Personal Statement

My interest in international Affairs was derived from my intention of facilitating the communications between cultures. In my opinion, the different cultures’ involvement in international affairs is closely related to the flawed cultural integration hence some bad relations. With four years of university life in Hong Kong, where eastern and western cultures conflict and integrate at the same time, I deeply understood the positive effect of harmonious international relations and the severe consequences of cultural misunderstandings. As a result, I have made my mind to devote myself to prompting the cross-cultural communications while eliminating the stereotypes and misunderstandings. To be specific, I would love to become a writer, a translator or an editor who works as a bridge, connecting people and their cultures.

With my ardent interest in cross-culture communications and international studies, plus the ambition of alleviating misunderstandings, I chose the major of Translation and Interpretation in undergraduate at City University of Hong Kong. Being self-disciplined, independent and highly-motivated, I strived to equip myself as best as I could. In addition to the harsh training and practice at school, I also spent my spare time exploring extra-curriculum books in various fields, aiming to enlarge my knowledge scope and widen my horizon. My dedication paid off as I got relatively remarkable grades for most courses, especially communication related ones, such as an A for Translation for the Media, an A- for Theory of Translation, an A- for Advanced Consecutive Interpretation (English to Putonghua), etc. In the past few years, my GPA for the core courses was 3.33 (overall: 3.22).

Apart from academic performance on campus, I took a few internships which were all related to cultural communications. I was referred by my professor to work as a conference interpreter for the symposium named Future Culture [In]tangible Heritage, which was hosted by the Hong Kong advanced Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Studies. Our team earned a widely-acknowledged reputation for our interpretation services. This experience not only enriched my professional experience and knowledge, but gave me a lesson on teamwork as well. Moreover, when I saw the scholars from Dunhuang Academy and British Library, who did not know each

1

other’s language or culture, talked fluently with my help, I was fascinated by the magic of words and languages, which firmed my decision of my career choice.

Born and raised up in a culturally rich area, I have always felt called upon to present my hometown’s culture accurately and adequately. As a trail to achieve my goal, I worked for a local firm in my hometown in order to promote the cultural heritage to the visitors. I helped receive and interpret for a few distinguished guests including the group of Nobel Laureates as well as the Premier from Rwanda. I also drafted the English script for the introduction which was played in the electronic guide. Our team’s work was appreciated by the guests as well as the company.

Firmly believing in the importance of cross-cultural communications, I have made my mind to stimulate the cultural exchange and integration worldwide. To make this objective come true, I need to master appropriate skills and persistently deepen my understanding of international studies. Bearing in mind what I am seeking for, I hope the MA in Global Affairs at Jackson Institute to be my next stop. Its courses like The Next China, Strategy, Technology and War, The UN and International Security will enable me to improve my knowledge structure which is instrumental to future goal attainment. And its concentration on International Security Studies will accelerate my pursuit of career aspirations. Besides, its unique Research and Summer Internship or Employment will help me enrich my practical experiences in the field of cross-cultural communication. I am confident that, prepared with adequate competitiveness and capacities, I will be an active and contributive member of the Jackson MA International Relations program.

2

第二篇：留学用个人陈述_Personal_Statement

economists

As the Asian financial crisis continues unabated in its second year, I , an economics major trained at one of China’s best cradles of economists, feel duty-bound to pursue advanced studies. Only by doing so can I hope to make a significant contribution to the discourse on China’s economic development strategy as the country endeavors to dodge the economic debacle that has befallen its neighbors. I must help decipher the puzzle of how the Asian economic miracle has busted. It is my strong belief that my country can draw vitally important lessons from the failures of other Asian economies.

Most of my education to date is characterized by preeminence. a graduate from the Beijing No.4 Senior High School, one of the country’s very best high schools, I did my undergraduate university studies at the University of Inter national Business and Economics, a most respected institution that specializes in training economists and entrepreneurs. At this university, I received extensive training that was both rigorous and vigorous in economics. Exercising diligence and creativity, I achieved an academic record that was the envy of many of my schoolmates. Such education should provide solid grounding for me as I seek to vault into higher intellectual domains.

