with a team made up of my course mates. Not only was this a particularly valuable learning experience, but I greatly enjoyed the teamwork element of creation. Being able to bounce ideas off each other showed me just how exciting technological creation can be as you face a world of possibilities. Unfortunately, our robot did not win but we had a lot of fun and were able to learn from our mistakes.

Throughout my life my hobbies and qualifications have led up to a growing passion for computers. The world is becoming increasingly reliant on computers to help solve many of humanity’s problems. In addition, Computer Science also a fun medium to work with because of the many possibilities it presents. It is rare to find a field that is so vital to society and is extremely enjoyable and that is why I hope to work in a Computer Science field one day. I believe the education opportunities that this course can provide will help me get there.

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If you're interested in a studying Computer Science, then why don't you check out our regularly updated catalogue of available Computer Science Masters courses .

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Writing the Perfect Computer Science Personal Statement

How to write a perfect computer science personal statement

Introduction.

Securing a place in a prestigious university computer science course can be highly competitive. If you are aiming for a Russell Group University or even an Oxbridge University, you need to know that they expect high standards. With numerous applicants vying for limited seats, it's crucial to present yourself as an exceptional candidate. One powerful tool at your disposal is the personal statement. This blog post will guide you through the process of crafting a winning personal statement, showcasing your passion for computer science, unique experiences, and future goals. By following these tried-and-tested techniques, you will be equipped to impress admissions committees, increase your chances of acceptance, and embark on an exciting academic journey.

1. Know Your Audience

Before diving into writing your personal statement, it's crucial to understand the expectations and values of the university admissions committee. Research the university's mission, vision, and curriculum to align your goals with theirs. Familiarize yourself with the specific requirements of the computer science program, highlighting key characteristics and skills they are seeking in applicants. This knowledge will enable you to tailor your personal statement to resonate with the selection panel and demonstrate your suitability for the course.

2. Reflect on Your Journey

To create a compelling personal statement, delve into your personal and academic experiences that have shaped your passion for computer science. Reflect on any challenges you have faced and how these have reinforced your determination. Highlight standout moments, such as participation in coding contests, internships, or research projects, that have nurtured your interest in the field. Articulate how these experiences have driven your decision to pursue a computer science course at the university.

3. Showcase Your Skills and Achievements

Highlighting your relevant skills and achievements is essential to demonstrate your competence and distinguish yourself from other applicants. Discuss your proficiency in programming languages, problem-solving abilities, and any noteworthy projects you have undertaken. Provide evidence of your skills using concrete examples, including software development projects, technical challenges overcome, or academic awards attained. By emphasizing your capabilities, you will exhibit your potential value to the computer science program.

4. Convey Your Passion

Universities seek individuals who are passionate about computer science and can contribute to the academic community. Communicate your enthusiasm by explaining how the subject captivates you, discussing influential readings or inspirational innovators. Illustrate how you have pursued your passion outside of formal education, such as attending conferences, participating in coding boot camps, or engaging in open-source projects. Conveying your fervor for the subject will demonstrate your dedication and drive for success.

5. Define Your Future Goals

Admissions committees are interested in candidates with clear vision and ambition. Outline your long-term objectives in the field of computer science, showing how the university's program aligns with your goals. Discuss your aspirations to contribute to cutting-edge technology, address industry-specific challenges, or make a positive societal impact through your work. Demonstrating your future plans will assure the admissions panel of your determination and long-term commitment, increasing your chances of acceptance.

6. Be Authentic and Engaging

While ensuring your personal statement meets academic and professional standards, it should also serve as a reflection of your authentic self. Use a conversational tone and inject your unique personality into your writing. However, strike a balance by maintaining professionalism and avoiding overly informal language. Engage the reader with captivating anecdotes, personal experiences, or thought-provoking ideas. By standing out from the crowd and captivating the admissions committee, you increase the chances of leaving a lasting impression.

Crafting a perfect personal statement for a university computer science course is a meticulous yet rewarding process. By understanding the expectations of the admissions committee, reflecting on your journey, and showcasing your achievements and skills, you can effectively highlight your strengths. Coupled with a genuine passion for computer science and clear future goals that align with the program's objectives, you set yourself apart from other applicants. Remember to remain authentic, engaging, and proofread meticulously to ensure your statement shines. Your well-crafted personal statement will undoubtedly make a compelling case for your acceptance, propelling you towards a successful future in the field of computer science.

See the list of DOs and DONTs when writing a computer science personal statement.

Personal Statement Examples for Graduate School: Computer Science

Crafting a Standout Computer Science Personal Statement

Crafting a compelling personal statement is crucial for graduate school acceptance. Successful statements showcase your academic and professional accomplishments. They also put a spotlight on your personality, goals, and motivations. When you master this process can make your application stand out and secure your place in graduate school. That’s where our expertise comes into play. Our expertise is here to guide you through the graduate application complexities, providing insights, guidance, and feedback to enhance your writing and engage admissions committees.

Successful Personal Statement Examples for Graduate School

In this post, we’re excited to open our collection of personal statement examples for graduate school. We’re sharing two that students just like you used to get into graduate Computer Science programs:

Both essays, while strong in their current form, nevertheless offer learning opportunities on how further refinement can enhance clarity, coherence, and impact. Our commentary on these pieces provides actionable advice on how to approach revisions, ensuring that each paragraph serves a clear purpose and contributes to the overall narrative effectively.

Explore our graduate school personal statement examples and feedback to grasp the detailed analysis and attention that perfects a statement. Whether starting your draft or finalizing revisions, our insights will help you showcase your strengths, improve weaknesses, and express your future vision.

Finally, remember that a great personal statement does not just happen—it is crafted. Let us guide you through this process, offering the expertise and feedback necessary to turn a good personal statement into an outstanding one. Explore our blog for more tips, examples , and professional guidance on making your graduate application journey a success.

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Student Good Guide

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• Computer Science Personal Statement Examples

Use our free and unique Computer Science personal statement examples for inspiration to write your statement.

Computer Science courses are highly competitive in the UK.

A good personal statement for Computer Science can make a big difference and will help you stand out from other applicants. 

Computer Science Personal Statement Example

My passion for computer science began at an early age when I was introduced to the world of technology by my father, who has been a Chief Technology Officer in the telecommunications industry for many years.

His work inspired me to start exploring computers and the endless possibilities that technology had to offer.

Throughout my school years, I have excelled in mathematics and science courses, which provided me with a solid foundation for computer science.

I took A-Levels in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics, which allowed me to delve deeper into the world of computer science and understand the concepts behind coding and programming.

I also have practical experience in the field of computer science. During my summer holidays, I worked as an intern at One Beyond, a web software agency.

During my time there, I had the opportunity to work with a team of experienced software developers and was exposed to a wide range of technologies such as the C programming language and Linux and Microsoft servers.

I was also able to gain hands-on experience in developing software and web applications, which reinforced my love for computer science.

My passion for computer science has also led me to explore the field further through various extracurricular activities.

I have attended computer science camps for young leaders in the ICT industry, which took me to various countries in Europe. These experiences allowed me to meet like-minded individuals and learn about new technologies and techniques from industry experts.

I was also able to apply the knowledge I gained to various projects, which further enhanced my skills and prepared me for a career in computer science.

