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Original post by Fluffy Chuckie
What volunteering have you done?


I volunteer in a charity shop which I've done for the past 4 years and work in a carehome:smile:
Hello little year 12's ^_^ (at least I presume the majority of you are...)

The UCAS cycle has just finished for me and hopefully I'll be off to Keele in September. I know how much of a daunting time it can be so if any of you need any help with anything, or have any questions just ask me :hifro:
Original post by ladycharchar
Hello little year 12's ^_^ (at least I presume the majority of you are...)

The UCAS cycle has just finished for me and hopefully I'll be off to Keele in September. I know how much of a daunting time it can be so if any of you need any help with anything, or have any questions just ask me :hifro:


Cool, I'll hopefully be applying to Keele next year :dance:

Any tips? :colondollar:
Original post by thegodofgod
Cool, I'll hopefully be applying to Keele next year :dance:

Any tips? :colondollar:


From what I've gathered about Keele, they're personal statement obsessed.
Original post by Normandy114
From what I've gathered about Keele, they're personal statement obsessed.


I know :sadnod:

I think that might be my weak point in the overall application :s-smilie:
Original post by thegodofgod
I know :sadnod:

I think that might be my weak point in the overall application :s-smilie:


Yeah what Normandy114 said is true!
I'd say Keele though are very big on caring experience. Work experience is still important but Keele put the emphasis on what sort of an impact you yourself makes rather than what you've observed. (Over a prolonged period of time would help too!)

My application has been quite a weird one in that I got rejected first by Keele then an interview invitation came a couple of weeks via a phone call. I think the reason I got rejected in the first place was because I didn't have that much caring experience. Then again at the interview I got asked about caring experience I'd done and fortunately I've done quite a lot more caring stuff since I sent off my personal statement (Y)


That's one tip I'd give to all 2012 applicants actually; don't stop your voluntary work, your work experience, or your extracurriculars once you've sent off your UCAS!! At your interview it'll give you something extra to talk about! Five minutes before my interview, I got such a good piece of advice: 'whatever you do don't stop talking, keep going on about all the things you've done, when they want you to stop they'll just have to tell you!' And it's true, if you continue gaining all these extra experiences after October 15th your interviewers will have to be the ones to cut you off like they did with me. :smile:
Original post by ladycharchar
Yeah what Normandy114 said is true!
I'd say Keele though are very big on caring experience. Work experience is still important but Keele put the emphasis on what sort of an impact you yourself makes rather than what you've observed. (Over a prolonged period of time would help too!)

My application has been quite a weird one in that I got rejected first by Keele then an interview invitation came a couple of weeks via a phone call. I think the reason I got rejected in the first place was because I didn't have that much caring experience. Then again at the interview I got asked about caring experience I'd done and fortunately I've done quite a lot more caring stuff since I sent off my personal statement (Y)


That's one tip I'd give to all 2012 applicants actually; don't stop your voluntary work, your work experience, or your extracurriculars once you've sent off your UCAS!! At your interview it'll give you something extra to talk about! Five minutes before my interview, I got such a good piece of advice: 'whatever you do don't stop talking, keep going on about all the things you've done, when they want you to stop they'll just have to tell you!' And it's true, if you continue gaining all these extra experiences after October 15th your interviewers will have to be the ones to cut you off like they did with me. :smile:


:redface: So how long is "over a prolonged period of time"?

Because I've been volunteering at my local charity shop on Saturdays for the last two years, but I'm only going to be starting my voluntary experience in a caring environment from next Wednesday, 3 hrs per week.

Cheers :smile:
Original post by thegodofgod
:redface: So how long is "over a prolonged period of time"?

Because I've been volunteering at my local charity shop on Saturdays for the last two years, but I'm only going to be starting my voluntary experience in a caring environment from next Wednesday, 3 hrs per week.

Cheers :smile:


Well on my personal statement I only had peer mentoring at school, then a 2 week play scheme in the summer holidays with autistic children. I had been working at a parent-child afterschool club too, but is that really caring? Don't know.

So, depending on when you send off your UCAS you will have done near enough 6 months!! :smile: That sounds prolonged to me :smile: Just make sure you reflect on it well! What are you doing if you don't mind me asking?

It's not essential to say how long you've done it for on your PS though by the way! Some might say that's a waste of characters and all universities differ on what they want, but my rejection feedback from one uni said that I missed out on an interview because I didn't state how long I'd been doing voluntary work for! Bit gutting really. So if you can fit it in, I'd definitely write how long you've been doing it for! :biggrin:
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by ladycharchar
Well on my personal statement I only had peer mentoring at school, then a 2 week play scheme in the summer holidays with autistic children. I had been working at a parent-child afterschool club too, but is that really caring? Don't know.

