Beth o'Neil Director of Admissions and Financial Aid University of California at Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall)

We're trying to gauge the potential for a student's success in law school, and we determine that, principally, on the basis of what the student has done in the past. The personal statement carries the responsibility of presenting the student's life experiences.

Applicants make a mistake by doing a lot of speculation about what they're going to do in the future rather than telling us about what they've done in the past. It is our job to speculate, and we are experienced at that.

Applicants also tend to state and not evaluate. They give a recitation of their experience but no evaluation of what effect that particular experience head on them, no assessment of what certain experiences or honors meant.

They also fail to explain errors or weaknesses in their background. Even though we might wish to admit a student, sometimes we can't in view of a weakness that they haven't made any effort to explain. For example, perhaps they haven't told us that they were ill on the day that they took the LSAT or had an automobile accident on the way. Such things are legitimate reasons for poor performance. I mean, we understand that life is tough sometimes. We need to know what happened, for example, to cause a sudden drop in the GPA.

Another mistake is that everyone tries to make himself or herself the perfect law school applicant who, of course, does not exist and is not nearly as interesting as a real human being.

Between l and 5 people read each application.

(Stelzer, p. 72)

Dr. Daniel r. Alonso Associate Dean for Admissions Cornell University Medical College

We look for some originality because nine out of ten essays leave you with a big yawn. "I like science, I like to help people and that's why I want to be a doctor." The common, uninteresting, and unoriginal statement is one that recounts the applicant's academic pursuits and basically repeats what is elsewhere in the application. You look for something different, something that will pique your interest and provide I some very unique insight that will make you pay some l notice to this person who is among so many other qualified applicants. If you're screening 5,500 applications over a four- or six-month period, you want to see something that's really interesting.

I would simply say: Do it yourself, be careful, edit it, go through as many drafts as necessary. And more important than anything: be yourself. really show your personality. Tell us why you are unique, why we should admit you. The premise is that 9 out of 10 people who apply to medical school are very qualified. Don't under any circumstances insert handwritten work or an unfinished piece of writing. Do a professional job. I would consider it a mistake to attempt to cram in too much information, too many words. Use the space as judiciously as possible. Don't submit additional pages or use only 1/20th of the space provided.

(Stelzer, p.81)

John Herweg Chairman, Committee on Admissions Washington University School of Medicine

We are looking for a clear statement that indicates that the applicant can use the English language in a meaningful and effective fashion. We frankly look at spelling as well as typing (for errors both in grammar and composition). Most applicants use the statement to indicate their motivation for medicine, the duration of that motivation, extracurricular activities, and work experience. So those are some of the general things we are looking for in the Personal Comments section.

We also want applicants to personalize the statement, to tell us something about themselves that they think is worthy of sharing with us, something that makes them unique, different, and the type of medical student and future physician that we're all looking for. What they have done in working with individuals--whether it's serving as a checker or bagger at a grocery store or working with handicapped individuals or tutoring inner city kids--that shows they can relate to people and have they done it in an effective fashion? What the applicant should do in all respects is to depict why he or she is a unique individual and should be sought after. Of course, if they start every sentence on a whole page with "I," it gets to be a little bit too much.

(Stelzer, p. 82)

The following advice about good practice in a Personal Statement derives from a number of admissions tutors in a range of universities.

The universities selected were:

Anglia Polytechnic University, DR.A.CONSTANTAZ, Admissions Tutor, Division of Social Policy

Brunel University, P.PARKIN Admissions Tutor, BSc ( Hons ) Health Studies

Hertfordshire University, P.WOOLEY, Admissions Tutor for B.A. Social Science

Oxford University, S. INGRAM, Schools Liaison Officer

The advice offered by the Admissions Tutors appears as a response to the following questions. As far as possible, the language used by each Admissions Tutor, in the response to the questionnaire, has been used to remain as close the original advice as possible.

When would you advise students to submit their UCAS application?

s soon as possible but not before students have made a thorough decision about the courses they really want to do. Late applications are less likely to be offered a place because many degree/HND courses fill up quickly. Oxbridge applications are due in earlier, usually by mid October.

At what particular stage is a Personal Statement most useful?

Personal Statements are useful at all stages. The Statement plays an important role in helping to decide course offers. In addition, the Personal Statement aids the choice of who to interview as well as helping to decide what questions to ask during an interview eg. If a book has been mentioned then interviewers may well decide to ask about the particular book. Finally, the Personal Statement helps when admissions tutors are considering offering a place to a student who has narrowly missed their conditional offer.

What do you see as the main purpose of a Personal Statement?

To provide the student with an opportunity to give a fuller picture of her/himself, beyond that which is purely academic; though showing academic abilities is an important part of the Personal statement. The Statement may give a sense of how motivated an applicant appears. It also shows if the applicant is genuinely interested in the course at a particular university. Providing useful insight into the personality, interests and motivation of the applicant as well as achievement is another purpose of the Personal Statement. Relevant areas of work experience or academic endeavour are worth including. A Personal Statement may also let an admissions tutor know if there has been some problems, personal or academic, which might have a bearing on their grades and also their predicted grades (however, the school/college reference may deal with this issue)

What information in a Personal Statement is most useful?

The most important section within the Personal Statement is the explanation of why a student has applied for a particular course. A brief outline of what aspects of a course, other academic qualifications or work experience, are relevant for the course(s) being applied for is very useful. It is also helpful to write about aims ie. What a student hopes to gain from the course. Interests in the wider community are also useful to mention. Any long-term career plans may be interesting but, depending on the department and the university, admissions tutors hold a variety of different views on the importance of career plans.

Some Personal Statements have sub-headings others do not. Do you have a preference and why?

Most universities have no preference about whether to use sub-headings. However, it was pointed out the sub-headings may make Personal Statements too similar and it was also pointed out that sub-headings may suggest that the student finds it difficult to write a continuous and fluent piece of writing. One admissions tutor preferred sub-headings because they believed it made writing the |Personal Statement slightly easier for students.

Should students mention if they wish to attend a particular university?

All responses advise against stating a preference for a university. Although it may be helpful for admissions tutors at the stated choice of the candidate, id an offer is declined then it would create difficulties at the alternative universities. Admissions tutors state that they understand the predicament that student’s face in attempting to gain preferred university.

Should students explain why they are interested in studying a particular degree/HND?

Yes. It is absolutely essential to write about why students have applied to study a particular degree. However, if the student has opted for a range of courses then it is important to explain such a diverse choice. Diversity is not seen to be a major problem especially if the range is justified. Any comments which reflect a student’s commitment and enthusiasm for their course is extremely helpful.

Apart from specific subjects that relate to the degree course do admissions tutors prefer some subjects more that others?

No specific subject requirements were reported by admissions tutors, except for very specific degrees such as Medicine. However, candidates are advised to make sure that their courses provide underpinning skills and knowledge for their chosen degree. It is important to show a general academic background. There was no reported status attached to any particular subject as long as the students existing courses reflect the type of chosen degree/HND. The UCAS details, as well as the prospectus issued by each university, indicates preferred ‘A’ level subjects, Access courses or GNVQ.