[PythianLegume]

I'm considering studying Education with Physical Sciences (Chemistry) for 2013 entry, but need some advice on Personal Statement writing. Obviously, if I was just going for Cambridge I would split my subject part down the middle. However, I am not applying to other Education Courses as my other 4 choices, but to Chemistry, or Chemistry-related courses.

My question is: Should I write my PS with regard only to the Cambridge course, or should I put more weighting on Chemistry because that is probably the safer option (and Cambridge interview, so potentially care less about the PS)?

[wibletg]

(Original post by PythianLegume)
I'm considering studying Education with Physical Sciences (Chemistry) for 2013 entry, but need some advice on Personal Statement writing. Obviously, if I was just going for Cambridge I would split my subject part down the middle. However, I am not applying to other Education Courses as my other 4 choices, but to Chemistry, or Chemistry-related courses.

My question is: Should I write my PS with regard only to the Cambridge course, or should I put more weighting on Chemistry because that is probably the safer option (and Cambridge interview, so potentially care less about the PS)?

The SAQ you fill in for Cambridge allows you to write a mini personal statement.
If I were you I'd write a PS aimed at Education with Physical Sciences for the benefit of your other 4 choices

[PythianLegume]

(Original post by wibletg)
The SAQ you fill in for Cambridge allows you to write a mini personal statement.
If I were you I'd write a PS aimed at Education with Physical Sciences for the benefit of your other 4 choices

Why would that benefit my 4 other choices? Would it not be better to write it about Chemistry to benefit the others (and use the SAQ for Education, as someone else tolme)?

[Flyteryder]

(Original post by PythianLegume)
Why would that benefit my 4 other choices? Would it not be better to write it about Chemistry to benefit the others (and use the SAQ for Education, as someone else tolme)?

If you're only applying for Chemistry at your other choices, don't apply for Chemistry & Education at Cambridge. Why do you want to do Chemistry & Education? It seems as though you don't because if you did, you'd be applying to other universities who do Chemistry & Education KS3/4/5 QTS intergrated degrees.

Why should a university give you an offer for a straight Chemistry degree if you want to do Chemistry & Education at Cambridge? Are you only applying for Chemistry & Education at Cambridge just because it's Cambridge and you don't want to do Natural Sciences?

[PythianLegume]

Education at Cambridge is not a teaching qualification, it is an academic course designed to look into the four 'disciplines' of education: Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology and History. This is completely different to both a teaching course and is more academically rigourous than similar Education studies/Childhood Studies courses elsewhere. It is in effect a unique course (except for Durham, who do not do it with Physical Sciences).

[Flyteryder]

(Original post by PythianLegume)
Education at Cambridge is not a teaching qualification, it is an academic course designed to look into the four 'disciplines' of education: Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology and History. This is completely different to both a teaching course and is more academically rigourous than similar Education studies/Childhood Studies courses elsewhere. It is in effect a unique course (except for Durham, who do not do it with Physical Sciences).

Then you don't really want to do a physical sciences degree at other universities if you're really considering this. Why should your other 4 choices give you offers for a straight physical sciences degree when parts of your personal statement are going to be about education, psychology, history etc? They won't.

The personal statement is extremely important, and you will get rejected from your other choices if they don't think that their physical sciences degree is 100% what you want to do. There will be hundreds of other people who only write about physical sciences who the universities will feel are more dedicated, and therefore more deserving of a place. An interview won't make up for it because your personal statement won't carry you to the interview stage if the universities don't think you're dedicated enough to their course.

Find one course you want to apply for and apply to 5 universities who do that one course.

[PythianLegume]

So you're basically saying it would be better to tailor my PS to the Chemistry courses rather than Education (which can be covered in the SAQ)?

[Flyteryder]

(Original post by PythianLegume)
So you're basically saying it would be better to tailor my PS to the Chemistry courses rather than Education (which can be covered in the SAQ)?

Either that or don't apply to Cambridge and apply to somewhere else which does physical sciences/chemistry and forget about education.

When I applied to university for nursing this year, 2 people I know couldn't decide whether they wanted to do nursing or paramedics at uni, and wrote their personal statements about both and applied for 3 nursing courses and 2 paramedics courses. They got rejected from everywhere, and when they asked why, the universities said it was because they didn't seem dedicated enough to either course because they wrote about both.

The other 4 universities will find it extremely off-putting reading about psychology, history and education in your personal statement when they're physical sciences admissions tutors and have nothing to do with the other things you've mentioned. They won't think you're serious about studying physical sciences because you've written about doing something else.

[illusionz]

Write your PS about chemistry and use the SAQ to talk about education.

[yyyeungyu]

(Original post by PythianLegume)
Should I write my PS with regard only to the Cambridge course, or should I put more weighting on Chemistry because that is probably the safer option (and Cambridge interview, so potentially care less about the PS)?

I was in a similar situation last year, so I might be able to help.

