Wednesday 29 December 2010

Writing a UCAS Personal Statement

How about - "I'm awesome, please consider me for your instiution." No? OK, let me see. How about - "I'm awesome, please consider me for your institution, would you like a sweet?"

No again? Not good enough? Why not? Please don't make me do this!

Laziness is a large factor as to why people don't write a decent personal statement, for me it is something different. When I highlight a quality about myself I feel I am opening a door to scorn and riducule. "So I took a look at that 'blog' you mentioned in your statement.... Not exactly pulitzer material is it?" or "So you can play the guitar eh? How about a quick rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee?" No matter what quality I choose to highlight I always feel that there is someone that can do it better so what right do I have to make that a stand out quality?

Even though those qualities that I eventually put down are admirable, I do write for a local paper, I pass any exam/assesment sent my way, I get on well with people, I co-edit my own publication, I expect to have 70wpm short hand in 5 months time and I have a very strong tech background, I still feel that people are ready to attack them rather than endorse.

When I do manage to drege up some nice things to say about myself I then have to put them together in a coherent and interesting way. Which, I am sure, is fairly easy when it comes to applying to a physics course but there is a nice added pressure that comes from applying to journalism or some other literary persuit. Course leaders expect you to be a world class writer already! They expect word smithing of a high calibre. They expect that if you want to study journalism that you should already be a Journalist!

Don't they?

Perhaps I am putting too much pressure on myself, after all pulitzer winners or skills like Jinnifer Batten's do not come easily, but rather through hard work, dedication and teaching. I'm working on the first two, hopefully the third will come as soon as I've got this damn statement out of the way.