Para 1.
Explain your choice of course.

Why are you interested in the course?

Why does the course content/structure appeal to you?

Does your current study have any relevance to your course
choices?

Show your motivation and enthusiasm for your chosen course!
Para 2.
Describe your suitability for your chosen course.

What subjects have you been studying?

What have you particularly enjoyed about your studies?

Have your A-levels affected your course choice at HE?

Do you have any transferable skills (time management/team
working/presentations/etc.)?
Para 3.
Long term career objectives.

Give a broad outline of the field you hope to work in.

Mention any work experience/placements/voluntary work,
particularly if it is relevant to your chosen course.

Do you have contacts with your chosen profession? Mention
them!
Para 4.
The




person behind the form.
Mention any skills/strengths/personality.
Outline any academic/social achievements.
Describe your sporting and leisure interests.
Are you planning a year out
Writing about your A Level Subjects.
Try to think about the skills which you have developed that are specific to
that subject.
Subject
What skills have you gained? Which of
these are transferable?
1)
2)
3)
4) General Studies/critical thinking
5) General RE
e.g. ability to construct a reasoned
argument, ability to see flaws in
arguments
Writing about work experience/part-time job.



What skills and knowledge have you developed?
How are these skills going to be transferred to your chosen subject or
university life in general?
What does the work experience tell the admissions tutor about you?
State the skills you gained and match them to the duties you carried out in your
working life.
Skills developed
E.g. Communication
Computer literacy
Team work
Duties carried out which developed the
skill
E.g. Dealing with customers or working in
a team
Writing about interests & experiences
outside school.
Identify and outline the key activities or experiences which you have gained in a
non-educational environment. In no more than a sentence or two outline some
specific details about the pursuits and then state why the experience is relevant to
your application.
Pursuits
E.g. Reading novels
Outline
E.g. Science fiction e.g.
Asimov
Relevance
Enjoy a wide range of
literature.
Social achievements:
Provide details about your involvement and what you have learned.
e.g. Football
Midfield in 1st Eleven, won
county cup
Team work skills
Name:
Form:
Ask your interviewee the following questions and make a note of their responses. Following
discussions, write their action plan in the box at the bottom of this page which highlights
the areas they need to spend more time thinking about or following up.

Do you want stay at home or away? (Nagging V getting your washing done!)

Do you want to be on a campus or in a metropolitan Uni?

Do you want to go to a large or small university?

Would you prefer to be in the north or south?

Is the cost of travel to get home important?

What kind of accommodation would you prefer? (Halls – catered, Halls self catering?

What kind of social life do you want?

What clubs/sports facilities will you want the Uni to offer?

What kind of pastoral support do you want to have?

Which Universities have the best reputation for the subject you want to study?

How much teaching time do you want to get?

Which type of teaching methods would you prefer? (e.g.
seminars/tutorials/lectures/Labs)
This is your action plan/things for you to think about:
1)
2)
3)
 Useful Websites:

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
For information on all aspects of the applications process for full-time
undergraduate courses at universities and colleges, visit their website at
www.ucas.ac.uk.

HERO (Higher Education & Research Opportunities in the United
Kingdom)
HERO is the national information point for Higher Education in the UK. Visit their
site at www.hero.ac.uk.

RealUni is the only alternative prospectus to give any university student in
the UK the opportunity to upload a review of their Course and University.
Visit www.realuni.com/.
 Choosing a university:
Questions to answer when researching universities:













Is it a campus or non-campus university?
How far away from home is the university?
Are the transport links good?
What sort of location would you like to be in? E.g. a country town or
large city
Is there part-time work available? Does the uni offer help in finding
work?
What bursaries/scholarships do they offer?
What’s the university’s reputation like (look at league tables)?
How many students attend the university?
How does the course compare with similar courses at other
universities?
What is the accommodation like?
What are the study facilities like? E.g. libraries, IT facilities
How good are the social and sporting facilities?
What student support is available? E.g. medical, financial and disability
support.
 UCAS tariff points system:
The UCAS tariff is the conversion of further education qualitifcations such as AS
levels and A- Levels, VCEs and BTECs, into one points system that universites can
use to evaluate applications and make condiitonal offers.
Each qualification is worth a number of points. All grades and qualifications are
added together to give a total tariff point score.
UCAS tariff points:
Qualification
AS level
GCE and VCE
3 unit award
A – level
GCE and VCE
6 unit award
VCE
Double
award
12 unit
Grade
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
D
E
Points
= 60
= 50
= 40
= 30
= 20
= 120
= 100
= 80
= 60
= 40
AA
AB
BB
BC
CC
CD
DD
DE
EE
= 240
= 220
= 200
= 180
= 160
= 140
= 120
= 100
= 80
Qualification
BTEC
award/OCR
certificate
Grade
D
M
P
BTEC
DD/D
certificate/OCR DM/M1
diploma
MM/M2
and P1
MP/P2
PP/P3
BTEC
DDD/D1
diploma/OCR
DDM/D2
extended
and M1
diploma
DMM/M2
MMM/M3
MMP/P1
MPP/P2
PPP/P3
Points
= 120
= 80
= 40
= 240
= 200
= 160
= 120
= 80
= 360
= 320
= 280
= 240
= 200
= 160
= 120
 Choosing a course:
These tips may help you to decide:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Think about what you enjoy and do well, both t school and outside
Write down a list of jobs that you would like to do and why
Discuss your options with teachers, career advisors, family and friends
Whatever your interests, it’s essential that you do lots of research
Points to remember when researching courses:








