Writing Personal Statement

[Wiltingflowers]

DC just let drop that, within his year, a good quarter of students got (ie. purchased) professional help in writing their Personal Statement! That help ranged from proofreading - all the way up to hiring someone to write the whole thing for them from scratch on the basis of answering a questionnaire. None of those who did it had their statements flagged by UCAS - which is what he/I would have been terrified of - and all proceeded to uni.

DD in Year 12 is applying this autumn and has started thinking about her PS. Her friends in the year above advised going on Fiverr as they had done and finding a writer - only costs about £60 apparently and loads of them did it (and all are now receiving offers).

what are your thoughts?

Another former admissions tutor here, Russell Group STEM.

Sadly this is why we pay so little attention to the PS. I would rephrase what PPs have said to say that we can spot a PS in the applicant’s own voice a mile off. It is very refreshing.

We read the PS for initial evidence of certain types of content, seldom anything more.

I welcome the UCAS change to focussed questions as a move towards equity but it will not change access to assistance with the application, so the way admissions tutors use it probably will not change

I’ve never heard of people getting them professionally written and I’ve had 3 DC apply to uni, all from different school/ colleges.

Unless they will really struggle to do their own I wouldn’t pay. The advice all mine were given was to keep it relevant to the course they are applying for, show they have researched the course and stick to how their experiences fit with the course.
Add a couple of lines about hobbies and interests if they have enough words left.

Even if the school aren’t helpful I’m sure their form tutor, relevant subject teacher or year head would be happy to check it over, or even a friend to check it objectively.

DD2 has just done a last minute application after changing her mind on subject. She wrote it in an hour, kept it relevant and added personal reasons for the course. It was very obviously written by her for her course choice. She has already received offers from all she applied to having only applied last week.