calling mners whose dc have reapplied this year - how does plagiarism check work with your personal statement if it has similarities to your last year's personal statement?

[itsallunclearnow]

Sorry about long thread title! So, dc has decided not to take up deferred place next year, and is now applying for a new course at different universities. Most of the personal statement will be completely different but there are a few points that are still relevant. UCAS run the plagiarism check against all previous personal statements, as I understand? And the new UCAS application has a new registration number (although same name and date of birth!) Therefore, if you refer to the same things, is there a risk that your ps will be identified as plagiarised?

I seem to remember a mner said on another thread that if it's the same person, it won't be identified as plagiarising, but I don't think remember if the UCAS website says this expressly. I know quite a few mners have dc who have already reapplied - was this an issue for them? Even where you re-write it for a new subject, the extra curricular is likely to be the same (and in dc's case is relevant, so can't really be dropped altogether!)
All experiences gratefully received!

From the UCAS website:

The verification process
• Copycatch identifies sentences in a personal statement that are matched to other personal statements already held in the Copycatch system.
• Levels of similarity are checked by trained staff who decide whether you and the providers you are applying to need to be informed that similarity has been found.
• The universities and colleges you are applying to decide on the significance of
the results and what action, if any, to take.
• Your personal statement will not be compared to your earlier applications, if you have applied in previous cycles or schemes.
www.ucas.com/file/253631/download?token=FGPIwCIx

So no, there isn't a problem for an applicant resubmitting their own /part of their own PS.

Marchingfrog thanks so much, that is so helpful! So they presumably identify the student's previous application by name and dob, as the registration/UCAS ID number changes with a new application.

In any case presumably it would become apparent that they're the same person when the verification team reviewed it.

I imagine it's even more of an issue when someone is reapplying for, say, medicine - a lot of the info about work experience etc would be identical to the previous year's application!

Dd was told by UCAS that she could reuse her previous ps , which she has with minor modifications to reflect her gap year plans. Unfortunately you cannot carry across even the basic information entered from one application to another even though you are allocated the same UCAS number at the end so the system must criss reference them.

Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work. Copying your own is adaptation.

Thanks LIZS - yes if a student's reapplying for the same subject I can see the pss are likely to be very similar!
When you say dd was allocated the same number at the end, when was 'the end' in this context? (this is a practical question about UCAS id numbers not a philosophical one!) Is it when the form's submitted by the referee/educational institution, or maybe when dstudent clicks 'pay and send'? Dc currently has a different registration number - I did wonder if that was correct.
(Now in full backpacking mode - maybe going through a dc going through UCAS process twice does that to a person....)

It was a new number throughout until the application went in at which point she was given the same tracking number as last year. Is dc previous school/college the UCAS centre and will be doing reference ?

Atilla yes, it was more that I was concerned about whether there's a '"computer says yes" risk - ie you might be identified as plagiarising even when you haven't! But as long as you can be identified by the reviewers as being the same person as last year, that seems to cover it! Presumably done by name, dob (and same school may narrow it down as well, of course....).

My DS re-applied for a different course having taken up his original place and dropping out. He had a gap year in between going to Uni the 1st and 2nd time. Much of his personal statement was the same with just tweaks to reflect his interest in the new subject. He had no problems at all and plagiarism didn't even occur to us. Not sure if he used the same UCAS account or not though, sorry.

I think the system asked for any previous application numbers.

Thanks again LIZS! That does make sense, and tallies with dc's experience so far of a different number. No, it will be a totally different referee/UCAS centre, as dc is doing an FE course there as precursor (if all goes well!) to the degree. Dc will have a different e-mail address as well, if that's one of the 'identifiers'.

When dc got the e mail from UCAS to say the deferred place had now been withdrawn and another application could now be made (not exact terminology but roughly), UCAS did refer to the fact that if this year's application had already been made (it hadn't!) and had been cancelled by UCAS, it could now be revived. Which suggests that UCAS can identify an application as being by the same person - otherwise how could they have known to cancel it? (Sorry, bit convoluted, but hope you see what I mean!)

Thanks bigbluebus - no it wouldn't have occurred to me either but I had seen it discussed on mn once before, and couldn't remember the resolution!

LIZS cross-posted with you, that is interesting (!) about asking for previous numbers - I will check/backpack with dc whether that's been requested. Maybe another call to UCAS required...

DD took a gap year after her unsuccessful application to medical school. She decided that she wanted to biomedical science after all and only tweaked the bits on her personal statement relating to the course, because everything else was the same - volunteering experience, interests and academic achievement, although she could add her A level grades.

She only applied to three universities and had two offers within days. She will soon be finishing her first term at her first choice university.

Thanks gin - yes, if you're applying for a similar course a huge amount of the previous ps would be relevant.

Interestingly, dc says the form didn't ask for previous application numbers. Perhaps UCAS must identify by name and dob to give them the same tracking number as last years (although I would have thought that some names would be quite common, but maybe they do a 'manual' check where more than one of the same name/dob comes up.)

DD had the same UCAS number. It is a unique identity. Even though DD had left her old school was supportive and read over DD's personal statement and provided a reference.

Hi again gin, is that the UCAS number that was allocated to her once the school had submitted the form (which I think people refer to as the tracking number)? Otherwise I'm not sure how you would get the same number at the start - dc started again on a new form which I think had a new application number. DC's currently at a new educational institution which is adding the reference, so the centre code will be different as well!

Seems ridiculous for me to be thinking so much about 'process' points such as identification numbers, but life teaches that these can sometimes matter/cause issues (especially when everything is so computerised as well!)!!