I hold a certificate in Linux and HTML programming, which serves as evidence of my technical skills and dedication to the field.

I am confident that I have the passion, dedication, and skills necessary to succeed in a computer science program in the UK.

I believe that studying computer science at a university in the UK would provide me with the opportunity to further develop my skills and knowledge in the field.

I am motivated and driven to pursue a career in computer science, and I am confident that the program will provide me with the foundation I need to achieve my goals.

I am eager to apply my passion and dedication to the field, and I am confident that I will make a valuable contribution to the university community.

Recommended : ICT personal statement examples

Personal Statement Example For Computer Science Course

As a student with a strong academic background in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and economics, I have always been fascinated by the world of computer science and its impact on the modern world.

My interest in the field began at the age of 14 when I started experimenting with free website programming and developed my first website at the age of 16.

This experience sparked my passion for web development and led me to pursue a deeper understanding of computer science.

During my time at school, I have had the opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge in a variety of programming languages such as C, Laravel, and PHP.

I have also gained experience working with Linux and Microsoft servers, as well as with popular content management systems such as WordPress.

This has provided me with a broad understanding of the different technologies used in web development and has allowed me to apply my skills to a range of projects.

In addition to my academic achievements, I have also had practical experience in the field through my internship at Web3, a web software agency.

During my time there, I worked with a team of experienced developers and was exposed to a wide range of technologies and development methodologies.

This experience allowed me to gain hands-on experience in developing web applications and has reinforced my love for computer science.

I am also constantly seeking to expand my knowledge and skills in the field through various extracurricular activities. I have attended numerous IT and web development conferences around the UK, where I have had the opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and trends in the industry.

These experiences have inspired me to continue exploring the field and have further fueled my passion for computer science.

My ultimate goal is to become a backend web developer, and I believe that a degree in computer science from a university in the UK would provide me with the foundation I need to achieve this goal.

I hold a certificate in CSS and HTML programming, which serves as evidence of my technical skills and dedication to the field.

In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis and cricket, which allows me to take a break from my studies and relax.

However, I always make sure to balance my leisure activities with my academic pursuits, as I am dedicated to achieving my goals and making a positive impact in the world of computer science.

I am confident that my passion, dedication, and skills make me an excellent candidate for a computer science program in the UK.

I am eager to apply my knowledge and experience to the program and to continue developing my skills and understanding of the field.

I am confident that I will make a valuable contribution to the university community and am excited about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Best Computer Science Personal Statement Example

From an early age, I was fascinated by technology and data analysis, and I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in this field.

During my time at Emmanuel Christian School Leicester, I captained the school’s football team and gained valuable leadership skills, teamwork and time management abilities. This experience helped me to develop a strong work ethic and a willingness to take on new challenges.

I have also had the opportunity to gain real-world experience through my summer jobs at Burger King, where I learned to prioritize tasks and work efficiently under pressure.

This has given me a strong understanding of the importance of attention to detail and has prepared me for the fast-paced and demanding environment of the computer science industry.

I have always excelled academically, particularly in mathematics, chemistry and physics, which I studied at A-Level.

I believe that my strong foundation in these subjects will enable me to succeed in computer science and tackle the complex algorithms and data structures that are central to the field.

My ultimate goal is to become a system administrator, where I can utilize my technical and problem-solving skills to ensure the smooth running of computer systems. I am confident that a degree in computer science will provide me with the necessary knowledge and experience to achieve this goal.

In my free time, I enjoy playing football and reading books. I find that these activities help me to relax and to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

I am also an avid learner, and I am always seeking out new information and techniques to improve my knowledge and skills.

I am eager to begin my studies at a UK university and to contribute to the computer science community. I believe that this program will provide me with the opportunities and resources that I need to achieve my goals and make a positive impact in the field.

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Personal statement advice: computer science

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• Introducing the personal statement tool
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What to include in your computer science statement

• A strong opening: explain succinctly where your enthusiasm for computer science comes from, and why – but avoid the temptation to begin with a potted history describing when you got your first computer!
• How you're engaged with the subject: talk about what’s inspiring you or motivating you to study it, whether it’s a relevant book or news articles you’ve read, or maybe a bit of programming you've done.
• An understanding of what's involved: tutors love to read statements where your enthusiasm for the subject comes across, alongside a clear sense that you understand what computer science as a discipline is all about. Don't actually tell them what it is – they know that already. Show them that you know.
• Your personal goals: what are you hoping to achieve by studying this subject for the next three to four years?
• Show you're a team player: according to the engineering and computer science department at Durham University, 'try to write about how you work with others. Have you been part of a team or led a team? Have you had to organise something complex such as an event, a play or a football league?'

Computer science personal statement pitfalls

• Not standing out: Professor Lowe from the University of Oxford says that lots of the personal statements he sees 'are similar, bland, impersonal and don’t stand out – so make it personal, specific, and concrete'.
• Using clichés: avoid phrases such as 'computers are important in the modern world' or just saying 'I’m fascinated by artificial intelligence' without explaining why.
• Quoting Wikipedia: 'We already know what computer science is so we don’t need a Wikipedia definition. We’re interested in your understanding of it and your desire to learn', Robert Zimmer from Goldsmiths adds.

Engagement with the subject

Admissions tutors at University of Portsmouth and University of Warwick both agreed that clichés like ‘I want to do computing because it’s the future’ or opening lines like ‘I got my first computer when I was three’ are a big turn-off.

However, they do like to see evidence of your most recent engagement with the subject, or something current that’s inspired you. In fact, the kind of statement that would really hit the mark would include your reflections on some or all of the following:

• a programme you wrote or side project you've been working on
• an internship or some relevant work experience you did
• how your studies or wider reading have boosted your understanding or sparked your curiosity
• your opinions on a key topic such as data privacy
• any extracurricular interests that have given you relevant transferable skills
• an area or module you're particularly looking forward to studying. Something along those lines should engage the tutor reading your statement

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Postgraduate Personal Statement Example: Computer Science

Reading examples of personal statements can be valuable when applying to a university or college course. 

After all, personal statement examples can teach you how to write and structure your application, and you can quickly learn how to write a personal statement by examining others.

But with so many university personal statement examples available, how do you know if you’re reading a good one?

Postgraduate personal statements should highlight relevant academic and practical experience, research skills and ambitions and their suitability for the course. This postgraduate personal statement example for Computer Science clearly illustrates these three critical elements.

I’ve broken down this personal statement example section by section, with a commentary on each element. 

That way, you’ll see its strengths and weaknesses and get some inspiration for your own personal statement .

Once you’ve read the personal statement example and analysis, you’ll be able to download a pdf of the whole document, to use as inspiration for your own!

Personal Statement Example: Introduction

“An open-day event at the Parkland Branch of LJA heightened my perception of the value and impact of computer technology on Slater Accounting Firm, LJA capitalised on digital accounts and a bespoke online system to finalise their auditing. This approach demonstrated higher efficiency and lower error rates than traditional paper-based processes. Having witnessed the growing trend of audit automation, my next internship at the Buckley Construction Bank allowed me to interact with AI Middle Office and gave me a first-hand opportunity to understand artificial intelligence’s integration into the banking industry. Given AI Middle Office’s facilitation of financial product innovation and cost reduction, I now recognise the need to deepen my understanding of mathematics, especially probability theory. This realisation piqued my interest in the connections between computer science and finance application development, inspiring me to design financial software which enhances staff and customer productivity. These experiences have combined to motivate my application for this MSc in Computer Science (Conversion).

