Postgraduate Application Forms

and Personal Statements

Barbara Mac CarthyCareers Advisor for Students with

DisabilitiesDisability Support Service

UCC

Postgraduate options

Higher & postgraduate DiplomasConversion courses ( diplomas or

masters)Taught Masters

Research MastersPhD

Reasons for pursuing further study

• Interest in subject/Desire to specialize and deepen knowledge

• Requirement for specific career path• Desire to change direction• Increase employability• Not knowing what to do/Not ready to get a

job

How to decide on a postgraduate course

• SELF ASSESSMENTWhat are my areas of interest?What type of course am I suited to ? –

theoretical or more practical ?What are my career interests and

aspirations ?Course duration -1 or 2 years…….4 years?Location- Where

ACADEMIC SELECTION PROCESS

➔ FOCUS ON➔ Evidence of academic interest & ability

➔ Evidence of interest & commitment

➔ Evidence of clear link to career goals

Applying for course in UCCHow do you make an application?• Go to www.pac.ie and click on University College Cork• You may make one application but can include up to 3

taught programmes on your application form• Not a preference based application system as such but

should list in order of preference• It is not necessary to complete all programme choices

What will you need to make an application?• Your PPS number, UCC Student Number, credit card

details, an active email account that you check regularly• Supplementary information form(for some programmes)• Supporting documentation (copies to be sent to

Postgraduate Applications Centre in Galway)

Academic Selection Process

1. Have you the desired entry requirements e.g. results/modules

2. Have you a genuine interest in the course

3. How have you gone about to confirm this interest to yourself and selection committee:

e.g. work experience, shadow work, contact with professionals working in this field, knowledge of course content, spoken to past students etc.

4. Can you demonstrate the skills/abilities required that make you a suitable candidate for this postgraduate course

5. Can you demonstrate how this postgraduate course fits into your bigger career objective

PREPARATION & FOCUS

• Carefully read/analyze course information AND application form 3 to 4 times

• Get clear on what skills, qualities and experience are essential for this course and ultimately for this career

• Your past provides evidence of your future potential.Its essential to draw on your past experiences to demonstrate your suitability

PAST EXPERIENCES ACADEMIC• Subjects, modules/electives, interest level & grades• Projects & assignments & essays• Relevant work experience(paid or voluntary)

PREPARATION & FOCUS

Interest & commitmentAny relevant work experience (paid / unpaid)

= confirmation of your interest &commitment= valuable insight into subject/ professionAny involvement in college clubs & societies

PREPARATION& FOCUS

• Career goals• Link your selected course of study to careers

of interest• Demonstrate your knowledge of relevant job

opportunities• www.ucc.ie/careers• What do graduates do?

BRAINSTORM

• List all your strong points that make you eligible for acceptance

• Examine academic grades, interests, extracurricular experiences

• Be CONFIDENT &IMAGINATIVE – this is your first rough draft !

General Hints

• Target application form to each individual

postgraduate course/college• Demonstrate answers by live examples• Show a progression through the answer• Tell the story – beginning, middle, end • Using STAR process

Situation

Task

Action

Result

DO

• Check out deadline asap• Find out if transcripts and/or references are

required• Make several copies of any paper

application sheets• Do at least 3 drafts

Don’t

• Make spelling mistakes• Dirty the form• Fill the form with exaggerated statements with

no supporting evidence• Be apologetic in tone• Negative about your achievements• Forget to explain gaps in your study/work

experiences

Q. PARTICULAR ABILITIES(special aptitudes, knowledge of languages,

computer/IT skills)

•Co-ordination/Organisation Skills – Strong organisational skills developed through my role as a committee member of the UCC Economics Department, where I organised monthly meetings, managed funds and completed annual accounts.

•IT/Computer Skills – Working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Internet and E-mail. Used these resources during my degree in researching, writing up and collating data for course work and presentations. Successfully completed the ECDL.

•Team Work – Through participating in group projects and working as part of a team during my undergraduate work placement I developed strong interpersonal and negotiation skills through interacting with peers and the division of workload to meet specific deadlines.

•Research Skills – Developed through researching literature projects and dissertations, using the libraries and the internet and through conducting experiments for practicals and research projects during my degree.

Q. State briefly the basis of your interest in postgraduate studies and how this relates to your career objective

• I am a third year Bachelor of Arts student in UCC taking a major in Sociology and minor in Psychology for which I achieved a 1H result for the last two years. My psychology modules exposed me to such areas Social Psychology, Developmental and Lifespan Psychology for which I gained a particular interest and excelled academically. This led me to take on a further 5 credits in psychology in my third year.

