Personal statement

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moved
Posts: 3826
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Chelmsford and pleased

Personal statement

Post by moved »

Hi
An ex-pupil of mine would like some input on his personal statement. He is not an academic high flyer (although he should get 3 A levels and 2/3 AS) and outside interests are limited. He has a job in a theme park working for his father. He has also done a week of work experience in Westminster. He is quiet with few interests.
He would like to read psychology. A levels are geography, politics and psychology. AS in World Development, business studies and possibly history if taken as an extra in yr 13. GCSEs 7 As and 2 Bs.

Any input from anyone would be helpful. Definitely not my area of expertise.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Post by Guest55 »

It's a 'selling' job - has to say somethig about his interests and what he's done outside school.

Why has he chosen this degree course? His school should give some guidelines BUT it is his statement so too much input can be counterproductive - University admissions people can spot a 'fake' easily.

I found this by googling:

http://www.ucas.com/students/startappli ... statement/


http://www.studential.com/personalstatements/
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Post by KB »

Quite a few of the University undergraduate admissions sections on internet have advice about what they are looking for on personal statements.
Apparently they have clever software for spotting copies & interviewers are pretty experienced so will often spot 'untruths'.
Our school has advised to ensure it is kept relevent - tie anything you say into the requirements of the course or at least coping at University!
main focus should be on what you makes you suitable for the course/why you are interested in it. More briefly on extra curricular experience. Jobs can be used to demonstrate abilty to manage time if nothing else!
Gettig a good school refernce is very important - advised that the sooner student gets UCAS form completed the better as staff have more time to spend on the reference. If a whole pile come in at the last minute they will be in rush to get them processed.

Blood, sweat & tears to produce DD's 1st draft!
yoyo123
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Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

Miss Yoyo is studying history. she started her personal statement with an explanation of why she had always been interested in the subject (seeing murals in Belfast aged 6 and asking her dad what they meant and why that was).

She was worried because she had heard that you had to do lots of 'stuff' so that your personal statement looked good, grade 2 cello and a job in a supermarket cafe were not suitably exotic,but she was asked for interview at a Russell group university and given one of the 60 places out of the 300 interviewees.

If he can convince whoever is reading it that he is sincere about wanting to study the subject it will count a lot.


her teachers in sixth form looked over the statements and helped teh pupils tweak them, buut the main body camer from the girls themselves

.
hermanmunster
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Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

yoyo123 wrote:She was worried because she had heard that you had to do lots of 'stuff' so that your personal statement looked good, grade 2 cello and a job in a supermarket cafe were not suitably exotic,but she was asked for interview at a Russell group university and given one of the 60 places out of the 300 interviewees.



.
I was interviewing university students once and came out feeling that they had all got grade 8 in some instrument. DoE gold awards. had produced the school play and played sport for the county. :oops: - however when you actually spoke to them it was a different matter - some were wonderful and others seemed clueless, the selection was based far more on what was said at the interview and the academic qualificatons than the other activities outside school.
asdguest
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:06 pm

Post by asdguest »

If you google The Student Room and go to the relevant subject under the University section you should find some help with the writing of a PS and someone willing to look it over for you when you're done.
familyinthevalley
Posts: 245
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:43 pm

Post by familyinthevalley »

hermanmunster wrote:
I was interviewing university students once and came out feeling that they had all got grade 8 in some instrument. DoE gold awards. had produced the school play and played sport for the county. :oops: - however when you actually spoke to them it was a different matter - some were wonderful and others seemed clueless, the selection was based far more on what was said at the interview and the academic qualificatons than the other activities outside school.
Thanks for that post Hermanmunster. I have just read my elder son's personal statement and I don't think my jaw has come up from the ground yet. He has been mentored by an ex Oxford admissions officer (through his school), and I find it hard to believe that what has been written has been slated as 'excellent'. My son showed me his original version, and then the version after the suggested changes.
He's going to do some 'tweaking' (or.....major changes!) to it - but he has to do it himself. After reading what was written, it wasn't my DS's personal statement, but rather something someone else had had him write.
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