Personal statements
•Download as PPT, PDF•
2 likes•555 views
Personal statements
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
Similar to Personal statements
Similar to Personal statements (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Personal statements
- 1. 1 Personal statements Monday, November 17, 2014
- 2. 2 Session outline •Introduce UCAS personal statements •What are admissions tutors looking for? •Good and bad practice Monday, November 17, 2014
- 3. Personal statements •Most important part of the UCAS form •The process is all about you and your skills •This is your chance to – Promote yourself to admissions tutors – Stand out amongst the applications Monday, November 17, 2014 3
- 4. What are we looking for in a good application? •Strong academic profile • may include specific GCSEs and AS/A2 levels •Knowledge and interest in subject area • Strong teacher reference Monday, November 17, 2014 4
- 13. Structure and content •It is not enough just to list things •Present a clear and well structured statement •Demonstrate a genuine interest for the subject •Demonstrate an understanding of the subject area outside of normal studies Monday, November 17, 2014 13
- 14. What are we looking for? • Strong opening paragraph • Enthusiasm – people who are eager to learn • Why you want to study a degree in this subject area • Joint honours or two subjects? Why those two in particular? Monday, November 17, 2014 14
- 15. What are we looking for? • Vocational i.e. teaching, medicine – a commitment to the profession and understanding of the role • Relevant work experience, interests and hobbies • Link to key skills where possible Monday, November 17, 2014 15
- 16. What are we looking for? • Explanation of subjects and skills learned (through studies and hobbies, interests etc.) • A focus on information which is relevant • Students who are going to contribute something to the university community Monday, November 17, 2014 16
- 17. Activity • Think about the subject you’d like to study at university • Write down a few bullet points with your reasons – but do not mention the subject by name! • For example: “I like Picasso. And drawing. And Van Gogh inspires me”... Monday, November 17, 2014 17
- 18. Showcase your skills! • You’re attempting to prove to admissions tutors that you have the relevant skills to pursue a degree • How can you do this? Monday, November 17, 2014 18
- 19. SSkkiillllss aanndd EExxppeerriieennccee EEXXPPEERRIIEENNCCEE AA lleevveell HHiissttoorryy AAssssiiggnnmmeenntt RReesseeaarrcchh sskkiillllss AAnnaallyyttiiccaall sskkiillllss PPrreesseennttaattiioonn sskkiillllss Monday, November 17, 2014 19
- 20. SSkkiillllss aanndd EExxppeerriieennccee EEXXPPEERRIIEENNCCEE AA lleevveell MMaatthhss EExxaamm AAnnaallyyssiiss ooff ddaattaa AApppplliiccaattiioonn ooff kknnoowwlleeddggee PPrroobblleemm ssoollvviinngg Monday, November 17, 2014 20
- 21. SSkkiillllss aanndd EExxppeerriieennccee EEXXPPEERRIIEENNCCEE SScchhooooll SSoocciieettyy CCrreeaattiivviittyy CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn CCoonnffiiddeennccee Monday, November 17, 2014 21
- 22. SSkkiillllss aanndd EExxppeerriieennccee EEXXPPEERRIIEENNCCEE PPaarrtt--ttiimmee jjoobb TTEESSCCOO cchheecckk--oouutt TTeeaammwwoorrkk RReessppoonnssiibbiilliittyy OOrrggaanniissaattiioonn Monday, November 17, 2014 22
- 23. Showcase your skills! Don’t just list your skills - explain Example “At TESCO I work with a variety of different people whether it be liaising with my Manager to negotiate upcoming shifts or helping a customer locate an item on the shelves. It is my responsibility to ensure customers have the best possible experience. I do this by constantly building and revising my product knowledge and working effectively alongside colleagues with different areas of specialism.” Monday, November 17, 2014 23
- 24. Activity • Choose a school subject, hobby, part-time job or other activity that you are involved with • Evidence the skills you have gained • Relate skills to the degree subject Monday, November 17, 2014 24
- 27. Use of language • How you say something is just as important as what you’re saying • Be positive, take responsibility for your achievements • Use proactive words and phrases: negotiated, coordinated, directed… • Be aware of UCAS similarity detection rules • Check spelling and grammar! Monday, November 17, 2014 27
- 28. Top tips! • Start early • Include gap year plans • Listen constructively • Avoid txt language • Avoid quotes, jokes and poems! Monday, November 17, 2014 28
