Postgraduate
Application Forms
and Personal
Statements
Barbara Mac Carthy
Careers Advisor for Students with Disabilities
Disability Support Service
UCC
Postgraduate options
Higher & postgraduate Diplomas
Conversion courses ( diplomas or masters)
Taught Masters
Research Masters
PhD
Reasons for pursuing further study
• Interest in subject/Desire to specialize and
deepen knowledge
• Requirement for specific career path
• Desire to change direction
• Increase employability
• Not knowing what to do/Not ready to get a
job
How to decide on a postgraduate
course
• SELF ASSESSMENT
What are my areas of interest?
What type of course am I suited to ? –
theoretical or more practical ?
What are my career interests and
aspirations ?
Course duration -1 or 2 years…….4 years?
Location- Where
ACADEMIC SELECTION PROCESS
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FOCUS ON
Evidence of academic interest & ability
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Evidence of interest & commitment
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Evidence of clear link to career goals
Applying for course in UCC
How do you make an application?
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Go to www.pac.ie and click on University College Cork
You may make one application but can include up to 3
taught programmes on your application form
Not a preference based application system as such but
should list in order of preference
It is not necessary to complete all programme choices
What will you need to make an application?
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Your PPS number, UCC Student Number, credit card
details, an active email account that you check regularly
Supplementary information form(for some programmes)
Supporting documentation (copies to be sent to
Postgraduate Applications Centre in Galway)
Academic Selection Process
1.
Have you the desired entry requirements e.g. results/modules
2.
Have you a genuine interest in the course
3.
How have you gone about to confirm this interest to yourself and
selection committee:
e.g. work experience, shadow work, contact with professionals working in
this field, knowledge of course content, spoken to past students etc.
4.
Can you demonstrate the skills/abilities required that make you a
suitable candidate for this postgraduate course
5. Can you demonstrate how this postgraduate course fits into your bigger
career objective
PREPARATION & FOCUS
• Carefully read/analyze course information AND
application form 3 to 4 times
• Get clear on what skills, qualities and experience are
essential for this course and ultimately for this career
• Your past provides evidence of your future potential.
Its essential to draw on your past experiences to
demonstrate your suitability
PAST EXPERIENCES
ACADEMIC
• Subjects, modules/electives, interest level & grades
• Projects & assignments & essays
• Relevant work experience(paid or voluntary)
PREPARATION & FOCUS
Interest & commitment
Any relevant work experience (paid / unpaid)
= confirmation of your interest &commitment
= valuable insight into subject/ profession
Any involvement in college clubs & societies
PREPARATION& FOCUS
• Career goals
• Link your selected course of study to careers
of interest
• Demonstrate your knowledge of relevant job
opportunities
• www.ucc.ie/careers
• What do graduates do?
BRAINSTORM
• List all your strong points that make you
eligible for acceptance
• Examine academic grades, interests,
extracurricular experiences
• Be CONFIDENT &IMAGINATIVE – this
is your first rough draft !
General Hints
• Target application form to each individual
postgraduate course/college
• Demonstrate answers by live examples
• Show a progression through the answer
• Tell the story – beginning, middle, end
• Using STAR process
Situation
Task
Action
Result
DO
• Check out deadline asap
• Find out if transcripts and/or references are
required
• Make several copies of any paper
application sheets
• Do at least 3 drafts
Don’t
• Make spelling mistakes
• Dirty the form
• Fill the form with exaggerated statements with
no supporting evidence
• Be apologetic in tone
• Negative about your achievements
• Forget to explain gaps in your study/work
experiences
Q. PARTICULAR ABILITIES
(special aptitudes, knowledge of languages,
computer/IT skills)
•IT/Computer Skills – Working knowledge of MS
Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Internet and E-mail. Used
these resources during my degree in researching,
writing up and collating data for course work and
presentations. Successfully completed the ECDL.
•Co-ordination/Organisation Skills – Strong
organisational skills developed through my role as a
committee member of the UCC Economics
Department, where I organised monthly meetings,
managed funds and completed annual accounts.
•Team Work – Through participating in group projects
and working as part of a team during my
undergraduate work placement I developed strong
interpersonal and negotiation skills through
interacting with peers and the division of workload to
meet specific deadlines.
•Research Skills – Developed through researching
literature projects and dissertations, using the
libraries and the internet and through conducting
experiments for practicals and research projects
during my degree.
Q. State briefly the basis of your interest in
postgraduate studies and how this relates to your
career objective
• I am a third year Bachelor of Arts student in UCC taking a major in
Sociology and minor in Psychology for which I achieved a 1H result for
the last two years. My psychology modules exposed me to such areas
Social Psychology, Developmental and Lifespan Psychology for which I
gained a particular interest and excelled academically. This led me to
take on a further 5 credits in psychology in my third year.