• In addition I have worked on a voluntary basis with Knockrea Family Centre for the last two years working closely with counsellors and social workers who support families and children from disadvantaged backgrounds through group work, house visits and one-to-one sessions. This direct experience has confirmed my interest in qualifying as a Counselling Psychologist specialising in family systems.

• Completing this P.Dip in Applied Psychology would give me the necessary qualifications and academic accreditation with the Psychological Society of Ireland to pursue my Masters and ultimately a career as a Counselling Psychologist.

Q. Career Objective

• The first year of my commerce degree incorporated a module in accountancy. I discovered I had an aptitude for the subject and received an honour at the end of year exams. Discussing this interest with a cousin of mine who qualified as a Chartered Accountant he advised me to gain some practical accounting experience. I researched opportunities with the careers service and secured the position of accounts assistant within a small accounting firm last summer. This experience provided me with valuable insights into accounting and audit procedures while at the same time confirming my interest in qualifying as an Accountant.

• As a result I wish to apply to DCU to complete the one year PG.Diploma in Accounting Studies. This course will further develop my understanding of accounting methodologies while enhancing my numerical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills and my ability to learn and make decisions independently essential business skills in applying to professional practices to secure a traineeship as a Chartered Accountant.

Q. Please describe your hobbies, interests and personal achievements

SportsMember and Treasurer of St. Michaels GAA team (dates)Active Member of UCC Soccer Team (dates)Contribution as Treasurer:Attend monthly meetings advising members of budget issues and invoices that need to be paidMaintain club accounts and liaise with auditors on an annual basis

Group Your Activities:

Class Representative for 4th Year CommerceLiaise with academic staff and students on arising class issuesLiaise with Students Union, attending monthly meetings and relate relevant information to class group

Q. Please write here any additional information, which will strengthen your application

Include technical skills such as PC Applications, hardware, operating systems, software etc. Did you complete the ECDL?

Include any relevant non-technical/soft skills, such as presentation skills, team management skills/any in-house training completed. Give examples of how you used these skills/experience (relate to the course/industry sector)

Problem solving – can you demonstrate and instance where you used analysis, problem solving and creative thinking

Q What is a Personal Statement?

• It is a brief and focussed essay about one’s career or research goals

• A personal statement gives you the opportunity to present aspects of yourself and your background that may not be apparent from other parts of your application

• The statement is a chance to show you have the commitment and qualifications to work or pursue further study in your chosen field

Why Personal Statements?• Opportunity for readers of your application to

get a feel for you as a person as well as a student. Snapshot of who you are

• Essay is also the place where you can put your academic record, experiences, skills etc into context re the application you are making

• A personal statement gives you the opportunity to present aspects of yourself and your background that may not be apparent from other parts of your application

Why Personal Statements

• To get to know you not your record• To see if you can think logically• To see if you can write well• What do you know about the programme?• To see if you are a good fit for the

department

What will the Admissions Committee use the Personal

Statement for?• To help shortlist the best candidates• To generate questions for interview• To confirm that your understand the nature

of the course• To confirm that you have thoroughly

researched the programme• To distinguish whether or not you are

suitable if a borderline case

Rules and Guideline

• Some courses will set out areas they wish you to address in the statement, number of words/characters/pages allowed and may also state whether or not you can include other supporting documents e.g. C.V.

• Length- can vary from 1 A4 page to text box in an application form with an instruction which allows you to continue on a separate sheet to a word limit 300-500 words

Rules and Guidelines

• Make sure you clearly address all the areas they want you to cover

• Stick to any rules on length/word limits• Your application my be rejected because of

your inability to follow the limits set or the assessors may discard the additional text/documents you have included

Rules and GuidelinesAudienceRemember who you are pitching to –

admissions will read your statement in part to assess whether or not you will be awarded a place or called for interview- use appropriate language

Time Allow plenty of time to prepare 1st draft, get

feedback and finalise your statementDifferent courses will require different

personal statement

Rules and Guidelines

• Writing Style• Be clear concise, positive and factual• Make sure your spelling and grammar accurate• Focus on the experiences and interests that you

bring to the course and how they will help you to study successfully

• Avoid simple repetition of statements made in the course literature as this gives no indication of your capacity to think critically

Sample Questions

• “Please state your specific interests with respect to which you are applying, Your intended area of specialisation, career objectives, and research interests and experience are of particular interests”

• “Please use this space to summarise your academic interests and reasons for choosing your intended course of study”

Before you start writing ask yourself

• What sets me apart from other applicants?• How did I learn about this field?• Why am I interested in this field?• What experience has stimulated and

enhanced my interest?• What skills or personal characteristics do I

possess?

