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Question concerning Personal Statement

So, I'm applying to a joint honours course of English & French, but I don't believe my French is as good as they're expecting, but I do think I can do a lot to improve it by the time of starting uni. Do you think I should try to explain this is my personal statement? Or that I've had to do some courses independently (without tuition) and I've always achieved good grades, which shows for my enthusiasm. The problem is that my PS is too long already without this info. Do you think I should add it?
What did you get at AS for French and what's your predicted grade? If it meets the entry requirement for the unis you're applying to, there's no need to be negative. After all, if you come across as not believing in yourself, why should an admissions tutor take the risk? If you're not predicted the grade you need, you could mention that you've had to self-teach because, as you said, that shows enthusiasm and may make them more lenient with the grades.
Reply 2
Avatar for Micko
Micko
OP
The thing is that I'm not so sure about how my Finnish qualifications compare to the British ones. I'm currently in my third year of French and my final examination will be of a "short course" as opposed to a "long course". For how many years do British students study in order to do an A level exam?
Usually British students study a language for 3 years at Key Stage 3, then 2 years at GCSE and finally 2 years at A-level before progressing to university, so 7 years in total, but some schools allow students to pick up a language 'from scratch' at GCSE, in which case they'll only have studied it for 4 years. If you're unsure about your qualification, email the admissions tutors of the universities they're interested in because they'll probably have had Finnish applicants before.
Reply 4
Avatar for nikki
nikki
9
kellywood_5
Usually British students study a language for 3 years at Key Stage 3, then 2 years at GCSE and finally 2 years at A-level before progressing to university, so 7 years in total, but some schools allow students to pick up a language 'from scratch' at GCSE, in which case they'll only have studied it for 4 years. If you're unsure about your qualification, email the admissions tutors of the universities they're interested in because they'll probably have had Finnish applicants before.


At my college you can do a GCSE in a year, and I know you did GCSE Spanish in a year too! So while a typical British student will have done around 6 or 7 years after starting in year 7 or 8, I would say 3 years minimum to get to A-level standard.

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