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How important is a PS really?

Imperfect

The title says all.

Reply 1

slk999

15

it really depends on the university. edinburgh for example- a good PS can make or break an offer. but generally, a good PS can't do any harm. it's strongly advisable just to do the best you can with your PS and take time to get it right. i must have done 10+ drafts of mine- starting in june and i've just got the finished item. i have only let a couple of people give me advice- so it's just personal opinion- but do make a good effort on it- otherwise you'll think- what if i wrote a good PS?

Reply 2

mtbab

17

to Rich_1089

i think a PS will make or break and ure unliekly to apply to 6unis wheere they say they pay little regard to the PS. i think in these early days when admission tutors have a lot mor time on their hands a PS i think will be more important as they'll have time to read it. I would say its not that difficult to wirte a good PS (which is easy to say in handsight lol) yes i did many a draft, not to make it perfect (which nothingever will be) but to make it good.

As rich says if u dont get 6offers u will wonder, was it the PS that did it. What are you thinking of applying for?

Reply 3

michaelbenson

12

You certainly need to put a great deal of effort in your personal statement, since as it might not be as critical to your application as say your predicted and awarded qualifications it is certainly reflective of you as an academic applicant. Lets face it a bad personal statement will do more harm than an good one will do to prosper your application.

Reply 4

electric_egg

Very.

If you consider that most people applying for a course will have similiar predicted grades (since they will have probably have compared their predicted grades with the standard offers for universities) and that these grades may even be in similiar subjects (many people applying for English also take History for example), it is the PS that really differentiates between applicants.

Think about all the stuff that can go in the PS that doesn't appear in a list of grades and past jobs. Your personal skills and qualities. Stuff you've read or seen around your subject. Related extra-curricular stuff. Interesting experiences. Possible areas of the course you're especially interested in. Etc etc...

If nothing else, you can use it to demonstrate a real passion and enthusiasm for your subject, which doesn't come across in a bland list of grades, and which teachers can't put in their references. And if it comes down to it, surely a university would rather have someone who sounds like they really want to study that subject than someone who doesn't?

Don't be overwhelmed by it - once you start, it's easier than you think. And there's loads of help available on the internet.

What course do you want to take, and where?

Reply 5

Jenii

15

My school basically say 'they don't really read them'.

Not sure if I believe 'em.

Reply 6

umarf786

2

Its like one of the 4 major factors they look at:

1)Predicted Grades

2)Academic Record (gcse's + a-levels)

3)PERSONAL STATEMENT

4)Admission test score (if applicable)

The thing is that PS is supposed to show the motivation you have in you to do the course you have applied for. So it is really important :smile:

Reply 7

baby_emmy

15

PS was the main factor for the 6 Uni's i applied for, my predicted grades (all E's) certainly didn't get me my BBB offers!!

-x-

Reply 8

jakezg

umarf786

Its like one of the 4 major factors they look at:

1)Predicted Grades

2)Academic Record (gcse's + a-levels)

3)PERSONAL STATEMENT

4)Admission test score (if applicable)

The thing is that PS is supposed to show the motivation you have in you to do the course you have applied for. So it is really important :smile:

References? :confused:

Reply 9

mousy

14

baby_emmy

PS was the main factor for the 6 Uni's i applied for, my predicted grades (all E's) certainly didn't get me my BBB offers!!

-x-

Well done! Thats amazing. Must have been one hell of a personal statement!

Reply 10

Imperfect

OP

I want to appy to Birmingham. But my GCSE grades are so-so as I pissed around alot. But I learnt from my mistakes and making it up during college.

Reply 11

baby_emmy

15

mousy

Well done! Thats amazing. Must have been one hell of a personal statement!

Thanks

lol... yeah i spent a lot of time doing it, plus i am really passionate about my subject area (ICT) and i think you could see that in my PS!

-x-

Reply 12

umarf786

2

jakezg

References? :confused:

i knew something was missing.. i wrote 5, then cut out and wrote 4 :rolleyes:

Reply 13

Vincente

14

My school basically say 'they don't really read them'

What school did you got to then? Even UCL and trinity college, cambridge (this is on thier history course booklets) it states that grades aren't everything. Provided you meet the grade predictions your reference and pS will be used to decide whom the university decides to make an offer to.

Reply 14

silent ninja

19

Apparently the PS is vital, but all the 'good ones' i've seen feel pretty similar and somewhat formulaic. The top courses dont give offers based on the PS alone, so i guess its important to have a good one in order to get an interview. A crap PS will certainly harm your chances but i'm not so sure the PS will make or break you.

Reply 15

sugardaddy

1

Francypants

My school basically say 'they don't really read them'.

Not sure if I believe 'em.

I think that only applies to applicants with outstanding academic grades (which would certify an offer), or applicants who do not meet the grade requirements (which would certify a rejection). For everyone in-between (majority of applicants) I'm sure they are looked at, if not read in full.

Reply 16

peachmelba

8

It depends.

Let's assume that you are applying for a competitive course at top "selecting" unis. Unless they interview, the PS is the only way for admissions tutors to differentiate between the many candidates for the few places. Once they have discarded the obvious no hopers on academic track record/predicted grades, all the candidates will have very good GCSE results, predictions & references. For example, at the Nottingham English department open day, they said the PS was THE deciding factor in making an offer & admitted that the decision could be quite arbitrary and subjective.

Now let's take the other extreme. You are applying for a course that struggles to attract candidates at even top unis and applying to a "recruiting" uni at the lower end of the league tables. Provided you meet the requirements in terms of subjects/predicitions (which will be low anyway), you are almost certain to get an offer. Even a bad PS will have little impact.

The tricky bit is if your course/uni falls between the two extremes. It is worth putting in the effort to make your PS as strong as possible. It could help get you an offer from one of your stretch targets which your track record/predictions wouldn't automatically qualify you for. A friend was told by Leeds that his offer for sociology was entirely because of his outstanding PS (sadly he believed the school's crappy predictions and ended up going to Leeds Met).

Reply 17

Turdburger

16

I think they read them, but your GCSE grades and AS levels (and to a certain extent predicted grades) are far far far more important. I quote:

There is plenty of advice available on drafting your personal statement that is sound and helpful. However, such advice often includes serious overstatement of the importance of the personal statement in our selection procedures. Ironically, the profusion of “advice” on the personal statement, the books, websites and commercial organisations offering it, have diminished our confidence in the personal statement as the sole work of the applicant and a genuine reflection of their interests. After you have done that, turn your effort and thought to what is really important – your academic work.

Selection is made on academic criteria, and you can find these on your subject’s pages of the University website. Applicants are successful because we believe them to be promising biologists or linguists or mathematicians, for example, not because they are good at debating or drama, rugby or rowing. (Of course, we are delighted when our successful applicants turn out to have other talents and interests.)

Reply 18

Student2006

PS was the main factor for the 6 Uni's i applied for, my predicted grades (all E's) certainly didn't get me my BBB offers!!

Whaatttttt......baby_emmy, what unis did you apply to if you dont mind me asking? I nearly died of shock when I read ur post lol- just to clarify, did you say that u were predicted all E's and were accepted into BBB courses? Ty in advance x

Reply 19

malfoy

the ps is vital

How important is a PS really?

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