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How to Write a Winning UCAS Personal Statement 2nd
Revised edition Edition Ian Stannard Digital Instant
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Author(s): Ian Stannard
ISBN(s): 9781844552252, 184455225X
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Year: 2010
Language: english
HOW TO WRITE HOW TO WRITE HOW TO WRITE
A WINNING A WINNING A WINNING
UCAS PERSONAL
STATEMENT UCAS PERSONAL UCAS PERSONAL
STATEMENT STATEMENT I
an Stannard is the Head of Careers and Higher
Education at Christ’s Hospital School in
This new guide provides students with
Sussex, an independent mixed boarding
invaluable first-hand guidance on how to
Stuck on how to start your UCAS personal statement? school which sends 95% of pupils a year to higher
impress university admissions tutors and create

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

HOW TO WRITE A WINNING
Need to know how to wow admissions tutors?
education. Ian is responsible for the school’s UCAS,
a personal statement that will help them win a
CUKAS, Oxbridge and overseas applications.
place at the university of their choice. Writing a brilliant UCAS personal statement is vital to win you a place on the
course of your choice; you need to get it perfect to beat the competition!

This best-selling guide is full of advice straight from the admissions tutors
themselves ensuring you keep clear of the rejection pile to secure your
Other titles in dream place at uni.
the series:
Find out:

What a winning personal statement Which classic mistakes you

looks like – and how to write one MUST avoid
How to tailor the perfect personal The best way to show off
statement for your chosen subject your skills.
INSIDER’S GUIDE
TO APPLYING TO
UNIVERSITY This book is an absolute must-read for anyone
ISBN: 978-1-84455-181-1 wanting to write a winning UCAS personal
Price: £12.99
£12.99
statement and get onto a fantastic university
course of their choice.

GETTING INTO
THE UK’S BEST
UNIVERSITIES
& COURSES
ISBN: 978-1-84455-179-8
Price: £12.99

SECOND EDITION IAN STANNARD

 HOW TO WRITE A
WINNING UCAS
PERSONAL STATEMENT
IAN STANNARD
2ND EDITION

3114_FM.indd i 2/25/10 3:24:31 AM

 How to Write a Winning UCAS Personal Statement

This second edition published in 2010 by Trotman Publishing, an imprint

of Crimson Publishing, Westminster House, Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey
TW9 2ND

© Trotman Publishing 2008, 2010

First edition published 2008

Reprinted 2009, twice

Author: Ian Stannard

Designed by Andy Prior

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-84455-225-2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in

a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic and
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of
Trotman Publishing.

Typeset by IDSUK (DataConnection) Ltd

Printed and bound by in Italy by LEGo SpA

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 HOW TO WRITE A
WINNING UCAS
PERSONAL STATEMENT

Contents

PREFACE v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS viii

PART ONE Introduction 1

CHAPTER ONE No short cuts! 7

CHAPTER TWO Why go to university in the first place? 13

CHAPTER THREE What course to study and where? 25

CHAPTER FOUR Your Personal Statement: getting started 31

CHAPTER FIVE How to avoid a poor Personal Statement 37

CHAPTER SIX The first section: your choice of subject 43

CHAPTER SEVEN The second section: the subjects you are

currently studying 51

CHAPTER EIGHT The third section: your extracurricular

interests and achievements 55

CHAPTER NINE The final polish 59

CHAPTER TEN CUKAS: How to apply to music

conservatoires 61

CHAPTER ELEVEN Answers to frequently asked questions 67

iii

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 HOW TO WRITE A WINNING UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

PART TWO Academic profiles 75

Accounting 76
American studies 81
Archaeology and anthropology 88
Biological sciences 90
Business, banking, management and
actuarial science 95
Classics 100
Computer science 106
Drama and theatre studies 110
Engineering (civil) 114
English 118
Environmental science 122
Fine art and art foundation 127
Geography 134
Geology 139
History 145
Journalism 148
Law 153
Mathematics 157
Medicine 160
Midwifery 164
Modern languages 168
Music 172
Nursing 175
Oceanography 179
Performing arts 184
Philosophy 189
Physics 191
Physiotherapy 197
Podiatry 201
Psychology 206
Sports and exercise science 212
Theatre and performance design and
technology 216
Tourism management 221
Veterinary science 223

PART THREE Further information 227

Good university guides 228
Alternative guides 229
General guides to subjects and course
requirements 229
Websites 230

iv

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 PREFACE

ince the first edition of this book was published the world of higher

S education has moved on and the world has experienced the most
significant global recession since the 1930s. A surge in university
applications is putting extra pressure on applicants to achieve top grades in their
exams. In the last application cycle there was an 8% increase, numbering about
42,000 students, in applications for full-time study at university – the biggest
rise in eight years. The recession and rising unemployment were cited as prime
factors in the late surge. The high number of applications will mean that pupils
who are offered places on popular courses, or at prestigious universities, who
do not attain their predicted grades will have less room for manoeuvre. It also
means that the quality of the application will need to be first class in order to
secure an offer in the first place.

