Personal Statements Toolbox
Additional activities that may be added to or changed with the activities in the Personal Statements
Presentation.
Time
Activity
10mins What do you know about UCAS and Personal
Statements?
Depending on the number of students, put them
into groups of 3-5.
Ask them to write down anything they know about
the UCAS process.
1530mins
Then, within their groups, they go round the group
each reading out one point. This is done until they
are all read out. However, there is no repetition,
so if they have one which has already been said,
this is then left.
What do you want to do and why?
Ask them to write down the sentence: I want to do
X at university because....
The aim of the exercise is to repeatedly probe the
question ‘why’?
THEN...
Many will have written things such as, “because it
is a subject I’m interested in” OR “because I
enjoyed it at A-Level” etc.
Resources
Post-it notes.
Slide 2.
Pen and paper.
Rationale
Engages
students more
than just
presenting.
Causes
students to
realise the
gaps in their
knowledge of
the UCAS
process.
Repeatedly
probing the
question
‘Why’? The
personal
statement is
their
opportunity to
provide
justification as
to WHY they
are suited for
that course.
Ask them ‘Why?’ They need to explain why they
are interested etc. Get them to then expand what
they have written with this information.
Possible Extension
How many ways?
Using the sentences that the students have
written ask them to re-write the sentence in two
different ways. Highlight that there are alternate
ways to expressing the same point.
Alternatively...
Ask students to take an adjective or verb and
come up with a list of alternative words.
This task aims to demonstrate that is isn’t just
what you write but HOW you write it.
The extension
activity makes
the point that
personal
statements
also need to be
well written and
interesting to
read.
25mins Writing the statement.
In this exercise students begin writing a personal
statement.
Give students the option of expanding what they
may have written in previous exercises. Or they
may choose a subject off a provided list and begin
writing a statement for that – this then removes a
slight personal attachment, but the chances are
they will choose a subject which they are
interested in.
Students can then get into groups and swap
statements. They can then see if there is any
room for them add justification for certain points
etc. WHY WHY WHY?
Developing extra curricular activities
Resources and detailed session plan (#)
Pen and paper
Gives students
the opportunity
to link more
than one
sentence
together and
begin making
substantial
points. It is also
an opportunity
to combines
the skills
gained from
the previous
activities.