Can't fill personal statement ( Physics application)

I am finding it really hard to fill my personal statement, and I would appreciate some advice and tips. I am a student studying mathematics and physics at sixth form.

My main problem is that I have done no extra curricular, work experience or anything related to maths or physics outside of sixth form. Most student by this stage have done placements and summer schools, but I have not done any of them. I have tried to apply for many placements and work experience that is related at most to physics and maths, but from every one I have been rejected, and now I find I am out of options for what I can do at this stage as applications for pretty much everything have passed. I am hoping to apply to a good university, but I feel with my situation, I will definitely be denied.

I have already done a year at sixth form, but I decided to retake the year from unsatisfactory grades which I knew I could do better in. This year has gone great, but when the exams came, I pretty much panicked in most of them, and they all went horribly wrong. To the point I am almost certain they will be as bad or worse than last years.

I am worried that with this lack of extra curricular, and experience outside of college, along with the fact I retook the As year and a high chance that my grades wont have changed; that I will have a really hard time being accepted into any decent universities that specialise in maths or physics.

I have tried to attempt doing a personal statement, but I just cannot think of anything to show my enthusiasm or dedication to the subjects I am taking.

I would really appreciate some advice. Thanks

- sorry if I posted this up in the wrong place.

Reply 1

username2694731

Original post by Bradley yates

I've just moved your thread over to the Personal Statement Advice forum for you, but I can't give you a precise answer, as I don't really do sciences/ know much about them.

Reply 2

DarthRoar

1. Bullshet your way through.
2. Go do a crap tonne of stuff this summer to get some good stuff done.

Reply 3

DMUWho

Your entire PS doesn't need to relate to your chosen subject.
You could talk about extra curricular or just personal experiences from life. This type of thing is great because it shows the unis that you are an actual person, not an exam machine. Try and talk about each thing, then relate each point back to a specific skill/attribute that this has given you.
And if you're looking for more subject related content. You could consider quickly reading up on the work of a famous/notable person from your subject and how you feel about that. That's a good way of showing your interest in the subject without having done any specific experience.
Once you've got all these elements, talk to your sixth form. They will be able to help you out with content, and how the PS is put together.
Hope this helps!

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 4

Mypenjustranout

Original post by DarthRoar

1. Bullshet your way through.
2. Go do a crap tonne of stuff this summer to get some good stuff done.

I wish.. But all deadlines ended months ago, there is pretty much nothing left I can do over this summer that I know of.

Reply 5

username2694731

Original post by Bradley yates

I wish.. But all deadlines ended months ago, there is pretty much nothing left I can do over this summer that I know of.

Read books maybe???

Reply 6

Doones

Original post by Bradley yates

UoL (and probably others too) have tasters
https://tasters.gradsintocareers.co.uk/Courses/SearchResults

Online courses can be good too, also youtube stuff. You just need to show *some* interest in your intended course. It doesn't need to be anything particularly impressive.

You absolutely don't need any work experience or placements.

Also, you have until January 2018 to do your PS. Plenty of time to put something together.

Reply 7

Mypenjustranout

Original post by thewelshdaf

You're entire PS doesn't need to relate to your chosen subject.
You could talk about extra curricular or just personal experiences from life. This type of thing is great because it shows the unis that you are an actual person, not an exam machine. Try and talk about each thing, then relate each point back to a specific skill/attribute that this has given you.
And if you're looking for more subject related content. You could consider quickly reading up on the work of a famous/notable person from your subject and how you feel about that. That's a good way of showing your interest in the subject without having done any specific experience.
Once you've got all these elements, talk to your sixth form. They will be able to help you out with content, and how the PS is put together.
Hope this helps!

I have no extra curricular to even talk about. And I have done nothing to show my enthusiasm for it. I cant think of any personal experiences that relate to my interest... This is one of the reasons I am panicking about this, everyone seems to have a reason why they chose their subjects, and this process seems easy to them, but I am finding doing my personal statement next to impossible. And book wise, it may help with a few sentences at most, so thanks for the suggestion.

Reply 8

Interrobang

As has been said above - extra reading/online courses require no applications and can be done easily - focus on that to talk about in your PS

Reply 9

Midgeymoo17

Actually a book in my statement easily filled a paragraph. (4-5 sentences) because:1)State study at Alevel sparked interest in.2)To develop further I read.....3) and explain a specific bit you found particularly interesting. (this would normally take at least two sentences)Although Ido empathise with you as I am reading physics and a physics personal statement was damn hard to write.