Personal Statements and Reference Writing

Personal Statement workshop

2nd JUNE 2016

UCAS (www.ucas.com)

UCAS Application (5 choices)Teacher Reference(teacher survey?)IB Predicted Grades

Your Personal StatementUCAS Applications

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Make sure your teacher knows he/she is writing a UK Reference!

An Introduction to the Personal Statement

What to Include

What not to Include

Some Tips and Advice

A Suggested Framework + Example

Mistakes Students Make

Questions and Answers

Useful ResourcesWorkshop agenda

FunDynamic teacherInteractivePopcorn!US College ESSAY Workshop

Dark, wet and coldGets dark at like 2pmShops close at 3pm No such thing as a warm fuzzyEndless exotic, nutritional daily diet of deep fried Fish and ChipsIn short, life is miserable & bleak

Youre Going to the U.K.

More ConservativeFocused on your suitability for your particular program of choiceRead by subject tutors/professorsCompared to the US Style ESSAYThree key ideas

The basics

Recap

Punchy Opening ParagraphWhy youre so excited to study the subjectCommunicate how you really understand the course and what you are getting to

EvidenceTo prove your interest in a particular courseSprinkle in all your skills and good qualities to show you can do it

The End BitThe Personal TouchYou are uniquethings you are interested in that will help you fit into university life as a whole

What Makes you stand out

Your chance to stand out from other applicants

The one part of the process where you are in complete control

More conservative than a US College Essay

You start with a blank piece of paper not a response to a prompt (unlike the Common Application)

The same personal statement is sent to all of your chosen universities

The personal statement

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Four thousand characters maximum including all punctuation and spaces

Approximately five six-line paragraphs

Must be succinct with no repetition or padding

Everything that you choose to include should be there for a reason

It will require several re-writes (share it)

Eventually you will copy and paste it into your UCAS application

Four thousand characters

Partly about you but mostly about your suitability for a particular subject

75% of it should be academically focused with 25% about the all round student

It should focus on particular skills and aptitudes that will help you succeed

Try to demonstrate a commitment to a subject or subject area

What to includeThis is why it is so difficult, if not impossible to apply to different subject areas with your UK universities.

Why do you want to study that subject?

When did you first realize this?

What academic skills make you be a good fit for that subject?

The skills will depend on the course you have applied to study

What is it that they are they looking for?

Academic attributes

Be as specific as possible about your academic abilities

Studying Science requires data analysis

Studying History requires strong research skills

Studying Business improves presentation skills

Studying English encourages critical thinking

Extended Essay requires time management

Theory of Knowledge needs collaborative skills

Be specific

Being specific as possible about your academic abilities means supplying evidence

Try to show evidence of interest and a level of commitment to a particular subject

What things have you done that can be used to show this commitment?

What have you read?

What have you learnt?

What do you still have time to do?

evidence

How important are extra-curricular activities?

Internships and work experience

Summer courses

Leadership, service, sports, orchestra, plays, hobbies, passions, significant events etc.

The focus should be on the skills acquired as consequence of these activities

Showing is better than telling

Extra-curricular activitiesBeing on student council I developed my leadership and organizational skills.

Being on student council I was responsible for ??? and ??? while and ensuring that ??? And ??? were completed in a timely manner

Dont be too quirky or tell jokes

Only use quotes that have genuine relevance

Be careful trying to play too much for one university

Do not plagiarize others material

Be simple, be honest, be yourself

It should be written by you not Mom or Dad or your Counselor

warning

Avoid providing information held elsewhere

Spelling, punctuation and grammar

Make sure every sentence counts

Avoid name dropping to impress, ahead of including things that are more important

Dont Lie

Keep it positive

Be smart about word choice and dont be overly wordy/poeticTips and strategies

What do professors Say?

A Suggested Format (5 paragraphs)

Why this course?

When did you first become interested in your subject?

Can you recall an event or occasion when you realized that you wanted to study your subject?

How many schools have you attended?

How has your multi-cultural upbringing shaped you?

Do you have any specific career plans?

Paragraph 1

Are you an IB Diploma student?

What motivated your choice of subjects?

What have you learned from your higher level subjects?

Give evidence to demonstrate this learning

What have you enjoyed?

What interests and motivates you?Paragraph 2

What inspired your Extended Essay?

What did you learn from it?

Talk about the Theory of Knowledge essay and the presentation

What other major pieces of work did you enjoy or were you successful in?

What kind of learner are you?

Have EE and TOK helped in other subject areas?

Paragraph 3

Extra curricular activities

Class Councils and clubs

Individual or team sports

Dance, Drama, Music

Hobbies outside of school

CAS, ICare and service learning

Less can be more

Paragraph 4Skills acquired that are transferable to your course of study and study at the university level in general

A summary or synopsis of your enthusiasm, attributes and suitability

Return to some of the themes in the introduction

Why the UK?

Career aspirations?

End with a bang not a whimper

Paragraph 5

One real example

Paragraph 1

Why History?An event that contributed to wanting to study the subject furtherThe importance of History in his life

Paragraph 2

Where hes studied and how that has helped himHistorical connection to the countries hes lived in (rich historical backgrounds)Resiliency, adaptability, wider perspectivesIB Diploma program and its benefits

Paragraph 3

Choice of Subjects for IB / Extended Essay TopicHighlighting what was learned / personal strengthsSkills learned that are immediately applicable to university study

Paragraph 4

Extra-curricular and the skills learnedLeadership, responsibility, inter-personalDevelop maturitySkills learned that are immediately applicable to university study

Paragraph 5

Extra-curricular continued and the skills learnedService Learning / Being InvolvedSkills learned that are immediately applicable to university study

Paragraph 6

Closing paragraphSummarizing why suitable for studySomeone who has been improving every year and is ready for university

PlagiarismLyingApplying LateLack of ClarityLack of EnthusiasmNot Enough ResearchLack of EvidencePoor AttributesNo Extra-Curricular StuffLack of Work Experience

Underselling YourselfSpellcheck and GrammarMalapropismsFactual InaccuraciesEvidence of ReadingMaking ListsMisjudged HumorToo ShortOmitting Relevant MaterialWeak Conclusion

20 Personal Statement Mistakes

From a young age I have (always) been interested in For as long as I can remember I haveI am applying for this course becauseI have always been interested inThroughout my life I have always enjoyedReflecting on my educational experiences??? is a very challenging and demanding (career/profession/course)Academically, I have always beenI have always wanted to pursue a career inI have always been passionate aboutTop 10 Most Common opening lines (UCAS 2015)Mary Curnock Cook, UCAS Chief Executive said: The personal statement is supposed to bepersonal. Learning to write about yourself in a compelling way is a vital skill when applying for jobs; using hackneyed phrases is not the best way to stand out.

questions

Whats next?

Complete a FIRST DRAFT of your personal statement

When you come back to school, there will be a second UCAS Personal Statement Workshop where you will work on your first draft with faculty staff.Your GOAL THIS sUMMER

Need to know what you want to study!your suitability for a particular subject

Brief review of the UCAS Personal StatementPersonal Statement Worksheet (also includes some Dos and Donts)Our Suggested FormatExemplar (History)

First Draft

Your Resource Packet

UCAShttps://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/when-apply/writing-personal-statement

The Student Roomhttp://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Personal_statement_help

ISM CounselorsAdditional Resources

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