Something very special to help you with your UCAS Personal Statement
😊 Welcome
Hi everyone, and welcome to a slightly different edition of #betterunichoices.
Over the last month or so I’ve been working hard on a whole suite of new materials, so instead of the usual format, this week I’d like to tell you all about my new online course, Podcast and written guide; all designed to help you to write your UCAS Personal Statement.
💻 UCAS Personal Statement online course
So first up, I’ve just launched a short online course to help you write your Personal Statement.
It’s free, and consists of 10 super-short videos with accompanying PDF summaries to download.
The videos total just one hour, though if you follow the instructions as you go, you’ll be spending a little bit of time brainstorming ideas, developing your structure, and practicing reflective writing before the course is done.
But by the time you finish, you’ll have everything you need to finish your first draft.
And you’ll know what to do next too!
🍿 YouTube videos
I’ve also put all the videos, plus links to the PDF summaries in a playlist on my brand new YouTube channel.
🎙️ Podcasts
If you’d prefer to listen to these, rather than watch, I’ve made the whole series into a short Podcast, which you’ll find in the usual places.
📖 Downloadable guide
And of course, you’ll know that I love a good book, and while this isn’t really long enough to qualify, I have made the whole series available as a written guide to download for free from my website.
Note that if you have the version I published last year, this one is updated with a section on ChatGPT, and is shorter, punchier and a little easier to read.
Just like the videos and podcast, it’ll take about an hour to read, but you should also allow time to do the exercises as you go.
🎁 So what’s included?
Each version of the guide contains the same 10 parts.
First we look at the UCAS process as a whole. Then we look at when your Personal Statement might be used, and how it can impact university decisions.
Following that I discuss the practical basics of the statement; what’s allowed, and what are the limitations.
Next we start brainstorming what goes in your statement; starting with a series of questions that you can ask yourself, to get all your ideas out of your head, and into your notes.
I’ll then give you a really simple, super-clear structure that you can use to start writing, and we’ll discuss how to write reflectively, to make sure that everything you write about is meaningful and matters to the admissions tutor.
There is a section on how to write a Personal Statement for two different subjects, and we’ll have a quick look at how to use ChatGPT usefully and appropriately.
I’ll then share some ideas on getting help and feedback on your statement, and we finish with some top tips that I’ve collected over the years from countless colleagues from different universities.
In short, it's everything you need to write your UCAS Personal Statement.
🧑🏫 Teachers and Advisers
I don’t think you’ll find such a comprehensive guide to Personal Statement writing anywhere else.
So please use these materials in your classes, and recommend them to your students to complement what you already do.
Parts 3 to 6 would work really well in a classroom.
For each you can show the video, pass round the summary handout, and allow students time to complete the task (note that Part 3 doesn’t have a task, it just covers the basics). All four could probably be covered in a two hour session.
And that’s it! Have a look and see if it works for you!
Of course, I’d love to know what you think, so please do send me your feedback.
Next week, we’ll be back to the usual format.
Thanks for reading, see you next week!
Jonathan
