Personal Statements and References James Durant Professional Development Executive
Personal statements Personal statements are about selling yourself. You re about to be given a piece of fruit or a vegetable. You ll have five minutes to prepare a 30 second pitch to promote your produce. Think about factors such as: why your fruit/veg is the best its benefits and uses Why it is more appealing than others Get ready to sell your fruit or vegetable to the group!
From a university perspective With many highly qualified students applying to university, the personal statement is crucial in helping us identify students with the greatest merit and aptitude for our courses. University of Manchester
What is being looked for? Independent study skills. Self-awareness. Motivation and commitment. An understanding of the course. Good numeracy and literacy. Research skills. Essay writing don t write lists. Enthusiasm going beyond the norm. Time management skills. Reflective thinking.
Which isn t real? It was a catch 12 situation. I think of myself as a worm hearted individual. English is like a second language to I. Twice a week I attend marital arts classes.
Points to remember Strong opening paragraph. Their research into courses will help you. 80% academic, 20% extra curricular. Be honest. Draft, redraft, and proof read. There s no perfect statement.
Most common opening lines 1. From a young age, I have (always) been [interested in/fascinated by] [1,779] 2. For as long as I can remember, I have [1,451] 3. I am applying for this course because [1,370] 4. I have always been interested in [927] 5. Throughout my life, I have always enjoyed [310] 6. Reflecting on my educational experiences [257] 7. Nursing is a very challenging and demanding [career/course] [211] 8. Academically, I have always been [168] 9. I have always wanted to pursue a career in [160] 10. I have always been passionate about [160]
M aturity Show me that you are ready for higher learning and university/student life. A C K bility ommitment nowledge Show me that you understand and can handle the content and pressures of the chosen course. Tell me why you have chosen this particular subject, and convince me you ll see it through. Let me know you have done your research and are a reflective thinker.
Encourage good habits Get into the habit of being very critical with the number of words you Get into the habit of being very critical with the number of words you use use in each sentence. Once you have written something, go back and in each sentence. Once you have written something, go back and decide if decide if each and every word you recently wrote deserves to be there. each and every word you recently wrote deserves to be there. Be ruthless with excess words take no prisoners!
ABC rule so what? Activity: what have you done? Benefit: what skills have you gained? Course: how will this prepare you for the course?
First draft I have achieved my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, I am currently working towards my Silver, and I am hoping to gain Gold level at university. I love planning and undertaking expeditions as they are physically demanding. I also enjoy working for the service element of the award. At the moment, I visit the elderly residents at the local sheltered housing association once a week. I am hoping to be involved in promoting the award scheme to young people in the future, as I have really benefitted from it and would like to be able to share my experience with others.
Second draft Through participation in the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award I have learnt the importance of planning, collaboration and commitment, particularly in physically and emotionally demanding situations, such as the expeditions. I believe these skills will help me have the courage and competence to deal with the challenging circumstances a career in nursing could present. My volunteer work at the local sheltered housing association, for the service element of the award, can be emotionally draining but is incredibly rewarding. It has allowed me to develop compassion and empathy for those in different circumstances to my own and improved my care and communication skills.
UCAS similarity detection service Every personal statement is put through similarity detection. Personal statements are checked against: a library of personal statements previously submitted to UCAS sample statements collected from a variety of websites other sources, including paper publications Each personal statement received at UCAS is added to the library of statements after it has been processed.
Passion vs. career 300,000 personal statements 200 million words Passion words Love (of) Passion Passionate Explore Career words Salary Employable Career Job (in)
Personal statement resources
Our personal statement tool
References
How to avoid What do they mean by something she found challenging? Something positive that stretched her? Or something she barely coped with? Is this reference about the same person who wrote the personal statement? How much of this is about this applicant? Just now he was a he, now he s a she! Didn t I just read exactly the same thing in another applicant s reference?
References Registered centres can begin writing as soon as an applicant registers. Used by course providers to verify students personal statement and ability. Not seen by applicant prior to submission. The UK Data Protection Act allows applicants to request a full copy of their application from UCAS (including reference).
References Similar format to personal statement. Should form a partnership with the personal statement. Particularly important for competitive courses. Should be in line with predicted grades. Make sure it is written for the right student.
