UCAS Support DayVanessa Chetwyn

What’s Covered...? Setting the scene Before you apply UCAS application process Applying for N&M courses Personal statement advice Examples and Tips Further Information

Understanding UCAS• Competition for university places is at an all time high

- 677,400 students applied to UCAS in 2013- 495,600 students were accepted - 27% of applicants weren’t successful

• High grades alone are not enough - Universities are looking for the whole package - Strong, well thought out personal statement! - Work experience and evidence of transferable skills - Demonstration of commitment and motivation to study your subject at

university

• Higher Education landscape is changing - Increased competition - Becoming a ‘buyers’ market….students need to be more clued up

Before You Apply Attend open days Attend university workshops Get work experience/develop

specific skills? Order/read prospectuses Research, research, research! Plan your personal statements

UCAS Application Timeline

January – September 2014 Research Universities, attend Open Days Plan application

September 2014UCAS cycle opens

15th OctoberFirst UCAS DeadlineOxbridge, Medicine, Vet Science

Internal DeadlineAfter Oct half term but before Christmas

January 15th 2015Deadline for applications to be considered equally.

31st March 2015 You should receive all offers back from universities

May 2015 You should have made your final choices.

August 2015Results Day! Confirmation & Clearing

September 2015UNIVERSITY and the start of the best years of your life!

Course CampusCityCost

Where do you Start?

Research, Research, Research…….

Entry Requirements Each university will have different entry requirements for their courses.

When choosing a course consider the following; Are they asking for UCAS points (260 UCAS points) or specific grades (ABB) Do I need specific subjects? Do I have to have GCSE English & Maths at grade C or above? Will I need to have an interview? Do I need relevant work experience?

Work out your UCAS tariff by using the UCAS tariff tables – found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com

Nursing & Midwifery

Application Stats

Number of applications (nationally) for Nursing & Midwifery in 2013 224, 526

Approx number of applications for Nursing & Midwifery at DMU 2013 2942 Approx number of applications for Nursing & Midwifery at DMU 2014/15

3729….

425 places in total = 8 applications for every place!

Competition for a place is very high!

Course Information • Four branches of nursing to choose from Adult, Children, Learning Disability and Mental Health and a separate Midwifery course (joint honours are not available).• 3 year courses starting in September (January intake for Adult Nursing also)• Courses are 46 weeks long – 6 weeks holiday a year• Compulsory placements each year in 10 week blocks• Students follow the same 24 hour shift pattern as their nursing mentor• Course is split 50/50 – 2,300 hours of theory and 2,300 hours of practical• Student midwives need to deliver a minimum of 40 babies (various births)• No tuition fees and NHS grant and bursary available for all students• Successful applicants at application stage are invited to attend an interview and must pass a CRB check

Where to start….?“To be a nurse, a midwife or member of care staff is an extraordinary role. What we do everyday has a deep importance. We are key to the drive to enable people to stay healthy and wellfor longer through promoting health and well-being, and supporting independence. We helppeople to recover from illness, sometimes when they are at their most vulnerable. We supporthundreds of thousands of people in living with illness.

We care for everyone, from the joy at the beginning of new life to the sadness at its end. Wedo so in the privacy of people’s homes, in the local surgery, in the community, in care homes,in hospices, and in hospitals. We support the people in our care and their families when theyare at their most vulnerable. We have the clinical expertise, compassion and humanity withwhich to shape the culture of our health service and our care and support system. We areproud to be part of a remarkable health and care service, making a difference to people’s liveseach and every day.”

Viv Bennett – Director of Nursing

Taken from ‘Compassion in Practise’ paper - December 2012

What do they do?Counsel patients and their relatives

Patient observationsWash and dress patients

Check and administer medication

Change wound dressingsWrite care plans

Set up IV drips, blood transfusions

Cleaning up vomit, blood, urine, faeces

Remain objective and non-judgemental

Collaborative workingOrganising busy workload

Assist patients going to the bathroom – including wiping their bums!

