Content provided by Abi Bing, when employed by the University of Exeter, for the UniTasterDays Teachers' Guide to University.
Want to hear a good one about a student, a
professor, and a dog who walk into a bar?
Maybe, but not in a personal statement you
don’t. Jokes, cliches, and truth-bending do not
belong in a university application. As tempting
as it may be for students to try to stand out
through humour and bold statements, it is
genuine motivation and commitment that will
help students get noticed by universities. If
students are stalling and focussing on a punchy
opener, remind them it should be written like a
job application, not a biography, and needs to
be formal, clear, and concise.
Identifying students’ favourite topics, modules
or experiences in a subject will help them shape
the start of their statements, where the focus
will become about the skills and knowledge
they have acquired which are relevant to their
chosen courses. Help with determining which
skills and experiences are most relevant to
discuss can be found by looking at course
modules and content on university webpages.
It is important that students identify common
modules and skills required in different
universities’ courses, to ensure that their
statement will be applicable to all courses/
universities to which they are applying.
Whilst the UK aims for pre-pandemic functionality, it has still been a challenge for many students to secure work experience during this period of change. In an increasingly competitive environment, it is crucial that students identify skills gaps they have, to overcome these and increase their confidence and chances of success. Whilst in-person work experience may not have been possible for all, there are still ways in which students can close skills gaps, including through participation in online events and at school.
• A student applying for Politics studies
a Massive Open Online Course - also
known as a MOOC (pro-active, motivated,
engaged, learning outside of classroom).
• Inspired by the content, they create a
debate club to be run in-person or online at
school (creativity, leadership, adaptability).
• Topics debated are important to their
school, so they create a proposal to bring
about changes (written communication,
teamwork, problem solving, creating
structured arguments).
• Signatures from peers supporting the
changes are gathered through an online
platform, and momentum gained through
a presentation during a school assembly
(verbal communication, persuasive writing
and speaking, marketing).
• As a result, vegetarian and vegan meal
options are introduced at the school
canteen (negotiation, implementation).
This process will be beneficial to the student
on their course where they will research and
understand political and cultural issues - and
create and deliver structured arguments.
For proactive students looking online to close
skills gaps, one advantage is gaining new
knowledge and skills with less worry over time
constraints, cost of travel, and established/
historic networks.
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