Applying to Study Korean - My Experience
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Original post by lucieol
Congrats! 
Thank you! <3
Original post by nyxnko_
A bit late, but congrats on getting into SOAS!!
Thank you
Original post by umbrellala
Results Day and EPQ Resources
So it was the day we'd all been waiting for yesterday and the results are in... I got into SOAS! I'm absolutely over the moon and still in shock to be honest. I'd completely convinced myself that I only had a chance at getting into Sheffield (and a small chance at that) and was getting excited to move up north. In my head, SOAS was a very far reach and felt unattainable so I kind of pushed it to the side and tried to forget about it. But I got in somehow! I got exactly the grades I predicted in my last post, which in theory shouldn't have gotten me into SOAS but I think the A in my EPQ helped me out a lot. I feel slightly disappointed about chemistry because I worked so hard to try and get my grade up, but honestly at this point all that matters is that I'm going to uni. I hope everyone else who got results is happy
I've written another thread of EPQ tips and essentially how to go about writing it. On there I also have all the EPQ examples you could possibly need: my full EPQ, project proposal, bibliography, presentation, how I structured my notes, and how I used my sources. You can find it here.
So it was the day we'd all been waiting for yesterday and the results are in... I got into SOAS! I'm absolutely over the moon and still in shock to be honest. I'd completely convinced myself that I only had a chance at getting into Sheffield (and a small chance at that) and was getting excited to move up north. In my head, SOAS was a very far reach and felt unattainable so I kind of pushed it to the side and tried to forget about it. But I got in somehow! I got exactly the grades I predicted in my last post, which in theory shouldn't have gotten me into SOAS but I think the A in my EPQ helped me out a lot. I feel slightly disappointed about chemistry because I worked so hard to try and get my grade up, but honestly at this point all that matters is that I'm going to uni. I hope everyone else who got results is happy
I've written another thread of EPQ tips and essentially how to go about writing it. On there I also have all the EPQ examples you could possibly need: my full EPQ, project proposal, bibliography, presentation, how I structured my notes, and how I used my sources. You can find it here.
Congrats on getting into SOAS! Perhaps you can make a follow up after(if possible) about how's the student life like in SOAS, since I'm also debating between Sheffield and SOAS for Japanese.
Original post by Mynxas
Congrats on getting into SOAS! Perhaps you can make a follow up after(if possible) about how's the student life like in SOAS, since I'm also debating between Sheffield and SOAS for Japanese.
Thank you!! I am planning to start a separate thread documenting my first year so I’ll link that here once I’ve started it. Good luck applying!
First year
It's just over a week until freshers week starts at SOAS so I thought now would be a good idea to start my first year thread! You can find it here if you're interested in following how it goes and want to know what the course is actually like. Hopefully you'll find it useful. I will continue to use this thread to post application help since it makes most sense to put it here, and I'll still be keeping an eye on it to answer questions. I hope everyone's had a good summer and good luck to those applying this autumn <3
It's just over a week until freshers week starts at SOAS so I thought now would be a good idea to start my first year thread! You can find it here if you're interested in following how it goes and want to know what the course is actually like. Hopefully you'll find it useful. I will continue to use this thread to post application help since it makes most sense to put it here, and I'll still be keeping an eye on it to answer questions. I hope everyone's had a good summer and good luck to those applying this autumn <3
Hi Ella! I’m really stuck on my personal statement and I’m applying for Korean and I’ve practically finished it other than my teacher told me to include a paragraph relating my subjects to what I wanted to study. I’m doing 3 sciences (biology, chemistry, physics) and I’m super stick as to how to relate them, do you have any advice you can offer? Thanks xx
Original post by Miztx12
Hi Ella! I’m really stuck on my personal statement and I’m applying for Korean and I’ve practically finished it other than my teacher told me to include a paragraph relating my subjects to what I wanted to study. I’m doing 3 sciences (biology, chemistry, physics) and I’m super stick as to how to relate them, do you have any advice you can offer? Thanks xx
Hi! This is one of the things I found hardest about writing my personal statement, it really feels like they're not related at all so I only wrote about 3 sentences in that paragraph. I mostly related them to language learning, so for biology I linked the amount of complex vocab you need to know and use in context, and for chemistry I talked about recognising patterns and having to pay close attention to detail which is helpful with learning grammar rules. To be honest, they're pretty tenuous links but it's better than nothing! My main advice would be to think about the really basic skills you use in your subjects and then talk about the skills that they have in common with languages or understanding other cultures. And don't feel like you have to write too much about it, it's best to keep the focus (and save the word count for) the more relevant sections. I'll be posting my full personal statement next week so you'll be able to see better then if you don't mind waiting! xx