Respond to emergency situationsAdvise patients about their health Emptying bed

pans Complete patient paperwork

What skills do you need?Caring Good communicator

Compassionate

AdvocateEmpathetic

NumerateDedicated PatientHardworking

CommitmentTolerant

Good listenerCompetent

Problem Solver

SelflessConsiderate

FlexibleCalm

Non-judgemental

LeadershipProfessional

CourageTeam player

Before you apply• Do your research early - be certain of which branch of nursing you want to apply for (consider dual

registration if you can’t decide between two)

• Get relevant experience in a health & social care setting – more varied the better.

• Gain shadowing experience – talk to current nurses & midwifes, register for UHL work experience

• Be aware of what is happening in the NHS, keep up to date with policies and procedures – 6 C’s of Nursing, Francis Report, etc

• Visit the Nursing & Midwifery Council website REGULARLY

• Do plenty of further reading – subscribe to Nursing Times Journal

• Have a plan B….you might not get your first choice, you might not even get a place!

• Start planning your personal statement early – think about your skills

“The Personal Statement provides me with an opportunity to make a judgement about applicants which goes beyond the

academic qualifications: personal qualities and characteristics can be just as important in offering places on

some degrees.”

-University Admission Tutor

What is a Personal Statement

Admissions Tutors

Passionate about their subject Experts in their field – many are still registered nurses/midwifes Might not share your sense of humour – tread carefully! WARNING: remember up to 5 different admissions tutors will be reading your

statement, don’t make it specific to one university.

Who Reads it and Why is it Important?

Before you start…

Mind map your ideas

down

Ask yourself ‘Why do I want to be a…’

What skills does a ___ need? Do I have those skills?

What have I learnt from my current

studies?

What experience do I have? What has it taught

me?

•Limited to 47 lines or 4000 characters.

•There is no spell checker or bold/italics/underline function on UCAS. Write your statement in Word then cut and paste over to UCAS.

•Your statement will automatically default to size 12 Times New Roman Font.

•If you go over the line limit UCAS will cut it off.

Section 6 of the Application

What to Include

What are admissions tutors looking for? A strong desire to study the subject Evidence of research and understanding of the course Your skills and how you relate them to the course/career An engaging opening paragraph Your personality Consistency with your reference Honesty

What to Include Choice of course

- Why you want to study the course- Why you are suitable

Relevant hobbies and personal interests

Work experience Future aspirations

How to Structure your Statement Construct your personal statement through key paragraphs – 4 or 5 maximum

A short engaging opening paragraph that grabs the readers attention

Explain your choice of course/subjects

Why you are suitable for the course

The person behind the course

Career aspirations and future plans

Short conclusion

60-70% of the form dedicated to these two areas

Explain your Choice of Course•Outline why you are interested in the subject(s) – Be clear about your motivations.

- Many people use personal experiences as their reasons ie) my aunty is a nurse or I help take care of my sick relative. Is this an informed choice?

- Avoid being cliché….’ever since I was little or a tragic accident etc.- When did you decide you wanted to study that subject? What led to your decision?

•Demonstrate that you are well motivated and enthusiastic about your chosen subject area.- What further reading and/or research have you done? - Keep up to date with current affairs.- Use appropriate examples. Don’t reference Holby City, One Born Every Minute etc

•How do your current studies compliment your chosen course?- Have you done similar modules.- Have you done a mixture of theory and practical learning.- How can you demonstrate that you are ready for university life.

Why are you Suitable for the Course•Remember there are hundreds of applicants competing for a place on the course what makes you the most suitable candidate?

•What transferable skills do you have? - Don’t just list them! - Think about when you have you shown these skills both on and off your course - Remember you develop these skills everywhere (doesn’t have to be course specific)

•Talk about your experiences either paid, voluntary and course placements.- Tell us exactly what you did/or do. What tasks did you complete? What did it teach you?

- What skills did you learn/use? Does it link to the course/career? Doesn’t always have to be relevant to nursing/midwifery.

•Show that you clearly understand the demands of the course/career and can link your experience/skills to that needed for the course or career you are entering.

