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College applications - PS?

Hi, I'm form Durham and so understandably many people apply to Durham Uni, but also other collegiate unis such as Oxbridge. Many of my teachers are also Durham graduates, and they keep on saying personal statements should be personalised to the character of the college you're applying to.
I am apprehensive to this approach, however, as:
Durham makes you rank your college choice, so multiple colleges with different charavters are reading the same PS - if they cared that much then the other colleges would be put off?
Oxbridge colleges seem to have no info on what matters to them most; it seems the unis have done a good job on just saying 'a passion for ______'.

Sorry for rambling, but are there any examples of colleges which look more favourably on certain students depending on what they say in their personal statement.

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Your personal statement won't be read by the college as admissions are centralised. The college application process is entirely separate and you should be aware that any preference you have may not be granted or, potentially, if it is, that you could be reallocated to a different college on or after results day. Hope that helps! I would focus on making your Personal Statement as appropriate as possible for your choice of course.

Reply 2

Durham Rep Ghala

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi, I'm form Durham and so understandably many people apply to Durham Uni, but also other collegiate unis such as Oxbridge. Many of my teachers are also Durham graduates, and they keep on saying personal statements should be personalised to the character of the college you're applying to.
I am apprehensive to this approach, however, as:
Durham makes you rank your college choice, so multiple colleges with different charavters are reading the same PS - if they cared that much then the other colleges would be put off?
Oxbridge colleges seem to have no info on what matters to them most; it seems the unis have done a good job on just saying 'a passion for ______'.
Sorry for rambling, but are there any examples of colleges which look more favourably on certain students depending on what they say in their personal statement.

Hey there

I would echo what has been said above. There's really no need to tailor your application to the college as they won't be reading your personal statement. Tailoring might be relevant for Oxford as the teaching there takes place in colleges but that's not the case at Durham. I would focus on tailoring your PS to your course.

Good luck!

-Himieka