Factors for successful applications Matt Hill Professional Development Officer

Contents  Personal statements  What’s involved  Top tips  Do’s and Don’t’s  Examples  Referencing  Importance of referencing  Examples  Things to avoid  Predicted Grades  Research

The Personal Statement You will write a 500 word personal statement

What sparked your interest in your chosen degree subject? What would your friends/family say about you if they were writing your statement? Have you had a conversation with people already studying in the field? Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? Has anyone motivated you? If yes, who and how? Have you faced any challenges in your school work? Did it change you? What is your favourite book, film or hobby? How has it influenced you? What has been your biggest achievement and why? List any prizes you have won – inside or outside school Getting started – questions to ask yourself

What admissions staff tell UCAS they are looking for in a personal statement Evidence of:  Independent study skills  Self-awareness  Motivation and commitment  An understanding of the course  Good numeracy and literacy  Essay writing  Research skills  Time management skills  Enthusiasm to go beyond the syllabus

Example format for a personal statement Opening Section Provide insightful reasons for choosing the subject Demonstrate commitment to the subject (this section should be at least 70% of statement) Middle Section Opportunity for the writer to identify themselves as a reflective and mature individual with appropriate skills, knowledge and attitudes Final Section Needs to be ‘punchy’ and leave the reader with a firm impression of a strong desire to study the subject chosen

Activity Benefit Course Activity Benefit Course What you’ve done What skills it has given you How these relate to your course Personal Statement ABC Guide Good Better Best  Structured, clear, concise, precise  Avoid waffle, slang and inappropriate language  Check GRAMMAR and SPELLING GRAMMAR SPELLING

‘So what?’ … I am working towards my Duke of Edinburgh Gold award and will be undertaking a hike in the Brecon Beacons. This has taught me a lot of skills.’ 1 “ I am not a mind-reader – to win me over I need the applicant to explain more fully the skills they have gained ”

‘So what?’ … During my Duke of Edinburgh Silver award trip my team ran short of provisions. As a result I am assuming responsibility for food and drink for our forthcoming Gold Award trip. I have developed a spreadsheet which details our precise requirements and I am confident that my organisation will enable the team to perform at its peak during the challenge.’ 2 “ This is much better – she is obviously not afraid of responsibility, is organised and a true team player ”

Tip for students – avoid ‘list addiction’ I enjoy watching football, I enjoy canoeing and surfing, I sing in the choir, I belong to the debating society, I am taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, I work in Tesco on Saturdays and I shop for my Granny on Monday after school.

Select key activities to expand on I have been an active member of a Teesside debating society for the last two years. This has proved really interesting as I have had the chance to research and defend viewpoints that I would normally not agree with; an exercise which I’m sure will prove valuable as a Law student.

Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you I have no feelings whatsoever. When we are apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be. Yours, Gloria Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we are apart. I can be forever happy – will you let me be yours? Gloria Punctuation

Things to avoid  Intellectual Pretensions  Misdirected humour  No mention of future aspirations / direction  Committing GBH on English language  ‘I so don’t want to miss this opportunity’  ‘I have been interested in History from the get-go.’’

Reference Writing

An admissions tutor is house hunting (S)he wants it to be detached, two-storeys and have at least 3 bedrooms Together, you and your student are going to build one and try to sell it to the admissions tutor But... So are lots of other staff and student teams...

Your student builds the ground floor...and a very nice job they make of it too! Do you see where I am going? (...This is their Personal Statement!)

It is now up to the referee to build the 2 nd storey But who supplies the bricks and joists and tiles and mortar etc? The subject tutors or teachers (via their subject reports)...Only, sometimes, there is a shortage of materials for the referee to build with......But (s)he does the best (s)he can in these circumstances!

Even when there are enough materials... The subject teacher/tutor sometimes doesn’t pay any attention to the student’s work... (I’m too busy to look – anyway, I know the student quite well...) If they had paid attention to how the student had built the ground floor, they could have worked toward a more harmonious whole..and even tried to fill in any gaps if the ground floor build quality was a little bit lacking

So now YOU’RE the admissions tutor Which of the houses presented to you would you buy? The one that’s not finished, with 1 almost completed bedroom and no roof, partly patched together with tarpaulin? The one whose second storey has a severe identity crisis? Or the one that looks like it is a balanced, harmonious, sturdy and homely structure?

Performance in individual modules or course components Any additional preparation by student in support of application Motivation and suitability for the chosen HE course Exploring the subject beyond the bounds of the school or college curriculum e.g work experience, volunteering Ability to work hard and keep to deadlines Are assignment results a fair reflection of ability? Student powers of analysis and as an independent learner Academic and practical skills specific to your subject Writing references – what would universities like to know? Attainment in comparison to rest of BTEC group

Writing an effective subject report …Sharon is a highly competent student of History. Her factual understanding is immediate and her contributions in class are thoughtful. 1 Needs flesh putting on the bones!

