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Provides a planning process, recommends a course-focused structure (about two thirds) and an applicant-focused section (about one third), and includes practical prompts for relevant study, skills, achievements, responsibilities, hobbies, and gap year plans, with advice to be specific and 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your personal statement stand out  \nGet your facts right  \nTop 15  \nfor the sixth year running for overall student satisfaction  \n(English mainstream universities, NSS 2018)  \nTop 30  \nin The Times Good University Guide 2019  \nTop for  \nPolitics  \nand top 5 for Social Sciences in the most recent REF 2014.  \nGold  \nin the Teaching Excellence Framework 2017 (TEF)  \nThree stunning  \ncampuses  \nin Colchester, Loughton and Southend which are close to London with excellent transport links.  \nGlobal  \ncommunity  \nof nearly 15,000 students from over 140 different countries.  \nIt’s often hard to know where to start when it comes to writing your personal statement, so we got together with our Admissions Selectors (the people who make the decisions) and created this booklet full of useful tips and advice  \nto help you.  \nWhat is a personal statement?  \nYour personal statement is a really important part of your application as it is your only chance to personalise it.  \nYour personal statement should explain why you want to study your chosen course at university.  \nYou need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment, and convince the Admissions Selectors that you will be suitable for your chosen course.  \nRemember that the Admission Selector reading your statement will want to know why you chose the subject and wish to study it at a higher level.  \nHow to get started:  \nPlanning your personal statement.  \nWriting about yourself is not something that you do often, so you may need to practise writing in this particular style.  \nIf you are at school or college, check when your personal statement needs to be submitted so you can leave time to get feedback. The first step in writing your personal statement is to plan what you would like to include.  \nAbout the course  \nTwo thirds of the personal statement should be about the course that you are applying for:  \n\n| What course(s) do you want to apply for? |  |\n| --- | --- |\n| When did you become interested in the course(s)? |  |\n| Are there any aspects of your current studies that relate to the course(s) that you have chosen? |  |\n| Why have you applied to study this course? |  |\n| Are there any particular parts of the subject that you enjoy? |  |\n| What have you learnt about the subject that has inspired you to take it to university-level? |  |\n| What personal qualities do you possess that make you suited to this area of study? |  |\n| What relevant experience do you have?\u003Cbr>n work experience\u003Cbr>n part time work\u003Cbr>n volunteering\u003Cbr>n awards\u003Cbr>n societies |  |\n| What are your future career plans? How will the knowledge and skills gained through your studies help? |  |\n\nAbout you  \nThe other third of the personal statement should be about you and why you think you would bea good university student. This is your opportunity to say what makes you interesting, special or unique. Everyone has aspects of their personality that make them interesting; it’s just a case of putting them into words.  \nYou should only mention things which help support your application. A long list of everything that you have done is much less impressive than picking one or two things and writing about the skills that you have gained through them. Activities undertaken recently will certainly carry more weight than those you did in junior school.  \nIf you are planning on taking a gap year, you should mention this in your personal statement and explain what you would like to do during this time.  \nThe list below is a good place to start when thinking about your skills but don’t feel that you need to mention every example (or else you will run out of room!) Pick your strongest and most relevant examples and use these in your personal statement.  \n\n| Skills\u003Cbr>How can you demonstrate you have developed this skill?\u003Cbr>Why might this skill be useful to have at university? |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Commitment |  |  |\n| Communication skills |  |  |\n| Computer literacy |  |  |\n| Confidenc","cbCaipbRSqOcEC8O","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaipbRSqOcEC8O","pdf",152282,"English","# What is a personal statement?\n## How to get started: planning your personal statement\n## About the course\n## About you\n## Skills, achievements and experience checklist","[{\"question\":\"What should a personal statement achieve for university admissions selectors?\",\"answer\":\"It should explain why you want to study your chosen course, demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment, and show that you have the motivation and suitability to succeed.\"},{\"question\":\"How much of the personal statement should focus on the course vs. the applicant?\",\"answer\":\"About two thirds should be about the course you are applying for, while the other third should describe you and what makes you a strong university student.\"},{\"question\":\"What kinds of content should be included about the course and your interest in it?\",\"answer\":\"Include when you became interested, links between your current studies and the course, reasons for applying, subject parts you enjoy, what you’ve learned that inspired you, and relevant course-level learning goals.\"},{\"question\":\"How should you describe skills and experience in your personal statement?\",\"answer\":\"Pick your strongest and most relevant examples, and for each skill explain how you developed it, why it is useful at university, and relate it back to progression to higher education.\"}]","Personal Statement Writing Guide - How to Plan and Structure Your Application | PDF",1789950154,101]