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Original poster

y13 dc and personal statement.

27 replies

houselikeashed · 04/10/2022 21:31

Just had a row with dd. I suggested she made a start thinking about her personal statement for UCAS. (Not Oxbridge).
Apparently school have said don't start it yet, concentrate on picking uni's.
So, if you have a y13 dc doing UCAS, have they started their personal statement yet?

OP posts:
Darbs76 · 04/10/2022 21:32

It’s definitely time to start thinking about it. Deadline is January but often schools want it much sooner so they can do their bits. I’d imagine they will give them dates. My son applied last year but applied early for Oxbridge so had it done by now.

Original poster
houselikeashed · 04/10/2022 21:35

That's what I thought. DS did Oxbridge, so he was sooner anyway.
DD is more….independently minded. I said what harm would it do to start thinking about about, and jotting down some ideas? But an argument happened instead. 😤

OP posts:
ladywithnomanors · 04/10/2022 21:37

Yes DS is doing his at the moment

Dotcheck · 04/10/2022 21:37

College/ school said not to do it….

yeah, sure!

Obviously if she still doesn’t know her subject area, then she can’t write a statement….

WeAllHaveWings · 04/10/2022 21:37

Ds applied last year and while he didnt write his until PS until December, he put some bullet points down about what he thought he could put in it over the summer holidays, and looked at things he wanted to do to add to it. He did a course, some reading/webinars, some work experience.

Then when it came to writting it he did it over a weekend in December, but that was only possible because of the prep he did.

Bebobebo · 04/10/2022 21:38

Christmas holidays a good time to do it.

keiratwiceknightly · 04/10/2022 21:41

My y13 dort sat down and did 1st draft last weekend. She's aiming to send her ucas off mid-November so she can then concentrate on a level coursework tasks/EPQ etc. It's a busy year!

ginforall · 04/10/2022 21:42

I'm a sixth form tutor. I would advise starting sooner rather than later. If everyone in my form left it until December I would not have time to properly check, advise on improvements and write references.

Maireas · 04/10/2022 21:42

My yr13 tutor group are already doing it so that I can check and give feedback.

Noodledoodledoo · 04/10/2022 21:43

I am a Sixth Form tutor - our Yr 13's were off timetable 2 weeks ago to make a start on personal statements - everyone not just early applicants.

mnahmnah · 04/10/2022 21:47

Sixth form tutor here too. Ours have an intensive UCAS day in the summer term of yr 12 to start their personal statements. They should be just about done by now. As well as choosing courses. As teachers, our subject references had to be done a couple of weeks ago so that tutors can compile a complete reference. So it all needs to come together by November so that school can do all the final admin in time for the actual UCAS deadline.

tulippa · 04/10/2022 21:47

DD's school has had her write a couple of drafts already. She's not an early applicant.

Curioushorse · 04/10/2022 21:48

Ha ha. Sixth form form tutor here. There is zero chance the school has said not to start. Ours started writing in the summer. We had a day off timetable in September.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 04/10/2022 21:49

DD's sixth form tutor has asked for their first drafts ASAP so they can read them and suggest what to do for their next drafts.

PatriciaHolm · 04/10/2022 21:51

DD started a couple of weeks ago; school suggested they think about it over summer!

Jennywren1975 · 04/10/2022 21:54

DS has already submitted his second draft to be looked over by his tutor.

DeathWinsAGolfish · 04/10/2022 21:55

DD has completed hers and UCAS forms. They have been working on them since start of the term.

pinkstripeycat · 04/10/2022 21:55

some y13s have already submitted UCAS applications

Cwcwbird · 04/10/2022 21:57

My dd has started hers and school have asked for the first draft by half term. They want them completed by Xmas holidays. They are offering a lot of support to pupils so I suppose they need to give themselves enough time to properly read them and give feedback..

Blanketpolicy · 04/10/2022 22:01

Great to see so many schools are supporting students with their ucas applications. Ds got a 10 min presentation with dates and deadlines, an A4 page with some tips, told to look up student finance, and left to get on with it.

Feedback from teacher was "looks great" and a couple of very minor grammer corrections and that was it. He then, independent from the school, used TSR PS review service and they ripped it to pieces gave lots of really helpful constructive feedback and he restructured it that night and submitted the next day.

clary · 04/10/2022 22:02

Mine are at or left uni buy they had certainly pretty much written it by now. Dd's needed a major edit. Her form went in around November, ds2's by mid Dec.

I would deffo start helping her think about some ideas op. @Bebobebo Christmas hols is a bit late! Dd had all her offers by then.

gigglinggirl · 04/10/2022 22:18

In my school the deadline is 31st October for all of Year 13 to get their PS in; the internal Oxbridge deadline was end of September. Some universities start making offers around now so I would encourage her to get her skates on. (I realise this is what you were trying to do too OP!)

TheHouseElf · 04/10/2022 22:31

My Year 13 teen's school is constantly on her back about this and they started working on it in Year 12, with constant pressurising from school since they've been back in September. She has a draft but still has work to do but her Form Tutor hasn't been helping them (unlike the other form tutors) so she's approaching one of her subject teachers for advice since they teach the subject she wants to do her degree in.

There are examples/old ones online, which help give an idea of what to put etc, to help give your DD on a place to start hers. We've been to a good number of Uni's and some take these statements more into consideration than others, for some if you get the grades, you'll get a place.

mnahmnah · 04/10/2022 22:31

I would be dropping their form tutor an email to get exact dates…

Magpie1976 · 04/10/2022 22:40

6th form tutor here and yes def need to start now. About half of mine have done at least 1 draft and the rest will very soon