UCAS considers scrapping personal statements for uni applications

Why is that?

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2F2023%2F01%2F12%2Funiversity-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class%2F

So far it's only the Telegraph and Times that seem to have the story but supposedly UCAS are planning to scrap the traditional 4000-character personal statement for a series of shorter-form answers.

'Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.'

Do you think this is a positive or a negative move? If you've already applied, would you have rather answered three shorter questions than write a personal statement?

Because back in the 90s invisibility wasn’t a thing at all. UCAS had to compromise to introduce it. The idea is that when an applicant has replied to their offers then they’re past the point where a university knowing their other choices could influence their chances of an offer.

Visibility gives universities valuable competitor data.

Also insurance choices need to be able to see the conditions of an applicant’s firm choice. UCAS systems aren’t clever enough to manage partial visibility.

Replacing the PS with any sort of interview is massive overkill. As is requiring photo ID to apply.

with demographic growth due to slow down by the time ucas would be able to even start considering this it’s silly - once the boom stops even fewer universities and courses will be rejecting any applications with suitable qualifications. That will only change if the government changes the supply of university space by capping spaces.

I doubt PQA will ever get anywhere. There’s no appetite from universities, schools and exam boards to adjust their academic year and timescales that would allow it to happen. It’s been talked about for nearly 20 years now and all that’s happened in that time is the government scrapping modular A levels which made it even less likely. Unpicking the education related disasters of the current government over the last 13 years will take a long time and isn’t going to be a high priority for any government because young people don’t vote.

I could not agree more with your first statement regarding interviews and photo ID.

On the other hand, I would not be quite as pessimistic about the prospects for PQA. A UCU survey of members in 2015 found that seven in 10 respondents said that they would like to see a system in which applicants apply to university after they have received their grades (UCU, 2015, Undergraduate application and admissions survey - https://www.ucu.org.uk/thecaseforpqa). I take your point about it not being a priority for any government, nor would I advocate its implementation in the immediate future in view of the many disruptions that the education system has suffered in recent years. However, the use of predicted grades is now utterly discredited - with, according to a recent government consultation, nearly 80% of applicants with predicted grades having grades that were over predicted. Eventually, something has to change.

Returning to the matter of personal statements, as I said in an earlier post my understanding is that they are, in the main, either accorded little weight or ignored altogether, except as an alternative to picking a name out of a hat. That being so, tinkering with the format seems pretty pointless.

Very few universities /subjects read a PS in any detail at the offer making stage.

I agree predicted grades are a load of rubbish. That’s why I think they should be removed from the application form (and have contributed that point to all admissions reform consultations). Many universities disregard them completely when making admissions decisions...

If personal statements are seldom read in any detail when making offer decisions, and if many universities disregard predicted grades completely when making admissions decisions, it's difficult to work out how they're deciding to whom offers should be made. GCSE grades? Admissions tests (for some courses only, obviously)? Something else?

Yes

invisibility of choices only applies up to the point where an applicant replies to their offers. Once an applicant picks a firm (or declines all their offers to use extra/clearing) then all their choices can see all the other choices (including course code, decision (U/C/R/W), offer conditions and the replies to offers (F/I/D))

Interesting. I thought that invisibility lasted until the entire offer cycle finished. Why does it expire right after picking a firm and insurance choice?

Visibility gives universities valuable competitor data.

Also insurance choices need to be able to see the conditions of an applicant’s firm choice.

Do you use this after the fact for analysis? I know for a fact we don't use it at confirmation, we just post decisions for everyone regardless of their conditions elsewhere.

just the workload for applicants...

and it's not clear how that could cope with substituted choices, Extra and Clearing applications.....also when invisibility expires would universities get access to all 5 PSs?

For the amount of additional work required from applicants and the small number of applicants it impacts it seems like a silly change to make

If personal statements are seldom read in any detail when making offer decisions, and if many universities disregard predicted grades completely when making admissions decisions, it's difficult to work out how they're deciding to whom offers should be made. GCSE grades? Admissions tests (for some courses only, obviously)? Something else?

Multiple essays have been used before in other countries.

For example in the US, many people write 10 essays, one for each uni. And there are justifications for it.

I don't think it's silly.

Common app doesn't work the same way as UCAS with information being sent to and from universities. It's a one way application form not an admissions service like UCAS.
Universities can only access the information submitted through common app relevant to them and there's never any feedback sent back to the CA company on whether an offer is made or not and common app don't provide any market data to universities.

Also for what it's worth - the essays that common app applicants submit for UK universities are dreadful

I already deal with multiple PS’s from the same applicants. They are invariably really poor. And these are high performing postgrad applicants, not 17 year olds struggling to find relevant material to write about.