1. SECRETS TO SUCCESS

2. MAKING A POWERFUL FIRST IMPRESSION

3. AVOID AMBIGUITY

4. MAKING A PROFESSIONAL IMPRESSION

4. BONUS SAMPLE PERSONAL STATEMENT

The failure of the vast majority of students to get admission to their chosen university is one of the great unpublicised stories of our time.

Why do they fail?

Because they think in their terms and do not consider the reader: the admission officer.

They don’t even know they are doing it.

THAT is why they fail to gain a university place.

This article will help you craft a perfect personal statement. Everyone is special and everyone has a personal statement inside them. The main premise of this article is to inspire you. Please don’t feel daunted at the personal statement – simply write the way you speak and you are half way there.

1. SECRETS TO SUCCESS

Your fist aim is to make sure that your personal statement gets read; start with a powerful selling point that catches the admission officer’s eye. Admission officers usually give each personal statement a quick scan before picking the best for a more thorough reading. Your personal statement must therefore clearly show the most perfunctory reader what you have to offer.

This means that your words need to be short and punchy.

2. MAKING A POWERFUL FIRST IMPRESSION

The first and main section of your personal statement will almost certainly be a career and achievements, as this is the crucial area that shows that you can do the course on offer. Within each paragraph of your personal statement, put details of your most impressive or relevant achievements at the top of each section.

Always end your personal statement on a high note so that you leave the reader with a final positive image of you as they put the personal statement down. Make sure you describe yourself in a way that does you justice:

• Give evidence supporting your claims

• Quantify your achievements

• Show that you are a high performer in the most important aspects related to your course

• Use clear and positive language

3. AVOID AMBIGUITY

Phases such as ‘I supported the change process’ or ‘I assisted with financial planning for the company’ leave the admission officer none the wiser as to what you were actually doing. Make it clear what your contribution was. For example:

‘..The position involved analysing past financial performance to identify areas for future improvement and preparing budgets to ensure sound financial planning’

4. MAKING A PROFESSIONAL IMPRESSION

Your personal statement should have a highly professional image.

• Be clear and easy to read

• Draw attention to the most important points

• Be attractive and professionally presented – utilise the online UCAS form!

5. BONUS PERSONAL STATEMENT

Postgraduate Application – Teaching

For three years I have worked as a volunteer Art teacher at a local youth charity. Through these experiences, I have learned how to convey my enthusiasm for art in both the classroom setting and with my students one-on-one. Working with disadvantaged students proved both rewarding and challenging, as I had to make art theory applicable to everyday life. Working in these workshops, I discovered my love for teaching and became determined to help more students understand the relevancy, applicability, and necessity of art in their lives.

I achieved my Bachelor’s of Art degree with honours from Cheltenham University. After receiving my degree, I decided to delve into the media world to apply the theory I had learned. My duties as Production Manager for the BBC involved presenting workshops, script proof and organising training events. My diverse responsibilities have given me the opportunity to interact with every business department from media relations to finance. For instance, I played a crucial role in a short course where I trained a production team in African Art.

This experience provided me with an opportunity to refine my understanding of the inner workings of the organisational environment. In my spare time, I have continued designing websites, and the prospect of developing a web-based learning environment for students remains one of my foremost professional goals. I understand the importance of Web CT and if given this opportunity, would like to design an on-line art portal, including news, course information, forums, and lesson plans.

Indeed, my experiences as a mentor have solidified my desire to become a teacher. I am in constant pursuit of ways to improve my abilities as an instructor and have recently completed my postgraduate diploma in Art History. I hope to combine this academic knowledge with my existing production expertise to stimulate and encourage my students.

From experience, I understand that teaching has both its rewards and challenges. If given the opportunity to study at Manchester University, I would like to create art courses that will provide opportunities for students to apply their theoretical knowledge in real life situations and allow them to give feedback to continually improve the lessons. Although I do not have a formal teaching qualification, I believe my business expertise has amply prepared me for a position at Manchester and that I will bring the unique perspective of a seasoned professional to the students of the course.