Original post by umbrellala
Hi! This is one of the things I found hardest about writing my personal statement, it really feels like they're not related at all so I only wrote about 3 sentences in that paragraph. I mostly related them to language learning, so for biology I linked the amount of complex vocab you need to know and use in context, and for chemistry I talked about recognising patterns and having to pay close attention to detail which is helpful with learning grammar rules. To be honest, they're pretty tenuous links but it's better than nothing! My main advice would be to think about the really basic skills you use in your subjects and then talk about the skills that they have in common with languages or understanding other cultures. And don't feel like you have to write too much about it, it's best to keep the focus (and save the word count for) the more relevant sections. I'll be posting my full personal statement next week so you'll be able to see better then if you don't mind waiting! xx
Thanks so much for the advice Ella!! It really helps, I hope you have a great time this year xx
Personal Statement Example
Hi everyone! I'm now starting my first week at SOAS and since I've officially enrolled, it is finally time to share my personal statement. Just to quickly recap, my offers were
SOAS: AAB or ABB + B in EPQ
Sheffield: ABB or BBB + B in EPQ
UCLan: BBB (or equivalent UCAS points)
Here it is! Hopefully it's useful and as always, don't hesitate to PM me if you have any questions
Hi everyone! I'm now starting my first week at SOAS and since I've officially enrolled, it is finally time to share my personal statement. Just to quickly recap, my offers were
SOAS: AAB or ABB + B in EPQ
Sheffield: ABB or BBB + B in EPQ
UCLan: BBB (or equivalent UCAS points)
Here it is! Hopefully it's useful and as always, don't hesitate to PM me if you have any questions
Spoiler
Original post by umbrellala
Personal Statement Example
Hi everyone! I'm now starting my first week at SOAS and since I've officially enrolled, it is finally time to share my personal statement. Just to quickly recap, my offers were
SOAS: AAB or ABB + B in EPQ
Sheffield: ABB or BBB + B in EPQ
UCLan: BBB (or equivalent UCAS points)
Here it is! Hopefully it's useful and as always, don't hesitate to PM me if you have any questions
Hi everyone! I'm now starting my first week at SOAS and since I've officially enrolled, it is finally time to share my personal statement. Just to quickly recap, my offers were
SOAS: AAB or ABB + B in EPQ
Sheffield: ABB or BBB + B in EPQ
UCLan: BBB (or equivalent UCAS points)
Here it is! Hopefully it's useful and as always, don't hesitate to PM me if you have any questions
Spoiler
Your personal statement was brilliant Ella! I recently payed and applied on Thursday night and on Friday my teacher sent it in, I can only keep my fingers crossed that I'll get some offers!
Original post by Miztx12
Your personal statement was brilliant Ella! I recently payed and applied on Thursday night and on Friday my teacher sent it in, I can only keep my fingers crossed that I'll get some offers!
Thank you! Wishing you the best of luck ❤️
Omigod this is exactly the same as me - I am so so relieved to not be the only one in this position. The way you describe the slow realisation that you didn't want to be a vet perfectly sums up how I felt as I began to realise.I'm on a gap year at the moment, as I needed more time to figure out what I wanted to study, and like you I was introduced to Korean language and culture by my family. My sister introduced me to the pop-culture side, and my dad works at Hyundai - just like you! Spooky...Would it be ok if I DM you a couple of questions about your uni experience so far? I see this thread is quite old, and some more insights would be really great if that's ok. x
Original post by mollypew013
Omigod this is exactly the same as me - I am so so relieved to not be the only one in this position. The way you describe the slow realisation that you didn't want to be a vet perfectly sums up how I felt as I began to realise.I'm on a gap year at the moment, as I needed more time to figure out what I wanted to study, and like you I was introduced to Korean language and culture by my family. My sister introduced me to the pop-culture side, and my dad works at Hyundai - just like you! Spooky...Would it be ok if I DM you a couple of questions about your uni experience so far? I see this thread is quite old, and some more insights would be really great if that's ok. x
It seems like a lot of us have similar experiences when it comes to realising what we really want to do! Especially when it's something so unusual, it's often not clear at first but it's such a relief when you finally pinpoint exactly where you want to go
Yes of course! If you haven't seen my more recent thread you can find it here, and I'll happily answer any questions you have through DMshey, hope uni is going well! do you think if i got a grade below the ones needed to get in, e.g. ABC without the EPQ that i would still be accepted?
