About How to write your UCAS Personal Statement - a Better Uni Choices podcast
I’ve worked in university student recruitment and admissions for well over 25 years.
I’ve read countless Personal Statements, delivered hundreds of sessions on how to write them, and I have even trained teachers and advisers on how to help their students.
This podcast is for you if you are applying through UCAS, and are writing your UCAS Personal Statement
In just one hour, over 10 super-short episodes, I’ll give you information and insight into the admissions process, and a very practical guide on writing your statement.
Just listen, take notes, and start writing.
You’ll also find the whole series available as an online course, or as a written guide that you can download for free at:
www.betterunichoices.com
Looking for some final tips before you start your first draft?
Here are some thoughts that I have picked up from a whole bunch of admissions selectors and other experts over the years.
28 Mar 2024
Part 9: Getting help and support
Want to know how to get the best possible feedback on your statement?
There are lots of people around who can help you with your Personal Statement.
This part will help you get the very best input, by planning how and when you get feedback from different people.
28 Mar 2024
Part 8: Using ChatGPT
Thinking of using ChatGPT?
If you ask Chat GPT to write your statement for you, it will simply make stuff up; a whole statement full of lies.
However, engage with it as if it is your counsellor, and it can be extremely helpful.
In this part I suggest a couple of really useful prompts, and give some further helpful tips on how to use AI usefully and ethically.
28 Mar 2024
Part 7: Writing a Personal Statement for two subjects
Are you applying for two different subjects?
How to write a statement that covers two different courses could be the most asked question in university admissions history, and the answer is not straightforward.
There are a number of possible scenarios, and in this part I suggest how to approach these.
28 Mar 2024
Part 6: The power of reflective writing
How do you make sure everything you write really matters to the admissions tutor?
You now have lots of content, and a sensible structure for your statement.
You know which content you are going to prioritise, and roughly how long each section is going to be.
There is just one more area to focus on before you start writing the statement in full, and that’s how to write reflectively.
28 Mar 2024
Part 5: A clear, simple structure
Not sure what goes where?
If you have done the exercise in Part 4 reasonably well, you now probably have several pages, and perhaps ten or twenty ideas about yourself, your skills, your experiences, and your chosen course.
In this part I’m going to show you how to organise all this content within a really clear, simple structure.
28 Mar 2024
Part 4: Preparing your content
The hardest thing is getting started
Preparation is key, and in this part I suggest a clear and structured approach to this preparation, before you even think about starting to write your statement in full.
I’ll ask you eight simple questions.
These are questions that every applicant really should be able to answer without too much thought.
If you can answer them, the hard work really is done!
28 Mar 2024
Part 3: Personal Statement basics
What’s actually allowed in a UCAS Personal Statement?
In this super-short video, we simply cover the basics.
We look at the maximum length and character limits, what you can include, and what you should definitely not include.
28 Mar 2024
Part 2: When and how will your Personal Statement be used?
Do you wonder if your Personal Statement even matters?
It is almost impossible to know exactly how important the Personal Statement will be in your specific situation.
The more important thing to understand is when might your Personal Statement be read, and how it can impact on the decision to offer you a place.
28 Mar 2024
Part 1: A quick guide to the UCAS process
Not sure how the whole UCAS process works?
This part gives a brief outline of the whole UCAS process, so that you know where the Personal Statement fits in.
If you already know exactly how the UCAS process works, feel free to skip straight to Part 2.
28 Mar 2024
Introduction
Welcome!
In this brief trailer, I provide a short introduction to the series, and give an overview of what’s coming up!
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