UCAS Personal Statement Workshop 2016
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Transcript of UCAS Personal Statement Workshop 2016
Personal Statements and Reference Writing
Personal Statement workshop
2nd JUNE 2016
UCAS (www.ucas.com)
UCAS Application (5 choices)Teacher Reference(teacher survey?)IB Predicted Grades
Your Personal StatementUCAS Applications
+
Make sure your teacher knows he/she is writing a UK Reference!
An Introduction to the Personal Statement
What to Include
What not to Include
Some Tips and Advice
A Suggested Framework + Example
Mistakes Students Make
Questions and Answers
Useful ResourcesWorkshop agenda
FunDynamic teacherInteractivePopcorn!US College ESSAY Workshop
Dark, wet and coldGets dark at like 2pmShops close at 3pm No such thing as a warm fuzzyEndless exotic, nutritional daily diet of deep fried Fish and ChipsIn short, life is miserable & bleak
Youre Going to the U.K.
More ConservativeFocused on your suitability for your particular program of choiceRead by subject tutors/professorsCompared to the US Style ESSAYThree key ideas
The basics
Recap
Punchy Opening ParagraphWhy youre so excited to study the subjectCommunicate how you really understand the course and what you are getting to
EvidenceTo prove your interest in a particular courseSprinkle in all your skills and good qualities to show you can do it
The End BitThe Personal TouchYou are uniquethings you are interested in that will help you fit into university life as a whole
What Makes you stand out
Your chance to stand out from other applicants
The one part of the process where you are in complete control
More conservative than a US College Essay
You start with a blank piece of paper not a response to a prompt (unlike the Common Application)
The same personal statement is sent to all of your chosen universities
The personal statement
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Four thousand characters maximum including all punctuation and spaces
Approximately five six-line paragraphs
Must be succinct with no repetition or padding
Everything that you choose to include should be there for a reason
It will require several re-writes (share it)
Eventually you will copy and paste it into your UCAS application
Four thousand characters
Partly about you but mostly about your suitability for a particular subject
75% of it should be academically focused with 25% about the all round student
It should focus on particular skills and aptitudes that will help you succeed
Try to demonstrate a commitment to a subject or subject area
What to includeThis is why it is so difficult, if not impossible to apply to different subject areas with your UK universities.
Why do you want to study that subject?
When did you first realize this?
What academic skills make you be a good fit for that subject?
The skills will depend on the course you have applied to study
What is it that they are they looking for?
Academic attributes
Be as specific as possible about your academic abilities
Studying Science requires data analysis
Studying History requires strong research skills
Studying Business improves presentation skills
Studying English encourages critical thinking
Extended Essay requires time management
Theory of Knowledge needs collaborative skills
Be specific
Being specific as possible about your academic abilities means supplying evidence
Try to show evidence of interest and a level of commitment to a particular subject
What things have you done that can be used to show this commitment?
What have you read?
What have you learnt?
What do you still have time to do?
evidence
How important are extra-curricular activities?
Internships and work experience
Summer courses
Leadership, service, sports, orchestra, plays, hobbies, passions, significant events etc.
The focus should be on the skills acquired as consequence of these activities
Showing is better than telling
Extra-curricular activitiesBeing on student council I developed my leadership and organizational skills.
Being on student council I was responsible for ??? and ??? while and ensuring that ??? And ??? were completed in a timely manner
Dont be too quirky or tell jokes
Only use quotes that have genuine relevance
Be careful trying to play too much for one university
Do not plagiarize others material
Be simple, be honest, be yourself
It should be written by you not Mom or Dad or your Counselor
warning
Avoid providing information held elsewhere
Spelling, punctuation and grammar
Make sure every sentence counts
Avoid name dropping to impress, ahead of including things that are more important
Dont Lie
Keep it positive
Be smart about word choice and dont be overly wordy/poeticTips and strategies
What do professors Say?
A Suggested Format (5 paragraphs)
Why this course?
When did you first become interested in your subject?
Can you recall an event or occasion when you realized that you wanted to study your subject?
How many schools have you attended?
How has your multi-cultural upbringing shaped you?
Do you have any specific career plans?
Paragraph 1
Are you an IB Diploma student?
What motivated your choice of subjects?
What have you learned from your higher level subjects?
Give evidence to demonstrate this learning
What have you enjoyed?
What interests and motivates you?Paragraph 2
What inspired your Extended Essay?
What did you learn from it?
Talk about the Theory of Knowledge essay and the presentation
What other major pieces of work did you enjoy or were you successful in?
What kind of learner are you?
Have EE and TOK helped in other subject areas?
Paragraph 3
Extra curricular activities
Class Councils and clubs
Individual or team sports
Dance, Drama, Music
Hobbies outside of school
CAS, ICare and service learning
Less can be more
Paragraph 4Skills acquired that are transferable to your course of study and study at the university level in general
A summary or synopsis of your enthusiasm, attributes and suitability
Return to some of the themes in the introduction
Why the UK?
Career aspirations?
End with a bang not a whimper
Paragraph 5
One real example
Paragraph 1
Why History?An event that contributed to wanting to study the subject furtherThe importance of History in his life
Paragraph 2
Where hes studied and how that has helped himHistorical connection to the countries hes lived in (rich historical backgrounds)Resiliency, adaptability, wider perspectivesIB Diploma program and its benefits
Paragraph 3
Choice of Subjects for IB / Extended Essay TopicHighlighting what was learned / personal strengthsSkills learned that are immediately applicable to university study
Paragraph 4
Extra-curricular and the skills learnedLeadership, responsibility, inter-personalDevelop maturitySkills learned that are immediately applicable to university study
Paragraph 5
Extra-curricular continued and the skills learnedService Learning / Being InvolvedSkills learned that are immediately applicable to university study
Paragraph 6
Closing paragraphSummarizing why suitable for studySomeone who has been improving every year and is ready for university
PlagiarismLyingApplying LateLack of ClarityLack of EnthusiasmNot Enough ResearchLack of EvidencePoor AttributesNo Extra-Curricular StuffLack of Work Experience
Underselling YourselfSpellcheck and GrammarMalapropismsFactual InaccuraciesEvidence of ReadingMaking ListsMisjudged HumorToo ShortOmitting Relevant MaterialWeak Conclusion
20 Personal Statement Mistakes
From a young age I have (always) been interested in For as long as I can remember I haveI am applying for this course becauseI have always been interested inThroughout my life I have always enjoyedReflecting on my educational experiences??? is a very challenging and demanding (career/profession/course)Academically, I have always beenI have always wanted to pursue a career inI have always been passionate aboutTop 10 Most Common opening lines (UCAS 2015)Mary Curnock Cook, UCAS Chief Executive said: The personal statement is supposed to bepersonal. Learning to write about yourself in a compelling way is a vital skill when applying for jobs; using hackneyed phrases is not the best way to stand out.
questions
Whats next?
Complete a FIRST DRAFT of your personal statement
When you come back to school, there will be a second UCAS Personal Statement Workshop where you will work on your first draft with faculty staff.Your GOAL THIS sUMMER
Need to know what you want to study!your suitability for a particular subject
Brief review of the UCAS Personal StatementPersonal Statement Worksheet (also includes some Dos and Donts)Our Suggested FormatExemplar (History)
First Draft
Your Resource Packet
UCAShttps://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/when-apply/writing-personal-statement
The Student Roomhttp://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Personal_statement_help
ISM CounselorsAdditional Resources
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