Personal Statement

Your personal statement is your opportunity to sell yourself to the admissions tutor, and let them know why you would be a great student for them to have on their course. You need to stand out from the crowd.

Below is some advice and guidance on writing your personal profile below - you can also go to the UCAS website to the Your Personal Statement section.

UCAS doesn’t have a spell check - it is advisable to type up your personal statement in a programme such as Word and then copy it over to UCAS after you have carried out a spell check.
4,000 characters is the maximum you can use
Each College/University will see the same personal profile - you can’t change it to match each one, therefore you need to ensure you are happy that all will see it. Don’t mention a particular college or university within the profile.
It needs to be a true, accurate and all your own work - UCAS has a system that checks for plagiarism and so will know if you have copied from anyone else.
Explain why you have chosen specific subjects - you can refer back to your research you carried out when making our choice. Make sure your reasons for applying are realistic and you have thought through.
How can you make your application stand out - this is especially important if you are applying for a very popular course.
Talk about your experience - this can be work experience, paid work, or voluntary work, especially if they are linked to your course in some way.
What activities have you been a part of - for example have you helped with any summer schools, completed the Duke of Edinburgh Award or Young Enterprise. Explain the skills and experience you have gained from these activities, link them to your application.
Demonstrate how you can cope with academic demands - if you have completed the extended project you could use this, or if you have had to meet deadlines for coursework, and essays etc.
Involvement in group/class discussions - talk about how you are happy to participate in group or class discussions, and how you have joined in with college or school life.
Gap Year - If you are looking to take a gap year then you need to explain why, how will this be beneficial to your, the course and the college/university.
Emphasise the positive - explain the positive things you have done so far in your academic career, for example volunteering to help the homeless, but don’t be tempted to exaggerate these positives. They need to be honest.

Your References

Your application to universities/colleges needs to be supported by a reference. The referee needs to be someone that knows you well but they cannot be a member of your family or a friend. Most of the time the reference is your teacher or form tutor within the school/academy/sixth form or college. If you have left education you should ask your former teacher or tutor if possible, if this is not possible you can use an employer or a supervisor from your job, voluntary work or work experience.

This is a very important part of your application, therefore you need to ensure that you give your referee enough time to complete it.

You can find out more about referees on the UCAS website under the section on References, Payment and Sending.

Your referee will be asked to comment on the following:

Your academic ability and the contribution you make in class.
Your suitability for the course you have chosen.
Your estimated grades (if not received them yet) and academic potential.
What personal qualities they have found you to have, such as motivated, creative and independent.
Whether your future career goals are suitable to you.
They may talk about other topics such as hobbies and interests they are aware of.
Any relevant health concerns they feel may affect your ability to complete the course, however you will need to provide permission for this so make sure you talk to your referee before they write the reference for you.

If you are sending your application via school/college, then the reference will be added once all other sections on Apply are complete. The referee will then forward the completed application to UCAS.

Some schools/colleges will allow the student to read the reference before it is sent to UCAS, while others may not and may just send it forward to UCAS. Although your school/college do not have to show you or even give you a copy of your reference, you can obtain a copy from UCAS at a cost.

If you are not in education your referee will attach your reference in the same way as those that are still within education, and they will be able to do this online via the UCAS website.

You will need to verify that the referee has a valid email address as well as access to the internet, as well as checking with them that they are happy to act as a referee on your behalf. You are responsible for making sure you have the reference completed before the deadline for the application.

Admissions Tests

Certain Higher Education courses expect students to complete admissions tests as part of their application for the course. Below is a list of websites that will help you find out more about the most frequently used admissions tests:

www.admissionstestingservice.org - here you will find a range of information about the admissions tests that could be asked for by your chosen university or college.
LNAT - www.lnat.ac.uk - this is an admissions test for those students wishing to take law, Red Brick universities such as Oxford and Birmingham will want you to complete these, and although other universities may not ask for it, it is still worth looking at as it can show your aptitude towards law and therefore could sway the admissions tutor.
UK Clinical Aptitude Tests - www.ukcat.ac.uk - this website deals with aptitude tests for those students looking to go into medicine or dentistry.

It is therefore very important to check whether or not the course and universities/colleges you are applying for expect you to complete any admissions tests, as it is your responsibility to make sure you have taken these tests, you will not get reminded by the university or UCAS, even you school/college may not know about them.

It is also very important to check the deadlines for the admissions tests, the deadlines may and are very likely to be before the deadlines for the application. You may also find that there is a fee to take the admissions tests, normally that can be paid online at the time you book to take the test.

If you want more information on admissions test then you can go to the UCAS website and look at the section on Admissions Tests.