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Urgent! PS similarity detection 15 Oct deadline

I applied last year for a computer science degree apprenticeship, so wrote a computer science based personal statement. My brother was applying for the same course and submitted his application 10 days earlier, so I got flagged for plagiarism. I am applying for Natural Sciences at Cambridge this year, so my PS will be general-science based. On the PS section of the UCAS 2022 application it sates:

"We'll carry out checks to verify your personal statement is your own work.

Provided it is your own work, you can use your personal statement from your application last year. If it appears to have been copied from another source, we'll inform the universities and colleges to which you have applied. They will then take the action they consider appropriate. We'll also contact you by email to tell you this has happened."

5 of the similar sentences from last year were apprenticeship based, so are irrelevant to my new PS. The other 3 sentences are relevant, but can likely be re-worded.

Will anything on my old PS constitute plagiarism for my new PS, since it was not "my own work"?
(I will be using a significant amount of similar content)

Or will only the similar sentences detected on my old PS constitute plagiarism?

Is it sufficient to just re-word the sentences (similar and/or non-similar ones)?

Or should I avoid my old PS altogether to be safe?
(Which will be difficult and unfavourable)
(edited 2 years ago)
You can use your previous PS without issues of plagiarism normally, but if those got flagged for plagiarism last year then they'll get flagged this year too. UCAS can still identify things that have been rewritten
(edited 2 years ago)
How long do UCAS take to check for plagarism and get back to you?
Reply 3
Avatar for user18726
user18726
OP
2
Original post by whufc_32
How long do UCAS take to check for plagarism and get back to you?

I think I got an email after 2 days
Original post by user18726
I think I got an email after 2 days


What did the email say?
Reply 5
Avatar for user18726
user18726
OP
2
Original post by whufc_32
What did the email say?

"UCAS has received your application for processing but we must advise you that our Similarity Detection Service has identified passages of text within your personal statement that match other known sources or personal statements previously submitted to UCAS.

Please log onto Track for more detailed information"
When I click on view application and scroll down to my personal statement, it says “similarity report” but it’s blank. I submitted my application over 2 days ago, Do you know why they still haven’t completed this report?
Original post by whufc_32
When I click on view application and scroll down to my personal statement, it says “similarity report” but it’s blank. I submitted my application over 2 days ago, Do you know why they still haven’t completed this report?

No one on TSR is going to know the answer to this I’m afraid. Even if it gets flagged for any reason, each uni will decide if they want to take any action. Nothing will happen automatically.
Reply 8
Avatar for bhoot
bhoot
9
Original post by whufc_32
When I click on view application and scroll down to my personal statement, it says “similarity report” but it’s blank. I submitted my application over 2 days ago, Do you know why they still haven’t completed this report?

so did you got any offers or not?? what happened after it was detected

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