1. Personal Statements: What Admissions Tutors are looking for

2. What I will cover today... Personal statements in the UCAS process What are personal statements? What are admissions tutors looking for? Areas to cover in a personal statement Hints and tips for a good personal statement

3. The UCAS application form 7 sections to complete: – Personal details – Choices – Education – Employment – Personal Statement – Reference – Pay/send

4. Personal Statements The majority of courses do not interview, so this is may be your main opportunity to make an impression on the Admissions Tutors The Personal Statement is your responsibility (Not your teachers, tutors, school/college) An Admissions Tutor can see hundreds of forms in a day, so it is imperative that yours is easy to read, otherwise it might be put to the bottom of the pile!

5. Personal Statements You can enter up to 4,000 characters or 47 lines of text (includes blank spaces/lines) You will not be able to use features such as bold, italic or underlined text Don’t include information that is available elsewhere on the form Use structured text, not bullet points We recommend that the statement is word processed offline, then copy and pasted into the Apply system

6. What are Admissions Tutors looking for? Students with the academic potential to benefit from the course Students who are motivated towards studying this particular course Students with relevant experience for the course The personal skills a student can bring to the course The interests that a student has – Remember that that although each university cannot see your other choices, they will all see the Personal Statement

7. The course (1) This part of the Personal Statement is of most interest to the Admissions Tutor The more competitive the course, the more you should write about the subject Should be around 30-50% of the Personal Statement Needs to convey your enthusiasm for the subject and how it first developed

8. The course (2) Which parts of the subject are of particular interest to you? If studying the subject at the moment mention particular coursework or assignments you have enjoyed Mention any extra reading around the subject you have done If the course ties in with any career aspirations you may have say how you became interested in this career

9. Experience relevant to the course Work experience is really important for courses leading to some professions, eg medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, teaching For other courses, attendance at conferences or any other out of school visits related to your chosen subject is important Say what insights this has given you into your chosen area of study/profession – Think about any experience you can gain that will strengthen your application

10. General skills and attributes Personal: – Caring – Responsible – Trustworthy – Enthusiastic – Approachable – Hard working Related to work/studies: – Good communicator – Team worker – Good organiser – Problem solver – Self motivated – Leadership – Initiative

11. Skills/Attributes/Interests – you as a person Part-time work Sports and other leisure pursuits Volunteering or charity work Student representative/prefects/mentoring Social activities – Think about the skills that you have gained from these!

12. Qualities for Higher Education Academic Skills: ability to handle information, ability to defend your opinion, knowledge of subject area, time management Core Skills: Numeracy, literacy, IT, communication Personal Characteristics: Motivation, self- organisation, creativity, flexibility Social Skills: Teamwork, negotiation skills, helping and supporting others

13. And finally… Be yourself Do NOT Plagiarise! UCAS uses a 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 Check spelling and grammar thoroughly Keep a copy Don’t put something down you can’t talk about! See www.ucas.ac.uk for more informationwww.ucas.ac.uk

14. Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you I have no feelings whatsoever. When we are apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be. Yours, Gloria Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we are apart. I can be forever happy – will you let me be yours? Gloria Punctuation

15. Why choose Birmingham City University? A top 30 university for placing students in graduate-level jobs Sunday Times University Guide 2013 £180 million investment programme - a top 10 university for facilities spend Complete University Guide 2013 90 per cent of students in work or further study within six months of graduating DLHE Survey 2012 Award-winning student support Winner – “Outstanding Support for Students” Times Higher Education Awards 2010

16. Our approach We focus on professional practice and employability Our staff have excellent links to and come from industry – working with the likes of Apple, Jaguar Land Rover, Cisco and Cartier Our courses are underpinned with practice-based learning and experience We ‘future proof’ our graduates by providing skills for real life We take pride in our friendly, inclusive attitude Recognised sector-leading partnerships between staff and students Award-winning outstanding student support Providing real-life experience We offer practical solutions for business through placements, graduate employment and knowledge transfer Gain work experience through OpportUNIty - Student Jobs on Campus

17. Find out more… University-wide Open Days – 5 October 2013 9am – 3pm – 16 November 2013 9am – 3pm – 22 February 2014 9am – 3pm Birmingham Conservatoire Open Day – TBC Birmingham School of Acting Open Day – TBC www.facebook.com/birminghamcityuniversity www.twitter.com/MyBCU www.bcu.ac.ukwww.bcu.ac.uk or Course Enquiries Team 0121 355 5595