Applying to UK Universities

1. Applying to UK Universities how to write a winning personal statement Janie Kingsley Senior International Officer China & Hong Kong University of Kent

2. How to stand out from the crowd

3. What am I writing this for? • To tell us your interest in the subject • To tell us a bit more about you • To tell us about your skills and experiences • To tell us your long term aims • To tell us how this course will help you get where you are going • To tell us why you would be a good addition to the university

4. What am I writing this for? not > • To tell us why you want to study at a particular university (unless you are only applying for one) • To tell us you what a nice person you are • To tell us how good you are at sports • To tell us what your parents or guardians do • To provide us with witty quotes or a bibliography (unless they are very pertinent to your application) • To use an opportunity to paste some excellent text you found on Google

5. Things you really should include: Experience of the subject The subject area Experience of the subject Passion or interest Relevant skills Insight into the subject A structured argument

6. A few stark facts to make you feel a bit sad • Your 5th choice university will receive tens of thousands of applications. • An admissions officer will take about 30 seconds to look at your schooling and predicted grades • An admissions tutor will spend no more than about 3 minutes reading your personal statement • An admissions tutor will take about one minute to read your reference

7. Who am I writing this for?

8. What’s in their Mind? • Is the student suited to the course that they are applying for? • Does the student have the necessary qualifications and qualities for the course? • Is the student conscientious, hardworking and unlikely to drop out? • Will the student do their best and cope with the demands of the course? • Can the student work under pressure? • Will the student be able to adjust to their new environment at university? • What are their communication skills like? • Are they dedicated to this course and have they researched it well? • Do they have a genuine interest in the subject and a desire to learn more about it?

9. 4000 Characters / 47 Lines

10. Drafts after Drafts • List the basic questions • Answer the basic question • Remove the basic question • Restructure your answers so they flow in a logical order • Expand the answers and give examples • Ask someone else to read it • Revise it again and again and again and again…

11. Tips We are more interested in what you think than what Shakespeare thought! Correct spelling and grammar are essential. Put it in a drawer for as long as you can, come back to it and read it aloud. Be creative, but not too creative Be original, but not too original Market yourself, but not too much

12. Good examples • I can’t give you any – sorry! • Personal statements are about you and someone else's work will be of no help. • UCAS electronically check all statements for similarity to ones already submitted. • It is difficult! It is one of the most difficult pieces of prose you will ever write, but lots of people manage it successfully.

13. Help is at hand UCAS.ac.uk Talk to your counsellors and teachers Speak to admissions officers and tutors. Yes, you can! Ask visiting university representatives as many questions as possible

14. Questions