Summer sessions offer advice for university applicants

The Higher Education team has joined forces with Bath Spa University to give local UCAS applicants expert advice for writing their personal statements. The drop-in sessions will be held on Wednesday evenings throughout June, July and September between 4pm and 6pm at the University of Bath Innovation Centre in Carpenter House near Bath bus station.

Research by the Sutton Trust has shown that young people from the state sector do not get the same level of support filling in university applications that independent schools offer their students. The initiative means expert support is available for all UCAS applicants in and around Bath regardless of their educational background.

“It doesn’t matter what university they’re applying to or which subject they’ve chosen to study, we’ll be on hand to give local Year 12 pupils the inside advice on what institutions are looking for when we get personal statements as part of the UCAS application process,” said Doris Bechstein, Higher Education Advice Manager at the University of Bath.

“Between the two Universities in Bath, more than 40,000 applications are processed every year. Particularly for popular courses, the personal statement can make all the difference if the academic achievements of prospective students are the same. Our admissions teams, who read these applications, know what makes a personal statement stand out and will guide local UCAS applicants on how to make their statements do just that.”

The response from local schools and colleges has been very positive: “Brilliant opportunity. We will definitely publicise this”, said Max Harvey, Head of Sixth Form at Wellsway School. “’We are really pleased to hear of the personal statement workshops and have booked a school minibus to ensure some of our students attend’, added Victoria Lewis, Deputy Head of Sixth Form at Ralph Allen School.

The six drop-in sessions take place between 4pm and 6pm on 12 June, 19 June, 26 June, 3 July, 11 September and 18 September. Students can drop in anytime during the two hour sessions.

As the majority of subjects do not require applicants be interviewed as part of the application process, the personal statement provides a unique insight into the mind of an applicant. A good statement should highlight the applicant’s experience, skills, motivation and aspiration in relation to their chosen university subject.

Source: University of Bath