So, depending on when you send off your UCAS you will have done near enough 6 months!! :smile: That sounds prolonged to me :smile: Just make sure you reflect on it well! What are you doing if you don't mind me asking?

It's not essential to say how long you've done it for on your PS though by the way! Some might say that's a waste of characters and all universities differ on what they want, but my rejection feedback from one uni said that I missed out on an interview because I didn't state how long I'd been doing voluntary work for! Bit gutting really. So if you can fit it in, I'd definitely write how long you've been doing it for! :biggrin:


Not exactly sure yet, but it's at a really rich private care home - I was looking for another care home down the street but found this one first :colondollar: (elderly people)

here: http://www.tlc-group.net/

would it be worth writing the charity shops stuff - I could say it's helped me to interact more with customers and stuff like that?

:eek: That's so unfair - they could have just asked you that at the interview if everything else was fine! :rant:

EDIT: It says on their website: "We offer a variety of care and support options. These range from: residential care; nursing care; dementia care; extra care; respite care; post-operative care and convalescence care."

****TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Ronnie Biggs, the great train robbery robber was here: :eek:

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4549863.Ronnie_Biggs_moves_into_High_Barnet_care_home/
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by ladycharchar

Original post by ladycharchar
Well on my personal statement I only had peer mentoring at school, then a 2 week play scheme in the summer holidays with autistic children. I had been working at a parent-child afterschool club too, but is that really caring? Don't know.

So, depending on when you send off your UCAS you will have done near enough 6 months!! :smile: That sounds prolonged to me :smile: Just make sure you reflect on it well! What are you doing if you don't mind me asking?

It's not essential to say how long you've done it for on your PS though by the way! Some might say that's a waste of characters and all universities differ on what they want, but my rejection feedback from one uni said that I missed out on an interview because I didn't state how long I'd been doing voluntary work for! Bit gutting really. So if you can fit it in, I'd definitely write how long you've been doing it for! :biggrin:


:eek: Sorry, could I just ask, what awful uni did that?
Original post by ladycharchar
Yeah what Normandy114 said is true!
I'd say Keele though are very big on caring experience. Work experience is still important but Keele put the emphasis on what sort of an impact you yourself makes rather than what you've observed. (Over a prolonged period of time would help too!)

My application has been quite a weird one in that I got rejected first by Keele then an interview invitation came a couple of weeks via a phone call. I think the reason I got rejected in the first place was because I didn't have that much caring experience. Then again at the interview I got asked about caring experience I'd done and fortunately I've done quite a lot more caring stuff since I sent off my personal statement (Y)


That's one tip I'd give to all 2012 applicants actually; don't stop your voluntary work, your work experience, or your extracurriculars once you've sent off your UCAS!! At your interview it'll give you something extra to talk about! Five minutes before my interview, I got such a good piece of advice: 'whatever you do don't stop talking, keep going on about all the things you've done, when they want you to stop they'll just have to tell you!' And it's true, if you continue gaining all these extra experiences after October 15th your interviewers will have to be the ones to cut you off like they did with me. :smile:


Thanks for the tips. :smile: But what is even meant by "caring experience"?
I don't know what's more tragic: that I have no hobbies or that it took thinking about UCAS/PS to realise it. :teehee:
Original post by Unbiased Opinion
Thanks for the tips. :smile: But what is even meant by "caring experience"?


I assume it's just anything where you can show empathy, like a care home or disabled centre etc., the only person I know with an offer for Keele has been working in a care home for the past year, so what ladycharchar makes sense about Keele wanting caring experience.
Reply 1913
Original post by Unbiased Opinion
I don't know what's more tragic: that I have no hobbies or that it took thinking about UCAS/PS to realise it. :teehee:


It's not that you don't have hobbies, it's that you just can't put them on your UCAS. *shopping* *procrastinating* *any other unproductive guilty pleasures* :tongue:

Though, it's not too late to start a new hobby. A sport perhaps as it's quite easy to pick up?
Reply 1914
Biology Chemistry, Psychology A-level next year, and a fourth AS is Sociology/RS after I dropped Maths this year cause I was failing :smile:
Thinking of the ones below. Not going to change anytime sooon! :biggrin:
Original post by Normandy114
I assume it's just anything where you can show empathy, like a care home or disabled centre etc., the only person I know with an offer for Keele has been working in a care home for the past year, so what ladycharchar makes sense about Keele wanting caring experience.