What to include Academic performance. Suitability for the course. Skills and qualities, such as aptitude and enthusiasm. Current or past achievements in particular subject areas. Relevant extra curricular activities. Any commitments. Factors that may affect performance. Avoid unnecessary repetition.
Key words from admissions tutors INDEPENDENT INSIGHTFUL OBJECTIVE MEANINGFUL A profile of performance and potential, prepared by professionals. Must ADD VALUE to the application.
Ideas to support reference writing Arrange meetings with applicants, as a referee needs to know choices and how well researched/thought through they are. Early identification of those who need to meet the 15 October deadline. Referees should always see a copy of the personal statement. Subject tutors could keep an observation log through Yr 12.
Predicted grades Question of accuracy: Circa 40% over predicted (can lead to offers that cannot be met). Circa 10% under predicted (can result in no offer). Always record in the reference fields provided: Do not leave out or try to hide in the body of the text. Do not repeat in text (additional comment can be made). Try to reflect genuine expectation of academic achievement. Ensure they are up to date. Remember, for reformed English A level science, a prediction for practical assessments is also required.
Top tips Provide context. Try not to be negative or dishonest. Admission not omission. Explain any discrepancies. Phrasing and vocabulary. Remove repetition. Quality check. Two sets of eyes.
A common format Information on the school/college Special circumstances (if applicable) Subject by subject report Suitability for chosen course In the changing qualification landscape, the reference will play an increasingly important role. To help you, SPA s National Expert Think Tank (NETT) on curriculum and qualification reforms has created guidance for school and college references what HEPs would like to know. Concluding endorsement
Guidance on qualification reform Why does your school offer a particular provision? How do you determine predicted grades? Are non-subject specialists delivering courses? Any differences in location of study? Is the student very new to your school? Host a page on your school s website and include the URL in references.
URL Link Most students at the Royal Grammar School, a selective state school with a large Sixth Form, take 3 A levels in Year 13. 25% of students opt to take 4. Further details can be found at http://www.rgshw.com/1867/academic/higher-educationcareers/ucas-statement
Offer or No Offer?
Prepare for Confirmation and Clearing Ensure personal details are correct. Remind students to keep Track up-to-date. C&C information now in one place on our website. Clearing choice can be added from 15:00 on A level results day. Emails about mismatched and unplaced applicants. Ensure students are informed about their options.
Awarding Body Linkage (ABL) To prevent mismatches through ABL, there are some things you can do to help: Work with your exams officer to ensure qualifications entered match those the applicant is actually taking, e.g. has dropped a subject, wrong BTEC, etc. Check date of birth is entered correctly, and that month and year on exam records match their UCAS application. Check names match, e.g. correct order, shortened first names. This will help prevent delays at Confirmation post-results. For further information see our guidance on Exams results.
Lessons learned key deadlines Ignoring messages on the Apply for advisers home screen. Approving applications but not sending to UCAS. Forgetting an application has been returned to an applicant. Waiting too long to complete the reference. Applicants being held in the default group.
Changes at UCAS New application management Service (AMS) for 2019 cycle. New tiles on ucas.com: Alternative options for your students including apprenticeship information and advice and the ability to search for apprenticeships, graduate jobs, and internships. Widening participation, including a factsheet explaining what contextualised admissions means. Direct contact service for Extra as well as Clearing. Qualification reform information, advice, and resources. Offer rate calculator. Pre-applicant data 2018 entry sign up. Adviser timeline coming soon!
Improved reports for advisers New style Competitor and Progression report dashboard. Headline stats at a glance Applicant Status Reports (ASRs). New reformatter tool to help sort and filter your ASRs. Institution codes and campus codes listed on the UCAS website.
Professional development portal Our professional development portal for advisers gives you access to a series of short digital training modules. Designed to expand your understanding of the UCAS admissions service.
New-look search tool Multi-destination search tool. Single destination for all applicants. 2017 and 2018 search tools to run concurrently. Key features include: new mobile-friendly design advanced filtering and sorting options ability to shortlist and save course searches free text search suggestions for misspelt searches
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Thank you j.durant@ucas.ac.uk