The UCAS Form - CORRECTING THE MISTAKES YOU HAVE ALREADY MADE!!!

1. The UCAS Form - CORRECTING THE MISTAKES YOU HAVE ALREADY MADE!!!

2. You must complete this section. You will be either Suffolk, Essex or Norfolk

3. This is vital should anything go wrong with your exams and someone needs to speak to the universities on your behalf. You should nominate a parent to access UCAS. Don’t forget to save before moving to the next section

4. AS Levels You are offered the option to add your module grades. You should only do this if all your modules are excellent – ie. A grades. If you look as if you should divulge your modules, we will speak to you about this is September. But no-one should do this now! Remove these!!!

5. The Personal Statement

6. Progress Check

7. Reminders • Your completed ‘My UCAS’ Booklet must be with your Tutor no later than Friday, 8thJuly • Your first draft personal Statement is due to your Tutor no later than Friday, 9thSeptember

8. Information Available to Admissions Officers • AS results • Predicted A2 grades • GCSE grades • Reference • Personal statement

9. A Warning! • Detecting fraud – UCAS have a verification unit. • UCAS may contact a referee or employer for more information. • UCAS will check personal statements for plagiarism.

10. What is the purpose of a Personal Statement?

11. What is a Personal Statement? • The personal statement is the one part of the UCAS form that you have total control over. You have 47 lines to sell yourself and demonstrate what an excellent candidate you are for your chosen course(s). Your statement must be a maximum of 4000 characters including spaces and no more than 47 lines. This is your chance to outline your abilities, motivation and achievements, but, more importantly, show why they'll make you a fantastic undergraduate on your course. UCAS use sophisticated anti-plagiarism software so do not be tempted to cut and past any material which you have not written yourself! • Keep in mind who is going to read your prose. Imagine an admissions tutor with hundreds of UCAS forms. You are competing against other people for the same place. What are you going to do to make your form stand out? For a start avoid the following: • Waffle • Bluff • Repetition • Clichés ("I've always wanted to study...") • Immaturity • Starting sentences with 'Also', 'I read that...' or 'I did this...'. • Make it sharp, crisp, interesting, to the point and clear. Do the admissions tutor a favour and don't bore them! Remember, they have to want to teach you.

12. How could you structure the PS? If you had three sections – what should be in each? Section 1: • explain why you are passionate about your subject and why you are such a good candidate for the course (60%) Section 2: • demonstrate what skills you have already developed from your A level studies and wider experience (30%) Section 3: • demonstrate what personal qualities you have, and how much of a contribution you can make to university life (10%)

13. Research If you havean Apply booklet Turn to page 25 , read through and start to fill in some of the white boxes

14. Section 1 – Academic Interests • This should be the largest section of your statement and it is key that you: • Show real passion and enthusiasm for your subject without actually saying the word ‘PASSION!’ • Show that you have academic curiosity • These things are best achieved by including examples of your wider reading and/or talks you have attended/watched via podcasts and/or activities you have taken part in beyond your A Level/ Vocational studies. It is important not simply to list what you have done but to also show your understanding and how your interest has been widened by what you have discovered.

15. It was this initial interest that led me to read ‘Eve was Framed’ by Kennedy. I was shocked by the extent of discrimination against women within the legal system but also strongly convinced by her argument that the current judicial system is not as just as it appears to be. The section on miscarriages of justice inspired me to entitle my Extended Project ‘Miscarriages of Justice: the true victims of the Criminal Justice System’. Naughton’s book on the topic helped me to develop my view that, though ideal, it is not realistically feasible to prevent miscarriages of justice from occurring altogether since the judicial system is run by humans. Wakeman, H (Law 2012) How do these examples show passion, enthusiasm and academic curiosity? Biology and chemistry AS have prompted me to develop a strong interest in evolutionary theory and genetics. As a result, I have attended several lectures at the Royal Society, including a two day series on the origins of life and the RNA world. The evolutionary approach to disease spawns many interesting theories; for example, Mervyn Singer’s proposal that allowing the body’s natural response to trauma to take precedence over intensive care may increase survival rates, or Gavin Barlow’s data suggesting that pyrexia should not be suppressed in patients fighting a disease as it is beneficial. McLaughlin, C (Medicine 2012)

