We were given a lecture on the general plan for university applications, i.e. how and when each stage of the application needs to be completed. The first priority is knowing what course and where you want to apply, so that a course appropriate personal statement can be written.After this we moved on to how to begin writing our personal statements, we were told how to avoid cliched phrases and make our applications stand out from other applicants. They are very important parts of the whole application because it is the first contact you have with the university of your choice. We were told they needed to be personal to you, and contain information about your achievements and ambitions.
Following this, we were shown what feedback our tutors had been given by some universities on what they were particularly interested in seeing in personal statements. The university I hope to apply to; Central Saint Martins, were very specific on what they wanted in applicants personal statements. They are looking for very concise statements with a short summary for why you want to apply to this course, then an introduction about factors and influences which have guided your decision, followed by the main paragraph and evaluation.
I will use this direct feedback from the university, to begin planning my personal statement.