Upon graduation in 1997, I have been working for China National Chemical Supply and Sales Corporation, one of the country’s key state-owned companies. I obtained the position on the strength of my outstanding academic records as well as the excellent performance I exhibited during my internship there. The job is satisfying in terms of both remuneration and prestige, but it does not give me a big enough stage to realize my ambition of making myself a prominent Chinese economist.

I understand that, in today’s world, the power of a nation lies in its economic strength. This is particularly so for China, which has to support almost a quarter of the humankind with only a fraction of the world’s resources and wealth. While the development of economy is essential to every country, no other country in the world has to shoulder the kind of responsibility that China does. With an economy the size of Canada’s, China has a population that increases by a Canadian population every two years, even while it is enforcing a strict family planning rules. That means that, to just maintain the existing living standards of its citizens, China has come up with a enough jobs every two years for what amounts to the employment of every Canadian, young or old, healthy or sick. This is a daunting task that no country has ever faced. The fulfillment of this task, no doubt, calls for ingenuity.

I am glad to see that China is following a path that it has chosen, first and foremost, in response to the realities within its own borders, even though it has not shunned from integrating its economy with that of the developed world. With almost 20 years of vigorous economic reforms, the Chinese seem to have struck the right balance between answering the call of accelerating globalization and defending its national interests. This balance has paid off in many ways. The country’s average economic growth rate of nearly 10 per cent for almost 20 years makes its economy the fastest growing among all major economies. The economic strength it has thus accumulated is helping it to stave off the financial meltdown that has ravaged the tiger economies. I want to know what China has done right that the other countries have done wrong and how China can build upon its impressive record so far for sustained growth in the future. Sophisticated answers to these questions require sophisticated training, which I hope I can achieve in your distinguished program.

My undergraduate studies, though far from enough for my long-term purpose, have adequately prepared me for advanced research.. I am now solidly grounded in mathematics, statistics and basic theories of economics, all fundamental subjects in learning economics. I have been particularly interested in Game Theory and Money & Banking. To broaden vision, I have audited, by special arrangement for the gifted students, graduate courses like Futures & Securities Investment and International Marketing, taught by overseas professors. Through these courses, I have learned the concepts and theories of Western economics. All this has added to my intellectual depth.

With the vigorous training I received in my undergraduate studies, I have arrived at some basic understanding of the Asian economy, on which I would like to focus my graduate studies. I believe that, in spite of the breakneck growth in the 1970s and 80s of the tiger economies that gave rise to the “East Asian Miracle”, the East Asian countries failed to build up sound economic structures. Their economic growths were powered more by the injection of tremendous investments than anything else, which led to what has come to be called the bubble economies. In their rush to achieve grandiose growths targets, they set up only rudimentary systems of control over their financial industries. As a result, too many loans were allowed to be secured on overpriced real estate and stocks. Such a situation would result in grave consequences if either the real estate or stock market collapsed. When both of these markets crashed last year in one after another Southeast Asian country, their banks’ bad loans multiplied, setting off domino effects across whole economies throughout the region. The devastation was such that, more than a year after the crisis began, few people in Asia can see any light at the end of the tunnel today.

The big question in the Asian crisis is now on China. In the face of the Asian crisis, China has demonstrated remarkable strength and courage. Unlike in most other East Asian countries, the economy in China is still growing, and the Chinese currency is still stable. The difference is spelt, I believe, by the measures that China has taken in preventing the occurrence of a bubble economy. The Chinese government has not rushed to bless run-away speculation on the stock market, as some other Asian governments seemed to have done. Foreign investments, of which China has received more than any other country except the US, have been carefully channeled into infrastructure projects and industrial production. This, along with the inconvertibility of the Chinese currency on the capital accounts, has prevented the kind of capital flight that has undermined the financial systems in other Asian countries. Amazingly, China has become a powerful stabilizing force in Asian economies, although the country has been faulted by some in the West for not having embraced the free market concept as readily as other developing countries did. I think the stark contrast between the success of a somewhat more controlled economy and the failures of the free market economies begs for many questions.

The story on China is of course not over yet, nor will it be anytime soon. With the deepening Asian financial crisis mounting more and more pressure on China, the Chinese government and businesses are desperately trying to maintain economic growths while continuing the country’s structural reforms. We do not yet know whether China will in the end be able to tough out the current crisis that keeps knocking on its doors. Even if China can survive this round of crisis unscathed, it will have to continue integrating its economy further with that of other countries, thereby exposing itself more and more to the capricious forces of the international financial markets. In the process, Chinese economists will have to meet the challenge of answering difficult questions, questions that may not have been asked anywhere else. I would like to be one of those meeting this challenge.

