Personal Statements UK/EU Student Recruitment Team study@surrey.ac.uk
What is UCAS? Only method 50,000 Central of entry to courses at application UK degree service 395 providers programmes Restrictions: Apply for up Medicine, to 5 Veterinary, universities Dentistry – Oxford OR Cambridge or courses #universityofsurrey 2
Applying » Personal Details » Additional Information (UK applicants only) » Choices » Education » Employment » Personal Statement » Teachers’ reference 3
What is the Personal Statement? • A key element of the UCAS application • A statement of 4000 characters • One statement for five choices • A student’s initial chance to ‘sell’ themselves to their chosen institutions • Helps applicants ‘stand out’ • Contributes to a decision whether to interview or make offer
Why is the Personal Statement important? Course Demonstrates Appreciation Focus Interviews Personality
When is the Personal Statement MOST Important? Competition Niche Need for knowledge
What Should a Personal Statement Contain? Reasons for choosing the course Subject specific & course knowledge Personal extra- curricular
Why Have You Chosen This Course? Deeper Enjoyment interests - of the subject be specific Theory into Work Theory into Your skills practice experience practice
Subject Specific Relevant Qualifications Subjects Further Summer Motivation Reading Schools Taster EPQ Days
Extra-Curricular Sports Societies clubs Volunteering Relevant Positions work of experience responsibility
Making it relevant – not just a list! Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences
Action What is it that you do? “I spent two weeks doing an internship at GlaxoSmithKline in the summer”
Benefit How has this helped you? “From this, I developed a deeper understanding of the drug development process, from conception to production”
Course relevance Make it relevant “ Having an understanding of how drugs are developed will be a useful foundation for the pharmacology modules within the Biochemistry degree.”
The most overused opening sentences I am currently studying a BTEC National Diploma in... (464 times)
The most overused opening sentences From a young age I have always been interested in ... (309 times)
The most overused opening sentences From an early age I have always been interested in ... (292 times)
The most overused opening sentences Nursing is a very challenging and demanding career … (275 times) For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with (196 times) "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only” ... (189 times) Nursing is a profession I have always looked upon with ... (178 times) For as long as I can remember I have been interested in ... (166 times) I am an International Academy student and have been studying since ... (141 times) Academically, I have always been a very determined and .. (138 times)
Positive Language Enthusiastic Achieved Explored Fulfilled Demonstrated Pioneered Inspired Imagined Collaborated
Do’s – Advice for students Use the Draft ‘right’ Draft language Draft Be sure of Make it your relevant choice!
Don’ts – Advice for students Plagiarise Over-share! …Forget to Rush spell check
True or false? As mentioned before they are important and they do get read. Admittedly for some courses the emphasis on the PS is greater than for others. The Personal Statement could make a direct difference to whether a student gets an offer or not!
True or false? A poor personal statement is more likely to result in a rejection.
True or false? Despite a wealth of YouTube personalities offering to write assignments and documents for you – it is not a good idea, it is not their own work, they will get caught out and the UCAS plagiarising technology may well pick up on anomalies = game over!
True or false? Practice makes perfect. Use the resources available to guide your students to create a Personal statement that truly reflects them and their study ambition.
True or false? Poor grammar, badly laid out text, and spelling mistakes are all bugbears of academics. Clear well structured sentences and paragraphs make for a more pleasurable read and demonstrate focus and direction in the text.
Doing your research #uniofsurrey 28
study@surrey.ac.uk 29
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