2010 will also see the introduction of the new A* mark at A level. This has been
introduced to help the universities discriminate between able and very able
students. Too many students are now leaving with A grades, making the job of
choosing the best students all the more difficult at top universities.

It remains the case that the Personal Statement is a pivotal part of any good
application and for that reason the advice in this book has been updated to
ensure that all the inside information is current and accurate. We have added
journalism to the list of subject profiles, together with accounting, history of art,
and sports science, and included a new FAQ section which will help anyone who
is filling in the new-style UCAS application form.

I was delighted at the success of the first edition and hope that this updated
edition builds upon that success and helps you gain the place at university that
you covet.

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 HOW TO WRITE A WINNING UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

It has been a privilege to work so closely with hundreds of young aspiring

undergraduates over the last decade. Education reforms have come and gone,
yet the essential principles of success remain the same. If you work hard at
what you enjoy, take care to present yourself enthusiastically and articulately,
and take the time to think about what you want from life, you will not go
far wrong. Applying to university is not an exact science. Choices about
where to study, what to study and whether to study are essentially personal.
These personal choices will be influenced by your parents’ aspirations, your
background, your friends and your teachers. However, when push comes to
shove, the choices you make are your own and your need to take responsibility
for them.

You therefore need to be informed. This information also needs to be informed

by current experience and reality, not ‘what it was like in my day’! This is the
purpose of this book and why I felt moved to write it. It will help you write a good
Personal Statement and so present a good winning application to a university
admissions panel. The advice in it is current and – importantly – driven by the
experts, the admissions tutors who will read your application. They are the
‘gatekeepers’ who ultimately decide your fate. It is their views that count most in
this competitive process.

My own views have been coloured by working at one of the UK’s ancient
schools, Christ’s Hospital, for the last decade or so. Although it is an
independent school, with able students, it remains one of the few ‘needs blind’
public schools in the UK. If we assess that a pupil has potential for greater
things, we take that pupil and ask the parents to pay a fee that is commensurate
with their ability to pay, which means that some may pay nothing. This is
because the school is allied to one of the oldest educational charities in the UK
and still remains true to its ethos, an ethos that was developed during the reign
of Edward VI. As a result I teach pupils from all walks of life. Some are first-time
applicants from their family to seek higher education and tick all the ‘widening
participation’ boxes. Others are sons or daughters of Oxford graduates who
bring their own unique problems to solve.

This mix has meant that I have dealt with the full range of issues that can
arise in this area and have an idea what it is students and parents new to this

vi

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 PREFACE

process want and need to know. The Personal Statement is for many the
scariest part of the application. It need not be so and this book will help to ease
you through this part of the form so that you end up with something of which
you can be proud.

Ian Stannard
March 2010

vii

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

would like to thank a variety of people who have assisted me in the

I completion of this new edition. Writing is a process that I love but it is

collaborative and without that collaboration would be impossible.

Let me start with the universities that have offered of their time and support.
One of the major advantages that this book has is that it is written using material
provided by the supplier – namely the departments who look to recruit new
undergraduates. This inside knowledge means that it is not just about what
I think but also about what they think too, which is far more important! Each
department is mentioned by name in the book but I would like to thank Caroline
Dimbleby at Essex in particular for her help. I am also grateful to Godfrey
Cooper, my father-in-law, whose advice and proofreading is most gratefully
received and to Alison Yates and her team at Trotman whose patience and
professionalism makes the process far less stressful.

Finally, thanks to my wife, Jenny, and two children, Harry and Emily, to whom
this book is dedicated, who put up with me working late at night and playing
with the computer when I could be doing something else! Without Jenny’s
support in particular none of this would be possible.

viii

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 PART ONE
INTRODUCTION

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 HOW TO WRITE A WINNING UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

The Personal Statement is a crucial part of

the UCAS form: a marketing tool for your
interests, talents, and accomplishments.
QUEEN MARY’S, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

he Personal Statement is probably the most important piece of

T writing that most students aiming to gain entry in higher education will
complete outside of an examination hall. In an increasingly competitive
marketplace, the supply of good courses in many areas of study is outstripped
by demand. The result is that for some highly competitive courses, such as
psychology, medicine, law, English, social work and physiotherapy the number
of applicants can exceed supply by ten times.