In applying for acceptance into your program, I hope that, more than learning the staid concepts and theories of economics, I can sharpen my insights when treading on unmapped territories. I am attracted to your wide range of course offerings and the varied backgrounds of your faculty members. I am confident that, under your seasoned guidance, I will give full play to my intellectual potential in academic research. It should come as no surprise to you if I become one of the foremost authorities on the Chinese economy a few years after I graduate from your school.

Business Studies

My interest in Business Studies developed when I first studied it at GCSE which I enjoyed immensely. This was proved when I was awarded Student of the Year in Business Studies. Studying Business Studies, Accounting and Communication Studies at A level is enjoyable and I have developed skills from all three of these subjects that will help me succeed at university, I also have completed an AS Level in Information and Communication Technology. My main interest is in international business and would like to work in the marketing sector. I have gained extensive business understanding within the retail environment due to my part time job for the high street store, . One of the most important skills I have learned is communication and its importance to the success of the business. I have learnt to communicate effectively while working as a Sales Advisor and understanding the importance of communication, having gained important skills such as working in a group. Team work is an important aspect of business however, individual performance is just as important. I can work effectively in a team, but I also am motivated when it comes to individual performance. This has resulted in me being Star employee, twice. One of my many tasks that I complete at work is merchandising the shop floor and mannequins which is a challenging task. However I have gained the knowledge to merchandise which is one of the reasons why I have an interest in marketing.

I feel that my inspiration to work for an international business is partly due to my part time job which I enjoy and also my passion of culture. Therefore, in combination with my chosen Business subject I hope to combine it with a language. At the moment in my spare time I am using CD ROMS and books to understand Portuguese.

As part of my enrichment and interest in business studies, I gave assistance to a year 10 class who were studying Business at GCSE. I helped by explaining the concepts of business and giving them information on how to answer exam questions. In the classes that I attended I was able to offer business information that I leaned, to those students and this helped me explain business studies in a more logical way. I feel that younger students look up to older students as role models, and therefore I applied to be a Prefect. I found this responsibility a start to being well organised and committed. It was a valuable experience as my main duties were to help younger students feel secure from their transmission from Primary School to Secondary school.

Since before Secondary School I had always enjoyed Physical Education and I particularly enjoyed Tennis which has always been an interest of mine. I attended some after school Tennis activities in high school and still play Tennis to keep healthy and active in my spare time. One of my keen interests at the moment is reading the newspapers regularly and checking the finance sections where I keep track of the latest businesses that are doing well on the FTSE 100. I have recently gained an interest in shares due to my Accounts course studies.I am determined and ambitious to succeed at university. In my opinion University is not just about getting a degree, it is about learning and doing what you love. What I love is

Business studies and therefore I hope to be able to fulfil my ambition to study the subject at a higher level at university and work in the commercial sector.

简介 个人陈述，(personal statement，以下简称PS)是申请美国，加拿大，

英国等西方国家的大学/研究生录取时由申请人写的关于自我的一篇漫谈体文章。当然有的学校要求的文章题目不一定叫personal statement，如有的学校让你写出动机(Motivation)兴趣，经历等。GreatEssay机构教授史蒂夫认为由于在中国的升学体制中，基本上是唯分数论的，因此中国的申请人对这类文件的写作和思维方式不熟悉。而欧美大学录取学生，发放奖学金，是通过全面综合考察申请者的条件来决定的。所谓留学文书，如PS，推荐信，RP(Researchproposal),CV等是一套文件系统，用以向录取院校从各个角度展现您的求学动机，学术学习能力，工作和研究经历，结合一系列更“客观”，可量化的指标：如GRE，TOEFL，IELTS，GPA等构成您的全貌。留学文书在西方的文化背景下是申请入学(奖学金)的极为重要的组成部分。其中PS往往对您的申请是否成功起到很大的作用。笔者在为数百计的申请人进行留学文书的咨询和写作过程中发现，由于中西方教育体制的差异和网上各种良莠不齐的“范文“的误导，许多申请人的PS写作理念非常混乱，本文结合中国申请人文书写作的常见弊端，简述PS的写作要领。

