Advice regarding Personal statement for uni entry.

[eyeliner]

saalam everyone,

There are quite a few members from the UK here, so they may have the upperhand in giving me their thoughts however, everyone's thoughts are welcome. And the SECOND part is applicable to everyone......... infact thats like the main thing.

Ok.......so the thing is that i am reapplying to uni this year and the personal statement that i used was really good, it got me offers from all the uni's. So do you lot think i should keep the same personal statement, or create another one?

SECOND AND MAIN THING (which led me to create this thread), was that i am retaking some A level modules, and also my GCSE maths, to enhance my grades.....NOW, AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT (and i have noticed that people in this forum are really good with words, so this goes out to all of you).....how should i put that into words i.e. that im retaking some modules etc. The thing is that i want it to sound eloquent and concise and i want it to be attention grabbing. SO PLEASEEEEEEEE HELP ME WORD IT.

[Shamaar]

Nice topic eyeliner.

I'm not from the UK, but I'm pretty sure everyone in North America has to write Personal Statements when applying to universities too.

If your previous one did the trick for you then I think you should re-use it or maybe update it slightly if you have anything important to add. Why mess with a good thing, after all.

Regarding, the retaking of courses, I say it'll probably be better to say something like "I was interested in increasing my knowledge in the following subject matters, so I decided to retake them."

I could be wrong, but generally admissions people can read between the lines. They know people take courses to bump up their marks, so I don't think stating that explicitly is necessary. Other can correct me if they feel I'm wrong about this.

Good luck!

[eyeliner]

^ fair comment.......i totally understand your stance, but if i am retaking something how can i say i am increasing my knowledge of it, wouldnt increasing knowledge concern other things, if you get what i mean. I totally agree that the admissions team would know that i did that to improve the grades, but i am confused on how to word it.

Aside: You raised a point in my head.........lol.......if i cant go to sleep tonight im going to blame you

[Shamaar]

^ fair comment.......i totally understand your stance, but if i am retaking something how can i say i am increasing my knowledge of it, wouldnt increasing knowledge concern other things, if you get what i mean. I totally agree that the admissions team would know that i did that to improve the grades, but i am confused on how to word it.

Aside: You raised a point in my head.........lol.......if i cant go to sleep tonight im going to blame you

Lol, I didn't want to get you worrying about it. It's just that these guys are employed to do this, so they get pretty good at all it encompasses.

I have a LOT of friends who retook courses and got into really good universities. I'll ask them how they explained it and then pass the information on to you here.

[eyeliner]

^ that would be of a great help......do you think that reading my personal statements again will be like a deja vu? or will it be fine.......i will obviously tweak it and update it where its relevant.

[Shamaar]

^ that would be of a great help......do you think that reading my personal statements again will be like a deja vu? or will it be fine.......i will obviously tweak it and update it where its relevant.

I don't think they'll have any issue with it being the same. They go through so many that they probably aren't concerned with whether any match up with last year and what not. But I would definitely update it if I were you. Maybe add in some new achievements you've made or learning experiences etc.

[eyeliner]

^ the thing is.........to be blunt about it........its more of a doss year for me..........but i am trying to improve my grades which is something that i need to update on.

[Shamaar]

^ the thing is.........to be blunt about it........its more of a doss year for me..........but i am trying to improve my grades which is something that i need to update on.

Hmmm I see. Okay, let me ask my friends when I get a chance, then I will get back to you. They'll probably have some suggestions for how to make the retaking of courses look in the best possible light.

[unknownprince]

I know lots of people who have recently written personal statements. Mostly all medical school applications. I will ask for them

[IamDZJ]

Sweetheart I am a drop out. I cant help you with this but the others seem to have some information about it. Good luck.

[eyeliner]

^ i like the way you word things though

[eyeliner]

could you really class retaking something as furthering your knowledge of it? because you have already done it before, so surely your not furthering your knowledge of it?

[eyeliner]

^ lol.....i think that would sound cheesy, i want it to sound genuine, concise and eloquent at the same time

[Palwasha]

Wa'alaykum asalaam.

There's no problem whatsoever in keeping the same personal statement, they recieve so many from so many applicants, so it's unlikely they'll remember it. Though, you could tweak it a little if you wanted.

Is it necessary to mention re-takes in the personal statement? People don't usually do that, so I don't think you actually have to. From what I know and heard, don't you just leave those subjects as pending on ucas?

Also talk to your college/6th form advisors or teachers.

[eyeliner]

Wa'alaykum asalaam.

There's no problem whatsoever in keeping the same personal statement, they recieve so many from so many applicants, so it's unlikely they'll remember it. Though, you could tweak it a little if you wanted.

Is it necessary to mention re-takes in the personal statement? People don't usually do that, so I don't think you actually have to. From what I know and heard, don't you just leave those subjects as pending on ucas?

Also talk to your college/6th form advisors or teachers.

Actually the whole pending thing was a little confusing to me, because ive sat all the units and got an overall grades thats been cashed in. The thing is im doing it as an external student so im not sure, i guess i'll have to talk to my 6th form regarding that.

But how do you think i should word the retake thing?