How To Write A UCAS Personal Statement?
The UCAS Personal Statement plays a vital role in the University admissions application process today. Although there is much conflicting advice as to how best to approach writing a UCAS Personal Statement it is important to first focus on the basics. To keep it simple try using the following 3 steps when thinking through and planning the content, organisation and structure of your Personal Statement.
- It is your job to understand and reflect what skills, attributes or experiences are most important in the applicants that the tutors are looking for – in other words their demands from applicants for a place on the course.
- The next step is to connect yourself with these demands – your experience, skills, attributes, qualities, relevant interests, as ways of providing evidence of your suitability. Here you should try to connect evidence of your subject ‘passion’ with what they are looking for and why your evidence is relevant. This is where you articulate in your words how evidence of subject ‘passion’ plus your motivation for the sought-after qualification, gives strong indications of likely performance on the course and beyond.
- The final step is to articulate what you would hope to bring to the course and your related aims for the future, with the course as a key step in your career plan. Remember, it is a competitive process and you need to collect, organise and articulate your evidence regarding your achievements.
Try to say something which is not clichéd or has been used a million time already – but do not overdo things either with phrases or quotes which are beyond your normal use. Always provide evidence of anything you claim or aspire to and try to say why. So try to make your Personal Statement original – simply by being yourself.
Finally, a few other do’s and don’ts
Don’t
- Try jokes, start every sentence with ‘I’ or offer political or religious views.
- Copy existing Personal Statements as UCAS has a search feature and will spot it.
- Compose your draft Personal Statement using the UCAS website, as you will revise and edit it several times before you finally send it.
But Do
- Use personal stories or quotes which are relevant and well known to you. – and which help you express yourself as being well-informed, well-intentioned and well researched.
- Look up existing Personal Statements and learn from them – the good and the not so good all have learning points.
Personal Statement review service
At Express Proofreading, we understand the vital role a Personal Statement plays in the application process today. We’re committed to helping you write to the best of your ability whilst still retaining ownership of your work. As part of our Personal Statement editing and review service we will not only proofread your Personal Statement to ensure that it has no grammatical errors but we also recommend changes that may assist you in writing an engaging and compelling Personal Statement that stands out from the crowd.
Writing An Effective Cover Letter
Start with a warm and professional greeting. This person is considering hiring you – so your opening line should encourage them to think of you as someone they would like to work with. “Dear Mr. Smith,” “Dear John Smith” or “Mr Smith,” are all appropriate. Anything extremely casual should be changed to err on the side of formality. If you do not know the name of the person doing the hiring then you should start with “Dear Sir/Madam,” this is a great way to set a professional tone from the get-go.
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Get to the point
Your cover letter is not the time to write a novel about yourself. Let the employer know why you are contacting them, what skills you have that make you the right person for this position, and where they can find more information about your work experience.
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Hit the highlights
Most job postings will give you very clear hints about the type of skills the desired candidate will have. If you have these skills, you should mention them – repeating the employer’s needs for the role and how you fill those criteria will make it clear that you are the right person for the job.
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Follow directions
Many potential employers will ask candidates to fulfil a specific request in their cover letter. This is designed to help them quickly weed through applications, and cull out those who are taking the “copy and paste” approach to submitting resumes. If you are asked to answer specific questions or include a keyword in your reply, make sure you do it. As an added bonus, calling out that they have requested this information is a great way to let them know you are about to make their hiring decision even easier.
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Close the sale
Make sure you let them know your availability for the position and invite them to contact you to discuss further. It is essentially a polite way to “ask for the job” and reinforce your enthusiasm for working with the employer.
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Reread, edit and consider
Before you click “send” take another look at the job description. Did you address all of their criteria in your cover letter? If you were the person hiring for this position, would your cover letter fit the bill? Does your profile and you portfolio support your application for this job? (If not, don’t apply!) Save your energy for a position that better suits your skills and abilities. If you are unsure, ask a friend to review the job posting and your cover letter, and listen carefully to their perspective – they might find a hidden gem that makes the difference in you landing the job.
Cover Letter Review Service
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Tips To Get Your Book Published?