Ah right, that makes sense. But things like working with animals (and leading lessons for the disabled) and working with kids, do they count as caring? Because yeah the things need empathy I guess but it's just sorta natural... it doesn't feel like a caring experience in the same way as, like, working with really sick people and helping people go the toilet. I don't know. :s-smilie:
Original post by Ergo
It's not that you don't have hobbies, it's that you just can't put them on your UCAS. *shopping* *procrastinating* *any other unproductive guilty pleasures* :tongue:

Though, it's not too late to start a new hobby. A sport perhaps as it's quite easy to pick up?


Haha, exactly. Most of these holidays I've spent sat in parks and watching disney films (I'm the most uncool teenager ever haha), I doubt uni people will want to know. :p:

I jog but it's not like a commitment.... it's just when I want to. You develop a new kind of attitude from sport... like pushing yourself for the gratification afterwards but I'd feel like I was clutching on straws mentioning it. :dontknow:
Original post by thegodofgod
Not exactly sure yet, but it's at a really rich private care home - I was looking for another care home down the street but found this one first :colondollar: (elderly people)

here: http://www.tlc-group.net/

would it be worth writing the charity shops stuff - I could say it's helped me to interact more with customers and stuff like that?

:eek: That's so unfair - they could have just asked you that at the interview if everything else was fine! :rant:

EDIT: It says on their website: "We offer a variety of care and support options. These range from: residential care; nursing care; dementia care; extra care; respite care; post-operative care and convalescence care."

****TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Ronnie Biggs, the great train robbery robber was here: :eek:

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4549863.Ronnie_Biggs_moves_into_High_Barnet_care_home/


Well I suppose it's so competitive they need to distinguish between applicants somehow :redface:

Yeah definitely write about it! Think what skills a doctor would need, and relate what you've done at the charity shop to those too!
Ooooh that sounds good :biggrin: do you get to choose which section of the care home you work in then?
:eek: woah, I bet you'll get told some right stories there!!

Original post by oHellno
:eek: Sorry, could I just ask, what awful uni did that?


Leeds Uni! I asked for feedback and they'd marked my academics wrong, so when they sent the new feedback they went into a lot more detail. I don't know if you're familiar with the way Leeds point you for interviews but basically I was one point off getting an interview and they gave me suggestions for how I could get an extra point, including 'stating how long I had done my voluntary work for'. :angry:

Original post by Unbiased Opinion
Thanks for the tips. :smile: But what is even meant by "caring experience"?



So caring experience should be something 'hands on' rather than you just observing, something that shows you can work with people (maybe even under difficult circumstances?); and ideally something that triggers an emotional response from you. So for example: a care/residential home, working with young children, working with disabled adults, or special educational needs children, or volunteering on a hospital ward (helping with changing hospital beds, at meal times etc). Try do-it.org there's loads of good stuff on there! There are no set rules of what you should do, or how long for, just whatever you'd enjoy and would be able to talk about with enthusiasm at an interview! :smile: Hope that helps :biggrin:
Reply 1918
Original post by Unbiased Opinion
Haha, exactly. Most of these holidays I've spent sat in parks and watching disney films (I'm the most uncool teenager ever haha), I doubt uni people will want to know. :p:

I jog but it's not like a commitment.... it's just when I want to. You develop a new kind of attitude from sport... like pushing yourself for the gratification afterwards but I'd feel like I was clutching on straws mentioning it. :dontknow:


Wow, I've found someone else like me! And I'm worse, I hate going outside during the summer! Most people love it, but I'm just not an outdoor person! The bees and flies are constantly buzzing around, I spent last summer sitting in my room!
Original post by ladycharchar

So caring experience should be something 'hands on' rather than you just observing, something that shows you can work with people (maybe even under difficult circumstances?); and ideally something that triggers an emotional response from you. So for example: a care/residential home, working with young children, working with disabled adults, or special educational needs children, or volunteering on a hospital ward (helping with changing hospital beds, at meal times etc). Try do-it.org there's loads of good stuff on there! There are no set rules of what you should do, or how long for, just whatever you'd enjoy and would be able to talk about with enthusiasm at an interview! :smile: Hope that helps :biggrin:


Ah, gotcha. The general caring work exp that med applicants seem to have are hospital-hospice-care home so I was wondering if things outside that range also could count as caring. Apparently they do, which is good. The criteria you outlined is really useful (triggers reponse, hands on, challenging) and I'll keep that in mind for PS writing. :smile: Thanks again, and good luck with meeting your offer (if it's conditional, that is :p:)!