TIMELINE PERSONAL STATEMENTS year 12 year 13 year 12 Start considering what you might like to study . Start researching universities .
march – june : Visit a Higher Education fair . Investigate Finance .
july : Start drawing up a shortlist of courses and universities you like .
year 13
september : UCAS applications open .
october – november : Submit application . Attend visit days , interviews .
late autumn – spring : Start receiving conditional offers .
january : UCAS applications close .
easter : Decide on your first and second choice university .
may : Deadline for applying for student finance .
august : Results Day .
Writing a personal statement shouldn ’ t be feared . See it as an opportunity to speak directly to the admissions tutor and to show that you are suitable for the university , academically and socially . You have 47 lines , or 4000 characters at your disposal so use them wisely . About 80 – 90 % of your statement should focus on the academic . Explain why you want to study this particular subject and do some research into the course to help you articulate your thoughts . Use websites and course brochures , email admissions tutors if you have questions , and ask teachers and careers staff for help . If it ’ s a subject you haven ’ t studied before , then recognizing similarities with your other A Levels may reveal why you want to study that subject .
Next , write about any additional experience and skills . Include information about paid employment , work experience or volunteering you have undertaken , travel , extracurricular groups , or experience you may have of student government . This shouldn ’ t read like a checklist . The crucial thing is to illustrate what these experiences have taught you and how they relate to your chosen course . Demonstrate that you have gained transferable skills and how these could be useful at university .
Include a paragraph about your hobbies and interests and try to be specific . Rather than saying that you like to read , try to give the admissions tutor more detail about what exactly you like to read and why that particular subject interests you . If you can link this to your course then this is even better as it shows that you are passionate enough about the subject to pursue it outside of the classroom .
Conclude your statement by briefly describing why you are a good choice for the course and the university . Highlight how you are prepared both academically and socially for the challenge of Higher Education .
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