Personal statements disadvantage poor, says report

New research published by The Sutton Trust suggests that pupils from state schools are disadvantaged by the personal statement aspect of the UCAS application process.

The educational charity claims that students from independent schools receive more support when writing their personal statements than those who attend state schools, meaning their statements are often better written with fewer grammatical errors.

The Sutton Trust also suggests that children from state schools are further disadvantaged by the fact that independent schools typically offer more “high-status and relevant activities.”

Students at independent schools have more opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, debating, and maths challenge competitions, which they can then write about in their personal statements.

However, head of communications at Warwick Peter Dunn said the personal statement is not the only factor in considering an applicant.

He commented: “Although the personal statement is important, other factors such as the applicant’s predicted grades and academic reference are taken into consideration.”

Poorer students are more likely to have grammatical errors in personal statements

He also draws attention to the fact that Warwick (like many other leading universities) have a webpage featuring helpful tips and guidance specifically advising applicants on what to include in their personal statement, making sure applicants from all backgrounds have an equal chance of being successful.

Second-year Richard Brown, who attended a private school prior to starting university, seems to confirm the report’s findings. He said: “I think it’s a kind of unspoken truth that the vast majority of fee paying schools give students a lot of extra help. They need the results, so it benefits both parties.

“We had the opportunity to take part in lots of extra curricular activities that as far as I’m aware of, aren’t as widely available at quite a lot of state schools – things like Model United Nations. Those sort of things are a bit more unusual and really stand out on your personal statement.”

The research, conducted by Steven Jones of Manchester University, was based on an in-depth study of 300 pupils’ personal statements. All of the pupils had identical grades and were applying to the same department at a “leading university”.

But despite the similarity in grades, only 50 percent of state school applicants were offered a place by the “leading university” compared to 70 percent of independent school applicants.

The Sutton Trust wants to see the personal statement made fairer so that it does not disadvantage students from less privileged backgrounds.

Sutton Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: “The admissions process needs to change. Personal statements should be more than an excuse to highlight past advantages.”

The charity suggests that firstly, a limit is imposed on the number of activities applicants can list in their statements, and secondly that there is a shift in focus; away from the student’s past achievements and towards what the applicant might be able to offer the university as a future student.

English student Becky Kerridge said: “To some extent it is up to the student to make their personal statement different and interesting; even at independent schools it is up to the student to be self-motivated.

“That being said, it will always be a challenge for schools that don’t have the facilities to do certain activities to compete, and that inevitably hinders the students. You could be the most enthusiastic student in the world, but if you haven’t got access to the sort of things that will make your personal statement shine, then yes, you are at a real disadvantage.”