Most universities do not have the resources to interview all good candidates.
Indeed, you are unlikely to be interviewed unless you are applying to Oxford or
Cambridge or for a medical course. Instead they rely principally on four pieces of
information when deciding whether to offer the applicant a place:

1 the student’s academic record so far and their current academic profile:
are they studying A levels, International Baccalaureate or an equivalent
qualification?
2 the student’s Personal Statement
3 the academic reference provided by the school or college
4 the predicted grades that the school or college provides.

My experience of talking to many current admissions tutors is that they look

first at the academic record and second, the Personal Statement. They do look
carefully at predicted grades and the academic reference, but increasingly they
base their opinion on the actual GCSE and AS grades achieved to date and the
quality of the Personal Statement. Since the decision was made to make the
academic reference ‘open’ rather than confidential, the references that were
once candid are now increasingly bland or unwilling to say anything that might
undermine the success of an application.

This point is tellingly made in a comment received from an admissions tutor at

Nottingham University:

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 PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

We are somewhat concerned about some tutors

overselling their students, exaggerating their
predicted grades and abilities of the candidate so as to
get them a good university place. Where the expected
performance can be demonstrated or justified (for
example, with overall grades or an upward trajectory
in performance) the student’s case is improved. This is
especially important where predicted performance and
current or previous performance appear to differ.

Therefore, wake up and smell the coffee! It is hard to get a place at a good
university and it appears to be getting harder every year. An unprecedented
surge in applications by young people to start higher education in the UK in
September 2009 has seen the number of British candidates rise by 10% from
last year. Applications from the rest of the European Union are rising even more
quickly, up by 16.4%.

Malcolm Grant, the Provost of University College London, was quoted in

the national press in June 2009 as saying:

We have never seen anything like the upsurge in

applications, It is across all sectors, postgraduate,
international and even our conventional UK and EU
undergraduate applications. EU students have to be treated
the same. There is a crowding out possibility – if you take
an EU student it is a place that is not available to a UK
student. We get superb overseas students, especially
from France and Germany, and we must treat them on
the same basis and offer them places on the same basis.
They turn up here and they are dead keen to have come
to London on their own initiative. They have studied
English in a formal way and are pretty impressive.

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 HOW TO WRITE A WINNING UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

But with applications at record levels, many students have been disappointed.
The proportion of applicants failing to get a place has risen. While the
UCAS statistics do not specifically indicate how many UK applicants were
disappointed, they show 156,315 applicants either withdrew their application or
were unsuccessful in finding a university place. In 2008, 130,786 applications
were in this category – 25,529 fewer than in 2009.

It is therefore vital that you follow these basic rules of thumb.

Your UCAS application must be handed in on time and be free from

errors. There is a school of thought that says that an early application gives
an applicant an edge. This depends on the policy of the university. Some offer
places throughout the application cycle (normally September to mid-January)
and others operate what is known as a ‘gathered field’ approach and wait until
the closing date. However, in my experience most will offer a good candidate a
place as soon as they read the application. So an early application cannot do
any harm. Don’t forget that Oxford, Cambridge, medical, veterinary and dental
applications must be completed by 15 October.

Your Personal Statement must sell you in a way that is compelling,

engaging and well informed. A lazy approach to this key document is fatal,
particularly if you are applying to a course that is oversubscribed. A busy
admissions tutor is looking for a reason to reject you as much as to offer you a
place! In the real world, tutors will face a large pile of applications knowing that
they are going to have to whittle them down to a shortlist. Don’t give them an
excuse to bin yours because of a poor statement.

Your reasons for applying must be good. Your statement must point to
evidence that indicates that you understand the course content and have the
skills to thrive in their department. This means taking time to do the research
properly before doing anything else. I cannot emphasise this enough. You are
fortunate to live in a world where up-to-date information can be accessed easily
via the internet. Take the time to decide what you want to study, and why, with
due care and attention. You cannot write a winning application and statement
without understanding your enemy!

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 PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

It is a myth that the statement is the hardest thing to write, although in my

experience it is what causes 50% of the heartache. The other 50% is deciding
what to study and where. Making decisions is tough and for many of you this
is the first time you will be making a major educational decision without your
parents being at the centre of the process. You should consider their advice,
together with the advice gained from books such as this, your teachers,
university prospectuses and your friends. However, in the end it is you who
sign and send the form to UCAS. You must therefore take responsibility for its
success and failure.

Do not despair. I am a strong believer in the phrase ‘keep it simple, stupid’ or

KISS for short! This is the purpose of this book. I aim to make the process of
deciding what and where to study and writing your statement less painful and
more fulfilling. I have worked with thousands of students applying to universities
all over the UK and have read more Personal Statements than I care to admit.
If you follow the advice in this book, you will be well on the way to producing a
statement and application that will win you the offer you want.

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3114_Text.indd 6 2/25/10 3:23:46 AM
 CHAPTER ONE
NO SHORT CUTS!

ou cannot write a good Personal Statement in isolation. The

Y information you need to write it well is only gathered by careful

research. This takes time but it is time well spent.

