Transcript Bath Spa University Corporate PowerPoint Template

Helping your students to
write a knock-out personal
statement!
Joanna Prestidge
Admissions Manager
Bath Spa University
Admissions
The importance of the personal statement
• May be the only chance to sell themselves – all
an admissions officer/tutor has to go on
• Enforced self-reflection – they might learn
something too!
• Opportunity to demonstrate interest in the course
or area of study
The thinking bit…
Admissions
Questions they should consider (and answer!)
before making a start:
• Have I done sufficient research into course and
HEI choices? Am I confident in this?
• Why do I love this subject? What is it about it that
I enjoy the most?
• How long have I been interested in it?
• What do I love to do in my spare time?
Admissions
Questions (continued)
• What am I proud of? What do I take pride in
being able to do?
• What opportunities have I taken?
• Do I have any non-accredited achievements?
(eg. Duke of Edinburgh)
• Have I held any positions of responsibility?
• Have I had work experience or a placement? If
so, what did I learn from it?
Admissions
Questions (continued)
• Have I demonstrated an interest in the subject
outside of school or college? (if not, do I have
plans to do this?) eg. theatre or museum visits,
clubs or groups etc.
• Have I demonstrated an interest in the subject
inside school or college? (if not, do I have
plans to do this?) eg. school plays, field trips
etc.
Admissions
Questions (continued)
• What do I want to be ‘when I grow up’? What
experiences have I had that led to this choice
of career? What experiences make me right for
it?
• Do I possess transferable skills (leadership,
communication etc.) – how have I attained
them? How can I use them during my studies?
• What makes me a good candidate?
Admissions
When they have their answers
They should…
• Make a list of everything they want to say as
well as notes based on answers to questions
• Think about structure – which order makes
sense?
• Consider what is the most important thing to
get across
• Ask friends and family for advice – can they
think of something that has been missed?
Admissions
The doing bit…
Admissions
What to think about when they start to write…
DO…
• Try to make a strong impression but don’t be
jokey or ‘quirky’, and keep it light
• Demonstrate clarity about choice of subject
and why they want to study it
• Connect their level 3 studies and personal
experiences to desired degree subject
Admissions
DO…(continued)
• Be enthusiastic and interested: ‘I hope to…I
would like to further my knowledge of…I am
looking forward to the challenge of…’ etc.
• Ensure that the structure is good and that
spelling and grammar are perfect (very
important!)
• If they are applying for deferred entry, talk
about gap year plans
Admissions
DO…(continued)
• Cover all subject areas (if applying for multiple
subjects or joint honours) applied for
• Demonstrate that they are well-rounded – give
specific examples
• If they are not in full-time education, give
details of work experience – voluntary or paid
• Keep it as up to date as possible
Admissions
DON’T…
• Dwell on shortcomings or negative things
• List all level 3 subjects again (it’s elsewhere on
the application) – only if relevant
• Be overconfident
• Be biased towards any particular university – 5
institutions will be viewing the application!
• Copy any part of the statement from elsewhere
Admissions
DON’T…(continued)
• Try too hard - being themselves is the best
policy
• Leave it too late – allow plenty of time!
• Underestimate how important it is
• Put how old they are (that appears elsewhere
on the application) or provide confidential or
private information
• Provide an inappropriate email address (on
application form generally)
Admissions
Presentation
• Type and perfect in Word then copy and paste
into UCAS Apply
• 4000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines
(including blank lines) or approx. 600 words
• Aim to fill the space – not too short!
• Don’t use bold, italics or a different font – it
won’t work
Admissions
Examples of good and bad statements…
Admissions
Good example:
“I am an athletic, self-motivated person with a thirst for
further performing arts knowledge. I became interested
in acting when I was a child from watching films and
enacting them with my friends…I became eager to
know more about the acting profession…I have
learned more in the last two years than I have my
whole life. College has showed me new techniques
and qualities and a better understanding of what
happens both on and off stage. My first major role
was…over the past few years I have become more
motivated and want to set myself new and greater
challenges. I love researching for forthcoming
shows…I am a self-taught guitarist and have been
playing for about two years…”
Admissions
Bad example:
“i have choosen to do a joint drama and writng course
because I am equally passionate about both. I have
heard great things about the course(s), and the
prospectus was a futher encoragement…I love the
liberation of acting, taking on new charectors and
broadening my experiance as both an actor and a
person…I have been an avid ameture actor for
10years now, acting in scools, youth groups and drama
groups. my previous work experince’s have been
working with both drama groups and theatre’s…I was
able to develope my writting skills whilst experiancing
directing an the production side to acting…”
Admissions
Before they press ‘send’…
• Check spelling, grammar and punctuation
(again!)
• Get a second (and third) opinion on what they
have written – does it make sense? Does it
‘flow’ well?
• Ensure that the information is all true and can
be discussed further at interview
• Keep a copy to refer to at a later date
Admissions
You may not be aware…
• UCAS training sessions (at school or college)
• UCAS adviser guide
• Similarity Detection Service – 10% or higher
similarity reported to universities
• UCAS – source of information www.ucas.ac.uk
Admissions
Questions?
Joanna Prestidge
Admissions Manager
Bath Spa University
[email protected]