End Note:

Your personal statement is crucial to your application. Planning your personal statement is therefore your fist step to success. Gain competitive advantage and order the best editing service on the web.

http://www.getintouni.com

Our qualified professional writers will edit your statement to perfection – ensuring your application gets noticed. We recognise that you are unique and, therefore, you will receive customised advice from your personal writer. Increase your chances today!

Wishing you great success,

Getintouni.com

http://www.getintouni.com

About The Author

Get Into Uni Oxbridge educated editors help you research, structure, write, present and produce your personal statement. Elaine Millward is the director of getintouni and leads workshops and writes articles on the subject.

http://www.getintouni.com

elaine@getintouni.com

Public Speaking is a challenging skill. It is TOUGH! For some of you, it’s probably the hardest thing you will ever do; and I can sympathize. Standing in front of the employees and coworkers that you want, (or need) to impress, all the while hoping that you remain clear, memorable, persuasive, entertaining and fun isn’t a piece of cake. It is TOUGH, TOUGH, TOUGH!!

Public speaking is a difficult thing on its own; however, imagine being in a leadership role and speaking in a language which is not your first language. These people have a second layer of challenges about which to worry. When someone is speaking English as a second language, they are also worried about their accent, pronunciation, intonation, grammatical errors and whether or not they are being perceived as a knowledgeable person despite their choice of words.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the United-States, 1 out of 5 people speak a language other than English. Many of these people are hired in at mid-level management. By 2030, demographers predict that English as a second language learners will account for approximately 40% of the students in the United-States. In some areas, that projection has already been exceeded. For instance, in California, 60%-70% of schoolchildren speak a language other than English as their primary language. It is therefore clear that many people are faced with this situation since a good majority of North Americans speak English as a second language.

Accent is one of the major concerns for ESL speakers, especially for someone in a management role. Many accent reduction techniques and courses are out there, but my advice is to embrace your accent rather than to run away from it. Be true to yourself: if you have an accent, don’t try to cover it up or camouflage it. An accent is a great way for you to differentiate yourself. You want people to remember you for who you are. About a year ago, I was training a gentleman from India. When he spoke in a social and conversational way his accent was easily detectable. The strange thing was, when he presented in front of a group he would put on a Deep-Southern accent. He sounded like a cross between Gandhi and Uncle Jesse from the “Dukes of Hazzard”. When questioned about this, he said he thought he would be more respected and understood if he sounded like an American. Well, his approach totally backfired because the audience was more interested in his fake accent than in his words. In today’s world, everyone has an accent; we all come from different parts of the globe and we all have different ways of saying things. Accents can even be an asset since some audiences find them charming and aesthetically pleasant to the ear. You will be your best when you let yourself completely be who you are. You will sound natural and it will be a pleasure to listen to you.

Another concern that might arise is the apprehension resulting from the proper choice of words, or grammatical errors and syntax. Many times, people feel that since they are in a leadership role, that they have to use complex and technical words to be taken seriously. Finding the right words to express yourself in a language in which you are less comfortable can be a challenge. Regarding this, my advice is two-fold:

Firstly, don’t try to chew off more than you can swallow – use a vocabulary that makes you comfortable and that you understand. An audience will be much more impressed with a presenter that uses logic than with a presenter that uses a lofty, pretentious vocabulary.

Secondly, use gestures, facial expression, and a “conversational” way of speaking. This will result in a warmer and more comfortable presentation. In addition, the audience will feel like they are communicating with a friend and that will make your talk much more effective. Your choice of words will consequently become less important.
Finally, an audience will be far more tolerant and responsive to a confident, happy speaker, therefore embrace your culture and don’t be afraid to let your audience see where you’re coming from!

Martin Perras, martin@leadersinstitute.ca, is a Management Consultant and President of The Leader’s Institute Canada, http://www.leadersinstitute.ca.

He offers management training and consulting to companies in the US and Canada. He can be reached at 1-800-872-7830 x103.