Think of the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘where’ questions that we often ask ourselves.
You need to find out what you want to study, why this subject motivates
you and then consider where you want to study. A common theme in all the
conversations I have had with admissions tutors is that four things are vital:

that you know what you really want from a university course
that you can sell your enthusiasm for the subject you have chosen
clearly and with confidence
that you know what academic grades the departments are looking for:
be brave but also realistic
that the location you choose suits your personality and wider interests.

This is where the academic profiles (starting on page 75) will be so useful to
you. Each one takes a different subject area and lets you know what studying
that subject may be like, the qualities they look for in a good candidate, what to
write and what to avoid in your Personal Statement and other tips to make your
application stand out from the crowd. These were all written in collaboration
with real admissions tutors and therefore do represent an inside guide to how to
impress a busy academic tutor.

Here are some extracts from a range of subjects to whet your appetite!

This is what a tutor at Queen Mary’s, University of London has to say about the
skills or attributes that they look for in a good applicant for English:

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 HOW TO WRITE A WINNING UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

Admissions tutors will always consider the level of

attainment in GCSEs and predicted grades for A
levels first of all. Many English courses now demand very
high grades, simply due to supply and demand. It is not
at all uncommon for candidates to be made offers of AAB
or higher. Equally, it is not unusual for candidates to be
rejected from one or more of their preferred universities.
However, it is also possible to get into English courses
with lower grades. Do your research carefully!

The Personal Statement and school reference

are then read for any signs that interest in
English is not just a narrow product of quite enjoying
it at A level. Tutors would hope to see indications of
longstanding enjoyment, and an understanding that
English at university will not be like three more years
of A level English, but will be more demanding and
unpredictable. We want to see evidence of wide reading
and an appreciation of different literary genres.

Good applicants demonstrate excellent academic

potential, demonstrated by their strong A level or
equivalent grades, and enthusiasm for further study. They
show good time management and teamwork skills; the
one to manage independent study successfully, the other
to work co-operatively in seminars and group projects.

All this information needs to be included in your Personal Statement or academic

reference!

Here are some comments on what makes for a good Personal Statement for a
potential physiotherapist from an admissions tutor at Brighton University.

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 CHAPTER ONE: NO SHORT CUTS!

It’s really helpful if you have observed some

physiotherapy sessions, to briefly describe your
experience and explain why you would like to study it.
You really need to describe something more varied than
a personal experience of receiving physiotherapy – which
shows that you have made an effort to see different
aspects of physiotherapy – or at least have plans to
broaden your understanding. Many departments
do not look favourably at an overemphasis on
sport. Most physiotherapists work in hospital
settings and do not get involved in any form of
sports-related injury or rehabilitation.

It’s always good to hear about your activities

beyond the academic, particularly if you are
interested in continuing them at university. Try and show
a range of interests other than sport. We are interested
in music, drama and other extracurricular pursuits,
especially if they show evidence of individual leadership
or teamwork skills. If you have had a job or done
voluntary work make sure you explain something positive
about the experience of interacting with people.

Try and find a balance between self-promotion,

explaining your recent experiences of work, social
activities and school achievements. Overemphasis on
any of these elements can skew your statement.

You can read an example of a successful Personal Statement in Part Two.

SUMMARY
A good Personal Statement is one that is written at the end of an exhaustive
research process. Students who are right for the course, who have understood

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 HOW TO WRITE A WINNING UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

the demands of the subject and are ready to take on the challenge write winning
Personal Statements.

Weak Personal Statements are under-prepared, written in a hurry and without

the zeal that is evident when an applicant knows what they want and promotes
themselves with confidence.

Before you even start to write your Personal Statement you need to ask yourself
some searching questions and be prepared to work hard to find the answers.
Good applications are often successful applications, and successful applications
are informed and enhanced by good research.

What I mean by this is that when you send in your application, it is sent on the
assumption that you consent to UCAS passing it on. This consent implies that
you have done your research and not relied on hearsay! Too many students drop
out of university in their first year or change their course when they arrive, because
they were poorly informed from the outset. This is crucial, not least because it is
expensive to go to university and you don’t want to waste your money!

Informed consent is not easy. You need to devote a considerable amount of time
to this process to prepare a winning application and Personal Statement. The
bulk of a Personal Statement is a clear, convincing and enthusiastic statement
of why you are passionate about that subject you wish to read at university. This
passion and enthusiasm are hard to muster without a clear vision of what it is
that you are letting yourself in for!

One good way to start is to answer these questions – make notes that you can
refer back to later when we start to draft your statement.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

Why do you want to study that This is a key component of the first
subject and what evidence do part of your Personal Statement.
you have that your interest is
real and not superficial?