- 29. 29 Questions? Name, Student Recruitment Officer Want to know what it’s like to be a student? Find out at http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/studentlife Not sure which university is for you? www.which.co.uk/university UoNapplicants The University of Nottingham UoNapplicants www.youtube.com/user/NottmUniversity
Editor's Notes
- Introduction Introduce yourself Say you are from The University of Nottingham Say what your presentation is on and what you will cover (what they should know by the end of the presentation) Check everyone can hear you/ see the screen. How long you will be talking for When they can ask questions - let them know if they will be receiving a handout or if they might want to make notes. SMILE
- Talk through the objectives for the session
- The personal statement is your chance to set yourself apart from other applicants who have similar grades to you
- What are The University of Nottingham looking for? A strong academic profile: our courses are very competitive and we look for students who have strong GCSE results and A2 predictions Knowledge and interest: all universities will want to see that a student is genuinely passionate about the subject they are applying to study. We want to see that students are reading books outside of the curriculum, visiting relevant sites, watching relevant programmes and gaining work experience related to your subject We would like to hear how you want to use your degree to benefit your career. If you have a career in mind, you could mention that and if you don’t, that is fine but we would like to hear how you plan to use your degree after graduating
- So let’s start off with an exercise to see what you already know about UCAS personal statements. This is a true or false game.
- Here is an example of how competitive it is to get on to a course at The University of Nottingham so your personal statement is really important in persuading an admissions tutor that they should offer you a place on the course. Do not just list things, you need to show what skills you have gained from the things you have done Show that you follow your subject area outside of the curriculum. Admissions tutors want to see that you read around the subject, attend any relevant events, gain work experience etc.
- Admissions tutors want to see that you are genuinely enthusiastic about your subject and that you will remain enthusiastic for the duration of the course. If you are applying to study two subjects, explain why you chose those two in particular (do they compliment each other? etc.)
- If you are applying for a vocational degree (e.g. teaching, medicine, veterinary), admissions tutors will want to see that you understand the job role and the profession as a whole. Work experience is essential for some courses (medicine, veterinary, teaching)
- It is essential to focus on the skills you have learnt from the experience you have. Do not just list your achievements. Ensure that the skills you talk about are tailored to the course that you are applying for. Admissions tutors want to admit students who will contribute positively to the wider university community (e.g. get involved in societies, sports, students union etc.) The University of Nottingham recommends focusing 70-80% of the statement on the academic side (i.e. the subject that you are applying to study) and 20-30% on general university motivation and extra-curricular activities. However, be aware that some universities, such as Oxbridge, would prefer the statement to be 100% focused on the academic subject you are applying for so it is important to strike the correct balance.
- Activity as follows; Get the group to think about what subject they want to study, and the reasons for doing so. They can write a few sentences or bullet points on their paper, but they must not mention the subject by name. So, if they want to apply for Art at university, they might write down ‘I like Picasso, Van Gogh, drawing, etc’. Give them this example. After 5 minutes, we will play a guessing game. Ask for volunteers to read out what they have written down – the idea is that what they have written should be as specific as possible! The presenter should be able to guess which subject they are applying for simply by listening to what is written down. Personal statements should be very specific and not filled with wishy-washy statements such as ‘I want to help people’ – and this activity will really help them develop the skills to become succinct in their writings.
- It is essential to remember that a personal statement cannot just be a list of your achievements. We are now going to think about a practical way in which you can evidence your skills and experience through the use of mind mapping.
