ᴩᴙᴇᴆᴀᴛᴏʀ 2,843 Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Yeah it's really hard writing it and trying to make yourself stand out. When you read through examples online and people are putting stuff about all the voluntary work they've done' date=' Duke of Edinburgh awards etc and I'm thinking I've done nothing like that![/b'] aha same Going to start writing my personal statement soon, but I really haven't done that much at all. However, I have the whole summer holidays to fill some gaps, which is beneficial. Looking for a part-time job at the moment suited to to my field which is difficult :/ As for open days, I have only been to one so far, this being London South Bank. Will be going to Queen Mary's, Brunel and City over the next few weeks. Also will try to attend an open day Loughborough Uni, heard from lots of people that it has a great product design department, and it is also highly ranked in the UK. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elton 1,381 Posted June 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Went to the Imperial College open day today, only took me an hour's journey on the Piccadilly line and then a 5 minute walk, so looks like I won't bother with accommodation if I was offered a place. Looked like a very good uni as I expected, now I just have to hope I get A*AA minimum and a bloody good personal statement to go with it, not very confident but here's hoping Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stuart H 19,818 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams In my experience (well, my friends' as I had to meet the Oxbridge deadline), it doesn't matter when you apply. I wouldn't bust a gut to get it in before the Oxbridge deadline if you aren't applying there as you may do something really interesting in the next 3 months that you want to put in your personal statement. Make sure you meet your actual deadline though, preferably a little in advance. Yeah so far I've been to Manchester' date=' Manchester Met and Liverpool. Planning on going to Lancaster, Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam open days aswell. Definitely want to move away from home and Liverpool Uni was nice, but the accommodation was really disgusting. So, at the moment I'm more inclined to stay at home and go to one of the Manchester Uni's. Hoping, I like Sheffield and Lancaster though. At college we've started having meetings about our UCAS applications and I've started writing my personal statement.[/quote']Sheffield's awesome! Lancaster was my back-up too Does the personal statement even mean that much? I am applying for Quantity Surveying so my personal statement was all focused towards that. However I also applied for a Building Surveying course and I was accepted on that as well. I know they are similar but a couple of friends of mine also applied for a number of different courses based on completely different subjects and still got accepted despite their personal statement being on their number one choice. Yes! My sister applied this year and she got a BBB offer from a uni that was advertising it's standard offer as AAB without interview. You don't need to be particularly interesting (though it helps if you are); just make sure you sound really enthusiastic about the subject you want to study referencing things you've done that are related to it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Safir 7,524 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams In my experience (well' date=' my friends' as I had to meet the Oxbridge deadline), it doesn't matter when you apply. I wouldn't bust a gut to get it in before the Oxbridge deadline if you aren't applying there as you may do something really interesting in the next 3 months that you want to put in your personal statement. Make sure you meet your actual deadline though, preferably a little in advance.[/quote'] No. I got an offer from Imperial College (and 1 other place) before their application deadline. I applied by the Oxbridge deadline. This was less than 3 years ago. If you win a national award in 3 months that would significantly boost your application, you can always tell the universities about it, they'll consider it. But 99.999% of the time you won't, and you end up postponing the application without a particularly good reason. And you'll regret it. So just get it done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Safir 7,524 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams You don't need to be particularly interesting (though it helps if you are); just make sure you sound really enthusiastic about the subject you want to study referencing things you've done that are related to it. Noooooooooo...come on Stuart, you've got it all wrong. You need to be interesting. We're all interesting in different ways. Bring out your unique, interesting qualities that are positive in a well written personal statement. Don't obsess over it because it probably won't make or break your application but make it good nevertheless. Don't try to fake excitement, because it's so easy to see when you're faking it. And it's disgusting and makes the admissions people dislike you. You're never as good of a liar as you think -- keep in mind that these people have read thousands of these and can figure out if you're faking it. That being said, if you're genuinely interested in your topic, prove your interest. Are you claiming that your life's passion is marine science? Well, prove it. Did you go study marine life 4x a week for the past 2 years? Great, talk about it and what you loved about it. Always prove with specific examples your more grandiose claims. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Campbellblade 364 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Don't try to fake excitement' date=' because it's so easy to see when you're faking it. And it's disgusting and makes the admissions people dislike you. You're never as good of a liar as you think -- keep in mind that these people have read thousands of these and can figure out if you're faking it. [/quote'] And dont copy ideas off the internet....although it goes without saying I just wanted to share a little story about a person who nearly got into Medicine giving their reason to study medicine as "Ive always been interested in Medicine after burning myself whilst cooking soup when I was younger and having to go to A&E", the admissions panel thought they were a little quirky until they received about 5other applications saying the same and neither ended up getting in anywhere as the Uni's shared the frauds they'd found! Apparently Uni's like it if you mention something you've read on the subject now... Oh and dont stress out about not doing DofE n stuff like that, when I asked someone on the admissions panel about it the reply: "so what? nearly everyone's done it nowadays and don't even bother writing it in, it's about what you get from your experiences not how many you can list" (luckily for me as I aint done it either!