2013-­‐2014  

C  Sainsbury/H  Over  

The  Thomas  Hardye  School  

2013-­‐2014  

Preparing  a  Personal  Statement  

 Your  Personal  Statement  What  is  it?  

A piece of writing 4000 characters (including spaces) /47 lines long to explain to the universities why you want to study the course you have applied for.

Why  do  you  do  it?    

Ø Institutions use it in their selection process; it may be your only chance to sell yourself.

Ø It is used particularly to distinguish between applicants with similar academic profiles; this could be when you initially apply or if you have just missed your grades in the summer of year 13.

Ø It is also used as the basis for interviews at some universities and it is particularly important in competitive subject areas.

Ø Be careful: some admissions tutors will have so many applicants that they are looking for reasons to reject candidates.

Ø You might be told that some universities are not interested in your personal statement, but you need to realise that while institutions might weight the importance differently, selection is becoming more and more competitive and you may need to apply to different places through clearing.

What  must  you  include?  

Ø What interests you about your chosen subject area: Ø Why does it interest you? Ø What do you already know about it? Ø What elements of the subject do you particularly enjoy and why? Ø Life after university – where will it take you? Ø Majority of PS should be about academic achievement Ø What do you already know – current issues in the sector Ø What initially sparked your interest in the subject? Ø Your opportunity to tell the institutions about you: Ø What are your academic achievements – talk about a piece of work you are

particularly proud of Ø How do your current academic achievements link to your chosen subject?

How  do  you  do  it?  

Ø Research: Ø University websites, UCAS Entry Profiles, Start early = Be prepared Ø UCAS Guides that will help you plan: Statement timeline, Statement mind map

Personal statement worksheet Ø Many universities provide activity sheets/workbooks to help you get started, as

well as including specific information about what they are looking for on their websites.

Dos and Don’ts

DO Check your:

Spelling and grammar

Is the email address appropriate?

Is the overall use and tone of language appropriate?

DO think about CONTENT

DO think about STRUCTURE

DO review and redraft…several times if necessary! But not so much it’s not personal anymore

DO ask others for advice

DON’T leave it to the last minute – it will show!

AVOID list addiction:

I enjoy watching football, I play netball for ISA, I sing in the choir, I belong to the debating society, I am a girl scout, I work in a cafe on Saturdays and I shop for my Granny on Monday after school.

SELECT key activities to expand on

I have been an active member of the debating society at school for the last three years. This has proved really interesting as I have had the chance to research and defend viewpoints that I would normally not agree with; an exercise which I’m sure will be prove valuable as I study Law.

Team work-subject dependent, think about relevance eg dentistry=good manual dexterity so crafts, playing musical instrument

As soon as your UCAS application form is submitted your qualifications and plagiarism checked.

What the admissions tutors are looking for:

Ø Academic ability and academic potential Ø Motivation and commitment to subject Ø Essay writing and independent learning skills Ø A student who will contribute to university life-depends on the university

how much they look at this, it does correlate with high ability students Ø A *personal* statement Ø Reasons for choosing course Ø Career aspirations/ future plans Ø Relevant work experience Ø Other activities, achievements, interests

(with particular emphasis on skills acquired)

Planning  on  taking  a  year  out?  

Say why and how it is going to enhance you as a potential student.

WATCH  OUT  FOR:  

The personal statement should enhance an application – don’t waste space simply repeating information already included elsewhere

Applying for several vastly different subjects can make it difficult to demonstrate commitment

The personal statement should be your own work!

Think about how and when to reference popular culture

“I have never studied Law and Politics before but think I would be really good at it as I enjoy watching The WestWing and I would love the opportunity to become a lawyer”

OR

‘In July 2009 I spent two weeks on a placement at Smith and Jones, a solicitors' firm in Colchester specialising in family law and personal injuries. During that time I shadowed a partner, and attended a child custody hearing, and also had the opportunity to work closely with a para-legal. This has given me an insight into the variety of work in a small firm, and has emphasised to me the importance of a thorough grounding in contract law'.

For a Middle level applicant the last bit is important.

KEY  POINTS  TO  THINK  ABOUT:  

Ø You are an admissions tutor of a very competitive course – you have 300 applicants for 12 places and all the applicants have the appropriate predicted grades. Why might you reject, based on the personal statement? Statements can be superficial so may have to leave some things out in order to go into more depth in others.

Ø Good to say what you have done, better to state the skills and experience this has given you, even better to link it to the courses you are applying to, and how this will all link up.

Ø What you’ve done, what skills this has given you, and how they apply to the course.

Ø End your personal statement on a positive note, use opportunity to impress Ø “I am looking forward to becoming a psychologist”

OR “I am passionate about working with young children in the future and therefore am highly determined to make the most of my degree and achieve my ambition to become a developmental psychologist.”

