Writing a UCAS Personal Statement involves a pupil to impart a large amount of info in a brief space of time. Goof ups are not hard to make. Read the run of ours down of the most typical ones and the way to stay away from them.
Writing an individual Statement for UCAS is, in ways that are numerous, like asking a pupil to express to the story of the life of theirs in 4,000 characters or even less.
And if that sounds difficult, it is because it’s.
The UCAS Personal Statement is the foundation of any UK faculty application. Pupils have to produce a genuine, compelling and authoritative account of who they’re and what they really want from a UK faculty degree. They have to rapidly grab the interest on the faculty admissions officer reading through the Personal Statement of theirs, & they have to ensure they get noticed from the many various other programs which will be crossing that admission officer’s table.
To be able to accomplish this, the Personal Statement is going to require a pupil to perfect content, structure, and form in such how that makes their publishing stand out.
Understandably, pupils could be an inordinate quantity of pressure to obtain their Personal Statement right very first time.
Certainly, often than not, it is not really a situation of pupils getting lazy when composing their UCAS Personal Statements. The issue is usually that pupils have a great deal to say and would have put a great deal of thought into the Statement of theirs, but could create some simple stylistic blunders that may cost them when they eventually submit the application of theirs.
But in case these mistakes are not hard to make, they are also simple to avoid. Here are 5 personal statement help tips
- Writing your own Statement for a topic which is not the right match
If pupils have done their research considerately and carefully, then this should not be a problem. Preferably, in the season leading approximately the submission of the Personal Statement, the pupils of yours may have shortlisted the faculty of theirs and also program tendencies to the stage where they are requesting a subject area they are truly zealous about.
But this very first, major blunder is the pure conclusion of a pupil actually being pressured into a subject or maybe profession by family, parents or perhaps school peers. Hopefully this will not happen – but if a pupil is composing their UCAS Personal Statement for a subject they are not really passionate about, subsequently this should tripped alarm bells. It’ll inevitably impact the quality of the Personal Statement.
And, most notably, admissions staff members will quickly notice an individual Statement in which the student’s heart is not in it.
- Grammar and Spelling Mistakes
This might look like a rather apparent error, and one your pupils ideally should not be making.
Though the small time frames related to a UCAS Personal Statement will generate spelling and grammar errors much more likely, specially in case your pupils are not taking time to proof read their own statement before distributing it.
Spelling and grammar mistakes can definitely count against pupils, and also will make their publishing seem to be sloppy and poorly thought through. It is an especially terrible look in case your pupils are applying for social sciences courses or humanities, or really any degree that requires a large amount of extended writing!
- Stay away from exuberant language plus pointless cliches
“My love of Physics started when I used to look up at the night skies as a kid, and also discovered it awe-inspiring.” and breath-taking simultaneously
“I’ve been enthusiastic about the works of William Shakespeare since witnessing the first generation of mine on stage. I am fascinated by the way Shakespeare is still relevant for today.”
Could you see what is wrong with these 2 examples?
Whilst they’re well-worded and positive very statements about why a pupil may wish to research astrophysics, or maybe Shakespearian literature, each these Personal Statement instances tip very quickly into generalisation and cliche.
We are not hinting you should not encourage the pupils of yours to take good language when composing a UCAS Personal Statement, but this good language should be backed up with apparent, rigorous analysis along with specific instances.
Don’t forget – the key element to a great Personal Statement is leading, not telling.
And so why is Shakespeare still applicable to today? What specific examples might a pupil writing about a 16th century writer use to show the importance of theirs to the 21st century?
Furthermore, proclaiming a like for the great things of the night sky is all well and excellent, but why did it make our case pupil want to learn Physics?
- Endlessly listing extracurricular activities
Extracurricular activities are a crucial component of any Personal Statement. If used in the proper way, they are able to assist a pupil to stand out, and also look like an well rounded individual. Extracurriculars can also help showcase valuable soft skills which universities worth in the pupils of theirs.
But there is no point using extracurriculars such as a grocery list. Pupils endlessly describing the extracurriculars of theirs are going to mean nothing in case they do not relate them to the general narrative of the Personal Statement.
Once again, it is about showing, not informing. Saying’ I have captained the school football team of mine for 3 years’ means nothing in case the author does not describe this particular exercise within the context of the Personal Statement.
Top tip: When considering the Personal Statement of theirs, pupils have to consider the extracurricular activities which can present soft skills. What did they find out from undertaking this certain extracurricular activity? Do they think it is going to set them apart in their general application? When the solution is no, then it is best not placing it in.
- Over using quotes or even taking them out of context
Keep in mind what we stated about exuberant language & cliches?
It is exactly the same with the application of quotes.
Quotes could be an effective device to back up any argument, whether it is in a UCAS Personal Statement or maybe any other essay type.
But quotes utilized clumsily can usually have the complete opposite impact, and also make the author associated with an individual Statement appear to be pretentious or simply quoting for the benefit of it.
Many pupils might be tempted to widen the Personal Statement of theirs having a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, or maybe Martin Luther King. A pupil who’s distributing an application for psychology might think it important to start the Personal Statement of theirs having a quote from Sigmund Freud.
The difficulty is the fact that many UK faculty admissions tutors have most likely noticed the same quotes over and over. Once again, if quotes are not used in context, and do not perform the general narrative of the Personal Statement, then it might be really worth not placing them in.
It is also essential to remember that colleges would like to pick up from the pupil, not Sigmund Freud! If in doubt, a pupil writing your own Statement must make use of the own views of theirs and insights, not somebody else’s.