14167 QA - UCAS Booklet:14167 QA - UCAS Booklet 9/2/12 12:36 Page 1 UCAS Guide

Transcription

1 UCAS Guide

2

3 UCAS Guide Contents Introduction 4 Overview of the Preparation and Application Process 5 Stages of the Application Process 8 Sources of Information for University Application Research 15 Timetable 16 Completion of the UCAS Apply Online Form 17 Examples of Personal Statements 28 Applying to University Abroad 32 3

4 Introduction Applying to university can seem a daunting process, but there is plenty of help available and this guide will provide a checklist of the things you need to do at each stage of the application process. Once you get started, you will realise it is not as difficult as you thought it would be! You need to begin considering your university and GAP Year options as early as possible, since there are thousands of courses to choose from at hundreds of institutions and competition for the top universities is fierce. The decisions you need to be making now are whether you want to go to university straight after school or whether you want to take a GAP Year. Which institution would you like to attend and which course will suit you best and lead to purposeful employment? Parents can inform themselves about the UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) process by visiting: Dr Valerie Vincent Director of Sixth Form valerie.vincent@qas.org.uk 4

5 Overview of the Preparation and Application Process LOWER SIXTH February Careers and GAP Fair to help you make decisions about the course you wish to take. March UCAS evening to inform you and your parents about how the UCAS process works. Higher Education Conference at Reading University to help you make informed decisions about your choice of university. June Advice on completing UCAS forms and starting to fill in your online application. Start Queen Anne s School Extended Project. Start personal statement. UPPER SIXTH September Continue to complete UCAS form online. Interview with your tutor to discuss university choices and personal statement. Interview with Dr Vincent to check online application and personal statement. Deadline for Oxbridge/Medicine/Veterinary Medicine/Dentistry: 20 September. Deadline for all other applications: 10 October. October All Oxbridge/Medicine and related courses to be sent to UCAS by 15 October. All other applications to be sent by michaelmas half-term. 5

6

7

8 Stages of the University Application WHICH COURSE? Before you decide which university you want to go to, you need to decide what you are going to study. This is the most important question: what kind of subject will you be happy studying for three or more years? You need to be clear about this before you begin completing your UCAS form. There are several reasons for choosing a course, and they may include: The intrinsic interest of the subject and the intellectual discipline it requires. Having a proven ability in the subject area. It leading to a worthwhile and rewarding career. Make sure that you choose a subject in which you are genuinely interested and in which you will have every chance of doing well. Your teachers and parents can give you advice but, in the end, it is your decision. There are many different courses available and you must remember that: While university courses may carry the name of one of your A Level subjects, they may be very different from whatever you are currently studying. Do not assume that each course will be the same at each university. For example, Medicine at Oxford is completely different from Medicine at Manchester. There will be huge variations in the content of the course and how it is taught. There are many courses available which are not related to your current A Levels. You do not have to choose a degree subject which automatically leads to a job in that field. For example, you do not have to study Law to be a lawyer - indeed many Law firms prefer people who have taken an alternative course and then done the conversion course (LPC). YOU NEED TO RESEARCH YOUR OPTIONS AND SHOULD START DOING THIS NOW. Consult your teachers and Heads of Department. Make sure you read around a variety of sources e.g. the Careers Library and the internet. Think about Combined Honours e.g. Maths and Management Sciences. Many courses now involve a placement year, and this can be hugely beneficial when looking for a job. WHICH UNIVERSITY? Many of the above decisions will affect this. You can apply to a maximum of five universities, including only one of Oxford or Cambridge. You may only include four medical schools in this choice of five. You would be well advised to consult the UCAS website: - especially the unistats section which gives a wealth of comparative information about universities (since 2007) and courses, including the results of student satisfaction surveys. See: 8