长度

在欧美，PS归为ESSAY(漫谈)类，是一种短小精悍的文体。笔者曾深入研究过欧美出版的优秀PS文选，无不短小精悍，内容却非常丰满，文笔优美。一般来说一篇PS的正常长度为600—800英文单词，而相当多的中国申请人的PS超长。笔者甚至见到某些人的PS写到3千多字。

很多中国申请人试图把自己的方方面面的优点和成绩展示出来，须知PS不是简历的详细补充，许多信息可以通过其它文件展示(如学习成绩等)。美国大学的招生人员曾谈到：在留学申请旺季时，面对堆积如山的文件，一般他们审查一个PS的时间只有2、3分钟，那种长篇大论类的PS只能让人心生厌烦。

主题

PS必须紧扣所要申请那个专业的主题写，主线要明确，不要盲目的个性化许多人都一知半解地听说PS需要“独特个性”(unique)，和“煽

情”(Emotional),因此挖空心思地找自己的“独特“点和乱“煽情“，结果往往南辕北辙，许多中国申请人往往用大段篇幅写一些不相干的个性，在招生者眼中，这完全不着边际(makenosense)。必须明确，PS这样一篇短短数百字的文章是没有地方去说不相干的废话的。通过PS您必须让招生者知道您选择该专业的明确和强烈的动机，同时具备充分的条件完成该专业的学习。当然在这个基础上每个人都可以通过很独特而有个性的文字来表达自己。如笔者曾经修改过一份申请CS(计算机专业)的PS，原文用了数百字描述他如何开展班级工作的经历。笔者将其改为：我喜欢思考，如何让事物运转得更有效率。在大学期间我担任班级文艺委员职务。在工作初期，成员经常因为性格、工作方式各异产生矛盾。后来我根据每个人情况，让性格外向，善于与人交际的人做外联及工作将协调沟通的工作；让善于思考、思维活跃、勇于创新的人做各项工作的筹备及策划工作；让有远见、有凝聚力的人做整个工作的进度安排、及分配各项任务。这样安排的结果是系统发挥了最佳效率。既突出了个性，又紧扣申请CS专业应具有的严谨的系统思维能力这一重要素质体现了出来。

结构简单，衔接紧密，

主线明确，便于理解

“Simpleisthebest”请记住，招生人员每天要读大量的申请资料，只有那种简单有力重点突出的的文章才能打动招生人员。留学文书其实是您个人的广告，您仔细想想，给您留下深刻印象的广告哪个不是简明而有力的？中国申请人往往倾向于把自己的优点不分主次全都告诉招生人员，导致的结果就是招生人员对您的整体印象的模糊。笔者认为，PS中什么都是重点，就等于没有重点。

段落安排

精 心安排PS和其它文件的关系，如上所述，Personal Statement，推荐信，简历等文件构成一整套申请文件系统，既需要相互应证，也需要这些文件各有侧重点。因此在写作这些文件之前必须总体构思安排文章的布局和每个文件突出的重点。许多申请人将本该由简历或推荐信突出的内

容放在PS中，这样不但造成信息的无效重复，同时弱化了PS应起的作用。 相关问题

地道英语

语言表达层面上一定要用地道的英语，中国人自己读得很顺的英语往往是按中文的语言逻辑写成的“中式英语”,不但会大大削弱您想表达的

意思,产生误解,而且会让招生人员看起来很枯燥无味(DULL).有些申请人，特别是考过GRE的申请人，用词句式过于夸张，古怪，不符合英语的思维习惯和文风。这种中国学院英语，其实经常让外国教授难以理解或是看后笑得前仰后合。完成的文件最好由母语人士进行修改。

个人陈述的内容

应包含下列三项数据： 1 申请者的学术或专业兴趣及背景 2 欲研究的方向 3 未来的职业目标 写作时，可以按照三点将文章分为数段。不要像列清单，也不要重复申请表格已有的数据。

个人陈述有什么用

当申请者其他方面欠缺时，一份出类拔萃的个人陈述却有可能让从众多申请者中脱颖而出，甚至获得全额奖学金。在某些学校，个人陈述已经代替了面试，作为评价学生的一个重要依据。

个人陈述在整个申请材料的准备中占据了举足轻重的地位，也有必要赢得众位申请者的充分重视。

个人陈述的英文表述

statements of purpose; academic statement; study plan; plans for study; academic objectives; educational goals; letter of interests.