Original post by Vicky Watts
hey, hope uni is going well! do you think if i got a grade below the ones needed to get in, e.g. ABC without the EPQ that i would still be accepted?
It is thank you! I assume this is for Sheffield with the entry requirements of ABB. When I spoke to the admissions officer at Sheffield, he said to us that nothing below our offer would be accepted because the course has become very competitive over the past few years (and will almost certainly be even more popular this year). That being said, they of course need to meet a certain quota of students and it would depend on how many other students do meet the entry requirements. If your personal statement/experience is particularly exceptional they might let you in anyway, but to be honest I wouldn't risk it.
*EDIT: When I say 'don't risk it' I mean that you should aim for ABB! If you've already received grades, maybe get in contact with them
(edited 5 years ago)
Hi! You're in exactly the same situation as me - I've contacted both Sheffield and SOAS and will let you know what I heard back:
Sheffield: said it was unlikely they'd make an offer, although I think I'll still give it a shot just in case
SOAS: didn't say yes or no yet, just asked if I had proof of having studied a language previously
I'm acc going through UCAS Extra, so it may be a little different to you, but I got the same grades (A in bio, B in Chem, C in Philosophy, and an A is AS Physics although they don't look at AS grades)
Let me know if you want me to update you on what SOAS says once they reply! x
Sheffield: said it was unlikely they'd make an offer, although I think I'll still give it a shot just in case
SOAS: didn't say yes or no yet, just asked if I had proof of having studied a language previously
I'm acc going through UCAS Extra, so it may be a little different to you, but I got the same grades (A in bio, B in Chem, C in Philosophy, and an A is AS Physics although they don't look at AS grades)
Let me know if you want me to update you on what SOAS says once they reply!
xOriginal post by Vicky Watts
hey, hope uni is going well! do you think if i got a grade below the ones needed to get in, e.g. ABC without the EPQ that i would still be accepted?
This is an odd question but what was your experience with getting UCAS references from your teachers back in college? I haven't done Japanese at A Level and nobody knows I have an interest in it. I'm incredibly worried about applying and actually very embarrassed for my teachers to find out I have an interest in languages because I do science. I'm dreading having them find out, and I have no idea how they're going to write me a reference when I'm doing something so very different from science.
Original post by YasudaSayo
This is an odd question but what was your experience with getting UCAS references from your teachers back in college? I haven't done Japanese at A Level and nobody knows I have an interest in it. I'm incredibly worried about applying and actually very embarrassed for my teachers to find out I have an interest in languages because I do science. I'm dreading having them find out, and I have no idea how they're going to write me a reference when I'm doing something so very different from science.
I’m not sure how it works in other colleges but at ours we had pretty much no involvement in getting the references. Our head of sixth form coordinated all of that for us so we didn’t have to specifically go to teachers and ask for them to write it for us. Honestly I have no idea how the process actually works.
As for your subject choice, you’re going to have to tell your teachers at one point or another. Even if you never end up being asked, you don’t want them to have a surprise when they inevitably have to write your reference and find out. The more time you give them to acknowledge it the better your reference will be. It’s not that scary once you start telling people, the worst that will happen is them being surprised or trying to persuade you to do something else. They won’t be angry or upset with you.
The reference itself will be almost completely focused on your time at school and what kind of student you are rather than what they expect you to be like at university. It’s a way for the admissions tutors to learn more about your academic history outside of your grades.
Original post by umbrellala
UCAS and Personal Statement
It soon came time to write the dreaded personal statement. Our school got us started on filling in our UCAS and writing our first drafts a few weeks before the end of the summer term, but still I was not completely convinced that Korean was for me. This wasn't helped by my form tutor trying to convince me to either do International Relations or take a gap year to 'find myself'. I quickly learned to ignore the majority of her advice and talk to teachers who actually knew me properly, and knew what they were talking about. It was through the process of trying to write a personal statement for IR that I realised I had little to no passion for it, whereas writing for Korean was a breeze in comparison.