10

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 CHAPTER ONE: NO SHORT CUTS!

Where do you want to study and Admissions tutors want to know that
why? your reasons for studying a subject
at their university are based on good
grounds. Do you understand the
demands of the course or the type of
teaching and learning styles that you
will encounter? This is something that
ought to be addressed in a statement.

What do you know about the Emphasise these skills in your

skills and attributes that the statement.
admissions tutor is looking for
and how will you convince them
that you possess these key skills?

What evidence can you provide A good Personal Statement will

that supports your interest? This show evidence of wider reading or
evidence must be more than just participation in activities that support
a list of what you have done at and extend your knowledge and
A level. understanding of the course you have
applied for.

What do admissions tutors in Go to the profile section first and if

your area of interest look for in in doubt, email or telephone a tutor
a good statement? at a local university for advice. They
are keen to hear from potential
applicants, particularly those local to
the applicant’s home.
What have your studies so far This is another key part of your
taught you about the course you Personal Statement and may be
hope to apply for – for instance, included in the first or second section.
if applying to read chemistry,
what have you done at A level
or equivalent that sparked your
interest?

11

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 HOW TO WRITE A WINNING UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

What extracurricular activities This is what you write in the final part
do you undertake – do any of of a good Personal Statement.
them give evidence of personal
leadership, excellence or initiative?

What plans do you have post- This is something that you may
graduation or are you planning a allude to in the final section of your
gap year? statement.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about before you start your first draft. I will
start by asking you some questions about your motivation to study, your subject
interests and what skills you have that you hope to extend at university. I will ask
some searching questions that you may like to discuss with your family, friends
or schoolteachers. I will also point you in the direction of some excellent books,
websites and organisations that may help you in this initial process.

Only when you can answer all these questions are you ready to start the drafting
stage. I suggest that you divide your statement into three distinct parts, working
on each and then drawing them together at the end. Each part has its own
emphasis and importance and a chapter of the book is devoted to each part
in turn.

We start with some advice about research – why to do it, how to do it and where
to look for expert help and guidance.

12

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 CHAPTER TWO
WHY GO TO UNIVERSITY IN
THE FIRST PLACE?

n your parents’ lifetime, the number of students in full-time education

I post-18 has risen significantly. The government wants 50% of the

British population to undertake higher education – this is far higher
than the figures that attended in the past. In the 1980s, less than 20% of the
population attended a British university. The increase in demand has brought
with it its own problems. In the 1980s there was a large grant cheque at the
start of the term for many; most students would eat well in the college refectory
and drink enormous quantities of beer in the college bar. As soon as the money
started to run out it was soup and a roll in the refectory and a beer that lasted all
evening!

The only way to secure more money was the benevolent bank manager, and
students who went overdrawn, as most students did without parental support,
were not always given extended credit! It was rare to see students with multiple
store cards and credit cards. There were few hardship funds, access to learning
funds and no advice and guidance on budgeting; equally, there were no tuition
fees either.

The debts and the numbers of students going to university were small but
rewards were high to this élite. Because of the limited supply of graduates,
employers were making highly attractive offers to students, and unemployment
after graduation was unheard of. It was a huge incentive to go to university
and, apart from modest borrowing from the bank or parents to supplement the
grant cheque, the loss of income when compared with those going straight into
employment after A levels was soon recouped from much higher starting salaries.

Today the financial implications of going to university and completing a three- or

four-year course are a serious issue calling for full and proper consideration and
consultation before you make the commitment.

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UNIVERSITY TODAY
The drive to increase the numbers entering higher education has resulted in
sustained growth of degree places during the past 20 years. Students have to
pay for their education and when they graduate it is becoming more difficult to
obtain the higher-paid graduate jobs that were the norm before.

From the academic year starting in October 2009, students will have to pay tuition
fees of £3,225 per year (compared to £3,000 per year in 2006) and students may
take out a loan of up to £6,928 per year to help with the extra expenditure.

Students are running up debts in the order of £18,000 to £20,000 at present

and with the increase in tuition fees and the continual use of credit cards, debts
in the order of £20,000 to £22,000 are more than likely.

The reality is that nobody knows exactly what debt students will have on leaving
university and for courses such as medicine, which has extended periods of
study before graduation, the debts are likely to be higher. This makes it all the
more important to keep a close eye on your finances by budgeting in order to
reduce debt.

For more information about student finance

UCAS website: www.ucas.com/students/studentfinance/

Ian Stannard and Godfrey Cooper, A 6th Former’s Guide to Money Matters,
ZigZag Education Publishers, http://Zigzageducation.co.uk

SO WHY GO?
Essentially the reasons for this are varied. Here are some of the factors that
students I have worked with have come up with.

