Wikipedia states:
"An admissions or application essay, sometimes also called a personal statement or a statement of purpose, is an essay or other written statement written by an applicant, often a prospective student applying to some college, university, or graduate school. The application essay is a common part of the university and college admissions process"
In order for me to apply and be accepted I need to make my own personal statement and then send that to UCAS, where universities will read and see if they believe I am the best fit for their Uni. My first port-of-call was to look if UCAS offered any assistance with their personal statement writing. There is a page on UCAS that goes through personal statement writing and it is linked here. On the link I learned that a personal statement is not meant to be a formal essay, instead it is a piece of writing introducing yourself to the admissions team. The best way to stand out is to include unique achievements and memorable accomplishments. Key points they advise to cover are;
Why have you chosen this course?
Inspirations, taught myself before college, team and independent work.
What excites you about the subject?
To be able to work with the correct equipment and experiment with new ideas and angles of approach.
Is my previous or current study relevant to the course?
Level 3 Media Studies Extended Diploma, learning the whole process of making films and Documentaries.
Have you got any work experience that might help you?
Premier Car Care, Gibraltar Rock
What life experiences have you had that you could talk about?
Army Cadet Force
What achievements are you proud of?
Shooting for the county, ranking in Cadets, my own work
What skills do you have that make you perfect for the course?
Photography and videography employment and personal work
What plans and ambitions do you have for your future career?
Cinematographer
When it comes to writing a good personal statement "preparation is key" therefore (as seen under the questions) I have given brief ideas of what I could write about. When opening a personal statement, people start with the cliche "my name is" or "i am passionate about..." Although people believe that opening with such lines is a good idea, the admissions office see thousands of personal statements a year. Seeing the same line over and over again makes them lose interest. Being unique with your word choice is important. Don't be afraid to show who you are and show off your skills. Also being straight to the point is vital in your personal statement. You only have 4000 words to talk about yourself, so no waffling.
In college we had support in creating our personal statements, therefore I was able to talk to tutors and others about my personal statement. Drop in sessions were also put in place to give advice and support in creating such statements. Due to the support, I didn't need to research so much into personal statements myself.
Speaking to tutors I was able to find easy ways to break up my personal statement into sections. I initially, after making my small notes above, moved into more paragraph structured notes. Shown below is my notes.
Using the template I then created my first draft of my personal statement...
My real passion in media lies within the hands-on aspects. I would love to work within the industry in a technical capacity and I am enthusiastic about undertaking further study to enhance my practical and theory knowledge. My primary interests lie within the camerawork, and I am passionate about making a frame look and sound appealing while conveying emotions through color and compositions. From my own personal photography and videography within the last four years I have set myself apart from others, teaching myself the fundamentals of photography, which skills transferred over to videography. I was unsure about what sector I wanted to pursue, however after looking at the visuals and emotions that the cinematographer Roger Deakins creates with his camerawork in films such as 1917 and Blade Runner 2049, I became inspired to create such work. In order to become stronger with my knowledge, I have studied creative media at Sunderland College for two years. Using my personal, college and University learning, I would aspire to enter the film industry with better knowledge than before. Within the current course I have had to research into codes and conventions and the clients of our products, therefore improving my research skills which will assist me to be more confident independently or bringing ideas to a team. From my own work I was comfortable with video editing and photo editing. Therefore, in college I spent time helping other people when stuck, which overall helped the team move faster and work more efficiently. In University my editing skills would transfer over, as well as team working skills. In contrast, the independent work in college has forced me to make decisions for myself without the assistance of others and therefore made me more confident in my own work. Before I started on my college journey, I never planned any of my shoots or the day, I just shot what I wanted. However, college has shown me the importance of planning and how it assists in a quicker and more efficient shoot. I have completed numerous projects in my studies, which have been designed to mimic briefs I may receive in industry. Between June 2021 and June 2022, I worked with Premier Car Care as their photographer and videographer. Listening to the client and their needs was a important within the outcome of images. Here, I learned that what I think is a good idea, is not always what the client wants, and you must be ready to change outlook for the client. In July of 2022 I began working a restaurant called the Gibraltar Rock. There I had to be good at customer service and be able to manage stock. The skills there would be good for talking and listening to peer's ideas, as well as working under pressure. On top of my part time work I work with Meash media. There I assist with photo/ video shoots and edit the images for clients. From 13 to 16 I was part of the ACF. There I worked my way up the ranks to the rank of corporal. There were times in the field where I had to control groups of up to 10 people and be responsible for the group's success. When not in the field, I spent time teaching others. Due to shooting skills, I was part of a shooting team in 2019 and placed 3rd. Two years in a row I held the flags for remembrance parade in Whitely bay. Recently I have took up learning piano for myself as I find it as a good hobby to have aside from videography. I believe I possess the transferable skills and experience to transition effectively into HE and would relish the opportunity to be challenged at a higher level.