9 APPLYING TO OXBRIDGE Oxford and Cambridge rank among the leading universities in the world. Heads of Department will inform your tutor if you are of Oxbridge potential. If you are identified as someone who should apply to Oxbridge, you should give serious thought to making such an application. If you are not identified at this stage, but would like to make an application, see your tutor and the relevant Head of Department for advice. In addition to completing the UCAS form, you will also need to complete an Oxford or Cambridge preliminary form. Many of the courses also have a special test which will need to be completed prior to being given an interview. Make sure you check the website for your chosen course. SINCE COMPETITION IS STRONG, YOU SHOULD REMEMBER THAT: You must have excellent GCSE results (at least five A*s). You must have predictions of A* grades in your A Levels and A grades in any AS modules you have already taken. You must be willing to read around the subject and attend Oxbridge preparation classes at school. History, Physics, Economics, Mathematics, PPE, English and others at Oxford require tests to be taken at school before interview. Oxbridge Law applicants have to take the LNAT (National Admission Test for Law); Medicine applicants the BMAT (Biomedical Admissions Test); Economics and Management have to take the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment). In other subjects, tests may be by individual colleges on the day of interview. This tends to be the practice at Cambridge. You may also need to submit written work (this depends on the subject). You will need to attend an interview, usually in November or December. NB: It is not impossible to succeed with a deferred entry Oxbridge application, but it is not usually advised. Consult Dr Vincent before making such an application. APPLYING FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL, DENTISTRY OR TO VETERINARY SCIENCE: Competition for these is as fierce as applying to Oxbridge. You must see Dr Vincent if you are contemplating applying. Work experience and voluntary work are vital to obtaining a place. You should be arranging this now. APTITUDE TESTS Several universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, Bristol Veterinary School and The Royal Veterinary College, all require BMAT (Biomedical Admissions Test) to be taken. Be careful to check if BMAT is required by any other university to which you are making application. QAS will enter candidates for BMAT and administer the test. All other institutions require UKCAT (UK Clinical Aptitude Test). Candidates for UCKAT make their own entries via the internet. The test is computer based and administered at an examination centre outside of the School. APPLYING FOR LAW Several universities now require LNAT (National Admission Test for Law). These include: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Exeter, Glasgow, KCL, Nottingham, Oxford and UCL. Make sure you check if LNAT is required by any university to which you are making application. Candidates for LNAT make their own application to a test centre through the LNAT website. 9

10 APPLYING TO ALL UNIVERSITIES Remember that you are trying to get offers. The most important aspect to consider is your predicted grades. Preliminary predictions will be made in June of the Lower Sixth and will be based on your performance in the Mock Examinations, as well as your progress throughout the year. Final predictions are based on your AS results and, whilst we will endeavour to be aspirational on your behalf, there is little point in the School inflating your grades to levels which are not achievable. Do not apply to universities for courses which require higher grades than those the School is willing to predict for you. If you are realistically a BBB student, the School predicts this on your UCAS reference. If you then apply to universities which offer AAB you run a high risk of rejection. Remember that if you are over-ambitious in all of your applications, you could end up with no offers. You should, therefore, aim to apply to universities which reflect your predictions. At least one of these should be aspirational: one which makes you offers that you could achieve if you worked to your full potential. In addition to this, one of your choices should be at a lower level than that at which you are currently working, so that you will have a realistic back-up. Remember that the provider of your degree will matter: try to make sure that you choose a well-respected university and a well-respected course. You should give particular consideration to the Russell Group* of universities and other researchbased universities such as York and Durham. *The Russell Group: University of Birmingham University of Bristol University of Cambridge Cardiff University University of Edinburgh University of Glasgow Imperial College, London King s College, London University of Leeds University of Liverpool London School of Economics University of Manchester University of Newcastle upon Tyne University of Nottingham University of Oxford University of Sheffield University of Southampton University College, London University of Warwick 10

11 FACTORS INFLUENCING THE UNIVERSITIES GCSE results: usually the only complete set of examination results they have. A Level predictions: universities will be supplied with module scores as well as overall A Level grades on Results Day in August. It is important that you have good module results to support the School s predicted final grades. You should also appreciate that universities might make offers dependent on module grades a university might insist that your A grade in a subject is a result of A grades in all modules. School reference: written by your tutor with considerable input from your teachers (then checked by the Director of Sixth Form and approved by the Headmistress). Your personal statement (Section 10 of the UCAS form). FINAL DECISIONS: Once you have been notified of all offers or rejections by UCAS, you will have to narrow down the choices to two. These choices are known as the Firm (F) and Insurance (I) offers. The Firm Offer will be from the university you hope to attend. It should be an offer which you have a realistic chance of meeting. Remember to check the conditions of the offer carefully. If you fail to make the grades required by your first choice university, do not panic. You may still be accepted at the university if you miss out by a grade. The same applies to insurance offers. You must telephone to see how you stand. If this does not work out, you have to go through clearing or re-apply by taking an unplanned GAP Year. UCAS EXTRA Those applicants who have been rejected by, or have withdrawn from, all of their original universities, can make new applications from mid-march to those universities which still have vacancies. These vacancies are notified on the UCAS website. CLEARING This takes place in the summer when the A Level results are published and the universities have unfilled places, including all types of universities and courses. Students who have not met their offers can usually still find a place, but may have to be a little more flexible on course or institution. If you have only just missed an offer, it is vital that you contact the university as soon as possible. You may still be offered a place, but this is becoming increasingly unlikely. At this stage, the quality of your personal statement and the support given to you by the School in its reference can be decisive factors. The Insurance Offer should be from a university you are still happy to go to but has lower offer grades. This will give you a back-up if you do not quite meet your predicted grades. Universities must aim to have all decisions made by March. The deadline for student replies is 4 May. You are expected to go to your firm choice university if you meet the A Level offer. If you achieve significantly better grades than expected, and wish to explore other possibilities, see Dr Vincent on Results Day. 11