If you are self-publishing, aim to produce a professional quality book. Read books and articles about successful self-publishing – books written by successful self-publishers. Consider hiring professional book editors, illustrators and book designers. Learn how to make your book available through normal print and electronic distribution channels. Learn how to publish smartly and economically so you do not waste your time, energy and money.
- Write every day until you reach “The End.”
- Remember: Good writing means re-writing.
- Read plenty of books in your genre.
- Visit websites and read articles and books about writing in your genre.
- Join writers’ groups whose memberships include traditionally (not only self-published) authors.
- Decide if you want to go for a big publishing house, a smaller press, or if you simply want to see your words in print and get some people to read it. Obviously, going big is the hardest. Big publishing houses can also be brutal and impersonal. A smaller press might give you more individual attention and support. And self-publishing will be the quickest and easiest way to print. Also, self-publishing an e-book can be relatively inexpensive and some writers have found a lot of success with this.
- Attend writers’ conferences where you can form relationships with writers and publishing industry professionals and have your manuscript critiqued by editors, agents and/or published authors.
- Before submitting your book to editors and agents, pay to have it edited by a professional editor – one who specialises in your genre and has helped authors land contracts.
- Seek out criticism. Take it with grace. Use it to improve your work.
- Learn how to pitch and submit your book to publishing house editors and agents.
- Think of the best book in your genre that you have read. Set out to make your book just as good, or better.
- Persist until you reach your goal.
- Create good karma. Whatever you learn about writing and publishing, pass it on.
- Don’t send a book out before it is ready. Even though on the back of many books it says “This is his/her first book” that’s a lie. It’s just his/her first published book.
- Write another book. The above steps to get your book published take a lot of time, so while you are going through all this, try writing another book or two. The more you write, the better you will get. Sometimes taking the focus off one book will help you come up with better revision ideas for that book.
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How To Get Your Journal Published
Writing clearly
There is no substitute for a good idea, for excellent research or for clean, clear writing. A journal article should be concise, straightforward and well defined. It is not a novel with subplots and flashbacks so should have a single, linear narrative line. Therefore, conveying a professional tone is important. Grammar mistakes or violations of style will give the impression that you are not being careful.
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Get a pre-review
Don’t send the manuscript to an editor until you have it reviewed with a fresh eye. Recruit two objective colleagues: one who is familiar with the research area, another who knows little or nothing about it. The former can provide technical advice, while the latter determine whether your ideas are being communicated clearly.
Many academic departments form reading groups to review each other’s work. After you’ve got that fresh critique of your work, listen to the pre-reviewers advice. If the reviewer did not really understand a particular page don’t just say that the reader did not read carefully – other people will be likely to make that same mistake. For a final check some editors suggest to use a professional manuscript proofreading service.
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Send you manuscript to the right journal
Many rejections are the result of manuscript-journal-mismatch, a discrepancy between the submitted paper and the journals scope or mission. Consider the papers that regularly appear in the journal before you submit a paper to it. A major faux pas is submitting your manuscript simply to get it reviewed. This is not a good idea because it wastes editors’ time, and those who reject it from the journal may also be the ones who have to review the paper when it’s submitted to a different journal.
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Work on your cover letter
Many authors don’t realise the usefulness of cover letters. In addition to stating “here it is” and that the paper conforms to ethical standards the letter can contain the authors rationale for choosing the editor’s journal – especially if it is not immediately apparent. The letter can also suggest reviewers for your manuscript, especially in the case of a field that an editor is not well-versed in. The flip side is also acceptable: Authors can suggest that certain people not review the manuscript for fear of potential bias.
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Don’t panic
The overwhelming majority of initial journal manuscripts are rejected at first. To get a lot of publications, you also will need to get lots of rejections. Only a small proportion, 5 – 10 percent – are accepted the first time they are submitted. Moreover, usually they are only submitted subject to revision. Since most papers are rejected from the start, the key is whether the journal editors invite you to revise it.
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10 Tips For Learning To Speak English
Practising speaking is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of learning English. Once you can speak even a little English, there are many ways to improve your skills quickly while having tons of fun. Here are ten top tips for improving your spoken English and having a great time while you do it!