The Person Behind the Form• Should be the shortest section on the statement – around 20-25% of the content

• Gives the reader a flavour of who you are outside of your studies. - Academics expect that you will have a life outside of college/university - Think about what you enjoy doing in your free time to relax and unwind.

• Outline your interests and hobbies - Remember a hobby or interest is something you do regularly. - Do you hobbies/interests compliment your chosen course? If not do you need to include it??

• Talk about any academic or personal achievements. - Have you completed the DofE, awarded Student of the Year, Chair the student council, play a musical instrument at Grade ?, captain of a sports team etc

• Avoid creating a list – it’s not useful so make sure you elaborate!

Future and Career Aspirations• Why are you going to university? - To better your chances of gaining a successful career - To develop a deeper understanding of the subject you are studying - To go on to Postgraduate study - Because you need a degree to enter in to your chosen profession; nursing, midwifery, teaching, solicitor etc

• Don’t worry if you are not sure which career path you want to take - We’re not asking you to commit to a career at this stage - But what area would you consider working in? - What skills do you hope to develop

Think of an interesting, engaging opening paragraph........ “I believe that the English language is our nations most

powerful asset.”

“In the words of William Makepeace Thackeray: "There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write."

TIP - Don’t leave a quote or statement hanging in thin air. If you are going to include it make sure the next few sentences back it up

Examples and Tips

Demonstrate your subject knowledge....“In order to enhance my understanding of the case studies, I carried out my own

experiment to replicate Freud’s work and to investigate the impact of qualitative data.”

TIP – try not to talk about well known/overused examples ie) Freud, Lord Sugar, Florence Nightingale etc. Be different, be unique, stand out!

Showcase your skills wherever possible....“Volunteering as a youth leader has been a challenge; I have learnt how to quickly adapt to change and work as a strong team player to ensure that activities always run smoothly”

Examples and Tips

Avoid repetition and over-using ‘I’.“I like History because I like how the past can change the modern world. I like reading historical texts and I like analysing why things happened”.

TIP – Don’t repeat information that you have already provided earlier on in the application ie) your name, what college you attend and listing your A Level subjects.

Pay attention to detail and check spelling, grammar and punctuation.

“Psycology, is highly relevent to are everyday lifes…”

TIP – Universities might question your suitability to study on an academic course if you fail to take care over your application and check for basic errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Examples and Tips

Be mindful of the tone and language you use.“I’ve been a regular host on our school radio station, which has been a brill opportunity to meet loads of new people and make new mates”.

TIP – Don’t use slang or ‘text-speak’ in your application. Remember who reads the statement...it’s not a letter to your best friend.

Use recent examples“At primary school I had 100% attendance and was made Deputy Head boy in Year 7”.

TIP – If it didn’t happen in the last 3-5 years it’s not deemed a recent enough example

Examples and Tips

Use relevant, appropriate examples to back up your statement.“I have studied Shakespeare with whom I share my birthday.”

“ I regularly watch Waterloo Road and feel it has taught me a lot about life as a Teacher.”

State your reasons for wanting to study the course carefully“I want to study chemistry because I love setting fire to things and watching them burn!”

Examples and Tips

Do your research early and write several drafts first. – you won’t get it right first time.

Proof read – Read your statement several times, does it make sense, have you included too much/too little information, get others to read it too!

Ensure that your statement is all your own work – seek examples, take advice but it has to be your own work. UCAS use a similarity checker for evidence of plagiarism!

Provide a suitable email address – remember this is a professional application.

TIP – Universities will contact you on which ever email address you provide on your application. If you are planning on using your school/college email address check how long you will have access to the account after you leave in year 13.

Examples and Tips

What is the personal

statement?

What to include Structure

Examples and tips

Further help and

advice

Further Help and AdviceGet a head start

Use the UCAS website - www.ucas.com

for useful worksheets, videos and advice

Email: vchetwyn@dmu.ac.uk

What is the personal

statement?

What to include Structure

Examples and tips

Further help and

advice?Any questions