自述作文 （Personal Statement）

Personal Statement, 也称Statement of Purpose, Statement of Objective 或Study Plan.是海外大学用于了解申请人个人背景，学习目标，兴趣特长，工作社会经历等信息的重要依据。一般情况,学校会根据申请人所申报的专业提出多个问题，要求申请人根据所提的问题以短篇或长篇自述作文的形式来介绍自己。

在所有的留学的申请材料中，自述作文是最重要，也是最难准备的一部份。国外大学教授在录取时对申请人的个人素质和语言表达能力十分看重。在没有面试机会的情况下,自述作文成为教授了解学生综合能力的最重要依据.一份真实，个性化的作文能深深打动录取教授。即使申请人在SAT, GRE 等标准考试不出众的情况下也能受到多个名校的青睐, 并且成为获得全额奖学金有力竞争者。

完成初稿后的修改润色是自述作文写作的必须步骤. 由于英语不是第一语言, 中国留学生在写作英语作文时经常出现很多语法错误.对于用词,语句和表达方式都不能做到十分准确.而且由于中西方文化差异,写作内容选择上也会出现不恰当,有时会让国外录取人员在理解上产生误差,所以由英语母语专家帮助修改

自述作文是您的第一选择。

USAC——Personal Statement

Key points

Explain why you want to study the course you are applying for. If you mention your personal interests and hobbies, try to link them to the skills and experience required for the course.

The personal statement could be used as the basis for an interview, so be prepared to answer questions on it.

This may be your only written work that the course tutor sees before making a decision: make sure it is organised and literate. Get the grammar, spelling and punctuation right. A statement filled with errors will give a negative impression of your skills and the effort you have put in to being accepted. Your

statement must be written in English (or it can be in Welsh if you are applying only to Welsh universities and colleges).

The Undergraduate Admissions Manager at The University of Nottingham told us:

'These types of skills are the basics that academics will expect from someone at this level of education. Incorrect spelling, poor grammar and punctuation can make a poor impression on the reader. For courses such as English, these skills are of paramount importance.'

Writing about yourself is probably not something you do very often, so you might need to practise writing in this particular style. It is a good idea to list your hobbies and achievements, and then you can decide which ones demonstrate your strongest skills and personality.

Applying to multiple courses

Remember that you only write one personal statement so it will be used for all your choices. Try not to mention a university or college by name, even if you're applying to only one university - your personal statement cannot be changed if you apply to a different place later.

If you're applying for a joint degree you will need to explain why you are interested in both aspects of this joint programme.

If you're applying for different subjects or courses, you need to identify the common themes and skills that are relevant to your choices. For example, both mathematics and law are subjects where you have to think logically and apply rules. You may like both subjects because you enjoy solving problems, using theory and natural or man-made laws to come to a correct conclusion.

If your chosen courses can't be linked by a common theme, think about your reasons for applying to such varied courses - it might be useful to speak to a careers adviser to get some guidance.

If you mention a subject in your personal statement and are applying to other courses, you may be asked by the university or college for additional information about why you have chosen alternative courses. Applying to another choice later

If you apply to other choices after sending your application (eg you add a choice, or apply through or ), your original personal statement will be sent to the university, but you can contact the

university and ask if they will accept a revised statement. If they agree, you can send a new one to them. Attention-grabbing

Some statements start with quotes, some include jokes, some set out to be unusual or eye-catching. Sometimes it works, but it might have the opposite effect to what you hoped. The admissions decision maker may not share your sense of humour so be careful when trying to make your statement stand out. Write what comes naturally

Which of the following examples would you write?

a) Objective consideration of concrete evidence compelled me to realise the phenomenon was not unprecedented.

b) I realised this often happened.

This is not a serious example; but it shows that good writing is often concise, which is very helpful when you have a limited word-count.

In your personal statement you need to put your meaning across directly and simply. You can do this by keeping your sentences to an average of 12-20 words, and using English (or Welsh) in a way that is natural to you. Avoid sounding either over-familiar or over-formal and write to get yourself and your

message across clearly. Check that each sentence adds something new, otherwise it is just adding to the word count rather than adding value.