Before you start writing ask yourself

• What are my biggest achievements?• What are my career aspirations?• Why this college or programme?• Are there any gaps in my academic record?

Anatomy of a Statement

• Past – what made you decided to pursue a particular career?

• Present - Why do you feel you are well suited to a career in this area now?

• Future – How do you see your career developing going forward?

Anatomy of a Statement

Introduction/The Hook• Introduce yourself• Why do you want to study this programme?• Why you want to do post grad?• Should grab the readers attention and make

them want to read on• Explain your desire to study the subject or

interest or discuss the motivation that influenced your desire to study the subject

Anatomy of a StatementThe Body• Your academic background• Your specific academic interests and how they

relate to the course• The experience you have e.g. Work, voluntary, extra

curricular that is relevant to you application• The key skills you have relative to the course/career• You need to support the claims you are making with

evidence/examples

Anatomy of a Statement

Conclusion

• What are your career goals?• How will the postgraduate programme

benefit your career objectives?• Hoe do you see your career developing in

the coming years?

Make in Meaningful

• Avoid vague or general statements• “ I am really interested in doing a

postgraduate management course as I hope to make this my career. It think your masters programme offers me the opportunity to learn a great deal about management and will help me get a good job in this field”

• No concrete points made and no evidence of research

Make in MeaningfulBe Specific

I am very committed to a career in management and have been to several careers presentations in order to research this career area in more depth. As a result I have decided that undertaking a postgraduate management course would be an essential first step towards achieving my career goals. I am particularly interested in the course in X university as it combines practical placements in management consultancy with the theoretical study of the principles of management. I would also value being able to begin to work towards Chartered Institute of Management qualification offered by the course

Personal Statement

3rd Paragraph

Give details of any relevant work experience, paid or voluntary, course work or dissertation, positions of responsibility, which add value to your application and demonstrates your suitability

1st ParagraphExplain why you are interested in applying for this particular

course of study in this particular college

2nd ParagraphDescribe the relevant skills, ability and qualities you

can bring to the institution, ensuring you use evidence to support your claim

5th Paragraph

Conclude with a summary of the above, ensuring your tone gets across your interest in the course/institution, and emphasises your enthusiasm and commitment

4th ParagraphInclude information about relevant technical skills you

possess which enhance your suitability

Using Headings

Q. Briefly outline your suitability, including relevant work experience for this postgraduate teaching course

Commitment to Teaching

Teaching Experience

Planning and Organisation

Skills and Aptitudes

Knowledge (Curriculum/HEA)

Strengths and Interests

Personal Qualities

Write a short paragraph with your evidence under each heading

Q. Provide a detailed proposal of the research that you intend to undertake.

These guidelines are provided to help you draw out your ideas. They state the requirements of a sound proposal. (1500 WORDS APROX)

Topic

Background and context

Conceptual framework and related literature

Methodology and ethics

Research plan and timeline

Writing

Checklist• Check application closing dates with Postgraduate

Admissions in relevant colleges• Application Forms must be targeted to individual

courses/institutions• Do out a number of draft application forms • Bring completed drafts down to the career service for final

review before posting• Use additional sheets (if suggested) to expand on answers• Attach all relevant documentation e.g. transcripts, letters of

reference, photo etc.• Keep your options open – apply for a number of

postgraduate courses

Exercise...

• Self Assessment Exercise 15 Mins• Completing the exercise will help you evaluate

yourself under some important headings:• Course of Choice• Academic interests• Work Experience and Skills• Interests and Achievements• Future Plans

Irish Sources of Information UK Sources of Information

Relevant Websites

Ireland & the UK Europe

www.gradireland.com www.eurograduate.com

www.hea.ie www.eurydice.org

www.prospects.ac.uk http://egide.as.so.fr (France)

www.hobsons.com www.daad.de Germany)

www.csic.es/postgrads (Spain)

USA

www.petersons.org

www.gre.org

www.gmat.org

www.fulbright.co.uk

www.studyusa.com

Contact Details

Barbara Mac CarthyCareers AdvisorDisability Support ServiceSouth LodgeUCC

Phone: 021 4903768 or 021 490 2985Email: bmaccarthy@ucc.ie(Thursdays and Fridays)