To get a good job: most professional careers now have a recognised

graduate entry route. Although it is not imperative to get a degree to
get a good job, there is an assumption that graduates are more likely
to be employed. Of course, once you start your career, your success
or otherwise will depend on your ability to do the job. A degree is just
the key to the door; it does not always guarantee that you will enjoy
accelerated promotion.

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To please my parents: many parents live vicariously through their

children. In my experience they vary in their approach. Some parents
are too pushy and expect their children to go to university, as this was
their own experience. This is particularly true of parents who expect
their child to get a place at Oxbridge or medical school. Parents who
are non-graduates can be equally forceful about the need to get a
degree and realise the advantages of a degree in career progression.
All my friends are applying: this is another powerful pull towards
university. This is particularly the case when the student’s friends all
aspire to higher education.
To better myself: this group of students want to go to university to help
them enjoy a better life than their parents were able to give them. Evidence
does suggest that the most successful students at university will often
be those who had to fight hard to get in, perhaps against the odds, for a
variety of social or educational reasons. The Widening Participation model
was established to work with and encourage this cohort of students.
I am not sure what I want to do for a living: some students go to
university to put off the inevitable life choice. They are unsure of what
they want to do, so they go to university to give them more time to
consider their options.
My chosen career requires me to graduate: many degree courses,
for example medicine, nursing, engineering, law, physiotherapy and
veterinary science, are vocational and a degree qualification is an
essential first step.
To make more money: this is the most mercenary of all the motives
but probably lies at the heart of most students’ thoughts when
contemplating three more years in education. From the Labour Force
survey 2008, we are told that graduates in their twenties are likely to
earn around £6,000 per annum more than non-graduates, and around
76% more than non-graduates in their forties. This is also confirmed by
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
which found in an international survey that those with degrees in the UK
will earn on average 59% more than those without degrees.

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

You need to ask some more questions and take notes of your answers to refer
back to later on. These questions are often best debated with friends, family and

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 HOW TO WRITE A WINNING UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

teachers at your school or college. Don’t be afraid to ask the opinions of others
to help inform your own.

These are all important questions to answer before you start to write your
Personal Statement. They force you to look at yourself critically and assess the
real reason you want to stay in full-time education or perhaps not, and take
some time out.

Do you look forward to leaving school and beginning in

higher education?
Leaving school can be an exciting and scary prospect. The certainties of school
and college life are lost. You are used to a group of friends who you may have
known for years, rules you understand (even if you hate them!), teachers who
you understand how to manipulate and teaching styles that you are used to.
Starting again in a new institution, away from home for the first time and with all
the bills to pay yourself, can be daunting! Do not be afraid to express these fears
and talk them through. You are not alone – far from it!

Do you want to continue to study a subject that you are

studying at school or college?
Most students study a subject at university that is in some way linked to their
educational choices post-16. Even if you are not studying the subject directly,
such as English, chemistry or maths, many will choose a discipline that builds on
skills learnt at A level (or their equivalent): for instance, biochemistry or nursing,
which both build on science skills learnt at school. This is important to consider
when choosing the course.

How will you show this transfer of skills in your Personal

Statement?
Going to university is also the opportunity to do other subjects that you
are interested to explore but may not have done before. Subjects such as
archaeology, classics, philosophy, law, podiatry and management are open to
you in a way that they may not have been at school. Here, the admissions tutors
are not looking for evidence of existing A level knowledge, just potential and
latent interest. For example, the classics tutor at King’s College London makes
it clear that they do not look for classics or Latin at A level but rather for skills
picked up in most humanities or language courses:

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As a good classics (etc) applicant you will have

the same general skills and attributes as any good
humanities prospect: enthusiasm, self-motivation, a desire
to learn, an appetite both for different perspectives and
for challenging questions. The King’s College London
admissions team hope to see applicants who enjoy
independently exploring new topics, whether in the library,
the museum, or the field; people who want to engage with
new problems and techniques, and to get behind the clichés
of mass-media versions of ancient myth and conflict.

Do you want to live away from home?

Unlike in mainland Europe, UK students have traditionally moved away from home to
study post-18. This is a trend that seems to be in modest decline, with an increasing
number of students choosing to live in their home towns. This is particularly true of
undergraduates from poorer families with little history of higher education. Reasons
for this vary, but the financial advantage of home life is one major factor. It can cost
in excess of £120 per week to live in a hall of residence in London, which is a major
expense for most students starting a degree course. That said, my strong advice is
to live in halls of residence in the first year if at all possible. Living at home in the first
year can make it hard to make friends and will cramp your style!

Are you willing to pay for this opportunity and what is your
attitude to debt?
It is not cheap to study at university. There are a number of costs that need
to be met and for most students there is a shortfall between the income they
receive from grants, bursaries and loans and the total cost of living. However,
the advantages of a university degree are significant and money should not put
anyone off giving it a try. Do consider the cost of living when looking at location. It
is far more expensive to live and study in London than Hull! You will learn to live in
debt as a student but this is quite manageable if you follow some simple tips.