The quality of your writing reflects the quality of your thinking. Show that you know your strengths and can outline your ideas clearly. Use words you know will be understood by the person reading your statement; you might find it easier if you imagine you are talking to them across their desk. In fact, you can sometimes spot where your statement doesn't work well by reading it aloud.

What to include

Most courses have an Entry Profile that you can view in Course Search - these explain what the

university is looking for in their students and what qualifications or experience you'll need for the course. Check these because they'll give you some ideas about what to include in your statement.

Below are some suggestions of what to include in your personal statement. These are guidelines only so don't worry if some of the suggestions do not apply to you.

In this section...

? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Writing about the course

Two of the most important things to include are:

? why you're applying for the course you've chosen: this is particularly important when you're

applying for a subject that you have not studied before. Tell the university the reasons why that subject interests you, and include evidence that you understand what's required to study the

course, eg if applying for psychology courses, show that you know how scientific the subject is. ? why you're suitable for the course: tell the universities the skills and experience you have that

will help you to succeed on the course.

Also think about:

?

?

? how your current or previous studies relate to the course(s) that you have chosen any activities that demonstrate your interest in the course(s) why you want to go to university or college.

We looked at some of the reasons why applications were unsuccessful and here's a few that were sent to applicants in 2010:

?

? Your personal statement does not strongly support your desire to study your chosen degree. Your personal statement did not show sufficient understanding, relevance or knowledge about

the course you are applying for.

? You failed to demonstrate sufficient knowledge and interest in the subject in your personal

statement.

? There is a lot of competition for places on this course and your personal statement and

experience was not as strong as other applicants this year.

? Application form (including personal statement, reference and predicted grades) does not

evidence accurate understanding of or motivation for subject.

? Unsuccessful as you have not expressed a strong enough interest in the subject area in your

personal statement.

This should give you an idea of how important it is to show why you want to study the course and what you can bring to it - especially because it might be compared with other applicants applying for the same course.

Skills and achievements

Universities like to know the types of skills you have that will help you on the course, or generally at university. They also like to see if you've been involved in any accredited or non-accredited

achievements. Include:

? non-accredited skills and achievement which you have gained through activities such as:

? ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) awards,

for example, Universities Award

?

?

?

?

? CREST awards Diploma of Achievement Duke of Edinburgh Award Millennium Volunteers Scheme OCNW Level 3 Certificate in Personal Development for Progression

(previously known as the Liverpool Enrichment Programme)

?

?

? vfifty award WorldWide Volunteering Certificate of Volunteering Achievement Young Enterprise.

? accreditation achieved for any activities in preparation for higher education, for example through

the ASDAN Aimhigher Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE qualification).

? any other achievements that you are proud of, eg reaching grade 3 piano or being selected for

the county cricket team.

? positions of responsibility that you hold/have held both in and out of school, eg form prefect or

representative for a local charity.

?

attributes that make you interesting, special or unique.

Hobbies and interests

Think about how your hobbies, interests and social activities demonstrate your skills and abilities. If

there's anything that relates to your course or to the skills needed to complete a higher education course, include it - the more evidence the better.

The Assistant Registrar for Undergraduate Admissions from University of Warwick says that:

'The strongest applicants are those who can link their extra-curricular activities to their proposed course of study.'

Your statement will be more convincing and personal if you write about why an experience, activity or interest makes you a good candidate for the course. Include enough additional information to make it interesting and to demonstrate your own interest. Rather than making a statement such as

'I enjoy badminton'

try to provide context and show what you have learnt

'I play badminton twice a week with a club that plays in local competitions and I play in both singles and doubles matches. Doubles matches requires good team working, an ability to support your partner, to devise a game plan but be able to adapt it as required and fast reactions. I enjoy the social side of the club and take responsibility for organising the social activities and fundraising events. This gives me an opportunity to develop my organisational and planning skills. Fitting in all these activities while keeping up with my academic studies demands good time management and I think I do that very well.' Work experience

Include details of jobs, placements, work experience or voluntary work, particularly if it's relevant to your chosen course(s). Try to link any experience to skills or qualities mentioned in the Entry Profiles. For example, rather than just saying

'I spent two weeks working at a department store. I enjoyed speaking to customers and helping them with their enquiries'

you could say

'I spent two weeks managing customer enquiries at a department store. I learnt how to interact with

customers and handle complaints. The experience highlighted the importance of positive communication between a business and its customers, and taught me how to manage difficult enquiries effectively. I would like to develop this skill further by studying a degree in public relations.'

