CHOOSING A COURSE AT UNIAND

WRITING A PERSONAL STATEMENTYour name here!

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT COURSE?

• Favourite subject?• Career-based?• Something different?• Something you find interesting!

DIFFERENT SORTS OF COURSE

• Arts/Sciences– (Don’t let the names fool you!)

• Sandwich courses• Language courses (year abroad?)• Part-time courses• Medical courses–Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry…– Pre-clinical vs Clinical

ONCE YOU’VE CHOSEN A COURSE…

• Compare universities!– Course content, ranking– Location, facilities, size, accommodation

• Be open to alternatives– You don’t have to have made up your

mind until you actually apply!• Remember that course choice should

be the most important factor in choosing a uni – but it won’t determine the course of your life!

TASK 1

• Split up into groups of 3• Write down a subject that one of you

studies• List jobs or careers you think you

could get into by studying that subject at university

• Repeat for the other 2 people (don’t do the same subjects…)

GUESS THE DEGREE!

Jess Ennis, Olympic athlete

Studied Psychology at the University of Sheffield Angela Merkel, German

ChancellorStudied Physics at the

University of Leipzig, Germany

GUESS THE DEGREE!

Mark Price, MD of Waitrose

Studied Archaeology at the University of Lancaster

Diane Abbott MPStudied History at the

University of Cambridge

GUESS THE DEGREE!

James Blunt, singer-songwriterStudied Sociology at the University of Bristol (but started off studying

aerospace manufacturing engineering!)

Dara O’Briain, TV comedianStudied Maths and Theoretical Physics at University College

Dublin

THINK YOU NEED LAW TO BE A LAWYER?

THINK YOU NEED ECONOMICS TO WORK FOR A BANK?

MORAL OF THE STORY…

• Don’t get too hung up on what your degree means for your future career– Don’t worry if you don’t have a concrete

plan!– There are comparatively few jobs for

which there is only one “correct” degree

• The most important thing is to choose a course you’re interested in, and which you’ll enjoy!

WHAT IS A PERSONAL STATEMENT?

• Accompanies your application to university– Like a cover letter and a CV

• Explain more about yourself• Explain why you’re interested in the

course• Talk about your experience• Used by universities to assess

potential students

TASK 2

• Split up into pairs• Talk to the person next to you for 3

minutes about your favourite subject and why you want to study it

• Talkers: Was it hard to talk about it for that long?

• Listeners: Were you convinced by what they were saying?

• How is this similar to writing a personal statement? How is it different?

HOW TO WRITE A PERSONAL STATEMENT

1) Why are you applying?2) Why are you enthusiastic about the

course? What do you already know about the course?

3) Why would you be good at this course?• Studies/school work• Work experience/volunteering• Skills

4) Any other information?

PERSONAL STATEMENT TIMELINE

15th October: Oxford, Cambridge, any medical courses

15th January: all other courses

PERSONAL STATEMENT TIPS

• 2/3 academic, 1/3 other• No more than 4000 characters, or 47

lines of text• No copying (either from each other

or the internet)• Get plenty of advice from teachers,

family members…– But remember that it’s your statement!

FIND OUT MORE!

Cambridge Prospectus:www.study.cam.ac.uk/

undergraduate Alternative Prospectus:www.applytocambridge.com

UCAS:www.ucas.com

Email me!access@cusu.cam.ac.u

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Come on an Open

Day!

Prospects:www.prospects.ac.u

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