• In addition I have worked on a voluntary basis with Knockrea Family
Centre for the last two years working closely with counsellors and social
workers who support families and children from disadvantaged
backgrounds through group work, house visits and one-to-one sessions.
This direct experience has confirmed my interest in qualifying as a
Counselling Psychologist specialising in family systems.
• Completing this P.Dip in Applied Psychology would give me the
necessary qualifications and academic accreditation with the
Psychological Society of Ireland to pursue my Masters and ultimately a
career as a Counselling Psychologist.
Q.
Career Objective
• The first year of my commerce degree incorporated a module in
accountancy. I discovered I had an aptitude for the subject and
received an honour at the end of year exams. Discussing this interest
with a cousin of mine who qualified as a Chartered Accountant he
advised me to gain some practical accounting experience. I
researched opportunities with the careers service and secured the
position of accounts assistant within a small accounting firm last
summer. This experience provided me with valuable insights into
accounting and audit procedures while at the same time confirming my
interest in qualifying as an Accountant.
• As a result I wish to apply to DCU to complete the one year
PG.Diploma in Accounting Studies. This course will further develop
my understanding of accounting methodologies while enhancing my
numerical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills and my ability to
learn and make decisions independently essential business skills in
applying to professional practices to secure a traineeship as a
Chartered Accountant.
Q.
Please describe your hobbies,
interests and personal achievements
Sports
Member and Treasurer of St. Michaels GAA team (dates)
Active Member of UCC Soccer Team (dates)
Contribution as Treasurer:
Attend monthly meetings advising members of budget issues
and invoices that need to be paid
Maintain club accounts and liaise with auditors on an annual
basis
Group Your Activities:
Class Representative for 4th Year Commerce
Liaise with academic staff and students on arising class issues
Liaise with Students Union, attending monthly meetings and
relate relevant information to class group
Q. Please write here any additional
information, which will strengthen your
application
Include technical skills such as PC Applications,
hardware, operating systems, software etc. Did you
complete the ECDL?
Include any relevant non-technical/soft skills, such as
presentation skills, team management skills/any inhouse training completed. Give examples of how you
used these skills/experience (relate to the
course/industry sector)
Problem solving – can you demonstrate and instance
where you used analysis, problem solving and creative
thinking
Q What is a Personal Statement?
• It is a brief and focussed essay about one’s career or
research goals
• A personal statement gives you the opportunity to present
aspects of yourself and your background that may not be
apparent from other parts of your application
• The statement is a chance to show you have the
commitment and qualifications to work or pursue further
study in your chosen field
Why Personal Statements?
• Opportunity for readers of your application
to get a feel for you as a person as well as a
student. Snapshot of who you are
• Essay is also the place where you can put
your academic record, experiences, skills
etc into context re the application you are
making
• A personal statement gives you the
opportunity to present aspects of yourself
and your background that may not be
apparent from other parts of your
application
Why Personal Statements
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To get to know you not your record
To see if you can think logically
To see if you can write well
What do you know about the programme?
To see if you are a good fit for the
department
What will the Admissions
Committee use the Personal
Statement for?
• To help shortlist the best candidates
• To generate questions for interview
• To confirm that your understand the nature
of the course
• To confirm that you have thoroughly
researched the programme
• To distinguish whether or not you are
suitable if a borderline case
Rules and Guideline
• Some courses will set out areas they wish
you to address in the statement, number of
words/characters/pages allowed and may
also state whether or not you can include
other supporting documents e.g. C.V.
• Length- can vary from 1 A4 page to text
box in an application form with an
instruction which allows you to continue on
a separate sheet to a word limit 300-500
words
Rules and Guidelines
• Make sure you clearly address all the areas
they want you to cover
• Stick to any rules on length/word limits
• Your application my be rejected because of
your inability to follow the limits set or the
assessors may discard the additional
text/documents you have included
Rules and Guidelines
Audience
Remember who you are pitching to –
admissions will read your statement in part
to assess whether or not you will be
awarded a place or called for interview- use
appropriate language
Time
Allow plenty of time to prepare 1st draft, get
feedback and finalise your statement
Different courses will require different
personal statement
Rules and Guidelines
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Writing Style
Be clear concise, positive and factual
Make sure your spelling and grammar accurate
Focus on the experiences and interests that you
bring to the course and how they will help you
to study successfully
• Avoid simple repetition of statements made in
the course literature as this gives no indication
of your capacity to think critically
Sample Questions
• “Please state your specific interests with
respect to which you are applying, Your
intended area of specialisation, career
objectives, and research interests and
experience are of particular interests”
• “Please use this space to summarise your
academic interests and reasons for choosing
your intended course of study”
Before you start writing ask
yourself
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What sets me apart from other applicants?