If you are not in full-time education, you should give details of any relevant work experience, paid or unpaid, and information about your current or previous employment.

Mature students

If you are applying as a mature student, use the personal statement to explain what you have been doing since leaving education, and provide additional evidence to support your application.

A representative from University of Ulster stated:

'a mature student might have valuable experience (perhaps 10 years working in the courts service, or a solicitor's offer), and this might form the basis for an APEL offer (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning'. So it is worth seeing if your experience could count towards an offer.'

International students

If you're an international student, use the personal statement to tell universities why you want to study in the UK. Also try to answer these questions in your statement:

?

? Why do you want to study in the UK? How can you show that you can successfully complete a higher education course that is taught

in English? Please say if some of your studies have been taught or examined in English.

?

Have you taken part in any activities where you have used English outside of your studies?

Future plans

If you know what you'd like to achieve after completing a university course, explain how you want to use the knowledge and experience that you gain.

Dos and don'ts

Dos and don'ts when writing your personal statement

Do create a list of your ideas before attempting to write the real thing.

Do expect to produce several drafts before being totally happy.

Do ask people you trust for their feedback.

Do check university and college prospectuses, websites and , as they usually tell you the criteria and qualities that they want their students to demonstrate.

Do use your best English/Welsh and don't let spelling and grammatical errors spoil your statement. Do be enthusiastic - if you show your interest in the course, it may help you get a place.

Don't feel that you need to use elaborate language. If you try too hard to impress with long words that you are not confident using, the focus of your writing may be lost.

Don't say too much about things that are not relevant - if you think that you are starting to, take a break and come back to your statement when you feel more focused.

Don't lie - if you exaggerate you may get caught out at interview when asked to elaborate on an interesting achievement.

Don't rely on a spellchecker as it will not pick up everything - proof read as many times as possible.

Don't leave it to the last minute - your statement will seem rushed and important information could be left out.

Don't expect to be able to write your personal statement whilst watching TV or surfing the internet - this is your future, so make the most of the opportunity to succeed.

Size and presentation

Structure and format

Think about the structure of your statement - it needs to look and sound good. A bad statement can say a lot, so make sure you check spelling and grammar as well.

A representative from Ulster Business School told us:

'The presentation of the personal statement is of critical importance to demonstrate use of English language and grammar at a standard suitable for entry to higher education.'

We've provided examples on this website to help you plan your statement, but the formats we've used are just suggestions; it's more important that the university sees your writing style than ours.

How to provide your personal statement

You can enter up to 4,000 characters (this includes spaces) or 47 lines of text (this includes blank lines), whichever comes first. You do not have to use all the space provided. When you save text, the system will tell you how many characters are still available or if you have used too many characters. You can preview your statement after you have saved it.

Please note that you cannot use italics, bold, ?, ?) in your personal statement - the system will automatically remove these when saved. This will not disadvantage your application. If you are an international student, we know that you may want to give correct titles of some things in your own language but universities and colleges are aware that accents and certain characters will not appear as they should.

We strongly recommend that you prepare your personal statement offline using a

word-processing package and copy and paste it into the Apply system. Whether you are typing your statement directly into the box, or amending a statement that you pasted in, you should click 'save' regularly because Apply will time-out after 35 minutes of inactivity. The countdown on the screen displays how much time you have left before it times out.

If you want to send more information, contact your chosen universities and colleges to check that they are happy to accept further details. If they are, send it direct to them after we have sent you your welcome letter and Personal ID. Do not send it to us.

Similarity detection

UCAS Similarity Detection Service - guidance for applicants

This guide is designed to help UCAS applicants understand our similarity detection process. All personal statements sent to UCAS are tested for similarity.

There are some example personal statements on the internet that have been used by applicants, in some cases word for word. The service we use, called Copycatch, finds statements that show similarity, works out how much of the statement may have been copied, and reports the findings. It helps admissions staff

at universities and colleges judge applications, and it is the institutions who decide what action, if any, to take regarding notified cases.

