ucas application process & your personal statement heather martin schools liaison assistant
TRANSCRIPT
UCAS application process & UCAS application process & your personal statementyour personal statement
Heather Martin
Schools Liaison Assistant
Today’s talkToday’s talk
• What is UCAS?
• Preparing to apply
• The UCAS application process
• Your application form
• Your personal statement
What is UCAS?What is UCAS?
• University & Colleges Admissions Service
• UCAS is the ‘go between’ between Institution and applicant
• UCAS records all decisions made about you
UCAS deadlinesUCAS deadlines• Oxford / Cambridge and
Medicine / Dentistry / Veterinary Science
15th October
• Art & Design
Route A – 15th January
Route B – 25th March
• All others – 15th January
Preparing to applyPreparing to applyYear 12 Year 13
Start thinking about courses and universities
Choose up to 5 courses
Open Days Finish writing personal statement
Start planning personal statement
Don’t leave things until the last minute
Get a summer job / voluntary experience
Attend Preview days
What happens to your What happens to your application?application?
January February March April May
Application deadline
Interviews and preview days
Institution offers / rejections
Applicant accepts / declines(First and insurance choice)
Your application formYour application form
• Personal details
• Applications in alphabetical order
• Qualifications already obtained
• Qualifications not yet obtained
• Personal statement
• Declaration
• Open Reference
Your application formYour application form
The personal statementThe personal statement
Where to startWhere to start
• Map out your ideas
• Structure it well
• Build up paragraphs
• Requires several drafts
The contentThe content• Relevant background information
about yourself and why you are interested in the academic aspects of your chosen subject
• Include any life skills, strengths, work experience, positions of responsibility, and any recent study relevant to your application
• Taking a year out? ....Why?
What are universities What are universities looking for?looking for?
• A well structured personal statement with thought behind it
• What sort of a person you are and why you are suitable for the subject area
• Evidence for the things that you say about yourself
• Examples that show you have motivation and commitment to complete your course
Activity Examples of skills / qualities developed
Work experience
Responsibility, punctuality, team work, enthusiasm, ideas person
D of E, Mentor, Prefect, Ten Tors
Communication, confidence, leadership, reliability, motivation, self belief, decision making
Recent relevant study
Subject knowledge, passion for subject, enthusiasm
Travel, Holidays
Research, planning, budgeting, organisation, patience, independence
Hobbies, volunteering
Commitment, motivation, sense of achievement, time management, social skills
What you have to offerWhat you have to offer
The opening sentence! The opening sentence! • “I first became interested in Physiotherapy when I was sat
in the waiting room of the West Cornwall A+E after my sister was recovering from a broken pelvis”
• “Seeing a Reef Shark off the coast of Australia first sparked my passion for anything from the marine world. Instead of swimming away – I swam closer, I was fascinated”
• “ ‘Lights, camera, action!’ – just saying the words sends me into a whirl of excitement about all the possibilities that await me after studying Film”
Handy hintsHandy hints
• Remember Admissions Tutors are very busy people!
• Be factual and concise
• Only include relevant information
• Try to provide evidence for things you say about yourself
• Get as many people to read it as possible
• Rise above the rest by being interesting and passionate
Finishing your Finishing your ApplicationApplication
• Internal deadline
• Declaration
• Payment
• Reference
• Keep a copy!
WhatWhat if? if?
• UCAS Extra: starts late February• Clearing: starts on A-level results day• Re-sits
SummarySummary• UCAS and preparing to apply
• UCAS deadlines and the application
process
• Your UCAS application form
• Things to include in your personal
statement
• Start thinking about your personal
statement now
• Get as many people to read your personal
statement as possible
More information
www.plymouth.ac.uk/applicantportal
and look at
‘Prospective Students’ page