1. Personal Statements Schools & Colleges Liaison Office Cardiff University

2. The UCAS Application Cycle September 2011: UCAS opens 15 th October 2011: Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry, Vet Science 15 th January 2012: All universities/courses Nov-Mar 2012: Receive offers/decisions

3. UCAS Main way to apply to a UK university The link between You and Us The Middleman only – UCAS has no influence in the application process

4. Personal details Course choices (5 max) Academic qualifications achieved/pending Personal Statement Reference The UCAS Form

6. Admissions Tutors need to see: Academic Capability Commitment & Motivation Enthusiasm & Interest Transferable Skills What are we looking for?

7. Filling in the form….. Take your time: Check course codes and ALL boxes are filled in correctly Check grammar and spelling with a dictionary Print it out & check it

8. Why proof read? Which of the following lines is NOT a real line from a previous personal statement or reference? It was a catch 12 situation My painting set out to challenge the pubic consciousness He is a kind and worm hearted individual English is like a second language to I

10. Similarity Detection Service Personal Statements are checked against a library of those already in the system, and from a variety of websites and paper publications Each new statement is added to the library after processing

11. What is the Personal Statement? Your chance to convince the tutor Vital to the admissions process Will make a big difference Remember: No perfect formula

13. Activity Benefit Course Activity Benefit Course What you’ve done What skills it has given you How these relate to your course Personal Statement ABC Guide Good Better Best

14. Examples: Make the most of you “I was captain of the school netball team and have always been good at sports’’ “As captain of the school netball team, I have developed excellent team working skills. I also feel that playing netball has provided me with the experience of successfully balancing my academic and social life and I plan to continue this balance whilst at university”

15. What should you include? Reasons for choosing the course Knowledge of the course / subject Work Experience / Voluntary Work Achievements Hobbies & Interests Career Aspirations Gap year intentions

16. Reasons given to unsuccessful applicants Your personal statement does not strongly support your desire to study your chosen degree “ ” www.ucas.ac.uk/students/applying/howtoapply/personalstatement/whattoinclude Your personal statement did not show sufficient understanding, relevance or knowledge about the course you are applying for You failed to demonstrate sufficient knowledge and interest in the subject in your personal statement Unsuccessful as you have not expressed a strong enough interest in the subject area in your personal statement

17. Blind process French & Mathematics: Birmingham University French & Italian: Bristol University French & Politics: Cardiff University French & Spanish: Nottingham University French: Swansea University

18. Do: Do some research Plan your argument Get feedback from family and friends Check your spelling / grammar Keep a hard copy

19. Don’t Give excuses Be negative Waffle Sell yourself short Lie!

20. Finally, do not go over the top… … and when he’s not working towards World Peace, Jon enjoys learning languages from scratch, writing symphonies and playing a standard of golf that Tiger Woods can only dream about.’

21. Conclusions Good applicants should: be prepared in September be positive and pay attention to detail Good Luck!