Research has shown that the majority of UCAS applicants do write their own personal statements.

However, the number making use of other people's material was high enough to justify the introduction of the Similarity Detection Service.

What the Similarity Detection Service does

Each personal statement is checked against:

?

?

?

a library of personal statements previously submitted to UCAS sample statements collected from a variety of websites other sources including paper publications.

Each personal statement received at UCAS is added to the library of statements after it has been processed.

What happens if a personal statement has similarities?

? Any statements showing a level of similarity of 10% or more are reviewed by members of the

UCAS Similarity Detection Service Team.

? Applicants, universities and colleges are notified at the same time by email when an application

has similarities confirmed.

? Admissions tutors at individual universities and colleges decide what action, if any, to take

regarding reported cases.

Eliminated words

The Copycatch process ignores commonly used words that many applicants use in their statements such as 'and', 'so' and 'with'.

Copycatch also ignores a selection of commonly used words and phrases including 'Duke of Edinburgh' and 'football'.

The verification process

? Copycatch identifies sentences in a personal statement that are matched to other personal

statements already held in the Copycatch system.

? Levels of similarity are checked by trained staff who decide whether you and the institutions you

are applying to need to be informed that similarity has been found.

? The universities and colleges you are applying to decide on the significance of the results and

what action, if any, to take.

? Your personal statement will not be compared to your earlier applications, if you have applied in

previous cycles or schemes.

Notification that a report has been sent to the universities and colleges

If Copycatch finds a significant level of similarity in your personal statement and the Verification staff at UCAS decide to inform the institutions you have applied to, we will let you know by email (if you have a verified email address). This email includes instructions on how you can view what Copycatch has found in Track, and gives you a link to frequently asked questions for further advice and guidance.

The report sent to you is identical to the report sent to the institutions. It displays your personal statement marked up to identify sentences similar to others in the Copycatch system.

How we show matches with other statements

We use four colours (see below) to indicate significant matches with other statements and grey to show sentences which have not been found to match.

Within matched sentences, words which are different from the one matched with it by the program are highlighted in black. is used to show that the word is related but not identical. What the sentence colours mean

Red is used for the sentences from the most matched statement.

Blue is used for the next best match if there are least three sentences.

Pink is used for the third best match if there are at least another three sentences.

Brown is used for any other matches if there are at least three sentences.

Grey is used for sentences for which no match has been found and for very short sentences, which don't get checked.

Examples

I grew up in a city near the sea and have always been fascinated by marine life.

If you had written this sentence and found it shown in red as above when you checked the notification report, it would mean that it had been exactly matched to a personal statement stored in the Copycatch library.

I grew up in a town near the sea and have always found marine life .

If the sentence you had written was marked in your report like the one above, it would mean that: ?

? town and found were not in the matched sentence matched sentence to be identified by underlining.

The blue colour also shows you that the match was found in the second most matched statement. The dates on the matched personal statements

At the bottom of the marked up personal statement, the number of sentences matched to library or internet sources is shown in the same colour as that used to mark up the sentences.

The date shows how long this personal statement has been in the UCAS collection. It does not mean that this particular statement was the one used as the source for the current personal statement.

Both may be taken from a source outside the library, or there may be other related files inside the library which have not been shown because there was no additional matched information.

The dates on the matching web sources

The number of web source sentences is shown in the same way, but here the date means either the date it was posted to the website, if known, or the date when the web source was identified by UCAS. Again, it does not necessarily mean that the file was the actual source.

As a feasibility study discovered, some web sources are very popular, and may appear on more than one website, or have been used in a modified form in a personal statement within the UCAS collection. Why the program works

? A personal statement of 4,000 characters will contain approximately 600 words, about half of

which will be words that are eliminated from consideration (see above).

? Usually, if two personal statements are randomly selected and compared, you would expect

very little or no similarity. Most sentences will be significantly different.

? This means that if Copycatch finds two sentences in different statements which have exactly the

same words, it is very likely that one is a copy of the other, or that both have been copied from a third source. Of course this can and does happen in essays if a quote from a text is included, but is very unlikely to occur in a personal statement.

? If Copycatch finds a number of identical or similar sentences in a personal statement and a file

held in the library, then a similarity report is generated.

For more information visit the UCAS Similarity Detection Service .