Globalisation increasingly requires professionals across a range of industries to develop a basic understanding of the discipline of computer science, and I am increasingly aware of my need to build a portfolio of technical skills in this arena. For instance, analysing a large number of stocks is more likely to be undertaken in R or Python, and the more one knows about relevant software packages, the more successful one is likely to be in developing effective investment apps or bots. Ultimately, I am committed to using coding to improve efficiency and optimise my time, allowing me to undertake further profitable and creative endeavours.” 

Commentary and Analysis 

The writer has skillfully woven a balance of elements together in this introduction. By using a range of technical and experiential examples, they show a depth of knowledge and understanding of the sector in which they are pursuing a career. This clearly indicates a connection and understanding of the field and a highly capable skill level. It also shows that they have first-hand experience in the sector, makes the connection with skills that are directly relevant to their postgraduate course and illustrates their suitability as a candidate well.

The second paragraph summarises the industry and focus area that the writer is interested in and shows self-knowledge in terms of current weaknesses or deficiencies in knowledge. This is particularly relevant as it is written in such as way as to make the writer’s interest in the course and the relevancy to their carer plan extremely clear.

When admissions readers can see the link between what the course offers and what a suitably qualified candidate requires, they are far more likely to make an offer.

If you’re struggling with your personal statement introduction, check out my article on how to write perfect opening paragraphs here .

Personal Statement Example: Academic Background

“My undergraduate studies have allowed me to acquire a wealth of calculus, statistics and data science knowledge, giving me a solid foundation for studying machine learning and algorithmic solutions. I have also accumulated a comprehensive understanding of the development and application of software engineering through the practice of quantitative analysis. In the Information Systems for Accountants module, I significantly improved my programming skills, progressing from writing a mini-game via PyGame to a stock crawler’s web version based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript before finally constructing a framework with Django. 

These accomplishments have encouraged my constant exploration of programming and software development and thoroughly prepared me for the challenges of graduate study. To update my understanding of the real-world application of computer science, I participated in a software development project focusing on intelligent analysis, evaluation and employee validation led by Professor Marks at the Western University of Mining and Technology. I created a knowledge base that recognised numerous work roles and responsibilities. As an independent learner, I gained an increased understanding of machine learning, algorithmic optimisation and evaluative methodologies during this process. Furthermore, processing significant volumes of data via Access and Excel throughout this project strengthened my database creation capabilities.” 

Commentary and Analysis

The first paragraph above makes an excellent reference to the range of skills and knowledge the writer possesses. It isn’t always made explicitly relevant to the course, and it would be more effective to make some direct links with exactly how this would be of value to this postgraduate qualification, but the connections are implicit and impressive.

The writer then goes on to further emphasise their suitability for the course by including essential references to research and independent learning. By mentioning a specific study and supervisor, the personal statement is given some depth and detail, and the aspects discussed show a depth and range of knowledge applicable to the course. The writer also talks about the value of what was studied – the benefit of what they’ve learned – in addition to the objective skills developed.

If I were to be critical, it’s worth mentioning that this reads a little like a list, and just doesn’t explicitly justify why these skills and experiences make them a suitable candidate. 

If you’d like to learn more about how to structure your personal statement or statement of purpose , check out my awesome Personal Statement Template eBook here . It’s full of detailed examples of what to include!

Personal Statement Example: Practical Experience 1

“Benefiting from my programming and data processing experience, I gained industry experience in real estate valuation during my internship at the Maxim Real Estate Development Co. I carried out initial modelling using Excel, but adding an increasingly complex array of formulas made the process inefficient and cumbersome. To overcome this obstacle, I created a model in Python, which allowed me to complete the valuation by inputting code directly into the model, streamlining my process. I have cultivated my automation mindset by writing a script to deliver charts and tables to fixed positions when creating PowerPoint slides and automatically managing quarterly financial statements. These challenges improved my computing competence and prompted me to reflect on the advantages of utilising coding and programming in the financial industry. Importantly, I realised that expertise in computer science improves efficiency across an array of diverse disciplines, furthering my determination to study Computer Science at graduate level and develop my professional versatility and employability as a result.” 

A relatively descriptive and straightforward paragraph, but positive and relevant in content. It’s critical to discuss relevant employment or internship experiences and to identify relevant skills gained, which this writer does well.

They mention a good range of skills, both technical and transferable, and show a positive approach to the application of knowledge in real-world settings, which is important in a postgraduate statement.

The writer illustrates how they overcame challenges, and this is a valuable technique as it shows they have dynamic and problem-solving skills. It also provides evidence of success within a relevant activity, encouraging the reader to view the applicant in a positive light. 

The final section links the applicant’s experience with the motivation for further study and professional ambitions, which allows the reader to see the application as one element in a strategic journey. This gives them the confidence that the applicant has made the right decision in their application and makes it more likely that the reader will make an offer, as they can see the logical progression from the past through the present and into the future.

Check out lots more examples of personal statements here , and see how they can inspire your application!

Personal Statement Example: Connection To The Course

“I envision contributing to a revolutionary internet-enabled society in which each element is connected to a highly intelligent cloud. The enriched research outputs and top-rated teaching quality of Computer Science at Marshall University will help me achieve my personal and professional ambitions. I look forward to engaging in the Introduction to Computer Science course, which will provide me with interdisciplinary insights into computer science in business and facilitate my exploration of the future possibilities and challenges enabled by the development of technology in the broader economic context. With the business knowledge from my past studies, I will take a step further toward my career goals by combining business and computer development in this course. In addition, courses such as Programming in C and Object-Oriented Programming with Java will enable me to refine my programming techniques.” 

Commentary and Analysis: 

The writer makes a bold, relevant and realistic claim here in terms of their ambitions. What makes this effective is that they have also linked this ambition very clearly to the course they are applying for.

They then evidence that they have a sound understanding of the course they are applying for, which is a critically important aspect of any postgraduate application. When the reader sees that the applicant has a thorough understanding of the course and that their ambitions connect precisely with the modules on offer.

The one thing that all successful personal statements have in common is that they are concise, engaging and accurate in spelling, punctuation and grammar. Consequently, I always recommend Grammarly to my students and clients. 

It’s an outstanding tool for ensuring your personal statement is rich with detail whilst hitting those all-important word limits. Check out the free version of Grammarly here , or hit the banner for more information.

Personal Statement Example: Conclusion

“Gaining a full-scale software development skillset and a comprehensive understanding of computer applications relating to accounting and banking industries in this MSc programme is an ideal next step for me. My advanced knowledge of mathematics will facilitate my implementation of a standard set of algorithms and allow me to develop a high-performance application that combines my knowledge of business and computing in original and profitable ways. Ultimately, I aim to apply the knowledge gained from my graduate studies within the sphere of financial software innovation, improving efficiency and customer experience. I am confident that my experience and background will allow me to meet the challenges of Marshall’s programme and maximise the potential of my master’s studies. I look forward to playing a positive role as an engaged member of your faculty.” 

