CHOOSING A COURSE AT UNI
WRITING
AND
A
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Your name here!
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT COURSE?
•
•
•
•
Favourite subject?
Career-based?
Something different?
Something you find interesting!
DIFFERENT SORTS OF COURSE
• Arts/Sciences
– (Don’t let the names fool you!)
•
•
•
•
Sandwich courses
Language courses (year abroad?)
Part-time courses
Medical courses
– Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry…
– Pre-clinical vs Clinical
ONCE YOU’VE CHOSEN A COURSE…
• Compare universities!
– Course content, ranking
– Location, facilities, size, accommodation
• Be open to alternatives
– You don’t have to have made up your
mind until you actually apply!
• Remember that course choice should be
the most important factor in choosing
a uni – but it won’t determine the
course of your life!
TASK 1
• Split up into groups of 3
• Write down a subject that one of you
studies
• List jobs or careers you think you
could get into by studying that subject
at university
• Repeat for the other 2 people (don’t
do the same subjects…)
GUESS THE DEGREE!
Jess Ennis, Olympic athlete
Studied Psychology at the
University of Sheffield
Angela Merkel, German Chancellor
Studied Physics at the University
of Leipzig, Germany
GUESS THE DEGREE!
Mark Price, MD of Waitrose
Studied Archaeology at the
University of Lancaster
Diane Abbott MP
Studied History at the
University of Cambridge
GUESS THE DEGREE!
James Blunt, singer-songwriter
Studied Sociology at the University
of Bristol (but started off studying
aerospace manufacturing engineering!)
Dara O’Briain, TV comedian
Studied Maths and Theoretical
Physics at University College Dublin
THINK YOU NEED LAW TO BE A
LAWYER?
THINK YOU NEED ECONOMICS TO WORK
FOR A BANK?
MORAL OF THE STORY…
• Don’t get too hung up on what your
degree means for your future career
– Don’t worry if you don’t have a concrete
plan!
– There are comparatively few jobs for which
there is only one “correct” degree
• The most important thing is to choose
a course you’re interested in, and
which you’ll enjoy!
WHAT IS A PERSONAL STATEMENT?
• Accompanies your application to
university
– Like a cover letter and a CV
• Explain more about yourself
• Explain why you’re interested in the
course
• Talk about your experience
• Used by universities to assess potential
students
TASK 2
• Split up into pairs
• Talk to the person next to you for 3
minutes about your favourite subject and
why you want to study it
• Talkers: Was it hard to talk about it for
that long?
• Listeners: Were you convinced by what
they were saying?
• How is this similar to writing a personal
statement? How is it different?
HOW TO WRITE A PERSONAL STATEMENT
1) Why are you applying?
2) Why are you enthusiastic about the
course? What do you already know
about the course?
3) Why would you be good at this course?
•
•
•
Studies/school work
Work experience/volunteering
Skills
4) Any other information?
PERSONAL STATEMENT TIMELINE
1) Choose a course!
6) Get it checked!
2) Check entry
requirements
5) Write a draft (at
least a month
before)
3) Go to Open Days
and events (over
summer)
4) Brainstorm /
make a list
15th October: Oxford, Cambridge,
any medical courses
7) Second draft (at
least two weeks
before)
8) Final checks!
9) Submit before
deadline!
15th January: all other
courses
PERSONAL STATEMENT TIPS
• 2/3 academic, 1/3 other
• No more than 4000 characters, or 47
lines of text
• No copying (either from each other or
the internet)
• Get plenty of advice from teachers,
family members…
– But remember that it’s your statement!
FIND OUT MORE!
UCAS:
www.ucas.com
Prospects:
www.prospects.ac.uk
Come on an
Open Day!
Cambridge Prospectus:
www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate
Alternative Prospectus:
www.applytocambridge.com
Email me!
access@cusu.cam.ac.uk