Writing an effective subject report … Sharon is a highly competent and perceptive student of History. Her written work benefits from a commendable economy of delivery, and a relevant, direct approach. Her factual understanding is immediate even when the issues are complex (such as the events leading up to the downfall of Apartheid in South Africa, which she has researched with diligence) and her thoughtful contributions in class and insightful coursework show her to have a healthily sceptical mind; very useful in a historian. 2 This is definitely now pressing the right buttons for me!

Style – example 1 X is an outstanding young man; were I to pour out a stream of superlatives it would be no more, no less than he deserves. He is this year’s Head Prefect; I can only say that it is an exceptional year group and yet he has stood out. He has a buoyancy and energy and a natural sense of care for others that make it a privilege to know him. He simply loves life, people, school, everything, and though he makes major commitments to all sorts of things, he does all that he undertakes supremely well. (I saw him purely by chance, miles away from school, during the summer holidays – he was at the seaside accompanying a group of disabled people who were on a day out, and that is absolutely typical of him.) Source: Writing References for Higher Education, Sue Jones

Some admissions tutors’ responses  The style is too rococo for some tastes and may obscure the excellence of the candidate  Could be described as “over the top.” This would put me off (I’d probably offer the candidate an interview out of interest!)  Very verbose…lots of superlatives  I feel that the author is trying to hide something – it is so fulsome!  The style of this reference annoys me.

Style – example 2 X is someone of whom we are very proud. She is an exceptionally hard working and committed pupil who is popular with both staff and students and has gained their respect for her friendly and responsible attitude. She has an excellent record of attendance and punctuality; she is mature, well motivated and conscientious as well as being meticulous in her organisation of herself and her studies. X has held some positions of responsibility with success. She took on the responsibility as captain of the school sports day athletics team displaying excellent organisational skills. She has been consistently supportive of her form’s and the school’s charity events and has personally raised money for charities.

Some admissions tutors’ responses  Clearly written and easy to read  I prefer this plain nature of words and style  Is a little brusque, but conveys an air of objectivity, and is very close to the ideal from a stylistic point of view  The perfect structure, style and content. It takes 15 seconds to read and I know that the applicant fulfils all my requirements

Red card offences

Over the top eulogising… … and when he is not working towards World Peace, he enjoys learning languages from scratch, writing symphonies and playing a standard of golf that Tiger Woods can only dream about.’

Reference writing: Don’ts  Use it to promote school or college  Directly mention one institution by name  Paste in information on the wrong student!!

Reference writing – the practicalities  The applicant can get the reference if they wish  £10 for a copy of their whole application  This means that parents could read the reference  Can’t use Bold, Italics, Underlined or Foreign characteristics  47 lines of text or 4000 characters – including blank lines and spaces  Save as you go – it will timeout after 35 minutes  Practical guide to writing references:

Predicted Grades  Universities appreciate reliability – there is less than a 55% exact match on 3 A-Level predictions  Underestimated grades can result in no offer being made  Overestimated grades can result in clearing 47% of predictions are too optimistic and 9% are too pessimistic If predicted grades are vastly different to AS grades – explain why. Source: Writing a UCAS reference: hints and tips. University of Exeter

Research

How to choose the right course  Every year there are thousands of students who ask the same question: what should I study?  Ask yourself the following questions:  Which subjects interest me?  What are my talents?  What job would I like to do after university or college?  Which academic skills would I like to improve?

Tariff statistics Use of Tariff for 2010 entry requirements:  81% of institutions using the Tariff  65% of courses using the Tariff

UCAS Higher education conventions  More than 50 higher education conventions held every year throughout the UK  The conventions bring together universities and colleges within the UCAS scheme to inform and guide prospective university and college students  They are designed mainly for 16-year-old and 17-year-old students (Year 12, Lower Sixth or Scottish Higher students in Scotland)  Annually around 250,000 people attend the events

Social Media UCAStv yougo Official UCAS Facebook page Twitter.com/ucas_online Youtube.com/ucasonline

Subject Choices  Subjects that give applicants the most options - Facilitating subjects :  Mathematics and Further Maths  English  Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology)  Geography and History  Languages (Classic & Modern) By choosing facilitating subjects you are not restricted to applying for degree courses which require certain subjects Students who take one non-facilitating subject do not generally experience any problems applying to a Russell Group university There is no set definition of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ subjects and down to individual university interpretation so applicants MUST check course search. Source: Informed Choices: A Russell Group guide to making decisions about post-16 education. Russell International Excellence Group

Questions Matt Hill