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AdaM EFC 11,442 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams In my experience (well' date=' my friends' as I had to meet the Oxbridge deadline), it doesn't matter when you apply. I wouldn't bust a gut to get it in before the Oxbridge deadline if you aren't applying there as you may do something really interesting in the next 3 months that you want to put in your personal statement. Make sure you meet your actual deadline though, preferably a little in advance.[/quote'] I did mine this year and I sent mine in around the end of November/start of December and I got all my offers back and majority of my mates who sent an offer back also got most of their offers back so from my experience it didn't really matter when you sent it as long as you do before the deadline. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Safir 7,524 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams And dont copy ideas off the internet....although it goes without saying I just wanted to share a little story about a person who nearly got into Medicine giving their reason to study medicine as "Ive always been interested in Medicine after burning myself whilst cooking soup when I was younger and having to go to A&E"' date=' the admissions panel thought they were a little quirky until they received about 5other applications saying the same and neither ended up getting in anywhere as the Uni's shared the frauds they'd found! Apparently Uni's like it if you mention something you've read on the subject now... Oh and dont stress out about not doing DofE n stuff like that, when I asked someone on the admissions panel about it the reply: "so what? nearly everyone's done it nowadays and don't even bother writing it in, it's about what you get from your experiences not how many you can list" (luckily for me as I aint done it either!)[/quote'] Yup. Do the work. Don't be lazy. Be honest. People try to take shortcuts online because they're lazy and don't want to put in effort. Oh, and don't try to be quirky, because chances are that you'll end up sounding silly. Not all professors appreciate the youthful humor (some do, that's crapshoot) so keep it academic (remember, the decision makers are in academia). You're not writing to fellow 18 year olds, you're writing to 50 year old tenured professors. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Safir 7,524 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams I did mine this year and I sent mine in around the end of November/start of December and I got all my offers back and majority of my mates who sent an offer back also got most of their offers back so from my experience it didn't really matter when you sent it as long as you do before the deadline. Err? Why is everyone encouraging people to procrastinate on applications? Give me one good reason to wait for an extra 3 months. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jenks1 1,336 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Err? Why is everyone encouraging people to procrastinate on applications?Give me one good reason to wait for an extra 3 months. I don't think anybody is encouraging it, rather just sharing their experiences in which they applied after the Oxbridge/Medicine deadline and were still happy with their chosen universities' responses. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AdaM EFC 11,442 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Err? Why is everyone encouraging people to procrastinate on applications?Give me one good reason to wait for an extra 3 months. I am not encouraging anyone to do the same as me, just telling people of my experiences. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Safir 7,524 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams I don't think anybody is encouraging it' date=' rather just sharing their experiences in which they applied after the Oxbridge/Medicine deadline and were still happy with their chosen universities' responses.[/quote']I am not encouraging anyone to do the same as me' date=' just telling people of my experiences.[/quote']I know your intentions are neutral but that's the effect your comments are having. Most people will procrastinate and regret it later on. Don't encourage it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stuart H 19,818 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams No. I got an offer from Imperial College (and 1 other place) before their application deadline. I applied by the Oxbridge deadline. This was less than 3 years ago. Yes' date=' I also got offers from universities well before their deadlines. However, they don't work on the basis that they suddenly give out all their offers and can't give out any more to people who may still apply within the deadline. They give out offers to people befitting of offers in the knowledge that most of them will choose or have to go to one of their other 4 choices. The exception is Oxbridge as their offers are so prestigious, so they have an early deadline and rigorous interview process. If you win a national award in 3 months that would significantly boost your application, you can always tell the universities about it, they'll consider it. But 99.999% of the time you won't, and you end up postponing the application without a particularly good reason. And you'll regret it. So just get it done. Not necessarily, you might get some really good life experience in that 3 months, regardless of how interesting it is. Like getting a first job for instance; it's not that exciting but universities will take note of your desire to work and that you'll be more employable come the end of your degree for it, which reflects well on them. Noooooooooo...come on Stuart' date=' you've got it all wrong. [/quote']I haven't You need to be interesting. We're all interesting in different ways. Bring out your unique' date=' interesting qualities that are positive in a well written personal statement. Don't obsess over it because it probably won't make or break your application but make it good nevertheless.[/quote']That's all well and good (worth spending between a third and half of your personal statement on) but universities don't give a damn if you learnt how to yodel or went trekking in the Alps if you don't show you've learned from the experience. They want people who will stick with their course and get a decent mark at the end of it so it's very important to show you care about your subject. Don't try to fake excitement' date=' because it's so easy to see when you're faking it. And it's disgusting and makes the admissions people dislike you. You're never as good of a liar as you think -- keep in mind that these people have read thousands of these and can figure out if you're faking it.That being said, if you're genuinely interested in your topic, prove your interest. Are you claiming that your life's passion is marine science? Well, prove it. Did you go study marine life 4x a week for the past 2 years? Great, talk about it and what you loved about it. Always prove with specific examples your more grandiose claims.