From The Student Room

TSR Wiki > University > Applying to University > Personal Statement Library > Why become a PS Helper?

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The personal statement service on The Student Room is a free service aimed to give advice and tips for improving your personal statement for your university applications. The PS helpers are all current university students or graduates who donate their time to help others.

Why become a PS Helper

So what reasons are there for becoming a PS helper? It could be that you simply wish to assist others with their applications or it could be that you want to 'earn' some riches to buy yourself a subscription to TSR. Here is what a couple of the PS Helpers have to say about why they are part of the team:

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Many people use TSR to offer advice to students, both at school and at universities, and there are few ways to be more useful to students than to help them draft their personal statements for UCAS forms. While a minority of schools and sixth forms offer quality advice to their students on this part of the application process, members of TSR have found themselves in a good position to help applicants and "level the playing field." We have a team of helpful university students and graduates who form a lively community that strives to help in creating personal statements that reflect their personalities whilst appealing to universities effectively, and we are always on the look out for new people to help.

Taking a poorly written first draft through a review process and finally helping the applicant create a finely polished finished statement is academically demanding but also massively gratifying, not least when you hear back from the applicant and they inform you that they've received their desired offers. The task is also academically fulfilling giving you a chance to discuss your subject with young people who are often enthusiastic and keen to hear what you have to say about their ideas. Working with these relatively short pieces of text also engages one's problem-solving skills, and finding ways to restructure arguments is at times frustrating, but when it works, is great fun. Finally you get riches for personal statement help, which can be exchanged for subscriptions and arcade access on TSR.

musicbloke

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There are a few reasons why one might want to become a PS Helper. Firstly, the charming title under your username shows that you are contributing something extra to the site, putting your time and effort in to helping others. This could be seen as a signal of your maturity or helpfulness. Secondly, as a PS helper you are rewarded with riches, dependant on how many reviews you undertake. These can be exchanged on TSR for access to the arcade or to buy a subscription, both of which I feel enhance the usage and enjoyment of TSR, and are therefore, worthwhile rewards. Thirdly, you get access to a secret PS Helper subforum for relaxed discussion between your peers, which also gives you the ability to air your opinions on how to improve the service.

In terms of what you take from PS helping, the reward of riches is an obvious argument. In addition, the sense of satisfaction knowing you’ve helped someone get into their university of choice is a very nice feeling; even more so when you get a personal message from a user thanking you for your help and informing you of their success in application. Personally I find the gratitude from users whose statements you have reviewed is reward enough to continue to perform the role.

Jonah Ramone

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I have hugely enjoyed being a PS Helper: the greatest reward comes when you get a PM from someone you helped months before, telling you that they've got an offer from their dream uni and that you played a part in helping them achieving that. Many applicants do not get the advice they should from their schools/colleges about writing their PSs, and this forum helps to cover that gap.

Minerva

How to become a PS Helper

So you want to become a PS Helper? Then read about how to become part of the team.