16. Section 2 – Skills • The key points for this section are to: • Show the skills you have already mastered from your A Level / Vocational studies and/or wider experience • Show your ability to reflect on your learning/experiences • This is best achieved by including examples of pieces of work you have produced and/or difficult problems you have solved and/or complex concepts you have understood and can apply. If you have completed relevant work experience/shadowing you should use a few examples of things you have done and/or seen and what insights you have gained about your chosen area of study/career.

17. Discovering a writer’s influences and historically contextualising texts is key to my interpretation and enjoyment of literature and was first inspired by Bradley’s critical essay on ‘Othello’ and O’Toole’s ‘Shakespeare is Hard, but so is Life’. Following this I researched the history of Freud to gain a greater insight into Strindberg’s ‘Miss Julie’. This reading allowed me to thoroughly exercise my analytical skills, but it was after a Cambridge lecture entitled ‘What is Tragedy?’ that I really began to appreciate a genre that has continually changed so that plays could fall under one of many classifications, ranging from medieval or modern tragedy. Austen’s critique of the 1800s within her novel of manners, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ led me to further consider the 19th century society I touched upon when studying ‘Miss Julie’. I was particularly drawn to Austen’s satirical depiction of a society where class-consciousness renders social mobility almost unattainable. Barron Cults, C (English and French 2012) How do these examples show the skills mastered and an ability to reflect on learning? This year, I am looking forward in particular to completing my investigative coursework, as part of the Salters Chemistry course, as this will allow me to show initiative and use the skills and knowledge that I have gained. My project will be based on the rate of hydrolysis of primary halogenoalkanes and will be extended to include both secondary and tertiary halogenoalkanes so as to allow me to undertake, analyse and explain reactions that are not covered in the A-level syllabus. I will be focusing on determining why certain forms of halogenoalkane have a higher rate of hydrolysis than others, through the analysis of reaction mechanisms. Stevens, C (Chemistry 2010)

18. Section 4 – Extracurricular Interests • The key points for this section are to: • Show what personal qualities you have • Demonstrate that you have ‘spare capacity’ and get good grades as well as having a balanced life • Show what contribution you may make to your chosen university • This is best achieved by including achievements of which you are most proud but try not to simply list your achievements but use them as examples to show what qualities you have.

19. I am a senior member of Harpenden Expedition Club and a young leader at a Cub Scout troop. In both roles I use my leadership, teamwork and organisational skills to help run meetings. I successfully lead a team of Scouts over a weekend of orienteering and wild camping to come 6th out of 70 teams in the ‘Peak Assault’ challenge. Wilcox, S (Geography 2011) I enjoy working with people of all ages and do this through volunteering at my church, helping out at fundraising events and Sunday school. I work with the children on their activities and enjoy discussing their learning with them which has given me experience in communicating with young children and also helped me gauge their understanding thus helping me understand the Psychology. I also work at my local Mothercare store as part of a team and have direct communication with the public; an excellent opportunity to interpret behaviours. Hardman, F (Psychology 2011) To gain insight into the Japanese mind, I began karate, where I reached 1st Kyu. It enlightened me to Japanese ideals of respect and loyalty, and through my teaching as a sempai, I realised the attractiveness of Bushido in stabilising a nation. Evans, L (Japanese Studies 2012) What important qualities do these extracurricular activities show?

20. Personal Statement Activity 1 – Getting Started

21. Personal Statement Activity 2 – Extracurricular Interests

22. Personal Statement Activity 3 – Academic Skills

23. Personal Statement Activity 4 – Academic Interests

24. Activity Read through the model personal statement you have been given and answer the following questions: • What is focus of the opening paragraph? • What course is the student applying for? • What subjects are they studying at school? • How do they show enthusiasm and engagement with their chosen subject? • How are extra-curricular activities used? • What is the focus of the conclusion? • What percentage of the personal statement is directly relevant to the course being applied for? • On a scale of 1 to 10, how effective is the personal statement?

