East Coast College Personal Statements

What is a personal statement? Activity Discuss what you think a personal statement is What is it used for? What should be included? Feedback to group

What is a personal statement? A personal statement is a key part of your UCAS application. It is your opportunity to tell the university about yourself, why you are applying and what makes you suitable. It will be read by the admissions tutor who will then decide if you have a place on the course Word limit: 4,000 characters

Why is it important? Your personal statement is where you can distinguish yourself from other candidates. Others may have the same grades as you however they aren’t you they do not have your skills, experiences and thoughts. It is your chance to stand out to the admissions tutor remember what you put in your personal statement could decide whether or not you get a place on your dream course

What should you write about? Why you are applying Why you have chosen this course You as a student You as a person and other activities

Why are you applying? It is a good idea to dive straight in and tell them exactly why you are applying for the course. Do not try to start off with a ‘punchy’ line Have a think about… What are your ambitions? What is your dream job? Why do you want to go into HE?

Why have you chosen this course? You need to show that you are capable of academic thinking This will show the admissions tutor that you are suitable for university This is a very important part of your application especially if you are applying for a popular course You do not have to write an essay on a particular subject but just show that you can raise questions You are no at university level yet so they do not expect you to come up with a conclusion

Academic thinking How can I show this? Pick a particular aspect of the course that you find most interesting- could be something you learnt about in your current studies Do some wider reading and research on this. It can be from a newspaper article, academic journal, TV show or from a book Raise some questions, show your opinion.

Why have you chosen this course? Relevant work experience Here is your opportunity to talk about any relevant work experience. So for example if you are applying for midwifery and you have volunteered at a hospital or at a mother and toddler unit. Talk about what you did/what you learnt/what you noticed It has to be relevant to the course for example charity shop volunteering should go at the end

Activity Have a look at the personal statement examples Which ones do you think are good/bad and why? What’s missing? How could they improve?

You as a student In this section you are going to talk about how you are as a student You should include the skills that you have developed through your studies such as: IT skills Team working skills Presentation skills Time management Problem solving skills Remember to give examples

you as a person and other activities Here you can tell the admissions tutor what you are like as an individual You can talk about your hobbies and interests Your personal qualities Work experience/voluntary work Employment Travel Duke of Edinburgh award

Remember… Its important that you avoid listing all of the things that you have done in your spare time and instead tell the admissions tutor what you learnt from this For example ‘whilst completing my duke of Edinburgh award I learnt the importance of working in a group’ Keep in mind that this will be read by an admissions tutor so keep it appropriate for example I like going down the pub to socialise with friends. This gives off a bad impression

Conclusion (optional) If you wish you can write a couple of sentences to end your statement in a positive note You could summarise your goal Why you want to study at HE What you feel you can bring to their institution This does not have to be a very long part so don’t waste a lot of characters on it

Things to avoid Lists – many students tend to just lists instead of actually informing the admissions tutor. Lists are boring and do not tell us any information ‘I have wanted to be a doctor ever since I was born’ – although its nice that your showing that this has been an ambition for a long time it is inaccurate ‘I want to study this subject because I love it’ – tell us what exactly you love about it Sob stories – it is nice to show how your personal experiences have influenced your decision to study but try not to make them feel sorry for you

Check, check and check again! Once you feel you have finished your personal statement make sure you check it. Have a read through Spell check it Ask someone else to read it and tell you what they think Show it to your tutor Copy and paste it onto to UCAS

Useful websites https://www.which.co.uk/tools/personal-statement-builder/ - Which? Personal statement builder https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/when-apply/how- write-ucas-undergraduate-personal-statement - UCAS how to write a UCAS personal statement https://university.which.co.uk/advice/personal-statements/10-things-to-put-in- your-personal-statement - Which? 10 things to put in your personal statement http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41761824 - BBC article on personal statements http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/0/how-to-write-a-great-ucas-personal- statement-for-university/ - The Telegraph article on how to write a personal statement

Any questions? D.rooke@eastcoast.ac.uk jo@takeyourplace.ac.uk cath@takeyourplace.ac.uk