Writing your UCAS Personal Statement

1. Writing your UCAS Personal Statement

2. The purpose of your personal statement • Much of your UCAS form involves factual information about yourself, the course you have selected, qualifications etc. • Your personal statement is your one opportunity to tell universities why you are suitable for your chosen course • You will need to demonstrate the skills and abilities you have that make you suitable for the course, as well as your enthusiasm and commitment to it • UCAS video clip: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/applying/howtoapply/personalstatement/

3. Personal Statement – The Basics • Up to 4 000 characters including spaces • 47 lines of text, including blank lines if you choose to include them between paragraphs • Approximately 600 words These key points are shown on the ‘technicalities’ section of the ‘My UCAS personal statement’ handout.

4. What to include • Most courses have an entry profile that you can view when you use ‘Course Search’ on the UCAS website • This states the qualifications and qualities you need to gain entry onto the course • Use the entry profile to inform your personal statement; you need to illustrate that you have the qualities needed for this course

5. What to include • The key sections you will need to include in your personal statement are: • Writing about the course • Skills and achievements • Hobbies and interests • Work experience • Future plans • A summary of the key points is shown in the ‘What to include’ section of the ‘My UCAS personal statement’ handout.

6. Writing about the course Two of the most important things to include are: • why you're applying for the course you've chosen: this is particularly important when you're applying for a subject that you have not studied before. Tell the university the reasons why that subject interests you, and include evidence that you understand what's required to study the course, e.g. if applying for psychology courses, show that you know how scientific the subject is. • why you're suitable for the course: tell the universities the skills and experience you have that will help you to succeed on the course. Also think about: • how your current or previous studies relate to the course(s) that you have chosen • any activities that demonstrate your interest in the course(s) • why you want to go to university or college.

7. Writing about the course • Your personal statement does not strongly support your desire to study your chosen degree. • Your personal statement did not show sufficient understanding, relevance or knowledge about the course you are applying for. • You failed to demonstrate sufficient knowledge and interest in the subject in your personal statement. • There is a lot of competition for places on this course and your personal statement and experience was not as strong as other applicants this year. • Application form (including personal statement, reference and predicted grades) does not evidence accurate understanding of or motivation for subject. • Unsuccessful as you have not expressed a strong enough interest in the subject area in your personal statement. This should give you an idea of how important it is to show why you want to study the course and what you can bring to it - especially because it is likely to be compared with other applicants applying for the same course.

8. Writing about the course • Select a personal statement from the pack of sample personal statements you have been given • Read over the first half of the personal statement looking particularly for: • Why the applicant is applying for the course • Why the applicant is suitable for the course • Highlight key strengths and weaknesses in writing about the course, preferably in two different colours • You have 5 minutes and can work in a pair • Feedback

9. Skills and Achievements Universities like to know the types of skills you have that will help you on the course, or generally at university. They also like to see if you've been involved in any accredited or non-accredited achievements. Include: • non-accredited skills and achievement which you have gained through activities such as: • CREST awards • Duke of Edinburgh Award • vInspired Awards • Villiers Park Scholars and Residential Programmes • Young Enterprise.

10. Skills and Achievements • accreditation achieved for any activities in preparation for higher education, for example through Headstart courses. • any other achievements that you are proud of, eg reaching grade 6 piano or being selected for the county cricket team. • positions of responsibility that you hold/have held both in and out of school, eg 6th Form prefect or representative for a local charity Remember that the important thing is to emphasise the skills you have developed that will help you on your course.

11. Hobbies and Interests • Think about how your hobbies, interests and social activities demonstrate your skills and abilities. If there's anything that relates to your course or to the skills needed to complete a higher education course, include it - the more evidence the better. • The Assistant Registrar for Undergraduate Admissions from University of Warwick says that: • 'The strongest applicants are those who can link their extra-curricular activities to their proposed course of study.' Your statement will be more convincing and personal if you write about why an experience, activity or interest makes you a good candidate for the course. Include enough additional information to make it interesting and to demonstrate your own interest. Rather than making a statement such as

12. Hobbies and Interests • 'I enjoy badminton' try to provide context and show what you have learnt For example: • 'I play badminton twice a week with a club that plays in local competitions and I play in both singles and doubles matches. Doubles matches requires good team working, an ability to support your partner, to devise a game plan but be able to adapt it as required and fast reactions. I enjoy the social side of the club and take responsibility for organising the social activities and fundraising events. This gives me an opportunity to develop my organisational and planning skills. Fitting in all these activities while keeping up with my academic studies demands good time management and I think I do that very well.'

