UCAS application - personal statement

cm1179

cm1179

cm1179

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how seriously do they take these? is there really a chance i might not got accepted if my personal statement is not up to scratch?

i started it on friday at college and concentrated more on my personal life experiences rather than my academic achievments and have had it returned with the message ''please see tutor about personal statement''.

i wont see my tutor until friday, infact the woman who helped us fill it in, isn't actually a tutor and the chances of me seeing her on friday (i'm on college day release) are very slim and the cut off for applications is the end of this month.

i have also paid the £19.00 app fee but this box is now unchecked, so have i paid or have i not paid?!
 
My Personal Statement I thought was a bag of crap and I got accepted into all the Universities I applied to, regardless.

That is not to say you shouldn't put any effort into it, but I honestly wouldn't get too hung up over it.
 
They are important, but how seriously they take it will depend on what you are applying for and where. It's best to make sure it's as good as possible before sending it off, especially if you are applying for a resonably competitive course.
 
The whole thing is a bit of a joke really.

My personal statement was very good in my opinion. However, I messed up my physics, so I didn't get into my first or second choices, meaning I had to phone around. I luckily discovered a good course in a good uni that still had a place available. When you go via this route, they don't look at anything except your grades. You are either in or not.

Makes a mockery of the whole process imo!
 
It WILL make a difference if you are applying for some thign like medicine.....

It MIGHT make a difference if you are applying for a course where there are limited numbers, lots of applicants all of which have the same predicted grade......

It WONT make a difference if you go through clearing (as stated above)......


In my opinion, I would get it up to scratch, it will take no more than an hour to reword it and "big you up" more than what is written.
 
Dr.EM said:
Sorry to be a bit OT, but is this the case for all UCAS entries? I thought I had until January 15th to sort this out?
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you could be right. i'll be honest my college's handling of this has been nothing short of a joke. it got rushed through on friday and that was only cos a fellow course member asked the question but i do think it is the end of november for applications unless you want to go through clearing!
i'm applying for wolverhampton and if i miss this window because of my colleges incompetence, i wont be happy!

EDIT

just seen this on the website. i have no idea what my college is on about , there's nothing about the end of november here?!

There are three application deadlines for courses through UCAS - 15 October, 15 January and 24 March - it is important to check the deadline for your chosen course(s). If you are applying from the UK, you should submit your application by the relevant deadline below.

15 October 2009 - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for all medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and veterinary science courses (course codes A100, A101, A102, A103, A104, A105, A106, A300, A200, A201, A202, A203, A204, A205, A206, A400, D100, D101 and D102), and for all courses at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
15 January 2010 - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for all courses except those listed above with a 15 October deadline, and art and design courses with a 24 March deadline. Check the 'Course information' screens on Course Search for the art and design courses you are interested in, to find out whether their deadline is 15 January or 24 March.
24 March 2010 - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for art and design courses except those listed with a 15 January deadline. Check the 'Course information' screens on Course Search for the art and design courses you are interested in, to find out whether their deadline is 15 January or 24 March.
If you apply for art and design courses with different deadlines, you can submit your application before 15 January for courses with that deadline, then add further choices before the 24 March deadline using Track (as long as you haven't used all five choices).

Applications received by the above deadlines are guaranteed to be considered by the universities and colleges. Applications received at UCAS after the deadlines, up until 30 June 2010, will only be considered by the universities and colleges if they still have vacancies for the course(s) you have selected.
 
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It depends on where you are applying to and how massive the competition is. On the courses I applied to I think it was roughly 10 applicants to each place or higher. Most have the right grades and in the right subjects - so PS's do help in those situations. I'd not pay too much attention to it, just make sure it's well written it's grammatically okay with no spelling mistakes. Concentrate on why you want to do the subject your applying for and try to demonstrate your a reasonably rounded young person and you should be fine.
 