The writer eloquently outlines their motivations for further study, in a way that shows an increasingly comprehensive understanding of the skills and experiences they need to develop. They also confidently outline their abilities and illustrate convincingly that they are a suitable candidate. This is sometimes lacking in personal statements, as applicants find it hard to write about themselves confidently without sounding boastful. It’s critical that you do this, however, as by outlining your relevant achievements in a clear and objective way, you add to your suitability.

The writer then outlines a personal connection with the course and mentions the value that they would bring to the faculty. This is important, as universities are looking for students who bring individuality, purpose and value to their organisation. 

This is a strong personal statement that outlines skills and experiences in a relevant way. I would suggest that there could be more technical content and greater evidence of academic research to add to their suitability as a postgraduate student.

For more great advice, check out my article on writing an excellent final personal statement paragraph here .

Click here or on the banner below to get your free download of this complete personal statement example . 

Whether you’re looking for personal mission statement examples or an example of personal purpose statement, I hope this personal statement example has been helpful. Above all, I wish you every success in your academic career. 

If you’d like to work with me to develop your personal statement 1:1 and write a powerful mission statement, I’d be delighted to hear from you. 

Find out about my personal statement support services by clicking here or on the image below.

Research and content verified by Personal Statement Planet .

David Hallen

I've worked in the Further Education and University Admissions sector for nearly 20 years as a teacher, department head, Head of Sixth Form, UCAS Admissions Advisor, UK Centre Lead and freelance personal statement advisor, editor and writer. And now I'm here for you...

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What we know about the global Microsoft outage

A routine software update caused cascading chaos Friday that has engulfed global businesses from airports and banks to retail and law enforcement.

It wasn’t a cyberattack, but was caused by one of the world’s largest cybersecurity companies deploying a flawed update while trying to keep their customers safe from hackers.

CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company based in Austin, Texas, that’s widely used by businesses and government agencies that run on Microsoft computers, said that a defect in one of its updates for computers running the Windows operating system had caused the issue. The result was arguably the largest global information technology outage in history. 

Here’s what we know:

What has been affected?

The outage appeared to affect almost every major business sector in one way or another.

Airports and flights across the world were severely delayed or canceled altogether, as the computers on which these services rely were disrupted by the issue. Three of the largest airlines in the United States — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — all issued ground stops, citing communications problems.

Long lines snaked through airports from Berlin to Hong Kong, as electronic systems failed and staff members resorted to checking in passengers manually. One flier in the Indian city of Hyderabad posted a picture of a curiosity usually unseen in the modern digital age: a handwritten boarding pass.

Follow live updates on the global tech outage

The issue also affected banks, leaving some customers unable to access their money. People across Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere reported problems logging into their accounts at major retail banks. Meanwhile the London Stock Exchange, the largest of its kind in Europe, said some of its services had been disrupted although trading had not been impeded.

In retail, McDonald’s closed some of its stores in Japan because of what it said in an online statement was a “cash register malfunction.” And the British grocery chain Waitrose was forced to put up handwritten notes informing customers that it was only accepting cash. Some Starbucks locations temporarily closed after the company's mobile ordering system went down, while other locations stayed open and left their baristas scrambling to come up with new workflows.

Baltic Hub, a global shipping terminal in Poland, said in a statement it had been battling issues related to the outage. The Alaska State Troopers agency was among the law enforcement agencies to report issues, warning people that 911 was temporarily not working. And the British broadcaster Sky News, which is owned by NBCUniversal's parent company, Comcast, was briefly knocked off the air.

Some computers that were not on during the software update appear to have avoided the issue, according to initial reports.

What caused it?

Cybersecurity programs like CrowdStrike’s frequently and automatically update themselves to account for new tactics that malicious hackers have discovered. And there’s always a slight risk that any software update will be incompatible with other programs.

CrowdStrike’s update should have been routine, but an error in its code conflicted with Windows and proved catastrophic.

The company’s CEO, George Kurtz , said Friday morning on the "TODAY" show that while some customers would see their computers fixed automatically, others would require manual work to fix.

“The system was sent an update, and that update had a software bug in it and caused an issue with the Microsoft operating system,” Kurtz said. “Our systems are always looking for the latest attacks from these adversaries that are out there.”

How long until things go back to normal?

CrowdStrike identified the problem and issued a fix early Friday after the problem began to emerge. On Friday afternoon, Kurtz released a statement apologizing for the outage, adding that CrowdStrike was “operating normally.”

The fix required affected computers to download another software update, which some have been able to do automatically.

Many companies and services affected by the chaos, such as the New Hampshire Department of Safety, which said its 911 system was briefly down, reported that they were back online by Friday morning. 

Others haven’t been able to load the update, which would potentially require IT workers at some companies to reboot and tinker with every single affected computer.

“Many of the customers are rebooting the system, and it’s coming up, and it’ll be operational because we fixed it on our end,” Kurtz said. “Some of the systems that aren’t recovering, we’re working with them. So it could be some time for some systems that just automatically won’t recover.”

Alexander Smith is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.

Kevin Collier is a reporter covering cybersecurity, privacy and technology policy for NBC News.

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Computer science personal statement example 1.

From an early age I’ve always been deeply interested in computing. It was my dad, introducing me to the computer systems at his work place that first sparked this interest. I can always remember the feeling of wanting to know just how computers worked, why they worked and what else they could do.

This interest never left me, only growing more profound and passionate with every new discovery I made. From communicating with an artificial intelligence to seeing the wonders of the Internet for the first time, computers have left me fascinated with just how much power yet mystery they hold.

The A-Levels I chose to study have all helped me to develop both myself and my understanding of the subject. Physics for example has helped me to understand how certain parts of a computer function, while Computing has given me a greater insight into the business aspects of the computer industry.

Chemistry and Physics have both helped to improve my analytical and evaluative skills. Within maths I have been lucky enough to have a teacher who was very interested in computer science. He has been especially helpful, lending me books such as Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid. This has given me an insight into the richness that is computer science.

My interest in computing has not been restricted to the classroom and college life. Within the last twelve months I’ve used the knowledge that I’ve gained over the past twelve years together with the help of my family to set up my own computer related business. This has given me a totally new perspective on how certain things function, and how business operates.

The writing of a business plan was a totally alien experience for me, but over the course of 9 months I researched and planned, and finally when the plan was complete I was rewarded with the satisfaction of knowing that I had completed something that most people would never have the chance to do especially at my age.

Through the setting up of the company and its subsequent running I have learnt many things. These include how to balance tasks effectively, how critical teamwork can be and how to delegate tasks to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

As well as spending time both studying and helping to run the business I understand the importance of having time to relax. One of my hobbies that I try to make time for is learning to fly, and gaining my private pilots license.

As a child I dreamed of becoming a pilot and luckily its one dream that I’ve managed to follow. I love the freedom that flying gives you and the control that you have when in the air. Training for my private pilots license (PPL) has also involved me taking onboard a lot of responsibility for the safety of those onboard, and those around the aircraft.

From ensuring that I carry out the pre-flight checks correctly, and knowing what’s around you both while you’re on the ground and in the air to ensuring that I’m prepared for any eventuality.