25. My first experience of drama was not the most positive one, being demoted from the innkeeper to one of the three kings in my first nativity play. However my love for drama has remained undiminished. Throughout my entire school career I have taken part in every opportunity that has come my way, gaining opportunities to perform at venues such as Watford Palace Theatre and Hampstead Theatre in North London. Outside school I have also been involved with two young people’s theatre groups, creating pieces of drama for local festivals and completing Guildhall examinations. In year 12 I changed schools and have found my drama and theatre studies lessons most enjoyable. It has been fascinating to explore the ways in which theatre practitioners ideas can be influence into performance style. I particularly enjoyed the way in which we used Stanislavski’s system when exploring “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. It has also been intriguing to see the differences and comparisons in style between Brecht’s epic theatre and Stanislavski’s naturalistic theatre. Naturally, extra curricular drama is offered at the school and I played several named and choral parts in the production of Les Miserables which I loved, even though a musical was a new experience for me. I also relished the challenge of playing the role of Billy Liar in our unit 2 examination performance. As well as enjoying creativity through the dramatic arts I have also always had a love of literature and creative writing. As a young boy my dad would always read to me and the works of Tolkien and Lewis captured my imagination intensely. As a young child I would often write short stories and have always enjoyed reading novels of all genres and periods. I jumped at the chance to help out with the paired reading scheme offered by the sixth form as I feel that encouraging younger students to read and read confidently is vital not only to kindle a love of literature but to enhance key skills for all round learning. Year 12 English lessons have further advanced my interest in the study and analysis of literature texts. I particularly enjoyed our work on the dramatic genre of tragedy, looking deeply at the exploration of conventions and the origins of tragedy and I found the study of William Shakespeare’s “Othello” to be very gratifying. I was also impressed by the use of metaphor and symbolism by Fitzgerald in “The Great Gatsby”. Studying literary texts as enhanced by experiences as a theatre audience member. In the last 12 months I have been fortunate enough to see Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Hamlet”, a stage production of Michael Morpurgo’s “War Horse” and Budd Schulberg’s “On the water front”. “On the water front” was a fascinating experience as the famous practitioner Steven Berkhoff directed and starred in the performance. One of the most powerful experiences of my life to date has been going out to Peru this summer as part of a “Step” team working for the charity Latin Link. I was part of a team who were working in the city of Arequipa running a holiday club for disabled children. My role within this team was drama coordinator, role play was used to communicate to the children daily at the holiday club, the team also used theatre skills on visits to a local school and church. In my spare time I enjoy playing sports, I regularly play cricket in the summer and train at the gym all year round. I would like to believe I am a motivated, hard working individual who believes strongly in team work and is a positive and uplifting individual. I believe that a degree in Drama and English at university will be an ideal way to enhance my chances of employment in the performing and creative arts industry.

