Person Statement
UCAS 2017/18
St. Joseph’s High School
Careers Department
Personal Statement Preparation
 A crucially important part of your UCAS
application.
 Your opportunity to shine.
 Thorough planning and preparation is key.
 Use the UCAS website and this booklet to help
you.
 Check out the following like on UCAS website:
http://www.ucas.com/students/applying/
howtoapply/personalstatement
Preparation
Making your choices
Research your courses.
All students should check out the Entry
Requirements for the courses that they
are researching as each university is
different.
Each university may require particular
exam grades or tariff points, some also
require you to take an admissions test.
Check out the minimum entry
requirement:
“Minimum entry requirements are a guide to the
level of education required to study on each
course. The universities or colleges you apply to
decide if your qualifications meet these
requirement when they consider your
application.
Remember that a university’s or college’s decision
is likely to be based on your overall suitability
for the course as well as whether you meet the
minimum entry requirements”
www.ucas.com
What are Entry Profiles?
Entry profiles help you decide which
universities or colleges and which courses
to apply you. Many courses with the same
title and are actually very different in
terms of content and study methods, so
Entry Profiles help you sort out which will
suit you best.
What are Entry Profiles?
 They provide details about courses, the
university or college offering each course, entry
qualifications, selection criteria and the
admissions policy. They are complied by staff at
the university or college, who understand what
you need to know about their courses, and what
kind of personal qualities, interest and
experiences it will be helpful for you to have,
so you can be successful on the course you
choose.
Finding Entry Profiles
 When you search for courses in Course Search
(www.ucas.com), look for the symbol EP after
the course title on the results page. If there’s a
symbol, the course has an entry profile.
 To view the entry profile, click on the course title,
which takes you to the main course information
page. The Entry Profile link is below the
application details.
Writing the statement
Word count
There is a word and character limit for your
personal statement. You can enter up to
4,000 characters (this includes all spaces)
or 47 lines of text (this includes blank lines
between paragraphs).
www.ucas.com
Personal Statement
Based around 3 themes:
Course Choices
Current Studies
About You
Course Choice
 State reasons for choosing your course.
 Background to your interest in the subject.
 Especially if it is a new subject or a vocational
course.
 Show that you understand what you are
applying for and that you have looked into the
subject.
 Evidence of having read information about the
course.
 Discuss any work experience you have had
in this subject area.
 Drafting and redrafting will be needed.
Current Studies
Refer to particular interests you have in
your currents subjects.
Evidence that you enjoy aspects of your
current studies.
This shows that you are a keen student
and will continue to be.
Your reference should also reflect this!
About you
Talk about any experience which is linked
to your current choices;
Courses you have attended, people you
met, lectures, articles you have read on
current affairs, environmental issues,
music, travel, sport.
About You
Mention positions of responsibility in or out
of school.
Voluntary work.
Major achievements.
Prize night.
Transferable Skills
This is a portable skill that you consciously
or unconsciously have gained and which
you can take to other life experiences.
Highlight your ‘unique selling point’
Encourage reflection – ‘skills you have
learned’
Avoid repetition and stating the obvious.
Post-16 Study
Remember……
The many skills and experiences which
you have acquired and enjoyed in St
Joseph’s will undoubtedly help to prepare
you for the future challenges of university
life.
Skills developed at the same time as
study include
 Ability to work independently.
 Ability to work in groups.
 Ability to motivate others.
 Time management.
 Bringing together of different disciplines to
illustrate a single point (theory to practice).
 Research abilities.
 Report writing (structure).
 Communication/presentation skills.
 Computer skills.
Skills developed at the same time as
part time work include;
 Customer service
 Analysis of trends
 Problem solving
 Prioritising
 Budgeting, economics, sales targets, profitability
 Management of stock and people
 Focusing on business objectives
Strive for a statement of perfection
 Accurate spelling and punctuation.
 Good presentation.
 Use paragraphs.
 Don’t repeat information.
 Avoid using exclamation marks.
 Do not use slang.