12 THE GAP YEAR OPTION A GAP Year provides a unique opportunity for students to take a break from their studies, maybe earn some money to help them through university and to broaden their experience of the world. There are a large number of organisations that provide a range of GAP year activities in the UK and throughout the world. A substantial proportion of these are run by charities whose primary purpose is to give young people the opportunity to get out of the comfort of living at home and to experience working in challenging situations. Many projects involve helping local communities abroad, but similar placements are available in this country. An entirely different alternative is to work for a company in the UK. Several large firms, like IBM and the Army, run GAP Year schemes which provide an excellent introduction to the working environment. An organisation which you may use is A Year in Industry. Students apply to the organisation with a wish list of their aspirations and the organisation arranges interviews with suitable employers. This is not only open to budding engineers - applicants for management-related posts are also encouraged. They are always short of applicants. WHAT UNIVERSITIES AND QUEEN ANNE S SCHOOL THINK ABOUT GAP YEARS: On the whole universities are in favour, in that students arriving at college after taking a GAP Year tend to be more mature and keen to restart their studies. Having said this, many faculties, particularly in subjects like Mathematics, find that the break can be detrimental to a student s performance. Applying for deferred entry is not always prudent when making an Oxbridge application. If in doubt, contact the university faculties to ask their advice, or speak to Dr Vincent. At the end of the day it must be an individual choice. What is right for one student is not necessarily right for the next. One thing is certain: GAP Years need careful planning and should not be wasted. WHERE TO GO FOR MORE INFORMATION: Careers Library Internet: most organisations have their own web site, but for general information try and Careers and GAP Year Fair: held in February each year 12

13 UNIVERSITY VISITS Pupils are not usually allowed more than two university visits in a term. You should plan carefully which universities interest you the most so that your visits are not wasted. There is a great deal of information available in the Careers Library and on the internet to help you. Specific university websites and the UCAS website hold relevant data including courses offered and entrance requirements. You are encouraged to make university visits outside of school hours, for example half-term holidays or weekends, to minimize disruption to lessons. Do not think that you have to attend an Open Day it is altogether possible that you will get a more realistic idea about the institution if you visit on a normal working day. Pupils must not exceed two visits per term without prior permission from the Director of Sixth Form. A university visit form must be completed. The university visit form, available from your tutor, must be completed and returned at least seven days prior to the visit. This form requires tutor/teacher acknowledgement. The completed form must be returned to Dr Vincent who will not allow students to attend a visit unless this form is completed in full. OPEN DAYS Open Days are advertised on the internet. Look at individual universities sites and the UCAS site for details. Most universities have more than one Open Day per year, so choose a sensible time to go. It is unwise to disrupt revision periods before AS modules to go on university visits. Open Day Guide: Plan your visit: make a list of what you would like to know. Consider the location of the town/city. How long did it take you to get there? Is it too far from home? How expensive is it to live there? Consider the situation of the university within the city. Is it a campus? (Does this matter to you?) How far are the halls of residence from the town centre/students union? Is transport good if it is too far to walk? How good/accessible are the university s sporting/social facilities? 13 Are you considering a GAP Year? If so, find out the Departmental view on this from an academic member of staff. You should get an opportunity to speak to current undergraduates to get a student s perspective on the university. It is possible that QAS girls have gone to this university in the past: check with the Alumni Relations Co-ordinator. How does the department/university compare to others you have visited/will visit? Ultimately, do you think you will be happy there for three or four years? FINANCE MATTERS In the final year of your A Level studies: Late January/early February: Go online in order to complete your application for a student loan. The form is currently available at: There is discussion of it being part of the UCAS website instead. See Dr Vincent for the latest news on this. The student loan form must be filled in. Even though universities can now charge fees to all students up to a maximum of 9000, a substantial part of the cost of a university education is still met through government funding. Students with a Specific Learning Difficulty, such as Asperger s Syndrome, may also be eligible for a local authority disability allowance. All universities now offer a wide range of scholarships and bursaries. These vary by subject. It is important to research what additional financial help may be made available by universities.

14 All our girls go on to Higher Education, many to top universities in the UK and overseas. Dr Valerie Vincent, Director of Sixth Form

15 Sources of Information for University Application Research You will need to do as much research as you can yourself - do not rely too much on others. You need to take control of your own application process. The following resource list will help you make informed decisions. It is very useful to create your own UCAS file with important information and notes for reference. ESSENTIAL CAREER LIBRARY MATERIAL: UCAS Official Guide plus CD ROM UCAS directory - needed to complete the codes for the UCAS form (also available on line) The Times Good University Guide Choosing Your Degree Course and University (Brian Heap) Which? Degree Guide Degree Course Offers (Brian Heap) The Push Guide to choosing a University Prospectuses: these are for reference only and are in the Careers Library. The university will send you a copy for free if you wish for a permanent source of information. You may have already collected some of these at the Higher Education Conference at Reading University. Remember that most departments will have their own booklets with more detailed course content etc. All universities now have online prospectuses. UCAS STAMFORD TEST This can be accessed via the UCAS website and gives some guidance on aptitude for university study. INTERNET This is now a major source of information. All universities have their prospectuses on line. These can be linked from the excellent UCAS web site.. 15

