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Friday 14 June 2013

The dreaded personal statement....

Hi Everyone! I know that writing a personal statement is probably the hardest thing about the application process. Not only have you got to impress the university without them actually meeting you,  there's also a feeling of dread that if you don't succeed = no invitation to interview! :( 
The first hurdle is being able to talk about yourself positively, we have a habit of criticising ourself and trying to pick holes. Try writing 10 things about yourself that you like as a starting point. They do not have to be midwifery related, for example you are able to get along with anybody, or you often put others before yourself. Doing this will not only get you used to selling yourself, but it will also give you a confidence boost. Here are the ten things I like about myself 
  1. I have the confidence to voice my opinion 
  2. I'm a good listening and give advice to rival agony aunt !
  3. I take pride in my appearance 
  4. I try not to judge people on the decisions they make in life 
  5. I have a wicked sense of humour 
  6. I know how to make people laugh and put them at ease 
  7. I can't help but mother people 
  8. I am comfortable in my own skin 
  9. I'm happy to take on the role of a leader  
  10. I worry about people 
Now you try!! 

Next get thinking about how you can relate these ten things to your past experiences, whether thats your current job, or an achievement of yours.Then you can apply these things to the role of a midwife. 

Here are some hints of the things to include in your PS
-Your skills 
-Your achievements
-Your past experiences 
-Your insight to the role of a midwife 
-Your reasons for wanting to be a midwife
-Your inspirations 
-The reasons why you should to be given a place
-What you could bring to the university 

Now, including all these things in just 4000 characters is such a hard thing to do. What i will say is that the demands of each university is different. Some may prefer to hear about your skills and qualities, other may wanted to hear more of what you know about midwifery. My TOPTIP is to take a look at your first university choice and reading about what they are looking for. Then you can choose what you think are the most important things to talk about. 
Another tip is to look for buzzwords on the university website and include these in your personal statement. Not only will this show that you have an insight to what they are looking for, but it also shows that you taken the time to find out what students that specific university wants.  

A Great personal statement will: 
-Have an opening sentence that catches the readers attention 
-Have a personal touch (remember the university has never met you, the aim is for them to feel they know you a little by the end and are impressed) 
-Are different from the rest (think of something that makes you stand out, anything at all that you can link to the career you want) 
-Link skills to the role of a midwife 
-Are not cheesy or over the top (trust me some are!) 
-Have a strong end sentence that sums up all you have said
-Have no spelling mistakes (check, check & check again!) 
-Flow well and have a logical layout

REMEMBER - your personal statement MUST be unique to you and your personality. Try not to make it boring, include something that makes you stand out from the crowd. It has to be your own words!

Here are some useful websites that could help you
-http://www.studential.com/personalstatements/getpscourse.asp?type=50 (these are examples of midwifery personal statements) 

Hope this helps!! - check out my blog later for my experience of writing my personal statement. Please subscribe and share :)


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