26. Being half Ethiopian, I often wonder whether I was I born or built to run. Do I excel as a runner due to genetic ability or is it my way of linking into that side of my cultural heritage? I am a runner. To attain peak performance my body has to be functioning at its optimum. The many things that can and do affect my performance fascinate me; sleep, nutrition, physical and psychological factors. How the human body functions is intriguing to me, and important. It is the most extraordinary and complex thing, and the more I discover about it, the more I want to learn. What factors influence the variation in health and disease across lifespan and cultures? To what extent can fertility be controlled? How do our bodies cope in environmental extremes? Then there’s the whole area of genetics, in which giant leaps are being made; from the possibility of cloning organs to the ability to predict genetic disorders. My curiosity is continuously developing. I believe that studying human biology will allow me to further explore the wonders of the human body and expand my knowledge of how it functions, grows and develops. After receiving chiropractic treatment, for an injury to my foot, I experienced at first hand how different parts of the body are linked and affect each other. Keen to learn more, I got work experience shadowing an osteopath, which gave me an invaluable practical insight into the importance of the musculoskeletal workings of the human body. I observed the special manipulative techniques used by osteopaths and even got the chance to examine an x-ray of a patient’s spinal fusion! A couple of years ago I won the school prize for French. I love French but as part of my prize I couldn’t resist asking for the book ‘The Body: An Amazing Tour of Human Anatomy’. In school, I have particularly enjoyed studying immunology, human genetics and pathology. I even subscribe to Biological Sciences Review, which I feel has really enhanced not only my learning, but also my interest in Biology. The New Scientist has also provided a real source of interest for me, and recently I came across an article that fascinated me called ’As good as new: Scarless healing‘. I was amazed to discover that surgery had been performed on a foetus in it’s mother’s womb and how the principle of embryonic wound healing has opened up a multitude of possibilities for healing treatments. I have always been a highly conscientious and focused student, largely due my willingness to learn and be self-motivated. Learning to manage my time has proved essential as it has enabled me to successfully combine my school work and a wide range of other interests and responsibilities. I have always been an active member of my school community and now, as a prefect, I continue to contribute to the running of the school and helping other students. I also have a particular dedication to athletics, for which I train six times a week, and have competed successfully at national level. For my contribution to a range of sports I was really proud to be awarded school sports woman of the year in 2007. Over the past few years I have volunteered in both running the school gymnastics clubs and coaching gymnastics at the local sports centre. It has shown me the importance of teamwork; when you’re part of a ten person pyramid you have to have co-operation and trust! These were essential when doing my Duke of Edinburgh award, an experience which also helped me develop my organizational and leadership skills. The independence gained from this sparked the desire for travel and exploring different opportunities, leading me to the decision to take a gap year. I hope to spend some of that time in Ethiopia volunteering in an orphanage, and taking the opportunity to learn more about Ethiopian culture. The prospect of studying a subject I am passionate about whilst encountering and developing new ideas is something I am really looking forward to. I am very excited about this next step in my life.

27. Much to the annoyance of my parents my childhood was spent disassembling things around the house, as I was interested to see how they had been designed and how they worked as functional objects. I am very good at repairing things as I can infer how they work and how best to go about fixing them. Engineering has always been a subject of great interest to me, which I decided to pursue further as I feel that it would suit my academic talents and technical aptitude. In preparation for university I have attended two summer schools. The first of these was a forensic science course at York University which I enjoyed greatly and was my first experience of University life. It introduced me to several scientific processes such as colorimetry, and I think helped to focus my academic interests into science. The second was another residential course at London Imperial College where I studied Robotics engineering. This project was based on a space trip to Mars and the brief was to design a probe to travel around collecting data about the climate and surface. After two weeks two other people and I had designed, built and tested a fully functioning robot which could collect samples and carry them back to its shuttle. My group and I delivered a presentation to a large audience of academics and peers about what we had been doing, the engineering choices within our design and how these would enhance its performance. For this project I obtained a BA Crest Silver Award, which requires at least 40 hours of related project work. I have always found certain aspects of physics such as using theories and maths intriguing, as these allow me to work out the logistics of real life situations – for example looking at the construction of the London eye or why the millennium bridge wobbled. My chemistry coursework is based on investigating rates of reaction using an oscillating reaction which I chose because of the calculations and equations involved. I find manipulating equations the most enjoyable part of maths and working through an example to a final answer is a rewarding experience. To further challenge myself academically, I chose to move schools after GCSE’s and I am already an active member of the prefect team and school council and have helped to organise many activities such as a Year 12 Induction Day, a Year 7 picnic and a one world day to educate younger children about global issues. The experience of moving to a new sixth form, integrating with a new year group and being given responsibilities has helped mature me as an individual and enhance my organisational and teamwork skills. I know that these skills will help me in my future academic and professional activities. Out of school I have a keen interest in travel and enjoy broadening my horizons. I have visited most of Europe, America, Hong Kong, Egypt and Malaysia. Most recently in the summer of 2008, I went on a two week missionary trip to the Dominican Republic through my local Baptist church and this both broadened my view of the world and was also a valuable experience which allowed me to observe a vividly contrasting culture. During the day I helped to construct permanent housing for Haitian migrants living in shanty towns. I also love music and I have played percussion for nine years and am working on my grade 6 exam. I have also been a member of both the Luton Youth Percussion Orchestra and the Luton Youth Orchestra for most of this time, which has given me experiences such as playing in the Birmingham Symphony Hall. I have also started playing the piano recently. My hobbies also include sports such as skiing, swimming, power kiting and I have a PADI diving license. University would be an exciting and fulfilling opportunity for me to take. I am ready for the academic challenge and excited at the prospect of becoming an engineer.

