Writing a personal statement for very different courses

How can I write a personal statement for my 4 different courses, I chose
Computer Games Development
Computer Science
Archaeology, Paleoecology & Geography and
Marine Science
Any tips would really help

Reply 1

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Rizqn

You can't. Not a ps that would meet the minimum content needed. You can only study one degree - if you want to write a good ps then you need to decide which subject you most want to study.

If you can't decide which subject to apply for then try writing a ps for each of your shortlisted subjects. You'll find that will help you figure out which subject you have the most interest and aptitude for.

Reply 2

colourtheory

Original post by Rizqn

You could talk about how you like designing the computer programs that help you plan your archaeological digs under the sea :biggrin:

Reply 3

chem@uni

I assume you are trying to keep your options open but the biggest risk with that is you might write a personal statement with a little bit of each subject in and they will read it and go clearly he isnt solely interested in our subject and youll end up with 5 rejections

Reply 4

nerdcake

Yeah, no. Don't do that. The degrees I'm applying for have five different titles, but in terms of module content they're virtually identical, so I figured that was ok. Those courses you've listed are so radically different I can't imagine 4000 characters turning out making any sense if you try to cover all of them.

I have an interest in archaeology, mythology and linguistics and at one point was trying to squash that into a PS with Molecular Biology/Biochem type stuff. It wasn't pretty. In the end I figured out that I was better suited to a career in science, and it was relatively easy to continue the linguistics stuff as a hobby, compared to doing genetic research on my own time and money!

Figure out which of those you would be best at or would most enjoy as a career, and which you could relegate to hobby status. Maybe you want to be a professional archaeologist or marine biologist who programs games for fun, or maybe you want to develop software for a living and learn about prehistoric undersea life from your armchair. Whichever you choose, you can still mention the other when you talk about extra curriculars, hobbies and interests.

Having said all that, I have two pieces of anecdotal evidence. One is only hearsay, but I did hear of a medicine applicant being offered his fifth choice of Engineering at Imperial, presumably on a medical PS. The other I know to be true. I am now applying PQA, but last year when it came to filling in our course choices on our applications, the careers teacher insisted on being there while we did it. My friend was applying for drama schools rather than regular unis, and wanted to apply to Musical Theatre at GSA. The careers teacher 'helped her select the right thing' and ended up clicking Music at Surrey. My friend got an offer almost instantly before she'd even realised the mistake. Her whole PS was drama based, although she is also very good at music. So while there is some merit to 'unless your whole PS is 100% devoted to exactly the right course you won't get in', it may not be as hard and fast as it seems.

Please don't rely in two pieces of flimsy anecdotal evidence to apply for all those courses, or if you do, please don't blame me if you don't get offers.

Writing a personal statement for very different courses

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