- Here is Laura. She is a student at the end of Year 12 thinking about how to write her personal statement. Laura studies A-Level History and Maths, she is a school prefect, part of the drama society, has taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award and she works part-time at Tesco. However, she isn’t really sure how to translate all of this experience into her personal statement to evidence the skills she has gained. Here is an example of how Laura could effectively translate that experience into her personal statement Laura currently studies A-Level History. As part of her course she has to do lots of assignments so she now needs to think about the skills she has gained from doing these assignments (research skills by going to the library and taking out books, analytical skills by critiquing books/articles that she reads and presentation skills both in terms of written presentation in essays but also in presentations she has had to deliver to her class.) Here you could ask if there are any Historians in the room and if they can think of any other skills they have gained from their course.
- Here is Laura. She is a student at the end of Year 12 thinking about how to write her personal statement. Laura studies A-Level History and Maths, she is a school prefect, part of the drama society, has taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award and she works part-time at Tesco. However, she isn’t really sure how to translate all of this experience into her personal statement to evidence the skills she has gained. Here is an example of how Laura could effectively translate that experience into her personal statement Laura currently studies A-Level History. As part of her course she has to do lots of assignments so she now needs to think about the skills she has gained from doing these assignments (research skills by going to the library and taking out books, analytical skills by critiquing books/articles that she reads and presentation skills both in terms of written presentation in essays but also in presentations she has had to deliver to her class.) Here you could ask if there are any Historians in the room and if they can think of any other skills they have gained from their course.
- Here is Laura. She is a student at the end of Year 12 thinking about how to write her personal statement. Laura studies A-Level History and Maths, she is a school prefect, part of the drama society, has taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award and she works part-time at Tesco. However, she isn’t really sure how to translate all of this experience into her personal statement to evidence the skills she has gained. Here is an example of how Laura could effectively translate that experience into her personal statement Laura currently studies A-Level History. As part of her course she has to do lots of assignments so she now needs to think about the skills she has gained from doing these assignments (research skills by going to the library and taking out books, analytical skills by critiquing books/articles that she reads and presentation skills both in terms of written presentation in essays but also in presentations she has had to deliver to her class.) Here you could ask if there are any Historians in the room and if they can think of any other skills they have gained from their course.
- Here is Laura. She is a student at the end of Year 12 thinking about how to write her personal statement. Laura studies A-Level History and Maths, she is a school prefect, part of the drama society, has taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award and she works part-time at Tesco. However, she isn’t really sure how to translate all of this experience into her personal statement to evidence the skills she has gained. Here is an example of how Laura could effectively translate that experience into her personal statement Laura currently studies A-Level History. As part of her course she has to do lots of assignments so she now needs to think about the skills she has gained from doing these assignments (research skills by going to the library and taking out books, analytical skills by critiquing books/articles that she reads and presentation skills both in terms of written presentation in essays but also in presentations she has had to deliver to her class.) Here you could ask if there are any Historians in the room and if they can think of any other skills they have gained from their course.
- So you can use this approach to translate the experience that you have into the skills you have gained. Please also be aware to explain your skills rather than just listing them
- So now it is your turn to have a go at creating one of the mind maps to evidence the skills you have learnt from some of your experience. Choose just one subject/hobby/job and evidence the skills you have gained from it. It is then really important to relate these skills to the degree subject that you are going to apply for. This activity can be done on pen and paper or discussed in a group.
- This is a screenshot of UCASapply, where you will write and submit your personal statement.
- This is the warning message you will see to remind you that the personal statement must be your own work. Please do not copy things from the internet or from other people as this will be checked by UCAS and their similarity detection rules.
- If you are planning on going on a gap year, explain why you are doing this, what you are going to do and what skills you will gain from it (e.g. if you work in business in Australia for a year you can mention this in a really positive way if applying for a degree in Business)
- Offer the chance for people to ask questions. Draw student’s attention to the UoN applicants facebook and twitter pages and encourage them to join. Also, insert any social media channels that you run in your School and draw attention to them.