 Be positive – don’t stress the negative.
 Be committed and passionate.
Personal Statement – Why is it
important?
 Interviews are not required for many course
choices
 Applicants chance to sell themselves to the
admissions tutor
 Your chance to stand out amongst the other
applications
What are Admission Selectors looking
for?
 An interest and enthusiasm for the subject area
 Evidence of thought and reflection
 A good use of English and the ability to use
punctuation, sentences, write in paragraphs and
can spell
 A logically organised statement
 Evidence that their statement matters
Key Terms
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In addition
As well as
Reinforce
Strengthen
Furthermore
Apart from
Not to mention
More recently
 Enabled me
 Provide me
 Opportunity to
Key Term Table
Do not write
Instead Write
 I am the Captain of the
Gaelic Team
 I enjoy playing sport
 I am studying A Levels in
 I enjoy socialising
 I have taken part in
 I have gained a number
of skills
 Being a Captain of the
Gaelic team has enabled
me to….
 Having enjoyed playing
football….
 My A level subjects
have….
 Socialising is important to
me because….
 Taking part in….
 The skills I have gained
from…..
Warning
 Ensure that the statement is YOUR OWN
ORIGINAL WORK. Do not copy statements
from other sources.
 UCAS can now recognise sentences and word
sequences which have been submitted
previously.
What the UCAS Similarity Detection
Service does
“The personal statement in each incoming
application is checked against a library of all
personal statements previously submitted to
UCAS and sample statements collected from a
variety of web sites and other sources including
paper publications. Each personal statement
received at UCAS is added to the library of
statements after it had been processed.”
www.ucas.com
How will you find the appropriate
language?
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www.connexions-direct.com
Jobs4u
Job families
Check further details
Check skills and personal qualities
Useful Websites
 www.prospects.ac.uk
 www.careersserviceni.com
 www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
Current Studies
What bearing do your current studies
have on your selection?
Application for Early Primary Education
degree
“My favourite module whilst studying
Sociology was education. I was intrigued
to learn the theories of how factors such
as class, gender, ethnicity and religion
can influence a child’s development.”
Current Studies
What do you enjoy most about your
current studies?
Application for Performance degree
“I thoroughly enjoy performing arts as I get
to participate in group activities and get
to input creative ideas. I am presently
working on a performance, designed for
the younger audience in my
community…”
Why this subject area/course?
What interests you about the course/subject
area?
Application for Law degree
“I would most like to study the field of International
Commercial and Corporate Law. Although the
areas of Criminal Law interest me I would prefer
to study an area that will challenge me through
large projects and that will allow me to overcome
some language boundaries.”
The Real Person
What skills and attributes do you have?
Application for Business Studies degree
“Competing in sporting events has helped my team
building skills and also my leaderships skills as I
have been nominated to the role of team
captain. I feel that I motivate others to succeed
and have been able to listen and give
instructions and advice.”
The Real Person
Do you have any relevant work experience?
Application for Business Management degree
“My employment history has been solely in the
catering industry where I have worked as a
waiter. As well as developing strong
communication skills this experience has also
given me a useful understanding of the running
of a small business.”
Repetition….
For many years now I have aspired towards a
career in Business and Business Management
and I have decided I want to pursue a career in
the Business area. I would like to study
Business Management and Business because
the level I can study Business at, at the minute
is really enjoyable and I want to continue my
studies with this.
Humour….?
I would describe myself as a rather energetic
person who is always looking for something to
so with his free time. Previous failed hobbies
include stamp collecting (too quiet), Rugby (too
painful) and girl chasing (too ugly). But now I
believe I am settled with my current interests,
football and music. On the football side I feel
that although I possess little skill I make up for it
with enthusiasm. I am also an avid football
supporter of my favourite team Crystal Palace
(they need the help).
In summary ……..
 Preparation
 Presentation and style
 Technicalities – 4,000 words or 47 lines
 What to include:
about the subject/course
achievements
evidence
special attributes
what I want from the future
work