16 Timetable LOWER SIXTH Lent Term: Careers and GAP Fair: an opportunity for you to find out more about your chosen degree course/career. In addition to this, some of the leading GAP Providers will be suggesting productive ways in which you can spend a year out of education. UCAS Evening for pupils and parents. This includes advice on the UCAS procedure at QAS and talks by university admissions tutors. Higher Education Conference: this is held in late March at Reading University. You will visit stalls and attend three subject talks. You will also be able to collect prospectuses. You will be shown what resources are available in the Careers Library. Trinity Term: Discussions on how to complete your personal statement with tutors and Dr Vincent. UCAS is started. Towards the end of term there will be a UCAS day. There will be talks on how to complete the UCAS form and advice on writing a personal statement. Dr Vincent and the tutors will then supervise the opening of UCAS forms by all pupils. By the end of the term, Sections 1 ( Who you are ) and 3 ( Your education ), should have been completed. Section 7 ( Qualifications ) will have GCSE results entered, together with A/AS Levels currently being studied. UPPER SIXTH Michaelmas Term: Continue completing UCAS Apply forms. Oxbridge: These forms must be completed and returned to Dr Vincent by 20 September. The UCAS Apply form must also be completed by this date. All UCAS Apply forms to be completed by 10 October. Oxbridge interviews in November/December. It is of great importance that you complete your form as soon as possible and keep to the 20 September and 10 October deadlines. Students who make early applications tend also to be given early offers. UCAS deals with about 500,000 applications. Only 60,000 or so arrive by October. These are bound to be given the most careful consideration. The sooner your form is sent to UCAS, the greater is your advantage. Most students who have applied early receive several offers before Christmas; some before half-term. Spring Term: Some other universities start interviews. Go online to complete the Student Finance Form. These should be completed by April. March onwards: your remaining university decisions need to be made. You have to decide on a firm choice and insurance choice. You must reply by early May.. 16

17 Completion of the UCAS Apply Online Form ELECTRONIC UCAS APPLY You can open your UCAS form, and subsequently work on it, on any internet-connected computer. Go to the UCAS Apply website, click on the student application section and then follow the instructions. When opening your form, you will be asked for the School s buzzword. This will be supplied by Dr Vincent when the forms are opened. You will have to give a user name and password. It is vital that you make a note of both of these. The system can cope with forgotten passwords, but it cannot cope with people who cannot remember their user name. The UCAS Apply form is easy to follow. There are six sections to complete. SECTION 1 Personal Details You will be asked for an address. Make sure that this will not cause you any embarrassment. Avoid what you think is an amusing name. Student support is included in this section. Fee Code should be: 02 (if you are in doubt, see Dr Vincent). Unless you are so wealthy that you wish to bear the entire cost of your university education, considerably more than the maximum currently allowed, do not enter 01 Private Finance. Local Authority for Tuition Fees These are, for example: Reading Borough Council Slough Borough Council Wokingham Borough Council The boundaries are not always clear, so if you are unsure look on: ils/index.htm SECTION 2 Additional Information This section asks about your ethnic origin and the occupational background of your parents. You have the option of preferring not to say if your parents have been to university. There are questions about activities in preparation for higher education. Most QAS candidates will leave these blank. If you have been on a Headstart course or a premedical school event like Medilink, this could be mentioned. SECTION 3 Choices You are allowed to make five choices (only four Medical Schools). Make sure that you have the correct course and campus codes. These are available on the UCAS website and in the Directory kept in the Careers Library. If in doubt, see Dr Vincent. 17