For my personal statement, I'd say that it is:
60% on education
25% on English
15% others

In the end, I got offers from Cambridge and Durham (both Education w/ English), and also Exeter (Eng. lit.). However, I got rejected by UCL and Warwick (both Eng. lit.), I got an online interview (I'm international) for the latter.

In my SAQ, I focused more on education, and little, if nothing, on English.

So...

1) How difficult is it to get into your other universities? If they give out low offers, chances are you'll likely be admitted, assuming you have the grades for Cambridge. But if they're also competitive, it may be bad for you to waste precious characters on something irrelevant to them. As above, I got rejected by UCL and Warwick, great universities in general terms and in the subject of English, most likely because of the 60% on education.

2) Is Education with Physical Sciences your favorite? If it isn't, don't risk your prospects. If it is, and you're confident, go with it, even though I don't think it's a must. I did what I did because Cambridge and Durham are my top choices, while Durham required no additional statement.

3) I'm not an expert, but Cambridge claims to put even weight on everything. So if you're confident you can perform well in your interview(s), then I think you can write less about education. Cambridge interview ~90% of applicants.

If you ask me, I'd recommend you write more about education in the SAQ's 'additional personal statement' (600 characters, if I remember correctly). Cambridge did that so people like you won't be scratching their heads. During my interview, I saw the admissions tutor looking through everything, so it's not a waste of time. This should lower your risk of getting rejected by other universities.

Hope this helps!

[iammichealjackson]

(Original post by Flyteryder)
Then you don't really want to do a physical sciences degree at other universities if you're really considering this. Why should your other 4 choices give you offers for a straight physical sciences degree when parts of your personal statement are going to be about education, psychology, history etc? They won't.

The personal statement is extremely important, and you will get rejected from your other choices if they don't think that their physical sciences degree is 100% what you want to do. There will be hundreds of other people who only write about physical sciences who the universities will feel are more dedicated, and therefore more deserving of a place. An interview won't make up for it because your personal statement won't carry you to the interview stage if the universities don't think you're dedicated enough to their course.

Find one course you want to apply for and apply to 5 universities who do that one course.

(Original post by PythianLegume)
So you're basically saying it would be better to tailor my PS to the Chemistry courses rather than Education (which can be covered in the SAQ)?

I applied for four "straight" psychology degrees then Politics, psychology & sociology at cambridge. (I also did an education paper this year incidently).

What i did for my PS was keep it to just pure psychology, then put in my SAQ why i applied for PPS (i am pretty sure this is what other people did too). Education with chemistry is probably quite a unique course and i think other applicants would have their PS tailored specifically for that course.

The education paper i did was pretty ****, mind.

[Flyteryder]

(Original post by Junaid96)
The bolded bit made me want to facepalm.
I do partially agree though - it's odd that the OP so passionately wants to study a social science at Cambridge, yet is perfectly happy not to study it at all if he misses it.

There are many of those degrees about, just not at prestigious universities.

[Flyteryder]

(Original post by Junaid96)
Which degrees? Could you link please.

http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/study/cour...ation-with-qts

http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/StudyHer...-education-qts

http://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/st...-hons-with-qts

There are many more. Just put BSc (subject) qts into Google.

[The Polymath]

(Original post by Flyteryder)
http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/study/cour...ation-with-qts

http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/StudyHer...-education-qts

http://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/st...-hons-with-qts

There are many more. Just put BSc (subject) qts into Google.

Those are all 'teaching' education degrees. I believe Cambridge is the only university offering an Education degree which is actually a social science degree rather than a professional qualification, which is the OP's reason for applying for it. An equivalent elsewhere would most likely be a combination of Psychology and Sociology which focuses on children and education. Obviously finding a course which offers Chemistry, Sociology and Psychology is not particularly easy, hence the OP's decision to study solely Chemistry elsewhere, but I would have thought even doing Chemistry and Psychology would be a better compromise if he really is as passionate about his course as he claims to be

[iammichealjackson]

(Original post by Flyteryder)
http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/study/cour...ation-with-qts

http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/StudyHer...-education-qts

http://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/st...-hons-with-qts

There are many more. Just put BSc (subject) qts into Google.

How do you not know what education at cambridge is? Look at the post above.

Plus education is always sociology OF EDUCATION, psychology OF EDUCATION, so its basically a broad array of subjects about education. This wouldn't be the same as doing chemistry and psychology joint honours as someone else said.

[The Polymath]

(Original post by Flyteryder)
I look down on people who are, in no order:

1. Incredibly stupid and/or uneducated through their own fault.

2. Haven't bothered to learn English even though they've been in the UK for all their lives.

3. Fat (in general) and fat people who don't care about being fat because they think it's natural, how God intended or 'who they really are'.

4. Have no social skills and have no idea what to say to people.

Anyone else share these views?

Now this made me laugh. (from your thread)