Writing your UCAS Personal Statement
Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service (
www.ucas.com). Many universities appreciate hearing about things
you’ve done outside of your courses that don’t have tariff points attached as these are often
the activities which help you to stand out from the crowd. You can find out more and read the
UCAS guidance here:
You apply for a maximum of five courses through UCAS, but you only write one personal
statement, which will be read by the admissions tutor for each of your choices. For a
timeline, mind map and more great advice go to:
Most courses provide information on what they are looking for, either on their own web
pages or in their Entry Profiles at:
Admissions tutors use personal statements to find applicants who stand out from the crowd.
Your personal statement is your chance to persuade an admissions tutor that you are well
suited to a place on their course. You will need to stand out from the thousands of other
students applying who are just as well qualified as you are.
Your Career Academy experience will have given you many relevant things to talk about in
your personal statement. Remember that only around 1400 students across the UK will
complete the Career Academy programme this year so you are one of a fairly small number
of people able to talk about this.
To help you to consider how you might include your Career Academy experience in your
personal statement, here are some things to think about. You only have 47 lines (around
4000 characters) in which to show that you are a good fit for the courses you’ve selected, so
make sure you include as much relevant information as you can to answer these key
questions:
1. Why have you chosen the course?
2. What have you gained from your studies?
3. What type of person are you?
Remember that UCAS uses plagiarism-detection software to ensure that your statement is
your own original work. Make your statement individual and make every word count.
Universities want to know what you’ve done, and more importantly what you think about it.
This helps them understand the way you think. Talk about your Career Academy experience
and also what you think you gained from it.
To help you think of relevant experiences to include, make a list of things you have done
through your Career Academy experience.
1. Did you attend A Capital Experience event in London in November? Which company
did you visit? Did this help you to make decisions about your future?
2. Has your Partner in Business helped you to learn about the world of work and to
shape your decisions?
3. Did you attend a Guru Lecture which stood out for you?
4. Did you have a visit to a workplace which inspired you?
5. Where was your internship? What did you learn from the experience in the
workplace? Has this affected your decisions about which courses to apply for?
6. What skills did you develop during your internship? For example, team working,
communication skills, customer service, presentation.
7. What work did you complete during your internship? How did you contribute to the
team?
8. Were you offered an extension to your internship? Were you offered part time work
as a result of your internship?
9. Have you acted as an ambassador for Career Academies UK either within your
school or college or for the national organisation?
In addition to your personal statement, ask the person who writes your UCAS reference to
comment on how your Career Academy experience has contributed to your personal
development. Admissions tutors want to see references that strongly support your
application without simply repeating what you say in your statement. So, do discuss this with
your referee, and if they’d like to see it, show them this document as well.
Before you submit your personal statement, make sure it has been read by one of your
tutors. You could also ask your Partner in Business to read it for you. Remember to double
check your spelling and grammar.
Use the Career Academy network
Remember that there is a network of students who have completed the Career Academy
programme over the years. You are part of this network so make the most of it.
If you’d like to get in touch with past Career Academy students who are currently studying at
university, you can join our student group on LinkedIn by following this link:
We use this group to share news and opportunities which may be of interest to past and
present Career Academy students.
If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, you can set one up for free at
www.linkedin.com
You can also follow us on twitter: @CareerAcadsUK
And ‘Like’ us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/CareerAcademiesUK
The team at Career Academies UK wishes you all the best with your applications. Please
keep in touch, wherever you progress to.
With thanks to Lancaster University UK Student Recruitment and Outreach for their advice.
No comments:
Post a Comment