18 SECTION 4 Education You must enter all the secondary schools you have attended. Start dates are usually September; the finishing date for your education will be July. You must then enter the qualifications you already have and the ones you will be taking at A Level in the summer. Universities cannot make you an offer based solely on your GCSEs: they must see your A and AS subjects. Qualification entries are made by using a series of dropdown menus. It should be quite straightforward. When entering GCE, A and AS Levels: Use the details of examination boards given in the table following this section. Enter any results at AS that you wish to declare and are not re-sitting. Do not enter any results at A Level. Do not list the AS modules that comprise part of your A Levels. All you need are the titles of your subjects, the examination boards and, for results, enter to be taken in the June of the year in which you leave school. The School does not apply for any examinations to be certificated until the end of the Upper Sixth. Any impressive module results are given in the School s reference. When entering GCSEs: Use the details of examination boards given in the table following this section. For any IGCSE subjects (eg Maths), please adhere to the following procedure: Click: Add Qualification NOT Add GCSE Click: Other Click: I Select: IGCSE (International) Additional Maths GCSE also has its own category. It comes under Free Standing Mathematics Unit/Qualification. It is accessed by clicking Add Qualification NOT Add GCSE Add Qualification is also where you add details of Music qualifications/ Duke of Edinburgh etc. If in doubt, seek help from Dr Vincent. SECTION 5 Employment If you have had paid employment, usually a weekend or summer job, you can mention it here. SECTION 6 Personal Statement Do not write your personal statement straight into the Apply form. Prepare it carefully in Word. You can cut and paste this into the form after it has been reviewed by your tutor. SEND TO REFEREE You must mark each section as complete. When all sections are complete, you fill in a final screen and send the form to the referee. At this point you will be able to see your application, but you will not be able to change it. If any changes need to be made, your form will be reopened by Dr Vincent. You cannot send your form to UCAS; only the School can do this. Nothing goes to UCAS and the universities unless it has been carefully checked and all parties are happy with it. Print off a hard copy of your UCAS form. It is useful to keep for reference. If you do forget your password or have ANY other problems, see Dr Vincent. Mathematics can then be entered. 18

19 Examination Boards for subjects taken at QAS GCSE: L5 GCSE: U5 AS: L6 A Level: U6 Religious Studies: short course in Philosophy and Applied Ethics OCR English OCR OCR English Literature OCR OCR OCR OCR History Edexcel Edexcel OCR OCR Geography AQA AQA AQA AQA French OCR OCR OCR OCR German OCR OCR Edexcel Edexcel Spanish OCR OCR Edexcel Edexcel Latin OCR OCR OCR OCR Classical Greek OCR OCR Classical Civilisation OCR OCR OCR OCR Mathematics Edexcel Edexcel OCR OCR Additional Maths OCR Further Mathematics OCR OCR Statistics AQA AQA Physics AQA AQA OCR OCR Chemistry AQA AQA OCR OCR Biology AQA AQA OCR OCR Additional Science AQA AQA Science AQA AQA Psychology AQA AQA Art OCR OCR Edexcel Edexcel History of Art AQA AQA Drama/ Theatre Studies Edexcel Edexcel Edexcel Edexcel Economics OCR OCR Music Edexcel Edexcel AQA AQA Music Technology Edexcel PE OCR OCR OCR OCR ICT Edexcel OCR AQA Critical Thinking OCR 19

20

21

22 ADVICE ON COMPLETING YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT There is extensive advice available in the Careers Library. Speak to your teachers, parents and tutors. What are Admissions Tutors looking for? Interest in the degree course (most important) No spelling or grammatical mistakes Clearly written statements Motivation An ability to balance studies with non-academic life An interesting person Work experience and an ability to learn from a range of experiences Broad key skills (eg teamwork) Possible future career aspirations What should you avoid? Waffle Being pretentious Statements with no examples of evidence Lying (remember the interview) Rushing Thinking you can write it without advice or checking Producing lists of activities Unnecessary exclamation marks Admissions Tutors do not have very long to examine UCAS forms. They want clarity rather than length in personal statements. They want something that is lucid and easy to read. Although personal statements are read by universities without formatting, it will help you if you structure your statement in paragraphs. 22

23 Key terms; The following examples might help you connect your sentences and vary your language: In addition In addition to my work experience. As well as As well as my involvement in.i am also.. Reinforce My involvement in has reinforced my decision to study.. Strengthen My decision to study..has been strengthened by my.. Furthermore Furthermore, I am particularly suited to.because Apart from Apart from my involvement with.. I am also Enabled me The opportunity to has enabled me to ADVICE ABOUT USING I It is not possible to avoid completely the use of the first person. I, however, should not be used to start nearly every sentence. Try to create varied sentences with a range of alternative starting points. Below are some suggestions: Do not write Instead write I am captain of... Being a captain of/having captained... I enjoy playing sport Having enjoyed playing... I am studying A Levels in... My A Level subjects are... I have taken part in... Taking part in... I have gained a number of skills in... The skills I have gained from... Examples of personal statements can be found within this guide. 23