I also enjoy both playing and watching tennis. I’ve played in various competitions before, and have helped to umpire junior matches at my club. To ensure that I can fit everything in I’ve had to develop very good time management, prioritising what I need to do efficiently.

I’m looking forward with great anticipation to the challenges that studying for a degree in computer science will bring.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by Soulfish.

Soulfish's university choices Cambridge University The University of Edinburgh The University of York

Green : offer made Red : no offer made

Degree Computer Science at The University of York

Related Personal Statements

A good profile but have you.

Fri, 04/06/2004 - 00:00

a good profile but have you READ the books you mention and also elaborate more on Maths - it's very crucial to your Computer Science degree. Why Comp Sci not SW Engineering or Comp Games, what do you hope to learn?

ignore the h8r comment above

Mon, 06/09/2004 - 00:00

I just graduted from a Comp Si degree and your PS covers waay more than I did. Ignore the comment above adding more academi will make your PS seem too rehearsed. It is lear you have a passion for computing that is all the admissions officers are looking for. Good luck!

This is one of the best

Thu, 20/01/2005 - 00:00

This is one of the best computer science personal statements that I have ever set my eyes on. You clearly have a deep interest in the subject. You'll secure places easily! All the best for University.

if n really wrote this ps by

Wed, 02/11/2005 - 00:00

if n really wrote this ps by urself then it is really good. nice one

I enjoyed reading this. Very

Mon, 07/11/2005 - 00:00

I enjoyed reading this. Very straight to the point and is what everyone does too.

Needs Work..

Wed, 26/04/2006 - 00:00

Sentences are too attenuated...Grammatical reconstruction is required...In other words, some sentences are too long and muddled. They can confuse the reader. Just my 2 cents...BLE$$.

L6 personal statement researcher

Fri, 16/06/2006 - 00:00

Thank You for this brilliant personal statement. It has played a huge part my planning.

Thank you very much this has

Mon, 16/10/2006 - 22:18

Thank you very much this has helped me out greatly. I was killing myself on how to write mine

Looks great but...

Tue, 16/01/2007 - 18:25

Well I have read some of your statement. I am considering Uni, but not sure what cource to take....... I ahve no idea what computer science is but, i dont think i'll do well at it becasue i do not no what it is. HOw long did it take you, did you use a dictionary? Does it really have to be that loooooooonnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg?????

overall this is good,

Fri, 02/03/2007 - 23:43

overall this is good, although the first paragraph leaves a lot to be desired. the first line is grammatically incorrect, and the following two are clumsy. i can see why cambridge wouldn't have liked this.

first impressions are key with a personal statement, it is very like an interview in this respect.

Wed, 14/03/2007 - 19:25

The lack of details raises red flags for me; I've no idea what business this student initiated, don't know his father's job, or the name of the very helpful teacher.

wel..this is how it goes.

Tue, 08/05/2007 - 15:05

wel..this is how it goes..pretty average..nahin to special...cud rite better in my sleep son..get ur act together and show me that u have general interest inthis subject and that u didnt copy this from a book or a sheet which ur careers advisor probably gave u!

this statement is 2 reheresed

Wed, 09/05/2007 - 14:13

this statement is 2 reheresed and sounds like the write isjus trying to make things up which would impress the reader surely a more honest statement would go down better?!?

wadup man dis is a gd

Mon, 02/07/2007 - 08:38

wadup man dis is a gd personal statment i was looking for a gd 1 to help me with me with my one and dw iam not gonna copy it but i got a gd lk at how a gd ps should be

Thu, 16/08/2007 - 20:37

This is horrible. Do you people read admissions websites. This will get rejected. They don't care about your past when you were a little boy. They want to hear about your college years. Every sentence should mean something, and this was just a bunch of bologna.

this was quite a good

Fri, 14/09/2007 - 10:17

this was quite a good personal statement i found it very useful

Thu, 20/09/2007 - 09:22

I do not understand why everyone is going off it with this PS. It is obvisouly good or else all of the universities would not have made an offer would they??

Great personal statement.

Mon, 22/10/2007 - 10:21

Great personal statement. thank yuour for giving me an idea on how to do mines.!!!

Very interesting

Wed, 31/10/2007 - 09:45

very nice!! i really enjoy reading your personal statment and it helped me alot to write my personal statment. GOOD KEEP IT UP!!! ALL BEST WISHES FOR U 4RM SIMRAN

Fri, 02/11/2007 - 07:19

its was such a nice statement...thank you...it has been of great help to me

Tue, 06/11/2007 - 18:23

Very nicely done. Just wanted to say thanks because you've just helped me write mine as I didn't know where to start.

sounds too forced and tries

Thu, 29/11/2007 - 21:26

sounds too forced and tries hard to be the stereotypical computing essay. lacks depth. a person who wasn't doing computing a levels or knows nothing about it could have written the same kind of essay.

I am so much overwhelmed by

Sat, 08/12/2007 - 19:55

I am so much overwhelmed by your interesting and inspiring Personal Statement on computer science. I love it.

Dwumfour's Applauds

Sat, 08/12/2007 - 20:02

I could not afford to stop reading your all inspiring and motivating Personal Statement on Computer Science. You've really giving me a wonderful beginning I never thought of.Great Job.

this really heleped me!thanks

Tue, 01/04/2008 - 15:58

this really heleped me!thanks a lot :) really good statement

Sun, 06/07/2008 - 03:16

Humm not bad not bad

Spectacular

Sat, 23/08/2008 - 19:26

Never in all my years have I been so amazed. This personal statement is truely a work of art. Absolutely super.

Wow, every uni you've put

Sun, 21/09/2008 - 20:52

Wow, every uni you've put here (excluding cambridge) is what im applying for. How have you found york and its courses?

[X]erver Killah!{}

Mon, 17/11/2008 - 10:17

Thankyou for this, it has guided me through the structure well, good luck

Good PS there man!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mon, 17/11/2008 - 12:42

I have spent a few minutes looking for samples of personal statements but this beats all I have seen and it is really helping me in writing mine .

Wed, 19/11/2008 - 23:38

i wish this was my work ,the PS is the best so far,its worth more than an admission.keep it up

you obvioulsy love yourself

Fri, 02/01/2009 - 20:03

wow i'm so impressed dis is

Wed, 27/05/2009 - 01:08

wow i'm so impressed dis is good

Fri, 09/10/2009 - 15:04

I've just read your PS and surprised how you could mixed all these things and organized them perfectly to showing us a great story to enjoy

thanks alot and good luck

It does sound impressive. Yet

Tue, 10/11/2009 - 11:55

It does sound impressive. Yet at the same time it lacks computer science, which involves a lot of maths. It sounds like you're applying for a course involving computer engineering

Excellent statement, thanks

Thu, 07/01/2010 - 15:42

Excellent statement, thanks for the inspiration. I have long had difficulty in decided how to start my PS.

Personal Statement

Sat, 08/01/2011 - 02:26

Nice to see an entusiastic wrong en with a computer fetish on such a cracking website

Mon, 25/04/2011 - 19:08

Excellent start point

excellent brilliant it's much

Sun, 08/05/2011 - 16:03

excellent brilliant it's much help of mine to write my own personal statement.