Dr.EM said:
Sorry to be a bit OT, but is this the case for all UCAS entries? I thought I had until January 15th to sort this out?
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As far as UCAS is concerned the official deadline for receipt of applications is indeed 15th January 2010. However, many schools and colleges vet applications before submitting them (it is their responsibility to attach references, etc.) and will therefore impose arbitrary deadlines well ahead of the official final deadline. It's a good idea to get your application in before Christmas, at least.

In response to the OP's question, the importance of your personal statement can vary considerably depending on the university and course you're applying for. If you have to sit exams or attend interviews as part of the application process, it will probably be weighted slightly less in terms of importance. However, if this is not the case, your personal statement will be an important opportunity to differentiate yourself from the myriad of other candidates who are otherwise identical to you on paper, in terms of grades, etc.

If a university admissions official has to choose between two people, both with identical grades, but one has a personal statement that shows a clear passion for the course they're applying for, details a range of extracurricular activities that identify them as a well-rounded and motivated individual (insert various other clichés here), while the other's personal statement is dull, shows no passion and is littered with spelling and grammatical errors... it goes without saying which candidate will get the offer.
 
If I was in charge of admissions and I thought you hadn't taken your statement very seriously, then I wouldn't take you very seriously either.

Put some effort into it.
 
i've edited it and re-submitted. what i've tried to do, is provide enough information so that i feel they want to interview/consider me, without going into ott detail.

i'm still a bit concerned about the payment box now being unchecked as i paid the fee by card last week
 
The deadline of 15th Oct is for Oxbridge applicants or law/medicine I think. 15th January is the general deadline.

The £19 fee is only to be paid when your application is completed(on your side) and ready for references by tutors.

EDIT: UCAS wont let you onto the payment stage until you have confirmed EVERY section is complete. So I have no idea what you have paid.
 
Scythe said:
The deadline of 15th Oct is for Oxbridge applicants or law/medicine I think. 15th January is the general deadline.

The £19 fee is only to be paid when your application is completed(on your side) and ready for references by tutors.

EDIT: UCAS wont let you onto the payment stage until you have confirmed EVERY section is complete. So I have no idea what you have paid.
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i had confirmed every section was complete, and my personal statement got bounced back. i've now re-submitted my personal statement and the payment box is now unchecked but i paid the fee last week..
 
cm1179 said:
i had confirmed every section was complete, and my personal statement got bounced back. i've now re-submitted my personal statement and the payment box is now unchecked but i paid the fee last week..
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Ahh i see, then no you do not have to pay again. Your tutor/admissions person will be able to help, I have no idea about the situation as mine didnt get bounced back.
 
Dr.EM said:
Sorry to be a bit OT, but is this the case for all UCAS entries? I thought I had until January 15th to sort this out?
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My tutor said earlier today that you wouldn't even be in the batch of entrants to be considered if your applications aren't off by the 5th of January. Realistically, though, I'm sure that isn't the case, but it's better to be safe than sorry (i.e., sending your applications off by the end of November).

As for personal statements: I read some of the top-rated statements on this website and used some materials provided by my tutor to get an idea on what to write. Bear in mind your personal statement can't be any longer than 4000 characters or 47 lines (which ever comes first), otherwise it won't fit in that text box you put it in on the UCAS website. But the advantage to that is it obviously doesn't need to be very long, so it shouldn't be too difficult to write about why you want to do the course you're applying to, what you're currently studying, what your interests/hobbies are, and what relevant skills/knowledge you have.
 
trickycurve said:
My tutor said earlier today that you wouldn't even be in the batch of entrants to be considered if your applications aren't off by the 5th of January. Realistically, though, I'm sure that isn't the case, but it's better to be safe than sorry (i.e., sending your applications off by the end of November).
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In theory that shouldn't be the case. Universities are certainly supposed to give all applications received before the 15th January deadline equal consideration.

That said, in practice this may not be the case. Many universities begin making offers as early as November/December and some make the bulk of their offers before the January deadline, reserving only a small number for those who leave their applications until late.

In terms of first impressions, as well, if you submit your application with plenty of time to spare it may give admissions officers the impression that you are organised and ahead of the game, rather than scraping in just before the final deadline.
 
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