What are the course options? How does the course content vary between
universities?
How long is the course?
How is the course assessed? How much of the course is assessed by the
final exam, coursework or ongoing assessment?
How is the course taught? What is the ratio of formal lectures and seminars
to independent study? Is there a final year dissertation/research project?
Are there opportunities to do a work placement or study abroad for part of
your course?
Is it possible to study more than one subject (combined degree) or study a
few modules from other courses, for example languages or IT?
What sorts of jobs do graduates from the course go on to do?
What are the entry requirements? Make sure they are in line with your
predicted grades.
 Task:
Using the above websites and information, research at least 5 universities which
offer the course that you would like to do and place the details in the table on the
next page.
University Campus
Distance Town/
from
city
home
Parttime
work
Reputation No. of
Course
students
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Resources from Michael Senior & Paul Mannix
Writing an effective personal statement: A step-by-step guide (2001)
Accommo- Student’s Sport
dation
union
Support
Resources from Michael Senior & Paul Mannix
Writing an effective personal statement: A step-by-step guide (2001)
State your reasons for your choice of course
Write out the reasons why you are applying for your chosen course. Some
suggestions have been made to help you to get started.
Reason
Enjoy the subject
Explanation
Enjoy particular aspects of the subject
(State which aspects)
Look forward to studying in greater
depth
(State specific interests)
Work experience confirmed interest
(How did it help?)
Look forward to putting theory into
practice
(Anything in particular?)
Possess the skills required for the
course
(Which skills?)
Post-degree aim e.g. particular career in
mind
(Which career and why?)
(State why?)
Other reason/s?
Resources from Michael Senior & Paul Mannix
Writing an effective personal statement: A step-by-step guide (2001)
Read your personal statement written so far. Now do one of the following:
1) Think of an experience which you have not already mentioned which relates
to your course.
2) Think of an experience that you have not already mentioned which relates to
your suitability for university OR
3) Identify an area which you have already mentioned and find a way of building
on it for a concluding comment about your course or suitability for
university.
You might wish to have a strong ending so store one idea until the end. The point is
to end with a reasonable idea which maintains the reader’s interest.
Some ideas!!




It is because of my experience with ….. that I believe I will make a
successful student in….
My choice of degree has been carefully selected as a result of…
I am looking forward to building on my existing experiences of studying…..
and the chance to further my knowledge in…
Having the long term goal of being a …. I believe I am particularly suited to…
Resources from Michael Senior & Paul Mannix
Writing an effective personal statement: A step-by-step guide (2001)
Useful phrase to help you to connect your sentences and paragraphs as well as to
vary the language you use in your personal statement.
 In addition
“In addition to my work experience, I have also gained valuable skills throughout
my voluntary work.”
 As well as
“As well as my involvement in team games I am also keen on playing individually
competitive sport.”
 Reinforce
“My involvement in the school voluntary programme has reinforced my decision
to study a degree in Nursing.”
 Strengthen
“My decision to study a degree in Economics has been strengthened by my
enjoyment and success in my A Level courses.”
 Furthermore
“Furthermore, I am particularly suited to a degree in Chemistry because of my
love of the subject and my keen interest to further my knowledge of the
subject.”
 Apart from
“Apart from my involvement with sports I am also involved in amateur
dramatics.”
 Not to mention
“Being involved in the voluntary work programme not to mention my work
experience, has provided me with an opportunity to work with a diverse range of
people.”
 More recently
“Although I have taken part in classical music concerts, more recently I have
decided to learn to play the piano.”
Resources from Michael Senior & Paul Mannix
Writing an effective personal statement: A step-by-step guide (2001)
 Enabled me
“The opportunity to play in the school football team enabled me to work as part of a
team.”
 Provided me
“The work experience provided me with an opportunity to work with a range of
people”
 Opportunity to
“The opportunity to work with people was provided for by my work experience .”
ADVICE ABOUT USING “I”
Beginning sentences with “I” is very easy to do, especially when writing about
yourself. Instead, try to create varied sentences with a range of starting points:
Do not write
I am captain of the hockey team
I enjoy playing sport
I am studying A Levels in
I enjoy socialising
I have taken part in
I have gained a number of skills
Instead write
Being captain of the hockey team…
Having enjoyed playing football…
My A Level subjects have…
Socialising is important to me because….
Taking part in…
The skills I have gained from….
Resources from Michael Senior & Paul Mannix
Writing an effective personal statement: A step-by-step guide (2001)