In the autumn term of year 13 it can suddenly feel as if everything is happening at once. Many sixth forms now have a set of mock exams before Christmas, as well as one afterwards. Whilst preparing for these, you may still be learning some of the A-level or IB content for the first time. When the pressure of the UCAS application deadline is added to this, it can feel like you are being pulled in several different directions – and everyone knows that producing a good piece of writing under pressure is
extremely hard!
Student often feel unsure about how to divide their time between these conflicting demands. Below are my suggestions on how best to manage this:
- Don’t neglect your studies
Most school teachers and admissions tutors would probably agree that it is a mistake to neglect schoolwork in order to get a personal statement done. This is because your standard of work at school, particularly performance in mock exams, informs your school’s prediction of your final grades. Predicted grades will be extremely important in your chosen universities’ selection processes, arguably moreso than your personal statement.
- Start early
Whilst your studies should remain your priority, the personal statement still has to be written, and the ‘equal consideration’ deadline of mid-January for the UCAS application is non-negotiable. My recommendation would be to spend a relatively short and focused period of time on your statement, as early as possible. Concentrate on producing a first draft of answers to the three specific UCAS questions. Don’t write a single statement that you will later need to edit to fit into the three boxes – this is likely to take you longer overall.
Once you have this first draft, you have the option of sending it to others (parents, friends, teachers, etc.) to look over. It is up to you whether you want to ask for feedback, and how you act on that feedback when you receive it. Whilst you are waiting for feedback to come in, do your best to put the statement out of your mind and move the focus back to your schoolwork and revision.
- Set yourself a limit
How much you choose to rewrite and perfect your statement is a very personal decision. Remember that your statement does not need to be ‘perfect’ – it just needs to be good enough to do its job. This means writing about the right things, setting the right tone, and avoiding any major pitfalls. See my post here on the five essential elements to a personal statement.
The quest for perfection can become a distraction from more important work, so it may be best to plan in advance and set yourself a personal limit in terms of how long you are prepared to spend on the statement. Even if your school has set a deadline, it can be valuable to set your own personal deadline. Once you reach that point, avoid thetemptation to make further tweaks. Give it a final, thorough, proof-read, and set the statement aside - and go back to focusing on getting those all-important predicted grades.
I offer a support service to students who need advice on producing a first draft or who would like feedback on a draft statement. Contact me for more details.