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Speak, speak, speak!
Be confident and speak as often as possible, to as many people as you possibly can! Do not be shy to make mistakes! The more you practise the better and more confident you will become in your pronunciation and vocabulary. Remember, speaking is a skill like learning a musical instrument or a new sport – the only way you can get good is to actually do it!
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Use technology
A smartphone can be a powerful tool for learning languages. Use it to record yourself speaking then listen back to see how your English sounds to other people. Make the most of all your favourite productivity apps to organise your practise time and make a note of all the new words you learn.
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Listen
Listen to news bulletins and songs in English to listen to the pronunciation of words. You can also learn new words and expressions this way. The more you listen, the more you learn! Try copying what you hear to practise your pronunciation and learn which words in a sentence are stressed.
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Read out loud
Read the newspaper or a magazine out to yourself. You could even find a script for your favourite TV show and act it out. This is a great way to practise pronunciation because you only need to concentrate on making sure your English sounds great and don’t need to worry about sentence structure or grammar.
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Learn a new word every day
Choose a word you would like to work on and practise it in different sentences. Use the word until you have learnt it and keep using it regularly.
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Watch films
Watch movies in English and pay attention to new vocabulary and pronunciation. Imitate the actors and have fun with it.
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Make friends
Make friends with English speakers or others learning to speak English and compare notes. Talk about things you have learnt and exchange ideas.
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Do interesting activities in English
Take a cooking course in English or join a book club! Anything you enjoy doing, make sure you do it and communicate it in English. Using English to talk about things you enjoy will make practising a positive experience.
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Have a debate
Debate all the topics that interest you with friends in English. Try to use as much vocabulary as you can to get your point across and listen to the other arguments carefully so you can argue against them effectively.
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Use a dictionary
Online dictionaries often have audio examples so you can check your pronunciation and there are lots of great dictionary apps that you can take everywhere with you on your smartphone. Make sure not to become too reliant on these tools, though. Have a go at saying the words first then check afterwards to see if you were right!
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Proofreading Services For Students
Professional Academic Proofreading Services
Express Proofreading offers a professional proofreading and editing service for students, international students, as well as research students. We cover all academic disciplines and match your work to an editor with the relevant background and experience in your subject area. We are able to proofread a wide variety of academic writing including:
- essays,
- dissertations,
- journal articles,
- conference papers,
- research proposals,
- scientific material,
- PhD theses.
Qualified & Experienced Academic Editors
Our academic proofreading services are of the highest quality, all of our academic editors have the highest levels of expertise. As minimum we ensure that all of our academic proofreaders and editors hold Masters/PhD qualifications from leading British universities. As well as having extensive experience in the field of academic proofreading services.
Comprehensive Academic Proofreading Services
Due to our expertise we are able to ensure that your work is free from spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. We also check syntax, sentence structure and are able to recommend improvements and suggestions that are relevant to your work. We will also check that your tables and footnotes are accurate and consistent with your bibliography.
It is fundamental that academic writing is clear, coherent and is grammatically accurate. This will assist the reader in ensuring that they are able to understand the points that you are making. It will also create a positive, professional, academic tone to your writing. Moreover, this will also aid an examiner who is marking your work to understand the points that you are making. Consequently awarding you with higher marks.
Over the years we have helped many students and academics improve their writing. From students to professors. Often when proofreading your own writing errors begin to go unnoticed due to your engrossment in the content. We are able to take a fresh look at your work and ensure that your work is free from any such errors. We have many success stories of students achieving significantly higher marks due to our academic proofreading services.
Academic Proofreading Services For International Students
If you are an international student, you can rest assured that our editors have the necessary experience and expertise to proofread your work. We will ensure that it reads grammatically correct, and flows well. We understand that writing in a second language can have its challenges. This is exacerbated when writing academic work. Therefore, we take a fresh look at your work and ensure that your grammar, syntax and style of work is in line with what is expected.
Instant Quote & Easy, Secure Order Process
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Student Essay Writing Guide
The basic steps
When writing an essay, the planning stage is just as important as the writing itself. Deciding what information you would like to go into the essay. As well as how to structure this information to be most readable is extremely important when you are writing an essay, as it enables you to set out your arguments in a clear and logical manner. As long as you know the basic steps of essay writing, you should be well equipped to handle any essay topic.
