IS YOUR UCAS STATEMENT STILL TOO LONG? HERE’S HOW TO CUT IT

 

Oxford

 

1.    Don’t repeat yourself. Once you’ve said that you found working with a care home team really enjoyable, you don’t need to add that you acquired valuable team-working skills and like working with people.

 

2.    Don’t list everything you have done. Just mentioning six different extra-curricular activities is pointless. Instead, show that you are organised enough to do two or three challenging things alongside your studies. Then say which useful insights or skills you’ve gained.  

 

3.    Avoid space-filling generalisations such as “geography is a truly fascinating subject.” You want to focus on what fascinates you personally. The application chapters of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES  (ISBN 978-09545944-73) offer more advice on this.*

 

4.    Write in clear, not overly long sentences, using correct subject terms. Florid, convoluted phrases will just make the reader wonder if an adult wrote this for you.

 

5.    Don’t try to solve your space problem by copying a UCAS statement found online: admissions tutors now have the software to identify plagiarism.

 

6.    Don’t leave the final cut to the very last moment.  Writing a good UCAS statement is a major job. If you rush it, the result could be not just typos but a confused narrative and fatal omissions.

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* - As Oxbridge entrance rules frequently change, applicants need to read the current, 2014 edition of this guide. The alleged downloads of this book are at best extracts of old. outdated editions. Avoid!