Mon, 12/09/2011 - 22:15

This ps was amazing, thanks for letting me use it for mine. Im sure to get in with this!

excellent ps. The passion for

Wed, 02/11/2011 - 12:15

excellent ps. The passion for the subject have been keenly expressed. If u are honest with what you have said then you should definitely get a place at the university. "GOOD LUCK"

What Grades did you get,

Mon, 09/01/2012 - 01:53

What A-level grades and as grades did you achieve. who ever wrote this personal statement

not so long

Tue, 14/02/2012 - 11:08

You are obviously interested in the subject area, but you could have done it much more concisely.

With 100's of application to read, admissions aren't looking for your life's history. A short and to the point statement will work as well if not better.

Thu, 25/10/2012 - 18:41

Competent but standard, bland and boring. Admissions tutors receive hundreds of applications like this daily and this does not stand out from the crowd at all. It is, in fact, more of an archetype for a run of the mill application, encapsulating everything that everyone else will have included in theirs. Small wonder Cambridge declined you. You must be different.

NERD! no really well done bro

Wed, 25/09/2013 - 12:50

Wow! An Awesome Personal

Mon, 30/09/2013 - 17:57

Wow! An Awesome Personal Statement! =)

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What we know about the computer update glitch disrupting systems around the world

Bobby Allyn

Bill Chappell

Fatima Al-Kassab

Microsoft, which hosts cloud services with businesses and governments, said it was grappling with service outages after a glitch triggered by software distributed by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Haven Daley/AP hide caption

A technological meltdown left employees of airlines, banks, hospitals and emergency services around the world staring at the dreaded “blue screen of death” on Friday as their computers went inert in what is being described as a historic outage.

“This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it's actually happened this time,” internet security analyst Troy Hunt said via X .

Security experts race to fix critical software flaw threatening industries worldwide

From continent to continent, Microsoft users reported being suddenly knocked offline, and the culprit was determined to be cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which says one of its routine software updates malfunctioned.

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” the company said in a statement.

Customers using Mac and Linux operating systems were not affected, CrowdStrike said.

When the faulty update crashed computer systems, scores of airport travelers were stranded, hospital appointments were delayed and live news broadcasts were cut short.

How big is the outage?

It is massive, far-reaching and sudden.

Some computer problems cascade, creating ripples of failures. But in this case, the flaw permeated Microsoft systems worldwide nearly immediately. The company says its Windows 365 Cloud PCs, apps and services were affected.

Microsoft remains the dominant desktop operating system worldwide, with more than 72% market share, according to the Statcounter website . The CrowdStrike problem does not directly affect all of those machines: its security software is mainly used by businesses and large organizations. The company says its customers include 43 U.S. states and nearly 300 companies in the Fortune 500.

Hundreds of thousands of Microsoft outages were reported on Friday, according to Downdetector , the website that tracks outages based on users’ reports.

In 16 hours, 311,000 global outage reports came in, Michelle Badrian, senior communications manager at Ookla, which owns Downdetector, told NPR. Of that figure, she added, 58,000 reports were from the U.S., 26,000 from the U.K., and 20,000 from India. Large numbers of reports also came in from Germany, Canada and Australia.

There are signs that relief is on the way: Badrian said that as of midday Friday ET, “we are observing report volumes declining both for Microsoft services and for all services overall.”

While server-related outages are common, the scale of the CrowdStrike disruption was astonishing to many tech observers.

“This IT outage is a stark reminder of how dependent we are on technology and many other things that happen behind the scenes that most of us are unaware of,” said Louisville-based tech executive Adam Robinson on X . “Modern society and the many comforts we enjoy is a fragile thing.”

Passengers wait in front of check-in counters at the capital's Berlin Brandenburg Airport, in Schönefeld, Germany, on Friday after a widespread technology outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world. Christoph Soeder/AP/DPA hide caption

What about air travel?

More than 2,000 flights originating or landing in the U.S. were canceled as of noon ET Friday, and more than twice that number were delayed, according to the FlightAware tracking site.

Delta Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines announced they were resuming some or all of their scheduled flights after initially being grounded when the problem struck their systems. The airlines also said they were issuing waivers to affected customers.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport — a major hub for long-distance flights — said a "global system failure" impacted incoming and outgoing flights on one of the busiest days of the year.

Landings at Zurich airport were suspended and flights in Hungary disrupted.

Spanish airport operator Aena reported a computer systems “incident” at all Spanish airports that it said could cause delays.

What other kinds of services went offline?

In some states, including Alaska and Ohio , 911 phone lines were down.

The U.K.’s National Health Service has been widely affected. The NHS said Friday that doctors’ appointments and patient records had been affected but that there was no known impact on emergency services. The BBC reported that two-thirds of doctors’ practices in Northern Ireland had been affected, with doctors unable to access patient records, generate prescriptions or see the result of laboratory tests.

In Germany, some hospitals canceled non-emergency operations.

Broadcasters around the world were also affected. In France and Australia , live television broadcasts were knocked offline.

Sky News, a major U.K. news channel, was off air for a time on Friday morning. It later returned, but without “ full capabilities , ” its chairman, David Rhodes, said on X Friday afternoon. A post on Australia’s ABC News website said the broadcaster was experiencing a “major network outage.”

The London Stock Exchange’s news service stopped working. Shipping in the Baltic was also impacted, with the container hub of Gdansk in Poland hit by major disruptions.

How do people fix their computers?

CrowdStrike says the problem was not a cyberattack, but rather a software glitch. The company said that after identifying the issue, it withdrew the "problematic channel file" that was affecting customers' systems.

Because of that move, if a Windows system with CrowdStrike's Falcon sensor was brought online after 1:27 a.m. ET Friday , the company said, it wouldn't be affected.

It also published a workaround that involves booting a Windows machine in a recovery environment, deleting a single file in the CrowdStrike directory, and restarting.

An airport information screen displays an error message rather than travel information at San Francisco International Airport on Friday after a computer problem unraveled systems in the U.S. and dozens of other countries. Talia Smith/NPR hide caption

What is CrowdStrike?

It’s a U.S. cybersecurity firm based in Austin, Texas. The company went public in 2019 and is currently in the S&P 500 index. As of early July, CrowdStrike’s stock had been riding months of gains. But share prices fell sharply in early trading Friday.

“This is clearly a major black eye for CrowdStrike,” said WedBush analyst Dan Ives.

CrowdStrike made headlines in 2016, when the company was hired by the Democratic National Committee to investigate a breach of its data systems . CrowdStrike determined that the hack was a case of foreign interference — the work of Russian-backed hacking groups.

The company’s marquee product is its “Falcon” cybersecurity software — and it traced the current problem to a change in a sensor in that system. That also helps explain how and why the resulting failures might have spread so quickly: Rather than being stored locally, the Falcon security platform “is 100% cloud-based.”

The company apologized for the outages on Friday, stating, "We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption."

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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What We Know About the Global Microsoft Outage

Airlines to banks to retailers were affected in many countries. Businesses are struggling to recover.

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By Eshe Nelson and Danielle Kaye

Eshe Nelson reported from London and Danielle Kaye from New York.

Across the world, critical businesses and services including airlines, hospitals, train networks and TV stations, were disrupted on Friday by a global tech outage affecting Microsoft users.