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Determine what type of essay it is
There are many different types of essays you might be asked to write throughout your school career. Some of the most common include, narrative, expository, argumentative, persuasive, comparative and literary. Are you present or telling a story (narrative) or are you providing an analysis (expository)? Do you have to convince the reader to adopt a certain point of view or to take particular action (persuasive)? Are you writing an essay about a book you read (literary)? Determining the type of essay is the first step to writing a targeted essay.
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Create an essay outline
An essay outline is your road map. It will guide you through to the finished product. When you create an outline, you organise your thoughts about your topic. First, write your topic at the topic of the page. Then list all the points or arguments you want to make about the essay topic. Finally, list the facts, examples and statistics that support those points or arguments.
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Develop a thesis statement
Your thesis should inform the reader what point you will be making or what question you will be answering about the topic. In other words, it is a prelude to your conclusion. A thesis statement should be as specific as possible and address one main idea. Strong theses also take a stand or illustrate the controversial nature of a topic.
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Introduce your topic
The first paragraph of your essay will introduce your topic and provide direction for the entire essay. The introduction should discuss your main idea, or what the essay is about. Then state your thesis and points or arguments that support your thesis.
The introduction also sets the tone for your essay, and you want to grab the reader’s attention with interest and clarity. To capture the reader’s attention, you can make a challenging claim about the topic or present some surprising (but factual) information.
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Write the body of the essay
The body of the essay provides details for the points in your introductory paragraph that supports your thesis. Take the points you listed in your introduction and discuss each in one body paragraph. First, write a topic sentence that summarises your point then explain why you feel the topic sentence is true. Finally, support your argument with evidence such as facts, quotes, examples and statistics.
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Present your conclusion
The conclusion summarises the essay and gives the reader closure. In three or four concise sentences, you should reiterate your thesis and review the main points of the body of the essay. Just be sure not to restate your previous words exactly. You can even briefly describe your opinion of the topic. Your final sentence should uphold your main idea in a clear and compelling manner.
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Express Proofreading Glasgow
Proofreading Glasgow
Express Proofreading Glasgow is a leading proofreading and editing service. We provide a professional proofreading and editing service for students and to businesses. We offer a variety of services from proofreading and editing, content creation to application and CV review services. Placing an order with us is easy, simply click the Instant Quote button below, and then proceed to our secure checkout page.
Academic Proofreading Service
Express Proofreading Glasgow is a specialist proofreading service. Specialising in academic proofreading and editing services for students. We cover all academic disciplines and match your work to an editor with the relevant background and experience in your field. For more information please visit our Academic Proofreading page. Alternatively, to obtain an instant quote, visit our Instant Quote page.
Business Proofreading Service
Express Proofreading Glasgow is an English proofreading service offering a comprehensive, professional business proofreading service. Our proofreading service can help businesses across a variety of different sectors and industries from small businesses, governmental departments, Universities, banking and financial institutions to novelists. Once your order is placed your document is assigned to an editor with the relevant background and experience in your industry. For more information please visit our Business Proofreading page. Alternatively, to obtain an instant quote, visit our Instant Quote page.
Content Creation Service
Express Proofreading Glasgow also provides original content creation, our team of editors and writers have years of experience in writing content for new websites and maintaining and developing brands via the use of online blogging to promote brands. We offer two levels of content creation services;
- Website Content Creation
- Online blogging
For more information about our content creation service and how to place an order, please visit the Content Creation page, or contact a member of our team.
Qualified & Experienced Editors
Our proofreading service is of the highest quality, all of our editors have the highest level of expertise. As a minimum we ensure that all of our editors hold Masters/PhD qualifications, from leading British universities, and have extensive experience in proofreading.
Our Company
Our company was established with the primary aim of providing a professional, reliable and streamlined proofreading service to students, academics and to businesses. Our comprehensive and professional proofreading service means that we can offer a wide variety of services and offer our services at varying turnaround times to meet your needs.
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