How do universities actually check your work experience?

Interview:

Where did you do your work experience?

Urmmm...

How long for?

Errmmm....

Tell me a situation where you showed compassion/leadership?

****.

Reply 2

OP

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Interview:

Where did you do your work experience?

Urmmm...

How long for?

Errmmm....

Tell me a situation where you showed compassion/leadership?

****.

Well most uni courses dont require an interview...im talking about the PS here

Reply 3

Original post by HenryKenry

Well most uni courses dont require an interview...im talking about the PS here

What course would you be applying for?

If you need to lie to get in, then you're not good enough.

Reply 4

Taniyama-Shimura

1

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Interview:

Where did you do your work experience?

Urmmm...

How long for?

Errmmm....

Tell me a situation where you showed compassion/leadership?

****.

You dont have to go out of your way and actually do work experience to answer those questions though

If you prepare well for the interview, you'd easily answer those questions (by lying of course)

It's not hard

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Reply 5

OP

Original post by L'Evil Fish

What course would you be applying for?

If you need to lie to get in, then you're not good enough.

Oh im good enough, and im generally asking. You're not really answering my question-- do you need to me to explain how threads usually work?

Reply 6

OP

Original post by Taniyama-Shimura

You dont have to go out of your way and actually do work experience to answer those questions though

If you prepare well for the interview, you'd easily answer those questions (by lying of course)

It's not hard

Posted from TSR Mobile

Exactly what I thought, only a fool will go unprepared and stumble at generic questions like this.

So to my question- if someone writes in their PS i worked in "a charity shop" but didnt- could they get caught out?

Reply 7

callum_law

6

Original post by HenryKenry

Hey if I write on my personal statement I did some work in "a charity shop" or an opticians without giving specifics- how can they get a reference from them? Surely people can then go ahead and lie about their work experience?

People can indeed lie quite easily. In reality, they won't check your work experience. They have 500 applicants to read through, all quite similar with the same work experience; they won't be arsed checking them all nor even any of them and who can blame them?

That said, if you're applying to Oxbridge, it probably is not the best course of action to start lying on your PS because they may will pick a pretty random part of your PS in order to elicit a unique and uncontrived response which you never thought to prepare for.

Reply 8

Original post by Taniyama-Shimura

You dont have to go out of your way and actually do work experience to answer those questions though

If you prepare well for the interview, you'd easily answer those questions (by lying of course)

It's not hard

Posted from TSR Mobile

I think you underestimate people's abilities to tell when someone is lying in person. It's incredibly easy to catch someone out.

Original post by HenryKenry

Exactly what I thought, only a fool will go unprepared and stumble at generic questions like this.

So to my question- if someone writes in their PS i worked in "a charity shop" but didnt- could they get caught out?

You didn't answer my question, what course? If medicine or dentistry, then you can easily be caught out.

Generally though, I'd be lying if I said people would be caught out by putting a vague statement like that in.

Reply 9

OP

Original post by L'Evil Fish

I think you underestimate people's abilities to tell when someone is lying in person. It's incredibly easy to catch someone out.

You didn't answer my question, what course? If medicine or dentistry, then you can easily be caught out.

Generally though, I'd be lying if I said people would be caught out by putting a vague statement like that in.

Question answered. You didnt need to say anything else.

Reply 10

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by HenryKenry

Question answered. You didnt need to say anything else.

Oooh so cool aren't you

Reply 11

PQ

21

Original post by HenryKenry

Hey if I write on my personal statement I did some work in "a charity shop" or an opticians without giving specifics- how can they get a reference from them? Surely people can then go ahead and lie about their work experience?

The PS goes through a few stages to check for accuracy - firstly your referee has to sign off your entire application as truthful. Then UCAS do their plagiarism checks. Then if a university has any doubts or questions they will contact either your referee or yourself for more information.

Basically:
- if you're applying for a course were work experience is a requirement then don't lie - it will be checked at some point
- if you're applying for a course where work experience isn't a formal requirement then don't lie - use your PS to talk about something you HAVE done that has relevance to your subject rather than with generic bull**** that isn't adding anything

Reply 12

The Owl of Minerva

14

You cant get caught. The sleepless nights though arent worth the bother.

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Reply 13

alexp98

20

Original post by HenryKenry

Oh im good enough, and im generally asking. You're not really answering my question-- do you need to me to explain how threads usually work?

The truth is they don't know unless you have an interview and they ask for more details and phone number ect. This is rare because they simply don't have the time. Your school will think it's a bit strange however when reading it.

Reply 14

Leah K Stewart

7

Personal Statements are such a great chance to look at what you've done and represent it in a piece of prose. Forget evidence in the actual statement. Like PQ says, the check is that someone else needs to sign it off as true. The way I did this on my personal statement (which is on my latest blog post in full if you'd like to see) is "To finance my activities and help fund my way through university I have been babysitting since I was old enough and hold down a part time job at my local newsagents." No names,references or numbers... but I obviously have them if there are follow up questions. There will always be people who cheat and lie until we stop creating systems that make this a short cut. Until then, don't worry about them. The university will take what you say as truth because they know this is really the first chance you've had to say who you are and what you want to do, so they'll anticipate honesty.

Reply 15

Scopeowner

4

Original post by HenryKenry

Hey if I write on my personal statement I did some work in "a charity shop" or an opticians without giving specifics- how can they get a reference from them? Surely people can then go ahead and lie about their work experience?

Funny you should say that, I've had the privilege to work at both a charity shop (cancer research UK) and an opticians shop (Vision Express).

Seriously though lying is the worst solution because if you get caught, not only will you be embarrassed you'll also mess up a perfectly good opportunity to get a place at 1 of your 5 Universities.

Take advice from me, find a local charity shop or whatever shop in your area and register for a week at it. Not only will you gain work experience, you can definitely talk about it in your PS and you many receive a reference from them, which is useful for future jobs (part-time/full-time).

I hope I haven't been too long-winded. :smile:

Reply 16

justag

11

No, they're unlikely to check. But obviously don't say something implausible like you travelled the world saving children for years

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Reply 17

OP