In many countries, flights were grounded, workers could not get access to their systems and, in some cases, customers could not make card payments in stores. While some of the problems were resolved within hours, many businesses, websites and airlines continued to struggle to recover.

What happened?

A series of outages rippled across the globe as information displays, login systems and broadcasting networks went dark.

The problem affecting the majority of services was caused by a flawed update by CrowdStrike , an American cybersecurity firm, whose systems are intended to protect users from hackers. Microsoft said on Friday that it was aware of an issue affecting machines running “CrowdStrike Falcon.”

But Microsoft had also said there was an earlier outage affecting U.S. users of Azure, its cloud service system. Some users may have been affected by both. Even as CrowdStrike sent out a fix, some systems were still affected by midday in the United States as businesses needed to make manual updates to their systems to resolve the issue.

George Kurtz, the president and chief executive of CrowdStrike, said on Friday morning that it could take some time for some systems to recover.

How a Software Update Crashed Computers Around the World

Here’s a visual explanation for how a faulty software update crippled machines.

How the airline cancellations rippled around the world (and across time zones)

Share of canceled flights at 25 airports on Friday

50% of flights

Ai r po r t

Bengalu r u K empeg o wda

Dhaka Shahjalal

Minneapolis-Saint P aul

Stuttga r t

Melbou r ne

Be r lin B r anden b urg

London City

Amsterdam Schiphol

Chicago O'Hare

Raleigh−Durham

B r adl e y

Cha r lotte

Reagan National

Philadelphia

1:20 a.m. ET

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Huge Microsoft Outage Caused by CrowdStrike Takes Down Computers Around the World

Banks, airports, TV stations, health care organizations, hotels, and countless other businesses are all facing widespread IT outages, leaving flights grounded and causing widespread disruption, after Windows machines have displayed errors worldwide.

In the early hours of Friday, companies in Australia running Microsoft’s Windows operating system started reporting devices showing Blue Screens of Death (BSODs). Shortly after, reports of disruptions started flooding in from around the world, including from the UK, India, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US: TV station Sky News went offline, and US airlines United, Delta, and American Airlines issued a “ global ground stop ” on all flights.

The widespread Windows outages have been linked to a software update from cybersecurity giant ​​CrowdStrike. It is believed the issues are not linked to a malicious cyberattack, cybersecurity officials say, but rather stem from a misconfigured/corrupted update that CrowdStrike pushed out to its customers.

“Earlier today, a CrowdStrike update was responsible for bringing down a number of IT systems globally," said a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement. "We are actively supporting customers to assist in their recovery.”

Engineers from CrowdStrike posted to the company’s Reddit forum that it has seen “widespread reports of BSODs on Windows hosts” occurring across its software, is working on the problem, and has advised a workaround for impacted systems . It also issued instructions to its customers in an advisory .

The incident has only impacted devices running Windows and not other operating systems. It's unclear exactly how widespread the issues are and how long they will take to resolve.

Hours after the issues started to emerge, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz issued a statement about the outages, saying the company has found a “defect” in an update for Windows that it issued. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” Kurtz said . “The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed.” In the statement, Kurtz confirmed that Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted by the update and said that its customers should refer to its support portal. He later apologized for the incident during a television interview .

At the same time as the CrowdStrike issues emerged, Microsoft was also dealing with its own, apparently unrelated, outage of its Azure cloud services . The company says the two incidents are not linked.

The outages could result in “millions” being lost by organizations impacted who have had to halt their operations or stop business, says Lukasz Olejnik, an independent cybersecurity consultant, who says the CrowdStrike update appears to be linked to its Falcon Sensor product. The Falcon system is part of CrowdStrike’s security tools and can block attacks on systems , according to the company.

“It reminds us about our dependence on IT and software,” Olejnik says. “When a system has several software systems maintained by various vendors, this is equivalent to placing trust on them. They may be a single point of failure—like here, when various firms feel the impact.”

The outage stemming from the CrowdStrike update has had a huge knock-on impact on public services and businesses around the world. Scores of airports are facing delays and long queues, with one passenger in India sharing a hand-written boarding pass that they have been issued. In the hours after the outages first emerged, more than 4,000 flights around the world have been canceled, although not all of them may have been directly linked to the disruption .

Within health care and emergency services, various medical providers around the world have reported issues with their Windows-linked systems, sharing news on social media or their own websites. The US Emergency Alert System, which issues hurricane warnings, said that there had been various 911 outages in a number of states. In Portland, mayor Ted Wheeler declared a city emergency as a result of some of the outages, although also said many systems were being restored. White House officials say president Joe Biden has been "briefed" on the CrowdStrike outages and his team is monitoring the situation.

Germany’s University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein said it was canceling some nonurgent surgeries at two locations . In Israel, more than a dozen hospitals have been impacted, as well as pharmacies, with reports saying ambulances have been rerouted to unimpacted medical organizations.

In the UK, NHS England has confirmed that GP appointment and patient record systems have been affected by the outages. One hospital has declared a “critical” incident after a third-party IT system it used was impacted. Also in the country, train operators have said there are delays across the network, with multiple companies being impacted.

Indicating the far-reaching nature of the disruption, the organizers of the Paris Olympics, which is due to start next week, said that its systems have been impacted in a “limited way.” According to a statement from the organizers, the affected systems are linked to the delivery of uniforms and its ticketing system hasn’t been impacted.

Among other services, CrowdStrike provides endpoint detection and response (EDR) to companies around the world. This EDR technology runs on thousands of “endpoints”—such as computers, ATMs, and internet-of-things devices—and scans them to identify real-time threats, such as malicious activity from cybercriminals. The company has more than 24,000 customers around the world.

Cybersecurity researcher Kevin Beaumont posted on X that he has seen a copy of the CrowdStrike update that was issued and says the file isn’t properly formatted and “causes Windows to crash every time.” Beaumont says, in further posts, that it appears there isn’t an automated way to fix the issues, at least currently. This may mean that impacted machines need to be manually rebooted before they can come back online, a process that could take hours or days depending on the impacted entity.

Brody Nisbet, the director of overwatch at CrowdStrike, also posted on X indicating that the workaround fix the company had issued involves booting up Windows machines into safe mode, finding a file called “C-00000291*.sys,” deleting it, and then rebooting the machine normally. “There is a fix of sorts so some devices in between BSODs should pick up the new channel file and remain stable,” Nisbet posted.

Update 7/19/24 1:35pm ET: This story has been updated with further comment from Microsoft, and additional details about the outage's impacts.

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• Computer science, computing and IT personal statement examples

Computer science degree personal statement example (1f) Oxford offer

This is a real personal statement written by a student for their university application. It might help you decide what to include in your own. There are lots more examples in our collection of sample personal statements . 

Computer Science interests me because it incorporates both logic and systematic working with a form of speed and automation that could never be achieved by an individual. My first experience of this was when I observed a programmed onscreen "turtle" complete complex movements; this showed me the strong link between mathematical knowledge and its practical application. AS Computing furthered this, which enabled me to program my own Snake-esque game at home, showing me how I could apply mathematical skills, such as method and logic, to computers. I enjoy looking at as many outcomes as possible in terms of a program, for example how the program should react if a certain circumstance occurs, regardless of likelihood, yet still maintaining a level of efficiency.

