Worried that DS2 is taking on too much to bump up his personal statement. Any one else ?

[Peterpiperspickledpepper]

DS2 is 16 just gone into year 12. Is a worker, very diligent, well organised with regards to academic stuff (other things not so much lol). Did extremely well in GCSEs. He’s currently studying for 4 A’levels and really enjoying it, now decided he’s going to do an EPQ. School are also offering opportunities like being a school ambassador which involves a certain degree of commitment and then you’ve got other things like a part time job at some point.
At the moment he’s not sure what unis to aim for, parents evening isn’t until next month. I’m pretty certain some unis are less interested in extra curricular stuff and just want to see passion for chosen subject, others not so much.
Back in my day there really wasn’t all this mad rush to tick stuff off so it’s a bit of a culture shock. I’m not sure really what I’m asking but I guess just wanted to get a feel for what other A’level students had done, whether they got the balance right or overdid it and studies suffered.

I don’t see the point of the EPQ. And at the end of the day the Uni’s want your money, so unless you’re very picky about where you are going, I wouldn’t worry.

Depending on what subject and what unis extra curriculars don’t matter unless medicine/ veterinary etc.
they are good for personal development/ career stuff but most unis are after evidence of super curricular stuff related to the subject- extra reading/ courses/ moocs etc.

Thanks. I’ve told him this.

I’m pretty certain some all unis are less interested in extra curricular stuff and just want to see passion for chosen subject

Fixed that for you! No uni is remotely interested in your footballs skills, DofE, cello grade 7. They are only interested in your grades and enthusiasm for the subject.

The PS is also changing to prompted paragraphs so check the requirement, it's not going to be a blank box where you write anything.

Any activities if mentioned must be related back to the subject. So DofE could be mentioned if applying for Geography and the applicant talks about documenting the geographical features of the Mumsnet Hills during the expedition.

I disagree with this - something like a school ambassador shows responsibility and a serious, hardworking nature that a lot of universities would be attracted to.

i mean, a university with a lot of competition to get in would, anyway. Some will let anyone in regardless of stuff like this.

There is a lot of point in an EPQ in terms of transferable skills if you're aiming for uni.
Yes most unis don't ask for it, however it teaches you proper referencing, how to write academically, and how to find reputable sources from primary research.
The amount of my peers on my undergrad who did not know how to reference and did not know that newspapers etc cannot be academic references was insane!

I think it’s useful but it’s just icing on the academic cake.

I would ask him how much he can realistically do around his A levels - one thing like school ambassador plus a sport to relax is going to be more than enough.. and he may find he needs to drop the former

No university courses ask for 4 A levels - much better to have 3 outstanding grades than risk 4 lower ones (unless he is predicted 4A/A*s)
Taking 3 would give him more time to do EPQ (shows breadth of learning beyond the curriculum) and time to be a school ambassador.

In the country, a level grades are VASTLY more important than the personal statement. If you don't make the grades, you won't get an offer regardless of how lovely the statement is.

So do the extras for fun, but not for UCAS.

Just to add, if he is considering medicine, dentistry, veterinary, or nursing, then work experience is crucial.

Get him to concentrate on gaining the best predicted grade's possible as that will open doors to the top tier universities. Secondary to that will be supra curricular stuff, reading around the subject, the odd holiday course or Mooc. Then lastly, a part time job if he wants/can get one or needs the money.

My experience with my two dcs who have just done their A levels.
Both did 4 subjects.
dc1 finds school, easy and sort of sailed through. Could have had better results (even though the ones he got were good!) if he had put a bit more work in - his words, not mines!
dc2 has had similar good results at GCSE. But is finding things harder. I think it showed in his results (lower than expected). He would have done better with 3 subjects and not stretching himself. And wouldn’t have worried as much re getting his first choice at Uni!

Bottom line, unless your ds wants to join a really competitive Uni/subject, my advice is to nit stretch himself and get the highest results he can on the subjects he has now. It will take him further.

Universities want the grades. And sometimes for very competitive subjects, extra curriculars that relate DIRECTLY to the subject you want to study. They don't pay attention to anything else.

The EPQ can be helpful because it gives an experience of writing a long form essay. And both my kids really enjoyed it. But I'm not sure if it's helpful.

If you think about it, paying attention to extra curriculars is discriminatory.

I did 4 A levels and although most universities don’t ask for it, I did feel that it got me ahead when I applied for competitive places.

I'd say it's better to do four A levels and get the best results possible, rather than spreading himself too much.

DD didn't do an EPQ as she planned to take exams in violin, piano and singing. She and school felt it would be too much. She applied to five unis which were looking the her predicted grades and got five offers.

If he is going to do anything else, I'd say do something that might be relevant to a course he would strongly be interested in considering. DD actually started her PS off with how she'd become interested in what she wanted to study when she gained some knowledge doing work experience.

Forgot to say, taking music exams was totally irrelevant to her chosen course.

DD dropped her fourth Alevel when admissions staff at every Uni open day she went to made it clear that they just weren’t interested. And that they had seen, over and over, people doing less well on the three grades that mattered through stretching themselves too thin.

Similar with extra curricular. Didn’t even mention gold DoE or her many mentoring roles at school. I think teacher references might cover the latter?

It all seems v counterintuitive to me. I would have thought that a greater breadth of subjects and wide-ranging interests and responsibilities outside school would be relevant (although I can see how it would be discriminatory too) I’m hoping we weren’t given dodgy info!!

My son's personal statement was mostly about books he'd read, physicists and theories he was interested in, and a project he did for school. Basically, all centered around what he was applying for. He went to a good uni that is quite hard to get into. He didn't add any extra curricular stuff because he was really lazy at that age and didn't do anything!

@titchy...

You speak with confidence and yet don't provide the merest hint, why?

Op it's hard when people comment without context. However I've seen over and over again it's about passion for the subject.

hint of what? I've worked in the uni sector for 30 odd years - I'm informed by a fair bit of experience. Parietal is also in the uni sector and her post mirrors mine.

I'm not sure what you're getting at tbh? But use your common sense - unis want applicants that will gain 1sts or 2:1s, score them highly in the NSS and go onto gain graduate level jobs or further study, not people who will help them in the BUCS leagues.

It depends hugely on the course they are aiming to do and the University they are hoping to apply for.

Then depends on the individual pupil.
Some pupils wouldn't consider 4 A-levels, it would be far too much, yet there are students who sail through 4, or even 5 A levels.
Some pupils find doing something like football at the weekend a great way to relax, others find it "another commitment".
Coaching, or leading at something like Scouts or Guides can be a necessary helpful thing on your CV if you were going to apply for teaching, for example, but if you are aiming for pure maths, they probably wouldn't be interested.

There's no 'one answer' to this question.

Also, skills young people gain from something like PT jobs, dealing with the public, drama, Scouting, and so many more things, make them far better candidates for job applications later - everything isn't all about the Personal Statement.

A hint of the authority on which you speak.

Now you have told us, thank you.