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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I sign up for the StudyZones UCAS Services?

First you need to have a free StudyZones account, sign up here. Once you are a StudyZones member and you are signed in, you will be able to select from the UCAS services, and order through the safe, secure and easy to use Google Checkout.

How will I receive the UCAS Personal Statement samples?

You will be able to view and download all UCAS Personal Statements online, critiqued and edited by our UCAS experts, using your StudyZones UCAS account to sign into the UCAS Zone.

What exactly does the editing service consist of?

Upload your UCAS Personal Statement to a StudyZones UCAS expert who will provide detailed feedback and editing where needed.
After spending time revising and enhancing your essay with your editors suggestions in mind, you can upload a new draft for a second round of editing and critique. All subsequent drafts to this revised draft are priced at £4.99 per uploaded draft.
Within 7 days after your draft is returned, you can ask your UCAS expert any questions you may have.
Access to over 300 example UCAS Personal Statements critiqued and edited by a UCAS expert
A comprehensive 100 page 'E-Guide to Application to British Universities'.

What exactly is a UCAS expert?

All of our UCAS experts have many years experience advising students on university application within an academic institution as a full time teacher.
For example, one StudyZones UCAS expert was Head of Economics and Politics at Tonbridge School (one of the leading boys' boarding schools in the country and is highly respected internationally) between 1981 and 2001, as well as Head of Sixth Form. In the latter capacity he was responsible for the administration of applications to university through UCAS, and has advised generations of students on course and university choices, on the completion of their application forms, on their gap year plans, and on their preparation for interviews, including those at Oxford and Cambridge colleges.

How long will it take?

Your UCAS Personal Statement will be returned best case within 48 hours.

Will my uploaded UCAS Personal Statement ever be made public?

Unlike many lesser editing services available via the Internet, StudyZones will never make your UCAS Personal Statement available to the public.

What about Oxbridge applications?

We do accept Oxbridge Personal Statements and uploads will be allocated to a Oxbridge UCAS expert.

What format will the uploaded document have to be?

StudyZones accept .doc (Microsoft Word), .odt (Open Office), .txt (text file), .rtf (Rich Text Format).

What if I encounter difficulties uploading my UCAS Personal Statement?

Support is available 24/7 via email. If for some reason you are unable to upload via a web browser, you can always email it to us.

Is there any system requirements I need to use this service?

You need only access to the Internet via a browser. Adobe Flash 9 and Acrobat Reader are recommended but not essential.

What methods of payment do you accept and will the transaction be secure?

StudyZones accepts major credit and debit cards, including VISA, MasterCard, Switch/Maestro, and Solo and uses a fast, secure checkout process via Google Checkout.

I have a question that is not answered here.

Please email us at ucas@studyzones.com.

StudyZones UCAS Services

Access to over 300 UCAS Personal statements editing and critiqued by the experts

Examples

For just £4.99, you will gain access to over 300 example UCAS Personal Statements. Every UCAS Personal Statement has been critiqued and edited by a UCAS expert, with every draft uploaded being improved upon until the final draft is ready for submission to UCAS.
You will also gain access to a comprehensive 100 page 'E-Guide to Application to British Universities' written by a StudyZones UCAS expert who has advised generations of students on the UCAS application process.

Editing

For just £29.99, you can upload your UCAS Personal Statement to a StudyZones UCAS expert who will provide detailed feedback and editing where needed.

After spending time revising and enhancing your essay with your editors suggestions in mind, you can upload a new draft for a second round of editing and critique. All subsequent drafts to this revised draft are priced at £4.99 per uploaded draft. Within 7 days after your draft is returned, you can ask your UCAS expert any questions you may have.
This service is also packaged with over 300 example UCAS Personal Statements. Every UCAS Personal Statement has been critiqued and edited by a UCAS expert, with every draft uploaded being improved upon until the final draft is ready for submission to UCAS. As a a bonus, you will also receive a comprehensive 100 page 'E-Guide to Application to British Universities'.