This summer I attended a course about the Linux operating system. This reminded me of a project that I had read about several years ago that was to develop an Xbox games console into a desktop workstation. At the time I judged this to be something too complicated and expensive to attempt so dismissed it. Over time I read about parallel processing and its applications, often from the Computer Science 4 Fun magazine. This combined to give me the confidence to start making my own Xbox workstation. However, I soon realised that this project lacked the complexity to challenge me for very long, so in the last couple of months I have been creating an Xbox cluster system. I intend to host my own website on this as well as a few parallel processing applications for benchmarking.

In my GCSE years I developed modifications for a computer game and learnt some Visual Basic. From this I gained a limited knowledge of programming, and the skills to teach myself. Recently I was asked to redesign the website for the West Wilts U3A, a project I am managing bearing in mind the limited skills of the end user.

I attended a NAGTY maths summer school which allowed me to experience a wide range of mathematical topics. This year I attended Villiers Park to participate in another maths course, from which I particularly appreciated a lecture on statistics as it showed me how the same things could be presented in so many different ways.

I have participated in the UK Maths Challenge, twice achieving gold. I enjoy the Challenge as it gives me the opportunity to complete non-standard problems. Studying AS Level Maths and Further Maths has taught me how to look at a problem in different ways, and to try many approaches; a technique I have found myself using repeatedly in AS Computing. I found the decision module of maths stimulating as putting thought processes to numerical solutions and operations is something that interests me about Computer Science. AS Physics helped me develop the ability to link evidence to explanation.

Alongside my maths and computing interests I am taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Silver award scheme and am a Young Leader with the local Scouts. I play the viola at a grade 5 level and am a member of West Wilts Youth Orchestra. I have been elected by staff and peers to be PR/Communications officer on the sixth form committee and a member of the school council. In addition I spent a year helping a young student with dyslexia develop his language and reading skills. This term I will be stage managing the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I also enjoy debating at Model United Nations conferences, which involves flexibility of thought. I keep up to date with New Scientist magazine, as well as reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

A Computer Science degree particularly appeals to me because it has a practical value, leading to a variety of careers. It is a subject which would enable me to stretch my problem solving abilities, both mathematically and analytically, as well as equip me with a diverse range of skills. As well as a passion for technology, I have a real enjoyment of maths, so feel such a degree will challenge and enthuse me.

Universities Applied to:

• The University of York - Conditional (AAB)
• The University of Warwick - Conditional (AAB/ABB)
• University of Bath - Conditional(AAB)
• University of Southampton - Unconditional (ABB/BBB) - Insurance
• Oxford University - Unconditional (AAA) - Firm

Reviewer comments:

• Very suitable tone, formal but language is not over-exaggerated.
• Good length of extra-curricular section, aim for 20%.
• Great links from courses, magazines and projects to demonstrate learning outside of school to further show the applicant's interest in the subject
• Relevant work experience comes across well as it shows the desire of the applicant to complete some practical work ahead of starting the course.
• Too much content to do with A-levels

Find expert advice on writing an excellent personal statement over on The Uni Guide.

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Computer Science Personal Statement

Innovation has always been something that I strive to achieve. We live in a world where it feels like we have the answer to everything and the majority may be content with that; however, I am not the majority. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to pursue ‘the next step’ or be held responsible for ‘the next big thing’, and I feel that the passion I hold for computers equips me with the tools I need to achieve that goal. In the future I don’t want to be remembered as someone who was inspired by him/her I want to be the one who inspired; for this reason, I have never wanted to become the next Steve Jobs or the next Bill Gates instead I want to become the first Omar McNish.

From an early age I’ve wanted to pursue a career within the computing industry. Computers have always given me a platform to emphasise my creativity and increase my general knowledge. In my spare time I often create programs in python from scratch; testing out new functions or combining old ones gives me a good opportunity to see my own progression as a programmer. Given the ever increasing technological breakthroughs we see in everyday life I’m fascinated to see what the future holds. Whilst studying my A-Levels I’ve been able to make links between my subjects, giving me a deep understanding of the fundamental ideas of computing. What I enjoyed most in computing is the challenge involved in problem solving. For coursework I developed a behavioural management program for the behavioural team and loved the opportunity. Being able to program in my own creative space was a great experience, letting me improve my ability whilst giving me the constant reminder of the passion I hold for the subject. I cannot wait to take my programming endeavours to new heights and look forward to seeing how my skills improve in the future.

My A Level courses have been an important part of my life. Not only did I find them intriguing but they have been greatly responsible for opening both my observational and judgemental thought process’. Psychology especially, which has given me a new perspective on how I approach predicaments everyday. I can easily benefit from the comparisons I can make between computer systems and behavioural processes of human beings. After learning about the theories of monumental psychologists such as Milgram and Eysenck I’ve been able to incorporate various theories into my general mindset, whether that be a real life situation or a hypothetical academic one. In the summer of 2014 I decided to take ‘NCS The Challenge’. Allowing me to meet new people NCS forced me push myself to the limit, one example would be the 6-hour mountain hike in Wales. Living in university accommodation was another of my favourable moments allowing me to manage my organisation skills and put my cooking skills to the test.

Overall doing NCS was one of the best choices I’ve ever made and wish I could do it again. I have held several part time jobs. My most recent position has been working at BHS (British Home Stores) as a sales assistant, which I started in July. Working at BHS allowed me to improve my skills; for example my interpersonal skills with the public and working under pressure. As well as allowing me to develop new skills such as negotiation skills when pushing sales.I was recently offered the role of floor manager a challenging, role which I can’t wait to tackle. My hobbies include going to the gym regularly to stay in shape, which enables me to keep a focused mind whilst also relieving stress. I also play in a rugby team as a forward it as it gives me the constant reminder of the importance of teamwork. From my university experience I hope to meet new people from different cultures whilst becoming more independent. I cannot wait for the opportunity to surround myself in the subject I feel so passionate about next year, and look forward to the challenges that university will bring.

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Largest trial court in the US closes after ransomware attack, California officials say

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The largest trial court in the country was closed Monday after a ransomware attack shut down its computer system late last week, officials with the Superior Court of Los Angeles County said.

The court disabled its computer network upon discovery of the cybersecurity attack early Friday, and the system remained down through the weekend. Courts remained open for business Friday, but officials said all 36 courthouse locations in the county would be closed Monday.

“The Court experienced an unprecedented cyber-attack on Friday which has resulted in the need to shut down nearly all network systems in order to contain the damage, protect the integrity and confidentiality of information and ensure future network stability and security,″ Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner said in a statement.

Officials said Monday night that all 36 courthouses would reopen on Tuesday.

“As a result of the tireless work of court staff and security experts, the Court will reopen all 36 courthouses tomorrow, July 23,” according to a statement posted on the court website . “Court users should expect delays and potential impacts due to limits in functionality.”

The attack was not believed to be related to the faulty CrowdStrike software update that disrupted airlines, hospitals and governments around the world, officials said in a statement Friday.

A preliminary investigation shows no evidence that users’ data was compromised, according to Friday’s statement.

The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the largest unified superior court in the United States, serving the county’s 10 million residents over 36 courthouses. Nearly 1.2 million cases were filed and 2,200 jury trials were conducted in 2022.