24 PERSONAL STATEMENTS FOR MEDICINE APPLICATIONS All personal statements are important, but even more so in the highly competitive world of Medicine. A subject like Medicine can attract a hundred or more strong applications for every place. Some universities (notably Southampton), do not, as a rule, call applicants for interview. Nearly all applicants will have seven or more GCSEs at A*, will be predicted A grades in three or four A Levels (probably having high A grades in AS modules already) and be strongly supported by the School reference. The personal statement is the most crucial element of the application. Pay particular attention to the requirements of the universities to which you are making application and tailor your statement accordingly. Oxford and Cambridge, for example, run courses that are highly theoretical in the early years. Oxbridge medics do not see patients for their first three years. The concentration in these universities is on the academic discipline of Medicine. In other medical schools students are on wards quite early in their training. These medical schools place a premium on good people skills as well as academic ability. For most medical schools, selectors will ask the following questions of a personal statement: Does the candidate display self-motivation and the ability to take initiative? You must have positive reasons for wanting to become a doctor. The training of a doctor is a long and expensive business and medical schools cannot afford to take risks. You have to show that you have thought carefully about becoming a doctor and that you have the personality and academic potential to become a good one. You can do this by explaining how you approach your studies and what particularly interests you. The key word here is explain : always give reasons for your views and support what you have to say with some evidence. For example: In Biology, I have been particularly interested in X because.i followed up this interest by reading Y. From this I was able to see that Do not let the impression be given that you have had things done for you and that you lack initiative. Some misinformed Admissions Tutors have the view that everything is laid on for independent school pupils. They will see a Duke of Edinburgh award and believe that it was all organised by the School. If you have such an award, make it clear how much you had to put into this and how much initiative you had to show. In addition, say something about what you gained and learned from such activities. Is the candidate literate and articulate? Your statement must be well-written. It must contain no spelling mistakes nor poor grammar. It should be written fluently and your ideas expressed lucidly. Some medical schools are worried that junior doctors write poor reports. Having an essay-based subject at A Level or AS alongside Biology and Chemistry might be seen as an advantage by some medical schools. Anything that will make an impact or will make you stand out must be included. Once you have got beyond the academic section of your statement, emphasise anything that shows that you are self-motivated, can show initiative and can manage your time well. Selectors also like to see evidence of things being done well. If you have a wide range of extra-curricular interests, explain how you combine these with your studies. If you are Grade Eight on the violin, do not just simply state this: explain how you find the time for your music and how you use your talents. Do you play in an orchestra? Do you coach others? What is the most demanding piece you have performed recently? 24

25 Can the candidate interact successfully with others? You should give evidence of being able to work in a team and get on with people. This can be provided in many ways. If you have a holiday job in a shop, mention that this involves working with others, taking responsibility for the till and dealing with the public. If you are in a sports team or orchestra, explain how you operate within the group. Have you coached a junior sports team at school? Voluntary work is essential and it is a great advantage to be able to show sustained commitment to some aspect of health/social care. Something like visiting an old people s home and helping as a care assistant every week for a term is far more impressive than shadowing a hospital consultant for a week during the summer holidays. Ideally you would do both, but the shadowing of a doctor is really to ensure that you understand what the job involves, rather than to impress the Admissions Tutor. Does the candidate have experience of health or social care? You must have arranged work experience in a hospital, GP s surgery, care home or some working environment connected with Medicine. What you make of your experience is more important than where the experience was acquired. It is not good enough to say that you found something fascinating. You must be more specific, for example: Shadowing a doctor on a ward for stroke patients enabled me to see the medical skills brought to bear in the treatment of stroke victims. I was particularly impressed by..because..it also enabled me to talk to the patients and their families. It brought home to me the trauma which strokes can inflict on individuals and those responsible for their long term care. Show that you have thought about what you have seen and that you can learn from your experience. Show that you can empathise. 25

26 GENERAL ADVICE ON THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF PERSONAL STATEMENTS: Personal statements are intended to be your own work and you should not expect, nor want, your tutor to write one for you. UCAS has sophisticated software to detect plagiarism in personal statements. University Admissions Tutors always say how much they want personal statements to be individual and stand out from the crowd. You should aim for some individuality, but ensure you cover certain ground. Above all, it must communicate your enthusiasm for, and potential in, the proposed degree subject. Your personal statement should have three sections: 1. Academic This is the most important section. It should not be shorter than the record of your extra-curricular interests. Ideally, it should comprise two thirds of your statement. You must say why you have chosen the course/subject for which you are making application. You must show an understanding of the nature of the subject: why it is interesting; why it is important to you; why you believe you are suited to it. University prospectuses often have something to say about the nature of subjects and their significance. You could use them to help you in this section. You can then move on to discuss your academic work in the Sixth Form. Focus on the subject which is the one you intend to read at university. The greater part of your section on academic interests should be on your proposed degree subject. If you are applying for a subject not taught in this School, concentrate on the A Levels which have some relevance to your proposed degree. In discussing your Sixth Form work, say which topics have most interested you and why. Mention books and articles which you have found especially interesting, stimulating, challenging. Do not, however, merely list books. Say why you found them so interesting. Say something about all of your A Levels. If some of them complement your choice of degree, say so. If you have chosen contrasting A Levels say why, and what you have gained from them. 2. Outside of the Classroom. This is where you can discuss your wider interests. If you have done anything which relates to your proposed degree, such as work experience, say so. Say what you do in school: activities such as school sport, the choir, debating, involvement in societies and so on. You can then move on to your interests outside of school. When discussing your activities do not just produce lists. Say what you have learned from them, what responsibilities you have taken, what skills you have acquired. 3. Conclusion. You should now return to why you wish to go to university and what you can bring to university life. Reminder: Whether you have to apply early (Oxbridge/Medicine) or not, the earlier your form reaches UCAS the better. You can be disadvantaged by late applications and remember there will be approximately 50 other applicants from the School. This means it could take up to two weeks to process your form and attach/edit the reference etc. So get your forms completed early. 26

