Personal Statement References

1. Personal Statement References

2. Aims and Objectives • What Are Universities Looking For? • What to Include in the Reference • School Information • Student Information • Looking at Real Examples • Further Information • Personal Statement Tips

3. What Are Universities Looking For?

4. What Universities are looking for • Potential for success at Higher Education • Fair assessment of the student’s abilities, achievements, skills and attributes • As directly related as possible to the student’s desired career path • Evidence or examples to demonstrate your assessment

5. Suitability of a prospective student A fair analysis of the student in the context of: The course • Skills, abilities and motivations? • What have they done in school to support their choice? Higher Education in general • What they can bring to the university A particular profession or career • Have they done their research?

6. Make it specific • Put any important messages at the top of the page • Avoid generic statements • “We recommend *** to your institution” • vs • “*** would make an excellent teacher because of her ability to interact and engage with younger children effectively.”

7. Information that might help • The student’s personal statement and application form. • Course prospectus pages and information: • Entry criteria • Desirable student attributes • Courses and institutions the student has applied for.

8. Reference Content

9. School Information • Very brief statement of the key information, putting the reference in context of the school/college • Prospective Student Information • Relevant and important information about the student and their Motivations, Academic abilities and achievements, Skills and abilities, Work Placements, Additional information

10. School Information

11. School Information • Keep it brief (A few sentences at the most) • For Example: • The Sixth Form College offers a range of A-Level and BTEC National Diploma qualifications to 500 sixth form students. approximately 70 of whom go on to university each year. All students take a critical thinking module as part of a non-examined General Studies Programme. 25% of our students come from a widening participation background.

12. Student Information

13. General Tips • Best completed by someone who knows the student. • Make it specific to the student. • Reference to their abilities, strengths and achievements. • Some reports can come from other teachers…but not all.

14. Motivations and ambitions • Proposed career ambitions, attitude, motivation and commitment • Motivation and commitment towards the chosen course or career • Commitment or motivation shown in the school/college context • Suitability for their career choice If you are unsure of the chosen career path of the student, talk about their general suitability for Higher Education

15. Academic Achievement and Ability • General background of academic standard. • Current achievements. • Reference to subjects relating to the courses for which they are applying. • Relevant curriculum enrichment and other activities. • Potential (other than predicted grades).

16. Skills and abilities • Any relevant skills or achievements. • Powers of analysis and independent thought – skills that will be useful in Higher Education. • Qualities or strengths beneficial to their chosen course or career choice.

17. Work Placements • Relevant work experience, such as work placements, voluntary work. • Relevant curriculum enrichment and related skills. • The more competitive the course the more important this element will be.

18. Additional Information • Additional information: • Any extenuating circumstances affecting the student or their academic achievements • Concerns for or about the student: • Admission tutors are good at reading between the lines

19. Concerns about the student • Information or concerns about a student can be delivered subtly • For example: • ‘*** is capable of hard work’ • could be interpreted as: • ‘*** could work hard if they could be bothered, but they can’t’ • Information that can warn a university that a student may need a kick start may be useful

20. Predicted Grades • You do not need to input predicted grades onto the reference unless you are making a particular point. • If the predicted grades are not a reflection of the student’s potential or abilities, this needs to be explained in the reference.

21. Looking at Real Examples

22. Examples of referee references for applications to • Edge Hill University

23. Summary • Provide additional information about the student and a fair assessment of the student’s skills, abilities and potential for success in higher education. • Make it specific. • A consistent message between the Reference and the Personal Statement.

24. Further Information • Useful Websites • www.edgehill.ac.uk • www.ucas.com • www.ucas.com/advisers/online/references • Useful Documents • www.ucas.com/documents/ucasguides/ • adviserguide2012.pdf

25. Thank you for listening • Please feel free to contact us: • Daisy Jayes01695 584258 daisy.jayes@edgehill.ac.uk • Chris Bayes: 01695 584198 chris.bayes@edgehill.ac.uk • Ryan Duncan: 01695 584 243 ryan.duncan@edgehill.ac.uk

26. Personal Statements

27. Why is it important? • Varying levels of importance on personal statements – the more competitive a course, the more important the personal statement. • For most courses the personal statement and the application are the only things that an admissions tutor will look at to make an offer. • A very strong personal statement can create an offer.

28. What are Universities looking for? • Do we want this student at this university? • Do we want this student on this course? • The personal statement should provide all of the information relevant for admissions tutors to make a decision on students’ suitability for the course.

29. What are Universities looking for? • Qualities and Skills • Motivation and Interest • Relevant Experiences • Dedication, Commitment and Enthusiasm • Preparation

30. Top Tips “The statement needs to provoke interest at the beginning, sustain interest throughout, and leave an impression at the end” Admissions Tutor

31. Preparation • Research the courses • Students need a good awareness of what the course will give them • Look at university information • Start Early • Continuous process • Relevant Experience • Test out a career and gain some valuable skills

32. Pick the right course • Will it give students what they want? • Are they prepared for the demands of course? • Career aspirations that match the course. • Can they prove/demonstrate that they want to be on this course?

33. Content • Motivation • Relevant Experience • Academic Ability • Personal Qualities and Attributes • Outside Interests

34. The personal statement • Specific • Provide details and examples. • Avoid the generic and boring. • Truthful • Modesty can be a good thing. • Spelling and Grammar • 19% of Primary QTS Applications are rejected because of poor spelling.

35. Personal Reflection • Personal Reflection • Offer thoughts about motivations and lessons learned. • Provide analysis of work experiences and experiences gained. • Reflect on own skills and abilities. • Demonstrate and evidence • Provide details and examples to back up claims. • Give examples to highlight important information.

36. Summary • Start the journey as early as possible. • Good preparation is obvious in a personal statement. • Encourage your students to critically analyse their own skills, abilities and experiences.

37. Thank you for listening • Please feel free to contact us: • Daisy Jayes01695 584258 daisy.jayes@edgehill.ac.uk • Chris Bayes: 01695 584198 chris.bayes@edgehill.ac.uk • Ryan Duncan: 01695 584 243 ryan.duncan@edgehill.ac.uk