Plan Your Summer for a Successful Personal Statement - Afua Kudom
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The document provides advice for students on planning their summer activities to support their personal statement for university applications. It recommends attending university open days to learn about different courses, doing further independent reading on subjects of interest, and seeking work experience or research opportunities related to their chosen field of study. These summer activities can help students demonstrate their motivation and interest in the subject to answer why they are a good fit for the course in their personal statement. The document also provides examples of how students can discuss their extracurricular activities, work experience, and subject interests in their personal statement.
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Plan Your Summer for a Successful Personal Statement - Afua Kudom
- 1. ACORN HOUSE COLLEGE PLAN YOUR SUMMER FOR A SUCCESSFUL PERSONAL STATEMENT JUNE 2016
- 2. BA LAW, CAMBRIDGE AFUA KUDOM • Studied 2000-2003 • Head of Schools
- 3. WHAT DO YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT PERSONAL STATEMENTS?
- 4. WHAT IS A PERSONAL STATEMENT? • 4000 characters/47 lines long • Uploaded to the UCAS website as part of your application to UK universities • All universities see the same personal statement • A chance for you to sell yourself – for most universities, the only chance
- 5. TWO QUESTIONS YOUR PERSONAL STAMENT SHOULD ANSWER…. 1) WHY ME? 2) WHY THIS COURSE?
- 6. PERSONAL STATEMENT: WHAT TO INCLUDE • Subject motivation and interest • Specific area(s) of the course you are interested in and why? • Any links between your A Levels and course choice? • What have you read/studied independently to further your knowledge of this subject? • Work experience/extra-curricular activities relevant to your course? • Why you are best suited to the course?
- 7. PLANNING YOUR SUMMER • Attending University Open Days • Further reading • Work experience/independent research
- 8. HOW YOUR SUMMER ACTIVITIES WILL SUPPORT YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT
- 9. SUBJECT MOTIVATION AND INTEREST Attending as many open days as possible will help you understand how the courses differ across the universities and what it is really like to study that subject. PERSONAL STATEMENT BIOCHEMISTRY EXAMPLE “It is not just the logical problem-solving aspect of biochemistry that appeals to me, but also the philosophical and ethical dimension of science.”
- 10. EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Taking part in activities outside of school will be a unique selling point and help demonstrate your subject motivation beyond the school curriculum. PERSONAL STATEMENT ENGINEERING EXAMPLE “Fascinated by inventions and creations, I was determined to be part of the people behind them. I attended an "Introduction to Engineering" course at the John Hopkins University Centre for Talented Youth. Building a spaghetti bridge as a team was the final project. In preparation, we measured tensile and buckling limits of spaghetti, designed the bridge, computed the loads on each beam, and then improved the design accordingly. At the same time, taking university lectures from different yet interconnected branches of engineering showed me how broad and multidisciplinary the subject is.”
- 11. TALKING ABOUT WORK EXPERIENCEWork experience should be used as an opportunity to make links between your course and how it relates to the ‘real world’. PERSONAL STATEMENT CLASSICS EXAMPLE "I spent a week with West Yorkshire Archaeological Services, where I obtained practical experience in the profession. I was able to handle Roman artefacts which would usually be untouchable, behind glass cabinets in a museum. My placements helped me to gain an insight to vocations frequently tied to Classics.”
- 12. Do • Research the course before hand • Emphasise academic motivation • Illustrate intellectual curiosity • Give specific examples of interests • Be engaging/add a personal touch • Be honest • Be specific • Have the interview in mind A SUMMARY PERSONAL STATEMENT
- 13. PLANNING YOUR SUMMER • Attending open days Have questions to ask course leaders and current students Attend subject taster sessions and lectures • Further reading Start with topics and themes that interest you the most Ask others for recommendations • Work experience/independent research Make work experience an interactive experience (ask questions) and choose placements that will help develop skills/experiences relevant to your course Carry out your own research and summarise your key learnings
- 14. QUESTIONS?
- 15. THANK YOU Good luck with your application
Editor's Notes
- Edit the presentation to ensure it includes the correct event details
- Introduce yourself, a quick bit about your background (e.g. state school (first person from VIth form to get into Cambridge), college, interests at uni (football), former teacher
- Use this personal statement workshop if the school would prefer an afternoon workshop on personal statements instead of interviews. Ignore if not relevant.
- Summarise the key characteristics of a personal statement.
- Use this personal statement workshop if the school would prefer an afternoon workshop on personal statements instead of interviews. Ignore if not relevant.
- Introduction - why are you excited about studying this course? What specific area(s) of your subject interest you the most and why? (proof of engagement with subject through reading) Whether A levels being taken support course choice What have you done/ studied to further your knowledge of this subject? (Work experience and extra-curricular activities which support course choice) Further extra-curricular activities Closing lines
- Some schools may have in-house support available. Re-iterate this if teacher has already explained what other support they provide to students. Also emphasise fact that personal statement should be drafted before the summer holiday and they should make the most of the summer months re open days, work experience etc.
- Use this personal statement workshop if the school would prefer an afternoon workshop on personal statements instead of interviews. Ignore if not relevant.
- Ask each student to brainstorm their motivation for studying – which part of the course? “Why me and why law?” for example.
- Students now brainstorm these ideas – what have they done so far… THEN, what else can they do? Then share with the group – split by 5 subject areas. Specific focus on knowledge not experience!
- Different from the first section – this is about work exp or extra curricular – rather than knowledge. Brainstorm what they’ve done and what else they can do…share with group again.
- You now have a plan! You’re on your way to start your first draft… here are some tips! OR… now it’s time to analyse your statement against what we’ve discussed and brainstormed (depends on time of year).
- Some schools may have in-house support available. Re-iterate this if teacher has already explained what other support they provide to students. Also emphasise fact that personal statement should be drafted before the summer holiday and they should make the most of the summer months re open days, work experience etc.
- What do you think of when you hear “Oxbridge?” Prestigious Respected Stuffy Posh/snobby Exclusive Full of smart people
- Thank and congratulate students for all their hard work, remind them to fil in the feedback form and wish them luck with their application, reminding them to check out our website and look out for our introductory email. Prestigious Respected Stuffy Posh/snobby Exclusive Full of smart people