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The LINE limit on UCAS Personal Statement really annoys me.

generalebriety

Indeed, and I'd be willing to bet money that most of your admissions tutors didn't read past why you wanted to study the languages.

Exactly. However, I think it might have been pushing it a bit to only include that one paragraph. I had to at least give the impression that I wasn't cynical, didn't I? :p:

Reply 41

jus-mi

14

Joanna May

I wrote 44 lines for my statement (four paragraphs with blank lines in between each) and I managed to mention:
two residential trips relevant to my course
another day trip
several books and newspapers I read in foreign languages
why my subjects were important
why I wanted to study the languages
teaching in a local primary school
relevant work experience
my part time job
the skills and attributes that I feel make me suitable for the course.

Sure, I had a couple of other things I could mention, but they weren't relevant enough to merit mention.

The universities don't want to read 47 lines of waffle, when a shorter statement will do. From helping friends with their statements, I found that those who used up or exceeded the line limit generally tending to mention irrelevant things the admissions tutors didn't really care about. Being concise is an important skill.

unlike you some people i.e me has had many relevant work experiences that need to be written down, as ive learnt different things from all my work experiences the issue is the way you write it, basically where i'd probably wrote my work experiences id summerise it to make it short and concise

Reply 42

Juno

20

jus-mi

unlike you some people i.e me has had many relevant work experiences that need to be written down, as ive learnt different things from all my work experiences the issue is the way you write it, basically where i'd probably wrote my work experiences id summerise it to make it short and concise

i really hope you have better spelling and grammar in your PS. Otherwise, I feel sorry for the admissions tutor who has to read it!

Reply 43

jus-mi

14

oh so sorry didn't know i was tested on my english skills :rolleyes:

Reply 44

Joanna May

15

jus-mi

unlike you some people i.e me has had many relevant work experiences that need to be written down, as ive learnt different things from all my work experiences the issue is the way you write it, basically where i'd probably wrote my work experiences id summerise it to make it short and concise

They don't really care what you've learned from it. Just a quick sentence saying "I've done some work experience in (place x) and (place y), which I feel helped me (whatever you gained)" is more than enough. If you just mention a sentence, then if it interests them enough, they'll ask you at interview.

They don't want three sentences on each of your twenty work placements, when chances are you learned similar things at all of them. No applicant has any work experience that's really worth a lot anyway, since the courses that require tons of work experience (medicine, law etc) don't lend themselves to hands on experiences.

Reply 45

jus-mi

14

well ive spent valuable time doing some work experience and for me not to mention them bwoyyy your having a laugh!!

anyways botton line every one has different views/opinions on how to write their ps, at the end of the day once you get offers your ps becomes nothing.

Reply 46

Joanna May

15

jus-mi

well ive spent valuable time doing some work experience and for me not to mention them bwoyyy your having a laugh!!

I didn't say you couldn't mention them. Just that universities won't be that interested in hearing about them at length.

Reply 47

Areontas

16

It is annoying when you keep having to cut it down, but at least everyone is in the same position. I definitely think presentation is important when it comes to your PS, just the same as when writing an English essay for an examiner, you're generally advised to make it neat and well-presented. It's just easier for admissions tutors when they're going through so many applications; it gives a better impression if they can read your PS without much hassle, and if you write all your information really concisely.

Reply 48

linkdapink

15

There was a post said that no-one is stupid enough to write 5 pages of a personal statement, well there was a girl who had about that much stuff (she was a full on panicker and did way too much work for everything) and they managed to cut it all down.

The limit is just to make sure you don't waffle on for pages and pages. I got to look at my full application before it got sent off last year, and all the pretty lines I put in were gone. I think my tutor did it, but it meant that I could talk a bit more about me!

Oh, and I didn't even have that much to talk about. I did 2 residential visits and a few bits of work experience (relevant to teaching) as well as a bit of extra-curricular stuff. Which all in all wasn't that much

Reply 49

Good bloke

19

Frankly, if you need to fill a solid 4,000 characters and 47 lines with text about yourself without considering how it is going to be received by the admissions tutors, or how easy it is for them to read, you are missing the point. Writing the PS is just as much a test as your A level exams, and the limits set are not altogether arbitrary.

As I've said here many times before, the PS is a selling document and you need to make sure your shop window is informative, attractive, easy to read and does not let you down with the non-obvious elements (which include the hygiene factors such as spelling and grammar as well as relevance, presentation, tone, style and appropriateness). All this becomes even more important when you start to apply for graduate jobs.

Anything less and you are relying on the university being desperate for applicants, your application being otherwise utterly outstanding or there being little competition for the places you are after.

Reply 50

Laevis

13

Good bloke

Frankly, if you need to fill a solid 4,000 characters and 47 lines with text about yourself without considering how it is going to be received by the admissions tutors, or how easy it is for them to read, you are missing the point. Writing the PS is just as much a test as your A level exams, and the limits set are not altogether arbitrary.

As I've said here many times before, the PS is a selling document and you need to make sure your shop window is informative, attractive, easy to read and does not let you down with the non-obvious elements (which include the hygiene factors such as spelling and grammar as well as relevance, presentation, tone, style and appropriateness). All this becomes even more important when you start to apply for graduate jobs.

Anything less and you are relying on the university being desperate for applicants, your application being otherwise utterly outstanding or there being little competition for the places you are after.