Learn to budget: look at your outgoings (spending habits) and look

at your income. As much as possible try not to leave too big a gap
between the two.

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Avoid credit cards and store cards: these are often a disaster for
students and can lead to major problems, including court action, if you
cannot make the payments. I know more than one former student who
cannot get a mortgage now because of credit card debt when they
were at university. This is real life now, not school rules and detentions!
Expect to have to get a job in term time and in the holidays. This is
true unless you are applying to Cambridge or Oxford where the short
terms and high workload make it inadvisable to get a part-time job in
term time. Colleges have funds to help students in need.
Keep a check on your spending on luxuries, including alcohol and
fast food. Try to learn to cook for yourself as this is almost always
cheaper than pre-cooked microwave meals. It is also sometimes
cheaper to live in catered halls as the food is provided for you. As long
as you eat it, this will cut your bills!
Avoid unnecessary expenditure such as car insurance. Cars at
university rarely make sense unless absolutely necessary. You become
a taxi service!
Make sure that you have personal insurance away from home and
that you get a TV licence if you have a TV in your room. A hefty bill
after a fire, or a fine after a visit from the TV licence van, is not in most
students’ budget plans!

A small number of my former students have made all these mistakes in the last
few years. For good advice, consult one of the many good guides to student
money available in the shops or online.

Are you an independent learner?

All my research indicates that the ability to show evidence of this skill is vital. If
possible, mention your independent learning in the statement with evidence to
support your claim.

The learning and teaching style at school is very different from that at university.
There is a lot more emphasis on personal learning and initiative. This lack of
direction and teacher contact is often a major source of disappointment for new
undergraduates. Admissions tutors are looking for evidence in the Personal
Statement that you have the drive and personal initiative to cope in this sort of
environment. To give you an example, here is an extract from a profile written

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by admissions tutors at Surrey University and Durham University, both of which

admit students into modern language courses.

Most language courses are taught using a variety

of different methods. Some lectures are conducted
either in English or a foreign language. These would
normally be lectures to support modules in history,
business or law for instance. They would also see students
in small seminars, where the language was spoken and
discussions take place about literature, politics or current
affairs. Students are also encouraged to give presentations
in the foreign language. Departments also use language
laboratories and audiovisual material, from films to foreign
documentaries. In most departments, including Birmingham
and Surrey, teaching methods therefore aim to promote
‘student-centred learning’. This means that they encourage
you to be responsible for your own learning and for the
organisation of your work, and to set high standards and
goals, such as near-native competence in your target
languages. The role of the teacher in this process is
to encourage and support you, to guide your learning
and to engage in an exchange of ideas with you.

How would you show these skills in your Personal Statement?

Do most of your friends expect to go to university and do

your parents want you to continue in full-time education?
Your friends and parents will not have to do the work you are asked to do at
university. By all means listen to them but be yourself. You cannot just do what
others want you to do. If your gut feeling is that you need time away from full-
time education before applying, then take that time. Taking a gap year is one
way of giving you this space to think. However, I would normally suggest that
unless you are dead set on not going to university, you apply for a deferred
place (you take a gap year before you start) rather than apply post-A level.

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Are you clear about the career you want to pursue and do
you expect to have to get a degree to start this career?
Some careers such as medicine, architecture, nursing and engineering require
vocational degree qualifications. Your Personal Statement needs to show
evidence of your commitment to these careers before you apply. Have you
completed work experience and if so, what did you learn? Have you taken time
to speak to practitioners or even worked for companies in that industry part
time?

What reasons might you have for not going to university?

Think about what you might do if you do not go to university. Are you
going for good reasons? If not, and you are not committed to a course,
this will show in a Personal Statement that lacks clarity and personal
enthusiasm.

Are you the first person in your immediate family to consider

going to university?
The government is very keen, as are most universities, to recruit more students
from currently under-represented backgrounds. Research suggests that
students who meet these criteria are less likely to apply:

students whose family is from socio-economic groups III to V (this

means that your parents work in semi-skilled manual/non-manual jobs
or unskilled jobs or are unemployed)
people with disabilities
mature students: students who are over 23 years old
people from certain ethnic minorities.

If you think you are a student from one or more of these backgrounds, you
may qualify for additional support in preparing your application from university
‘widening participation’ officers. They often run taster courses, advice clinics
and other incentives to encourage you to apply. If in doubt, ask to speak to an
officer at one of the universities in which you are most interested. Cambridge
University has a special access scheme for students from these backgrounds.
It is worth applying through this entry scheme if you expect to be a student with
the potential to get in.