27 Results Day School will be open to issue your results in August. If you have failed to achieve the grades required to meet your university offers, Dr Vincent, Mrs Harrington and Mr Richards will be available for advice. Dr Vincent will have a record of those who have missed their offers and expect to see them. Clearing The UCAS clearing service will operate from Results Day. Vacancies will be posted on the UCAS website and will appear in the press. Candidates apply directly to the institutions regarding the available courses. If a place is offered, UCAS is then informed.

28 Examples of Personal Statements The following are anonymous examples of personal statements for three different subject areas. Remember that UCAS will be able to detect whether you have plagiarised these or any other personal statements. PERSONAL STATEMENTS: Example A (History) My decision to study History at university stems from an enthusiasm for the subject which has developed throughout my years of studying the past. I have thoroughly enjoyed my A Level course, especially the areas of Russian History we have studied. I am particularly interested in the Russian Revolution, after being enthralled by Orlando Figes The People s Tragedy which investigates the turbulent period that began at the end of the 19th Century and ended in the destruction of the Romanov dynasty. I hope to investigate the causes and interpretations of the 1917 Revolution further for my History coursework later this year. Additional historiography lessons have been rewarding both as an introduction to new areas of History and as a means of improving my skills of critical analysis. My participation in the Politics Society has also improved my debating skills and has encouraged me to question historical and political ideas. Richard J. Evans In Defence of History helped me consider the significance of History to the present day. I believe that it is an essential part of modern life, as we must enquire into the past in order to understand the present. I have always been a keen participator in debate and discussion, and this led me to choose Politics for A Level. This has helped greatly with my historical studies, both in the skills and content that I have learned. I have come to understand the British political institutions in detail and learned about political ideologies: knowledge which has proved essential to my History A Level. I look forward to drawing comparisons between British and US politics this year. I write for the School s Politics Newspaper, through which I have gained experience in presenting an argument intelligently and coherently. My study of Art History has enabled me to expand my historical knowledge and has allowed me to make cross curricular connections. For example: my study of the Renaissance helped me with the cultural context when studying Italian Unification. While encouraging me to develop concise and well balanced written work, it has also led me to an understanding of artistic and cultural trends within the various historical periods. The Spanish A Level course has given me an appreciation of foreign culture and has inspired me to take a GAP Year during which I will live and work in Madrid. This will give me the chance to perfect my Spanish and to gain valuable life experience, as well as deepening my understanding of European culture and history. Last year I won the Bryan Gardner Modern Languages Prize, awarded for outstanding performance in Spanish. I also enjoy performing, and have been taking additional Speech and Drama lessons since an early age. I now have a Bronze medal in the LAMDA examinations and hope to gain my Gold medal by the end of this academic year. As a Prefect, I share in the responsibilities of the Sixth Form, including the supervision of younger students and helping coordinate school events such as Open Day. As well as the responsibility of being a Prefect, I recently raised 4,000 for an expedition to the Arctic which took place this summer. This involved organising various fund-raising events and writing letters to many businesses asking for sponsorship. The expedition itself was with the British Schools Explorer Society. We went to the Arctic islands of Svalbard and explored the wilderness for a month, camping on glaciers. I gained valuable teamwork skills, and since then I have been recommended by my group leaders as a Young Leader for future expeditions, which would involve taking charge of a group of up to fifteen young people and leading them on a similar expedition.. I hope to study some of my particular areas of interest in depth during my time at university, as well as studying new periods of History and furthering my critical and analytical skills. I am a committed student and will thoroughly enjoy exploring and expanding my historical knowledge at university, as well as playing an active role in university life as a whole. 28