13. Skills and Achievements, Hobbies and interests • Select a personal statement from the pack of sample personal statements you have been given • Scan the statement for skills and achievements, hobbies and interests that will help the applicant on the course • Make a note of how the applicant has linked these to the course they are applying for • You have 5minutes and can work in a pair • Feedback

14. Work Experience • Include details of jobs, placements, work experience or voluntary work, particularly if it's relevant to your chosen course(s). Try to link any experience to skills or qualities mentioned in the Entry Profiles. For example, rather than just saying • 'I spent two weeks working at a department store. I enjoyed speaking to customers and helping them with their enquiries' you could say • 'I spent two weeks managing customer enquiries at a department store. I learnt how to interact with customers and handle complaints. The experience highlighted the importance of positive communication between a business and its customers, and taught me how to manage difficult enquiries effectively. I would like to develop this skill further by studying a degree in public relations.’

15. Future Plans • If you know what you'd like to achieve after completing a university course, explain how you want to use the knowledge and experience that you gain.

16. Dos and don’ts when writing your personal statement • Do create a list of your ideas before attempting to write the real thing. • Do expect to produce several drafts before being totally happy. • Do ask people you trust for their feedback. • Do check university and college prospectuses, websites and Entry Profiles, as they usually tell you the criteria and qualities that they want their students to demonstrate. • Do use your best English and don't let spelling and grammatical errors spoil your statement. • Do be enthusiastic - if you show your interest in the course, it may help you get a place.

17. Dos and don’ts when writing your personal statement • Don't feel that you need to use elaborate language. If you try too hard to impress with long words that you are not confident using, the focus of your writing may be lost. • Don't say too much about things that are not relevant - if you think that you are starting to, take a break and come back to your statement when you feel more focused. • Don't lie - if you exaggerate you may get caught out at interview when asked to elaborate on an interesting achievement. • Don't rely on a spellchecker as it will not pick up everything - proof read as many times as possible. • Don't leave it to the last minute - your statement will seem rushed and important information could be left out. • Don't expect to be able to write your personal statement whilst watching TV or surfing the internet - this is your future, so make the most of the opportunity to succeed.

18. Applying for more than one course • You can only write one personal statement, even if you are applying for a number of different courses • It is advisable to pick courses that are closely related so that you can demonstrate your enthusiasm, commitment, skills and abilities to the admissions tutors • Applicants for Cambridge also complete the SAQ (Supplementary Application Questionnaire) which includes an optional additional personal statement.

19. Similarity Detection • UCAS use similarity detection software to test all personal statements • This helps university and college admission tutors to judge whether personal statements are your own work • This software compares your personal statement to those previously submitted to UCAS, sample statements from websites and from those in books and UCAS guides • If the level of similarity is 10% or more, the universities you have applied to may be informed, which may affect their decision to interview you or offer you a place

20. When to begin?

21. When to begin?Feedback from current Year 13 students • “When I started mine I realised that to show my enthusiasm and commitment to the course I needed to say what I’d read that was linked to it. I hadn’t read anything so I had to read a load of stuff before I could even include it as it might not have been relevant. Pick what course you want to do then start extra reading now.” • “I was applying for an early deadline course and didn’t start it as early as I should have – it was stressful getting it completed in time.” • “Write in PROPER English (no slang, proper spelling, punctuation and grammar) from your first draft – if you don’t it takes much longer to correct it later.”

22. When to begin?Feedback from current Year 13 students • “Don’t just do stuff to include in your personal statement but do make sure that you have some extra-curricular interests (get a hobby if you don’t have any – don’t mention that you were in the Year 7 Football team!) and make sure you link them into the course you’ve chosen in your personal statement, e.g. say what skills they’ve helped you develop.” • “I did mine at the end of the holidays (I wasn’t applying for the early deadline) – it was good to get it sorted early BUT I didn’t realise how much accommodation cost at the unis I’d chosen and how much student loan I could get. If I’d known I would have applied elsewhere. Make sure you are organised with your research AND your personal statement.”

23. First Draft • Spend 10 minutes beginning to draft your personal statement • Remember, your personal statement should include the following sections: • Writing about the course • Skills and achievements • Hobbies and interests • Work experience • Future plans • Start by focussing on the course you are applying for • If you do not know what course you are applying to, begin drafting for a course relating to one of your A Levels • Sharing examples

24. What next? • Meet with your Higher Ed Tutor before the summer holidays to discuss the course(s) you are intending to apply for and to ask any questions you have regarding your personal statement • Begin preparation for your application, including additional reading and arranging work experience for the summer if necessary • Write a first draft of your personal statement, preferably before the summer holidays, so that your Higher Ed Tutor can give you early feedback Good Luck!