How did I learn about this field?
Why am I interested in this field?
What experience has stimulated and
enhanced my interest?
• What skills or personal characteristics do I
possess?
Before you start writing ask
yourself
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What are my biggest achievements?
What are my career aspirations?
Why this college or programme?
Are there any gaps in my academic record?
Anatomy of a Statement
• Past – what made you decided to pursue a
particular career?
• Present - Why do you feel you are well
suited to a career in this area now?
• Future – How do you see your career
developing going forward?
Anatomy of a Statement
Introduction/The Hook
• Introduce yourself
• Why do you want to study this programme?
• Why you want to do post grad?
• Should grab the readers attention and make
them want to read on
• Explain your desire to study the subject or
interest or discuss the motivation that
influenced your desire to study the subject
Anatomy of a Statement
The Body
• Your academic background
• Your specific academic interests and how they
relate to the course
• The experience you have e.g. Work, voluntary,
extra curricular that is relevant to you application
• The key skills you have relative to the
course/career
• You need to support the claims you are making
with evidence/examples
Anatomy of a Statement
Conclusion
• What are your career goals?
• How will the postgraduate programme
benefit your career objectives?
• Hoe do you see your career developing in
the coming years?
Make in Meaningful
• Avoid vague or general statements
• “ I am really interested in doing a
postgraduate management course as I hope
to make this my career. It think your
masters programme offers me the
opportunity to learn a great deal about
management and will help me get a good
job in this field”
• No concrete points made and no evidence of
research
Make in Meaningful
Be Specific
I am very committed to a career in management
and have been to several careers presentations in
order to research this career area in more depth.
As a result I have decided that undertaking a
postgraduate management course would be an
essential first step towards achieving my career
goals. I am particularly interested in the course in
X university as it combines practical placements
in management consultancy with the theoretical
study of the principles of management. I would
also value being able to begin to work towards
Chartered Institute of Management qualification
offered by the course
Personal Statement
1st Paragraph
Explain why you are interested in applying for this
course of study in this particular college
particular
2nd Paragraph
Describe the relevant skills, ability and qualities you
can
bring to the institution, ensuring you use
evidence to
support your claim
3rd Paragraph
Give details of any relevant work experience, paid or
voluntary, course work or dissertation, positions of
responsibility, which add value to your application and
demonstrates your suitability
4th Paragraph
Include information about relevant technical skills you possess
which enhance your suitability
5th Paragraph
Conclude with a summary of the above, ensuring your
tone gets across your interest in the
course/institution, and
emphasises your enthusiasm and commitment
Using Headings
Q.
Briefly outline your suitability, including
relevant work experience for this postgraduate
teaching course
Commitment to Teaching
Teaching Experience
Planning and Organisation
Skills and Aptitudes
Knowledge (Curriculum/HEA)
Strengths and Interests
Personal Qualities
Write a short paragraph with your evidence under each heading
Q. Provide a detailed proposal of the
research that you intend to undertake.
These guidelines are provided to help you draw out
your ideas. They state the requirements of a sound
proposal. (1500 WORDS APROX)
Topic
Background and context
Conceptual framework and related literature
Methodology and ethics
Research plan and timeline
Writing
Checklist
• Check application closing dates with Postgraduate
Admissions in relevant colleges
• Application Forms must be targeted to individual
courses/institutions
• Do out a number of draft application forms
• Bring completed drafts down to the career service for final
review before posting
• Use additional sheets (if suggested) to expand on answers
• Attach all relevant documentation e.g. transcripts, letters of
reference, photo etc.
• Keep your options open – apply for a number of
postgraduate courses
Exercise...
• Self Assessment Exercise 15 Mins
• Completing the exercise will help you evaluate
yourself under some important headings:
• Course of Choice
• Academic interests
• Work Experience and Skills
• Interests and Achievements
• Future Plans
Irish Sources of Information
UK Sources of Information
Relevant Websites
Ireland & the UK
www.gradireland.com
www.eurograduate.com
www.hea.ie
www.prospects.ac.uk
www.hobsons.com
Europe
www.eurydice.org
http://egide.as.so.fr (France)
www.daad.de Germany)
www.csic.es/postgrads (Spain)
USA
www.petersons.org
www.gre.org
www.gmat.org
www.fulbright.co.uk
Contact Details
Barbara Mac Carthy
Careers Advisor
Disability Support Service
South Lodge
UCC
Phone: 021 4903768 or
021 490 2985
Email:
bmaccarthy@ucc.ie
(Thursdays and Fridays)