6th Application. Anxious DD & CV/Personal Statement- Tips Please ??

[RockinHippy]

My DD16 has health problems that impact a lot on how much she can do outside of school as she exhausts easily, is ill a lot, meaning her attendance is low anyway & so she dropped clubs etc to concentrate on her education.

Background...

Anxiety is a symptom & at times, especially around exams & decision making, it's unmanageable. She also has a low opinion of her achievements & abilities & anything we do to encourage her & remind her how bright she is, how strong she is etc p, is seen as piling on the pressure & expecting too much from her, when nothing could be further from the truth😐.

She has to write a personal statement & CV as part of her 6th form college application. Her friends all have dance awards, sports awards, work references, academic awards outside of school etc, plus interesting activities to add to this CV. DD, according to her, has nothing & she's now convinced herself that poor mock results which she doesn't even know yet, but sat them with flu and has convinced herself that she has failed everything

She keeps telling me she's below average in exams, and classes too even though she knows she should be able to do better, but can't because of her health problems, which she gets some help for in school & exams. She isn't below average intelligence/grades, even when she does worse than she's really able in exams, so I don't know where this idea comes from. --

Her health problems escalated a few years ago, putting her in a wheelchair & flat on her back more often for nearly 2 years until we found the cause. She missed almost 2 full years of school, yet she was so stoic & determined not to be left behind, that she caught up with the rest of her classes in a matter of a few months & even surpassed a lot in a language class that they had 2 more years of than they did. She amazed a lot of people, but sees herself as not good enough, not clever enough & her health problems are just excuses 😐
I think writing about this is about as good a CV as it gets to show dedication to learning & she can get a good reference from our friends nursery, where she has helped out at times & did a work placement there. It will be a genuine reference as she did really impress them, especially with her ability to win over usually very shy SN kids.

A, how important is this statement/CV to getting into 6th form college- she only really has one suitable option here, the other local college isn't known to be good with SN/Disability.

B. Am I right in thinking she does have achievements to write about, given how she massively defied the odds to get herself almost back to where she was academically before she was so seriously ill that she missed so much school

That sounds like a good plan.

Does she have any other interests such as reading or a hobby she might like to mention. As she ever done any babysitting etc too. She could say something along the lines of I consider myself to be responsible and trustworthy as evidenced my neighbour trusting me to babysit/care for their pets while on holiday or similar.

If she knows what A levels or BTecs she wants to do is there anything in particular she may have done to show an interest eg gone to a museum or exhibition etc

If it's a state sixth form, the admissions criteria will be published on their website. They have to abide by these. The criteria usually include things like:

• Children looked after
• Children with an EHCP
• Distance from the school/college

They'll also want some evidence from the current school that she is likely to meet the grade requirements needed for entry. These should be published on the website or in the prospectus. They will also want to make sure that they can offer the combination of subjects she wants.

They will then give out offers to lots of applicants, according to the admissions criteria.

Unless it's a specialist sport or music college, they won't base offers on whether the applicant has Grade 8 piano or plays county hockey.

I dont think a CV/statement is that important for a Sixth Form College and I think including how she has overcome adversity is a very good plan.

My DD who is Lower Sixth did do a personal statement for a back up school she applied to and I think from memory she was just asked one question about a part time job - I think it was a case of the interviewer being able to break the ice and give them something to talk about.

Its more important that she can explain why she would like to take the A Levels she is taking and showing she has a real interest in these subjects.

Well done to your DD...for pulling through!