Due to my research and use of drop in sessions, I was told by my tutor that I had a very strong first draft. However, they gave verbal feedback of trying to use less words in order to tell certain points. If a few words can be turned into one, use that. I was also encouraged to include my work within college and the volunteering work I have done. After taking this feedback, I went back to my personal statement added or removed what I thought was appropriate.
My real passion in media lies within the hands-on aspects. I would love to work within the industry in a technical capacity and I am enthusiastic about undertaking further study to enhance my practical and theory knowledge. My primary interests lie within the camerawork, and I am passionate about making a frame look and sound appealing while conveying emotions through color and compositions. From my own personal photography and videography within the last four years I have set myself apart from others, teaching myself the fundamentals of photography, which skills transferred over to videography. I was unsure about what sector I wanted to pursue, however after looking at the visuals and emotions that the cinematographer Roger Deakins creates with his camerawork in films such as 1917 and Blade Runner 2049, I became inspired to create such work. To enhance and refine the skills at hand I have studied creative media at Sunderland College for two years. Using my personal, college and University learning, I aspire to enter the film industry swiftly. Within the current course I have had to research into codes and conventions and the clients of our products, therefore uplifting my research skills which will assist me to be confident independently or bring ideas to a team. From my own work I was comfortable with video editing and photo editing. Therefore, in college I spent time assisting others when stuck, which overall helped the team move faster and work more efficiently. In University the editing skills would transfer over, as well as teamworking and problem-solving skills. In contrast, the independent work in college has forced me to make decisions for myself without the assistance of others and therefore made me more confident in my own work. Before I embarked on my college journey, I never planned my shoots or the day, I just shot what I wanted. However, college has shown me the importance of planning and how it assists in a quicker and more efficient shoot. I have completed numerous projects in my studies, which have been designed to mimic briefs I may receive in industry. These have included print advertising, podcasts, TV adverts and documentaries. These projects have given me valuable experience in taking ownership of content creation, from ideas generation through to pre and post productions, as well as managing sets, casts and crews efficiently. Between June 2021 and June 2022, I worked with Premier Car Care as their photographer and videographer. Listening to the client and their needs was a important within the outcome of images. Here, I learned that what I think is a good idea, is not always what the client wants, and you must be ready to change outlook for the client. In July of 2022 I began working a restaurant called the Gibraltar Rock. There I had to be good at customer service and be able to manage stock. The skills there would be good for talking and listening to peer's ideas, as well as working under pressure. On top of my part time work I work with Meash media. There I assist with photo/ video shoots and edit the images for clients. In college we decided to do a game stall in order to raise money for a dog charity. In the stall we raised £50 and from it I learned about teamwork and doing things you don't like, for the team. From 13 to 16 I was part of the ACF. There I worked my way up the ranks to the rank of corporal. There were times in the field where I had to control groups of up to 10 people and be responsible for the group's success. When not in the field, I spent time teaching others. Due to shooting skills, I was part of a shooting team in 2019 and placed 3rd. Two years in a row I held the flags for remembrance parade in Whitely bay. Recently I have took up learning piano for myself as I find it as a good hobby to have aside from videography. I believe I possess the transferable skills and experience to transition effectively into HE and would relish the opportunity to be challenged at a higher level.
This draft was stronger and more efficient, I submitted this version to UCAS and it was perfect for the requirements. Highlighted in red is the changes and tweaks I have made.
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