28. Although meeting the challenge of history at school has always been a rewarding experience, since childhood my interest in the past has extended beyond the school classroom. As a member of the Young Archaeologists’ Club based in Verulamium Museum, I visited archaeological sites and worked on the excavation of a nearby Roman villa at Turner’s Hall Farm, as well as studying the artefacts at the museum. This first hand experience gave learning about the past sparked my continued interest in history. I am excited by the range of topics available for study at university and a I would love to develop my knowledge of is Europe during the early medieval period. Robert Lacey’s Great Tales from English History along with a number of TV documentaries has introduced me to the topic and lately I have started to read Europe: A History by Norman Davies. The emergence of European nations from diverse peoples after the collapse of the Roman Empire, raises interesting questions about the nature of our national identities and I find it interesting how the fierce division between Medieval Islam and Christendom was such an important factor in creating the concept of Europe as we know today. To broaden my historical understanding I often visit the British Museum. I find the ancient Near Eastern displays fascinating and, keen to learn more, I recently read Gwendolyn Leick’s Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City and Sumer and the Sumerians by Harriet E W Crawford. The books looked at the theories surrounding why civilisation developed so early and how we can draw conclusions from the often limited evidence such as early cuneiform writings. Reading The Epic of Gilgamesh was an interesting insight into the culture and mythology of the region, as well the difficulties of interpreting ancient documents. For my History coursework this year I have been assessing Stolypin’s reforms in late Tsarist Russia. Researching the reign of Nicholas II and the beginning of the 1917 revolution is compelling as it involves historiographic analysis of different interpretations of the period such as the Marxist and Soviet views, and Cold War-influenced western views. It is fascinating how the past can be construed and recorded in such different ways, with Marxist historians often depicting the revolution as the inevitable result of class struggle, whereas others believe that the revolution could have been avoided and reform successful. Stolypin is an interesting and tragic figure as, despite his commitment to reform, it can be argued he was never given the chance he needed by the Tsar to change Russia and prevent revolution. The historical aspect of architecture also interests me; how buildings can convey so much about the context in which they were built. For example how leading figures throughout history from the Romans to Nazi Germany have used architecture to assert their importance and power. I visited the recent Palladio exhibition at the Royal Academy, which showed how the architect was trying to revert to an old order, away from what he saw as the chaos of medieval gothic styles, and emphasised the huge influence his style had on European architecture. I enjoyed the Barbican’s exhibition on the work of Le Corbusier. His ideas about architecture as a means to improve lives have been very influential despite the fact his utopian urban projects were never realised. In year 10 I was part my school’s first visit our partner school in Zambia, a cultural learning experience made possible through the personal organisation of many fundraising activities. More recently I hosted Zambian visitors and helped set up and coordinate a model UN event for the lower school. I enjoy music and would be keen to get involved in musical activities at university. Being a member of a local Church choir for 10 years, including a year as Head Chorister, covering services at St Paul’s, St George’s Windsor and Exeter Cathedral and as an able pianist I have become reliable and self-motivated.

29. Begin the 1st draft of your Personal StatementKeep asking questions.....Good luck!