29 Example B (Social Anthropology) I am fascinated by the human race and long to discover more about the people who inhabit our culturally diverse planet. I would like to look at human attitudes and consider both the differences and similarities across time, social groups and cultures. Having a balanced view of one s own culture is valuable, and embarking on a degree course in this chosen area will allow me to explore other societies, opening my mind to different possibilities and enabling me to think critically about my own. This year a Korean exchange student stayed in our house. Hearing the comparisons between her country and ours inspired me to read Richard E Nisbitt s Geography of Thought which examines the difference between perceptions in the East and West. I was fascinated by the book, especially Nisbitt s hypothesis that Asian and Western differing mentalities are derived from their ancestors different approach to farming and trade. I am particularly intrigued by cultural differences towards childrearing, for example: Meredith Small s comparison between Western and other cultures attitudes towards raising babies. Having read Meredith Small s argument and The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff, I am intrigued that Western methods of caring for newborns may be inferior to those employed in primitive societies. Being a keen public speaker and taking part in public speaking competitions here and in North America, I have explored many topics including the issue of polygamy across the world. My interest in kinship and family stems from researching this. As I discovered, the word family covers a whole host of relatedness and connection between people. Engel s link from agriculture, development of private property and trade to the rise of the nuclear family is something I would like to explore further. Crime is an area that interests me and I find Durkheim s view fascinating that crime within society is normal and not the sign of dysfunction. Visiting the Navajo Nation in Utah last summer, I had the chance to see the lives of the people living there. Although I was only there for a day, witnessing a culture completely different to my own and seeing human beings in such beautiful surroundings was a very special experience. At university I would enjoy being able to study such peoples further. Studying Classical Civilisation at A Level, in particular the Roman City Life module, has been beneficial because of the opportunity to analyse another society. Visiting Pompeii earlier this year was stimulating because I was able to observe what I had learned in school and draw my own conclusions. My AS Economics focused on market economies and I would enjoy pursuing my interest in economic anthropology at university by looking at the economies of small scale societies. My Music A Level studies inspired my interest in Ethnomusicology and, in particular, Indian music. This summer I am spending a month in Calcutta teaching at the Mathieson Music School. I have also begun an Extended Project on female composers and the independent study my project requires will put me in good stead for university. As a Music Scholar, Music plays a big part in my life. I play the cello and will be taking my Grade Eight examination later this year. Playing the cello and singing in my school choir has given me many opportunities to perform publicly in prestigious venues, including Notre Dame and Westminster Abbey. I also play in the Reading Symphony Orchestra. I was awarded a Sixth Form scholarship for all round contribution to my school. This year I have been appointed Head of House, Head of Music and Captain of the third Lacrosse team. These positions have given me vital team building, leadership and perseverance skills which will all be useful as I embark on my degree and adult life.. 29

30 Example C (Medicine) The Hippocratic Oath means as much today as it did 2400 years ago, with many of its principles reflected in the policies of the GMC, and this is the ethical framework within which I can see myself working as a doctor. My interest in the functioning of the human body and its response to disease makes me want to study Medicine and contribute to combating these diseases, helping those who suffer the consequence of illness. I am fortunate enough to have the academic ability to cope with the challenging course, having received 12 academic school prizes, including the overall Science prize this year. My work experience in recent years has overwhelmingly confirmed my wish to make a career in Medicine. Over the past two years as a volunteer at my local hospice I have experienced contact with patients and relatives at sad and difficult times, learning to communicate effectively with them and to be able to offer help and support. In my role as a junior member of a healthcare team, I appreciated the complementary roles of the different disciplines involved in the care of a patient, and the importance of working together to achieve the best outcome for the patient. It has also shown me how it is very difficult not to become emotionally attached to patients in this setting. Whilst there, one of my former teachers was admitted and found it difficult to adjust to her situation; she recognised me and asked to see me, and as a result I was able to talk to her and help her reconnect with her past and detach herself from her current situation. I have also had experience in general practice, by attachment to a GP and practice nurse. This showed me the importance of holistic care and the ability to be open minded about diagnosis when patients present with such a wide variety of problems. I saw how communication and trust are important features in this field, and how this is the entry point to care in the NHS. My experience in surgical and medical specialities in hospital gave me further insight into the NHS, and an opportunity to learn from consultants and junior doctors about life in Medicine. Shadowing a consultant helped me appreciate how they interact with patients, and how patients with the same condition have different needs and should be treated individually. I saw an elderly confused man who was very agitated at needing a pleural tap; the registrar and nurse had to use patience and kindness to help him understand the procedure and allow them to successfully complete it for his benefit. My interest in cardiology led me to take an attachment in this speciality, where we had a discussion on stents and this further stimulated my drive to take up Medicine. My extra-curricular activities have helped me develop the qualities which will be needed in Medicine. I am a member of the First XI Hockey team, and have captained the team, requiring commitment and dedication to regular training and attendance at matches. I am a member of the Senior Tennis team and also play regularly with the ladies team at my local Tennis club. This has shown me the importance of teamwork, valuing the contribution of others to achieve a common goal. Participating in Silver Duke of Edinburgh enhanced my teamwork skills further and helped to develop my communication skills. My active role in school life has been recognised by my appointment as a Prefect, with the accompanying responsibilities. I also take part in musical events, including forming part of a music group at the Sixth Form Talent Show. I am currently working towards my Grade Seven piano exam, which has required personal commitment to practice and learning. I believe that the skills that I have acquired both in and out of school, with my academic achievement, will stand me in good stead to get the most out of a medical education and help me to become an excellent doctor and valuable member of a healthcare team. 30