Ø If name of subject can be replaced with a different one then you need to be more specific. Show understanding, thoughtfulness, developed thinking

Ø References mention UMS

What else do I need to know about the application form?

Ø The personal statement explains why the student wants to do the courses they are applying for and describes the qualities they have that the university will find useful and interesting. It cannot be longer than 4000 characters.

Ø This should be written in formal language and approximately 2/3 should be about the student’s interest in the subject. Students must talk to relevant subject teachers about this part of the statement.

Ø Interest beyond the A Level syllabus must be described; the extended project is an excellent way of doing this, as is participation in clubs and visits relevant to the subject they wish to study.

Ø Students can include information about their jobs and hobbies, if they emphasise the skills that have been acquired and how they relate to the course.

Ø Students will be given advice in school and receive feedback from their tutor, but will appreciate parents and friends reading the statement and offering comments too.

Ø UCAS has a lot of advice, and downloadable pdfs with a timeline, mindmap and worksheet. We will use similar resources in school.

Ø It is usual for all statements to be redrafted many times; students should ask for advice in drafting and redrafting the statement but it must be their own work. UCAS will check for plagiarism.

Ø The statement is often used to choose between students with similar grades, including when students have just missed offers; the university may be looking for ways to reject the students.

Ø They must have a sensible email address to put on the form and a few details about parents are required. Parents can also be named as a contact on the form.

Ø Subject comments for the reference are written by the student’s year 12 teachers; the tutor will collate these and add comments about the student’s personality, study skills, extra-curricular activities, work experience and other relevant information. The student will be able to read through an electronic copy with the tutor.

 

Oxbridge  Applications  Sheet  1    

Oxbridge  Applications  Sheet  2    

The  anatomy  of  a  personal  statement  

SUBJECT and WHY you want to study it. THIS HAS TO GET THE ATTENTION OF THE ADMISSION TUTOR

I have always been fascinated by …… My interest in * has developed over the years …… My desire to study …… Watch out for clichés – I have wanted to study medicine since I was 6 because (, my mother, my postman ….) was ill Most relevant subject to application mentioning specifics and how it supports / enriches your interest in studying your chosen subject

IF you have RELEVANT work experience or activities to support you application (paid or voluntary)

Next most relevant subject to application mentioning specifics and how it supports your interest in studying your chosen subject

Other subject studied: From these subjects there may be:

o specific areas of study you want to mention o general personal attributes you may show

o team work o logical reasoning o independent working o presentation o etc.

o Breadth to your study e.g. a language if you are studying sciences or a numerate subject if your subjects are more essay/arts based.

Your wider interests Work experience that is not specifically relevant to your application

Final short paragraph finishing on your subject of choice: You could include:

o What you hope to get from the course o What you will bring to the course / university (putting in as well as taking out) o What you hope to do in the future

• Structure: once you’ve written your first draft, make sure you have a really clear structure to your personal statement. It’s important to group your thoughts and interests into clear, themed paragraphs in order to show the tutors why they should choose you. Make sure you have a plan of what you want to address and where – key topics include why you want to study your subject, what you have achieved which shows your passion for the subject, and why they should choose you. Extra-curricular activities can be included, but academic strength should make up the larger part of your personal statement.

• Evidence: use some strong examples to back up what you have achieved – tutors will want to see evidence of your academic strength in your chosen subject. Make sure you are honest; there is little point in writing examples which are stretching the truth, or saying you are interested in that core textbook without having read it: tutors will pick up on these at interview, and you don’t want to be left high and dry!

• Language: when going through a draft of your personal statement, check the language that you’re using relays your passion for your subject. Tutors want to teach someone who they can engage with, and showing your passion for their subject in your personal statement is a great way to do this. The language you use should be appropriate for the personal statement – formal and focused on academics, but with your personality shining through.

• The little details: although it seems obvious, sometimes it’s the little details which can trip people up. Have you spell-checked your personal statement? Have you read it through to check for grammar? A good way to do this is to print it out and go through it manually rather than on a computer – you will surprised by how many errors you miss by reading off the computer screen! Presentation is everything, and if tutors see simple errors like these, they will have little time for the content of the personal statement. Even if what you’ve said is amazing, if you’ve said it poorly they will lose interest.

• Extra information: always keep in mind that your personal statement will be going to all of your universities – so don’t wax lyrical about how much you want to go to Oxbridge! There will be plenty of room for this at the other stages of the application process, and your time would be better spent focusing on your academic prowess.

 

UCAS  1    

UCAS  2    

UCAS  3    

UCAS  4    

Notes  

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