[/quote'] Of course, and that's why you point to things you've done that relate to your course. I mentioned my job at the time as a simple cashier at a newsagents but pointed to how that had improved my mental arithmetic and communication skills which are both important for a mathematician. Then I also pointed to those maths challenges you could do at school (well, mine anyway), maths books I'd read and parts I'd enjoyed and a residential I'd been on at Manchester Uni which gave first-hand experience of a maths degree. Don't fake it but make sure everything you write links to either your course or a skill that will help you in your degree or a future line of work. Simply being interesting (unless you're really really interesting) won't work on its own. I did mine this year and I sent mine in around the end of November/start of December and I got all my offers back and majority of my mates who sent an offer back also got most of their offers back so from my experience it didn't really matter when you sent it as long as you do before the deadline. Exactly. I know your intentions are neutral but that's the effect your comments are having. Most people will procrastinate and regret it later on. Don't encourage it Not at all. It doesn't matter at all when you get your application in. I wouldn't advise leaving it until the last minute but it won't be to your detriment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skarmory 6,000 Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams So, Scotland get exam results a week tomorrow... What about you English guys? GL all regardless. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AngusLFC 3,002 Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams So' date=' Scotland get exam results a week tomorrow...What about you English guys? GL all regardless.[/quote'] I get mine on the 23rd of august, felt nervous for the first time today:o EDIT: thats GCSE's Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AdaM EFC 11,442 Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams So' date=' Scotland get exam results a week tomorrow...What about you English guys? GL all regardless.[/quote'] 16th August for A Levels. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skarmory 6,000 Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Well good luck to you both. I think A Levels is the equivalent to what I'm doing (although they're apparently harder, but you do less of them). Have to apply to unis in September or something, so these results are pretty important! For those who are interested, I sat Maths, English, Chemistry, Physics, Accounting (all at higher level). I kinda messed up Chemistry but I'm hopeful of doing well in the rest of them (relative to the little work that I put in ). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AFC Chewis 2,215 Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Under a week to go and it's far to say I'm bricking it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Campbellblade 364 Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Under a week to go and it's far to say I'm bricking it Tell me about it! I don't normally get nervous and am quite chilled but all I seem to be doing is worrying about results. Every little mistake I know I've made I've exasbated to make me dread next Thursday even more. Was doing alright until about 2days ago. Then last night when I was trying to get to sleep I thought about it only being a week away and couldn't get to sleep for ages XD So hard to take knowing that so so so much rides on so little with no room for error :/ :s Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigSexyKyle 1,630 Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Got mine tuesday! Maths A Spanish A History 1 Geography 1 Computing 1 English 2 Physics 3 Graphics 3 I don't know if you English lads will know what any of that means and whatnot, but I did quite well, was well chuffed" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Harris 17 2,356 Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Argh I remember this time last year, the night before is the worst lads and the morning... well I was almost sick I was so nervous. But anyway best of luck guys! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skarmory 6,000 Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Got mine tuesday!Maths A Spanish A History 1 Geography 1 Computing 1 English 2 Physics 3 Graphics 3 I don't know if you English lads will know what any of that means and whatnot' date=' but I did quite well, was well chuffed"[/quote'] What year are you? Were you doing Int 2s and SGs or something? I got mine as well, obviously (all higher): Accounting - A Maths - A Chemistry - B Physics - A English - A Shame about Chem, but I knew I messed that up on the day. What you doing next/this year, Kyle? BigSexyKyle 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigSexyKyle 1,630 Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams What year are you? Were you doing Int 2s and SGs or something?I got mine as well' date=' obviously (all higher): Accounting - A Maths - A Chemistry - B Physics - A English - A Shame about Chem, but I knew I messed that up on the day. What you doing next/this year, Kyle?[/quote'] 4th year, yeah, that was my SG's, and 2 Int 2's. Well done on yours btw, thats epic! And next year its Maths, English, Geography, History and Bushiness Management, all higher Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skarmory 6,000 Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams 4th year' date=' yeah, that was my SG's, and 2 Int 2's.Well done on yours btw, thats epic! And next year its Maths, English, Geography, History and Bushiness Management, all higher [/quote'] Cheers mate, you too. It's great to finally have the relief of knowing you've done alright. I'm doing higher business this year too, along with NU PE & AH Maths & AH Physics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AFC Chewis 2,215 Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 Re: Revision for Exams Well done to the Scottish lads I got: Bus Man - A (Int 2) Chemistry - 3 English - 3 French - 2 German - 1 History - 1 Maths - 3 Physics - 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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