Hints and tips for writing a successful personal statement

Contents The UCAS process - a brief reminder How to write an effective personal statement

UCAS timeline 2016 September onwards Register with UCAS Apply through UCAS 15th October 2016 Oxford/Cambridge/medicine deadline 2017 15th January 2017 UCAS deadline for EU students and certain universities January – Easter onwards Receive offers and choose 2 universities. Mid August Clearing

Possible decisions Unconditional Conditional Rejection Decision process Possible decisions Unconditional Conditional Rejection

Replying to offers Firm Insurance Decline Withdraw Deadlines

The effective personal statement What are universities looking for? Appropriate academic qualifications A good reference A good personal statement

Use themes, not specifics The challenge Students can apply for up to 5 courses Different universities cannot see: What else the student Which universities they has applied for have applied to Use themes, not specifics (Bartle and Pate, 2015)

The admissions tutor wants to know... Do they have the right qualifications? Are they suited to the course? Are they hard working? Can they work under pressure? Will they be able to adjust to the university environment? Do they have good communication skills? Are they genuinely interested in the course and have they shown that they have researched it?

The magic formula Enthusiasm Natural and honest Personal and genuine interest Researched courses Wide reading Reflection and analysis

The basics Minimum of 1,000 characters Maximum of 4,000 characters or 47 lines Use size 12 font Write in a word document and cut and paste into UCAS Use spell check and grammar check Use paragraphs if possible 75/25% balance academic/extra curricular Don’t include details from the rest of the form

How to start.... Decide on a course Research the course details Research the course requirements Find up to date information

Considerations Why does the course interest them? Why do they want to study it in more depth? What specific topics do they enjoy and why? What does the course/profession involve? Have they done extra reading and research? https://www.edx.org/ —https://www.coursera.org/ What are their career plans? Have they attended any relevant courses/ field trips/talks?

show, don’t tell... Business: ‘My first 'hands on' experience with business was at the age of 15, during high school, when we created what we call in Belgium a  'mini-enterprise' . We set up our own business and designed a brand new product: a sustainable pocket speaker and won the prize for the most original product in a nationwide competition. This useful experience taught me the value of money, time and co-operation in a business team. In high school, I had chosen to study economics and marketing as an option at school, they proved to be a real asset in that project. In 2014 I dedicated considerable time raising funds for a humanitarian trip that I took part in, to the north of Benin. There we helped construct a school and gave local children classes in maths, French and science during our 2 weeks stay. I understood by talking to the locals that what the media tells us is only a small part of the story. This made me want to discover the other side of the coin and develop a global perception, particularly in the area of developing countries. This experience completely changed my views on poverty in Africa. I would like to work in a truly international environment, as I have visited at least one country per continent and continue to discover as many cultures as I possibly can.’

Show, don’t tell Politics ‘This compelled me to research abortion in America where it has been and remains such a disputed political subject. The debate is fascinating because both sides are concerned with protecting human rights, whether it is the unborn child’s right to life or the woman’s right to make an autonomous reproductive choice.’

Some of the most overused starting sentences From a young age I have always been interested in... (309 times) From an early age I have always been interested in ...(292 times) For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with...(196) “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only” (189) Academically, I have always been a very determined and ...(138) (Marszal,2013)

Extra curricular activities/work experience Try and show reflection Analyse your duties Highlight transferable skills

References Bartle, B. and L. Pate) Aim Higher Conference St Hilda’s College (June , 2015) Codrea-Rado, A (2013). How to write a personal statement for business studies. Available from: https://www.guardian.com/education/2013 (Last accessed 13 August2015). University of York, Student Recruitment and Admission. (2014). The persuasive personal statement. Marszal, A. (2013). Personal statement: 10 most overused opening sentences. Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/university education/personal statements (Last accessed 13 August2015).