 Give people / university information ◦ Because you supplement the hard data of OLE records  Prepare for a review or interview, e.g. university admission officer, prospective employer.

 Keep it short, precise but attractive.  Demonstrate originality and honest— reflective account of one’s unique experiences  Main body  Consist of events, experiences and activities you have selected for illustration of your experiences and targets, as well as developments over the years  Illustrate your potential or skills that make you successful in the tertiary education

◦ Always provide evidences  It is more convincing to write ”taking the lead of a 50-member voluntary team, we learnt through…” to show your leadership than just mentioning “I am a good leader.” ◦ Each and every paragraph should have a separate theme, and developed within and throughout the paragraph

◦ A conclusion  Provide a dramatic point  Round up insights and impact of various experiences you have  Connect you to the programs or disciplines you aspire for  Give the reader a positive impression of you  Be clear, straight forward and end with a bang.  e.g. Rather than claiming, “I have worked hard in school as a tutor, and I believe that I will be successful at your school,” try  “my academic results, experiences, and incomparable traits make me the outgoing, accomplished and promising candidate that your schools is looking for.

 It can be…  Overcoming adversity  Experiencing personal growth  Revealing the impacts of family history  Reflecting on one’s life goal

 Hobbies  Projects you have completed  Particular jobs and responsibilities  Accomplishments—both professional and scholastic  Major life events that you believe have changed you  Challenges and personal hurdles you have overcome  Life events which motivate you to apply for this particular course of education  Individuals who influence, prepared, or motivated you to pursue a particular profession or school

 Particular traits, work habits, attitudes or sensibilities that you have developed which will insure your success in school or in a profession.  Your goals  If you are applying for a university / a specific programme, you have to show ◦ Knowledge about faculty / university / school /programme ◦ Background which nurtures your interest in a specific programme/ area ◦ Reasons for choosing a certain university (a specific programme) amongst others

 Review your Student’s Self-Account written in S4 Review your Student’s Self-Account written in S4  Complete the worksheet: Brainstorming Exercise on Self-Account/Personal StatementBrainstorming Exercise on Self-Account/Personal Statement

 I love raising questions. How do we live in our society? How do we behave under the current social system? ….These are the questions I have always asked and I really enjoy finding out their answers. That’s why I am interested in Social Science and Sociology as well as its rigorous and systemic way of studying the society.

 As a sociable and active student, I enjoy dealing with people… Being elected by my schoolmates as a member of the Student Union, I got a lot of chances to get along with different people by taking up the role as External Vice Chairperson… I’ve also learnt how to cooperate with others.

 Being a member of the Chinese Debating Team, I have learnt how to collect useful information, how to analyze data, and in what way I should present my materials hand how they can be made persuasively….. I am sure all these experience would be very helpful for being a Social Science student.

 With all these activities I have participated, I am now becoming more independent and mature. I am able to make decisions in critical time and work effectively. Moreover, I have acquired a valuable leadership skills and it could surely help me in the future.  I believe that university education is not really about job training. It helps us develop intellectual ability and expand our knowledge base. I hope that I can be one of the candidates you find suitable for your university.