UCAS personal statement help please?
- Thread starter muvva
- Start date
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
No idea, sorry, but I wish her all the best.
Are personal statements a thing now? I vaguely remember just selecting which unis to apply for on a form when I was that age.
Are personal statements a thing now? I vaguely remember just selecting which unis to apply for on a form when I was that age.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
They were a thing. In my day. When only the elite went to university.
I got told putting I was in a band (I was but y'know) was a big positive on mine.Nowadays, not so much. They skim read them. So tell her to put something like 'am in a band'. Something that sticks out. Doesn't have to be true.
It's creative writing.
UK university staff only read students’ personal statements for two minutes
Huge increase in applications means officials are left with little time to read student essays
pseudonarcissus
fluttering and dancing
In my day you had to do a personal statement only for polytechnic applications but not on the UCAS form. It put me right off applying to Sunderland poly.
Surely we can collectively write the most wonderful personal statement for a creative writing degree course
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
I thought all kids were doing it on chatGPT these days
liquidindian
Hello
I'd say there's a great angle right there. She can be honest about the change in direction, and who and what has inspired her to make this change.
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
I would look at questions like
Why does she want to do a creative writing course?
What authors does she enjoy reading? Does she dislike any authors? Why?
What are her aspirations long-term - is there a particular aspect of creative writing she wants to concentrate on?
Why does she want to do a creative writing course?
What authors does she enjoy reading? Does she dislike any authors? Why?
What are her aspirations long-term - is there a particular aspect of creative writing she wants to concentrate on?
8ball
Now containing implausible plot armour
Maybe start with a love of Shakespeare and James Joyce. They might not have heard that for a while.
pseudonarcissus
fluttering and dancing
But that would be for a literature degree..here we have a blank piece of paper…a new start…
“I have a great idea for a future Booker Prise winning novel and I just need to fine-tune the technique. It’s going to be a series of vignettes about a bunch of weird internet friends of my parent who have spent the last twenty-odd years taking bullshit on a website…”
Sounds like a rubbish novel tbh.
8ball
Now containing implausible plot armour
Fair point, but it will still be a pitch they haven’t seen in the last 25 years.
liquidindian
Hello
A thought if you're stuck for things to say: have a look at the modules the courses offer. When I studied journalism there were also modules in Cultural Studies, Psychology and 20thC history so it might be worth dropping in something that references a broader curriculum if the same is true for creative writing.
Also have someone else look over the statement and proofread it. It can be difficult to write something and catch every error, another pair of eyes always helps.
I imagine the main thing anyone reading it (if they do read it) needs to take away is just that the writer has given it a little bit of thought.
Also have someone else look over the statement and proofread it. It can be difficult to write something and catch every error, another pair of eyes always helps.
I imagine the main thing anyone reading it (if they do read it) needs to take away is just that the writer has given it a little bit of thought.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
To be blunt, if this is through clearing then they're not going to have a stack of high quality, super-competitive applications to choose from. If she has the grades then I think she just needs to put across that this is a genuine interest - the following the heart thing - and make sure the statement is well written in the way it reads and she'll already be ahead of most of the applicants who are scrambling around looking for something. I'd agree with those who mentioned looking at the curriculum, putting in a few references to the parts that are of most interest to her will be a good way of demonstrating interest.
moochedit
Mr Mooched It
No i don't remember that either. Maybe it depends on how popular the course and/or uni is?
Steel Icarus
e le aulelei pe mauoa ae malie
liquidindian
Hello
I seem to remember a personal statement back in 1996 but maybe I'm thinking of the National Record of Achievement.
Steel Icarus
e le aulelei pe mauoa ae malie
September to January I check and advise on about 40-50 of these, it's relentless. Seems as though these days students can be taught how to get a 6 or 7 in English but not how to structure, punctuate, introduce, summarise or plan a piece of written work about themselves.
Fez909
toilet expert
Combine these two for the win!
Write a short story about someone changing their mind last minute on the course to do and having to write a personal statement in not much time. They decide to use ChatGPT to help, but it takes over and tries to convince her to do some STEM course instead. She fights it, writes the personal statement she wanted, and gets on the course. She becomes a successful writer and the university that accepted her can bask in the small part they had in her success
maomao
普費斯
You helped me with my personal statement for my PGCE and I remember being extremely impressed not just by you taking the time to help but also at the quality of help you gave. And I got in obviously.
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
Yay! Congratulations!Thanks for the replies. Her original personal statement was geared towards a science degree so it needed rewriting to reflect this change to Creative Writing.
Her results were better than expected and she’s got a place on a great course. I’m thrilled for her