UCAS Questions & Answers

Personal statement

Asked by Emma_Darbyshire | Nov 2, 2004

Q: Here is a copy of my personal statement if you could have a look over it and see what you think i would be most grateful. Thanks In my current job which I have done part time for the last two years I work in a supermarket. My job is cash office supervisor. It is essential in this job that I communicate well with both customers and staff but most importantly to highlight the value of customer care. I have had experience of meeting many different customers with different needs ranging from the old, young, visually impaired and to others who are wheelchair users and with each person I have delivered the same high standards of customer care regardless of how varied their needs are. When working with customers who are able bodied and with customers who have a disability whether this be a visual, audio or physical disability I have always got the most job satisfaction with helping someone that genuinely needs that little bit more assistance. I find my job worthwhile when I can help someone who is having difficulties in doing everyday things like shopping or who is grateful for the company of having a friendly face to chat to. In my job I have a supervisory role and I often have to deal with difficult situations and have to make difficult decisions within these environments. I will often work under pressure and have to put others before myself. These are skills which I have developed that can easily be transferred into a clinical environment working with staff and patients rather than customers. My interests are now with nursing as I have developed the knowledge and people experience to further develop my skills and pursue to a career in nursing and caring for patients. Although I have never actually had any direct caring experience I have had people experience which is just as important and I feel I am ready to progress to the next level. I am aware of the emotional impact that caring can have as well as the physical demands as my mother has been a carer for twelve years and feel that I am capable of committing to this role. In my own time I enjoy reading. I am specific about what I read and prefer factual to fiction. I have many different books mostly on health and the human body and also complimentary therapies which I enjoy reading. My favourite topic for reading is birds. I spend a lot of time preparing food for birds in the garden and ensuring their lives are made easier my having a good food and water supply that is reliable. I enjoy watching the different species of birds and listening to their songs. I also enjoy walking and being outdoors. Whenever I get the opportunity I go walking in the woods with my dog enjoying the fresh air. My other interests are listening to a wide variety of music and going to the occasional concert. I also enjoy socialising with my friends and family and am a regular at the local weekly pub quiz.

Answer: 1. I have done a great deal of rewriting here, removing most of the repetition and attempting to make it sound more convincing.

2. You need to insert a completely new paragraph (probably at the very start) which describes your academic achievements, since these are nowhere mentioned here, and are vital if you are to stand any chance of being admitted. So you need to refer to the subjects you studied at A Level (which presumably included sciences) and then identify favourite topics – preferably those that in some way relate to the human body/anatomy/disease (i.e. Biology), and/or the mind/attitudes/moods etc (Psychology or Sociology).

3. There will also need to be a short concluding sentence which states that you believe you have the academic ability, commitment and personal qualities to make a success of the degree course, and of your intended career.

For the past two years I have worked in a supermarket as a cash office supervisor. It is therefore essential that I communicate well, both with customers and staff, and it is particularly important to highlight the value of customer care. I have had experience of meeting many different customers with different needs, ranging from the elderly, young, and visually impaired to others who are wheelchair users. In each case I have delivered the same high standards of customer care, regardless of the individual’s needs or circumstances. I have always achieved the greatest job satisfaction when helping someone who genuinely needs that little bit more assistance, such as those who have a disability, be it visual, audio or physical. I find my job worthwhile when I can help someone who is having difficulties in doing everyday things like shopping or who is grateful for the company of having a friendly face to chat to. The supervisory nature of my job means that I often have to deal with demanding situations and have to make difficult decisions. I am therefore used to working under pressure and to putting others before myself. I am confident that such skills can readily be transferred to a clinical environment, working with staff and patients rather than customers.

My application for a nursing course arises out of my belief that I now have the knowledge and people experience to develop my skills in a different context, and so pursue a career in nursing and caring for patients. While I have no direct caring experience I have had ‘people experience’ which is just as important and I feel I am ready to progress to the next level. I am aware of the emotional impact that caring can have, as well as the physical demands it makes, as my mother has been a carer for twelve years, but I feel that I am capable of commitment to this role.

In my own time I enjoy reading, preferring fact to fiction. I have read many different books on health and the human body, as well as on complementary therapies. My favourite topic for reading is birds. I spend a lot of time preparing food for birds in the garden and ensuring their lives are made easier by having a regular supply of food and water supply. I enjoy watching the different species and listening to their songs. I am a keen walker and like being outdoors. Whenever I get the opportunity I go walking in the woods with my dog enjoying the fresh air. I also listen to a wide variety of music and go to the occasional concert.

StudyZones.com | UCAS Personal Statement Services FAQ