Writing a statement for a subject you've never studied before is both a blessing and a curse. A curse in that you have to work especially hard to prove that you know what the subject is about, you have a passion for all areas of the subject, and that you are capable of studying it as well as sticking with it rather than changing your mind after a year. They need to know you won't be a waste of their time or resources. A blessing because it's a lot easier to write something original and personal that truly comes from the heart and will stand out from other people, rather than just saying 'in Biology lessons I enjoyed learning about the lungs'. Anybody could say that. By having to show your interest and commitment, your character count gets filled pretty quickly and you end up not having the space to babble or talk about irrelevant extra-curriculars, making your statement overall look a lot stronger than it probably is. At the same time, everyone's statements will be original and different from each other, but it's a good opportunity to really show off your knowledge of the subject without having to fall back on 'I studied it at A-Level and got X grade' as a way to prove you like it.
I will post my full personal statement on this thread once I start university so that any sneaky copy and paste-rs will be caught by their plagiarism software (and so I won't be accidentally caught out instead). But, this was the general outline of my statement:
Paragraph 1 - How I became interested in Korea
Paragraph 2 - Why I'm interested in languages in general, and Korean specifically
Paragraph 3 - Why I'm interested in Korean culture (I basically talked about politics and what doing my research for EPQ allowed me to learn about Korea and East Asia as a whole)
Paragraph 4 - How my A-Level subjects and academic achievements will help me in the degree
Paragraph 5 - Conclusion and ending
If you need any more in-depth help with your statement, I'd be happy to help over private message.
My application was received by UCAS on the 17th October 2017. I was expecting to feel nervous, but actually it was a massive relief. Now I just had to start waiting for responses!
It soon came time to write the dreaded personal statement. Our school got us started on filling in our UCAS and writing our first drafts a few weeks before the end of the summer term, but still I was not completely convinced that Korean was for me. This wasn't helped by my form tutor trying to convince me to either do International Relations or take a gap year to 'find myself'. I quickly learned to ignore the majority of her advice and talk to teachers who actually knew me properly, and knew what they were talking about. It was through the process of trying to write a personal statement for IR that I realised I had little to no passion for it, whereas writing for Korean was a breeze in comparison.
Writing a statement for a subject you've never studied before is both a blessing and a curse. A curse in that you have to work especially hard to prove that you know what the subject is about, you have a passion for all areas of the subject, and that you are capable of studying it as well as sticking with it rather than changing your mind after a year. They need to know you won't be a waste of their time or resources. A blessing because it's a lot easier to write something original and personal that truly comes from the heart and will stand out from other people, rather than just saying 'in Biology lessons I enjoyed learning about the lungs'. Anybody could say that. By having to show your interest and commitment, your character count gets filled pretty quickly and you end up not having the space to babble or talk about irrelevant extra-curriculars, making your statement overall look a lot stronger than it probably is. At the same time, everyone's statements will be original and different from each other, but it's a good opportunity to really show off your knowledge of the subject without having to fall back on 'I studied it at A-Level and got X grade' as a way to prove you like it.
I will post my full personal statement on this thread once I start university so that any sneaky copy and paste-rs will be caught by their plagiarism software (and so I won't be accidentally caught out instead). But, this was the general outline of my statement:
Paragraph 1 - How I became interested in Korea
Paragraph 2 - Why I'm interested in languages in general, and Korean specifically
Paragraph 3 - Why I'm interested in Korean culture (I basically talked about politics and what doing my research for EPQ allowed me to learn about Korea and East Asia as a whole)
Paragraph 4 - How my A-Level subjects and academic achievements will help me in the degree
Paragraph 5 - Conclusion and ending
If you need any more in-depth help with your statement, I'd be happy to help over private message.
My application was received by UCAS on the 17th October 2017. I was expecting to feel nervous, but actually it was a massive relief. Now I just had to start waiting for responses!
Hi! Thank you so much for uploading all of this information -- I was so clueless about studying Korean at SOAS until I came across your account! I had a few questions though - Assuming you know about a combined BA with Korean and another subject, I was thinking about doing Korean with Law because I think that I'd enjoy it the most so I really want to do it. However, when I was thinking about personal statements, I was wondering as to how I would incorporate Korean into it? Or do I need to at all because all the other Uni's that I'm applying too are for Law LLB. If you don't know then do you know where I could find this info or who I could ask because I cannot find many people with this specific degree combination! Thanks!!
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