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Should students from these groups indicate this on their

application form or Personal Statement?
This struck me as an important question to ask the admissions tutors who
collaborated with this book. If there was an advantage to be had if you were
considered a widening participation applicant, this ought to be made clear in
your Personal Statement or academic reference.

The answers we received from the universities varied. Some were adamant
that they did not look at the socio-economic group at all. They simply
accepted pupils based on academic potential regardless of their background.
Others did look at the school to see what success it had when admitting
students, and this may favour a borderline candidate. A good candidate from a
school with little or no history of sending students to university would be given
extra credit.

Others advise you to be explicit if you are from a group that meets the
widening participation criteria. You should mention it if you are the first in your
immediate family to attend university or if you are in a family that is economically
disadvantaged. This is perhaps best done in the final paragraph of your Personal
Statement and this is what I encourage my students to do. The school should
also allude to this in their academic reference.

The following are direct quotes from a number of different university

departments.

The Institute of Archaeology very much supports

the Widening Participation agenda, and has
undertaken numerous activities to encourage applicants
from a wide range of backgrounds, including taster
days, masterclasses, and events in National Archaeology
Week. As a discipline, archaeology has traditionally
attracted a very broad spectrum of applicants,
including a high proportion of adult learners.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON

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We’ve always encouraged widening participation

and invite a large proportion of people who
apply to us to come to our auditions. It can be helpful
to see an explanation that someone has not had the
opportunities to take part in a range of acting roles
simply because of their personal circumstances.
This would not in any way debar from audition.
LIVERPOOL INSTITUTE OF PERFORMING ARTS

The University of Southampton’s approach

to widening participation is focused around
encouraging, recruiting and supporting people who
have the ability, enthusiasm and potential to succeed at
university, but who come from groups that are currently
under-represented in higher education and the University
of Southampton itself. The University also offers bursary
schemes to support its widening participation agendas,
meaning that one-third of its students receive a University
of Southampton Bursary. We do not currently take into
account in the admissions process whether or not a
student has a family history of higher education, with
the exception of the BM6 Medicine programme.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

All admissions tutors recognised that some issues that the applicant
may want to raise that were pertinent to the application may be too
private for a public document. Such issues could be expressed in a letter
sent direct to the admissions office of each university. Too few applicants
disclose this sort of information and this is detrimental to them and their
application. All letters sent would be considered in confidence. Such
letters should be supported by medical opinion, social work reports or other
third party agency testimonials, where such support is appropriate. (You are
advised not to mention anything in your Personal Statement that you would

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not want read by too many people – this is the beauty of the supplementary
letter.)

Note: these letters should not be sent until after the application has been sent
to UCAS and the applicant has received the letter of confirmation from UCAS.

Do you have any special educational needs?

In my 2009 survey, no university indicated that they were concerned about
special educational needs (SEN) disclosures. Such students will not be
prejudiced in any way and indeed they will find that extra support is available
to them when at university. There is no harm in mentioning in your Personal
Statement that you have a particular SEN, particularly if you have overcome this
and been successful.

From 2009, applicants were obliged to enter details about SEN on the UCAS
form, even if simply confirming that they had none.

What happens next?

The final stage of research before you start to write your statement considers the
two most important questions:

1 what should I study?

2 where should I study?

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 CHAPTER THREE
WHAT COURSE TO STUDY
AND WHERE?

efore you start making an application and writing your Personal

B Statement, I want you to take some time to consider what it is you

want to study and where. Many students just ‘end up’ at university
without giving any serious thought to the nature of the course and location.

First, write down your answers to the following questions – you will refer to them
again when you start to write your statement.

List at least four reasons why it is important for you to go to university

(in order of importance to you).
Have you a particular subject or course in mind?
If your answer is yes, can you write down some of the factors that
influence your choice? In particular, think about the skills or attributes
you possess that support your interest.
If your answer is no, can you at least isolate the skills you have that
you want to enhance and develop at university? These might include
literary, mechanical, design, mathematical, artistic or sporting skills. It is
clearly worthwhile playing to your strengths.
Have you a clear career path in mind? Will this career require any
qualifications that you can gain at university or college?
Do you want to live near your home or would you be willing to move
a long way away? Is location an important factor in your decision-
making?
Do you have a university in mind as your first choice? If so, what
reasons can you give that support this choice? Do you know that the
course requirements meet your expectations and academic potential?
What about the other choices? You can make up to five in total, unless
you are applying to medical, dental or veterinary school where you can
only apply for four.

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WHAT TO STUDY?
You need to really know yourself and know the departments you hope to persuade
to accept you. You must do your research and make it clear in the application and
your Personal Statement that you have done this thoroughly. As you will see in
the academic profiles, often admissions tutors refer to students applying with little
understanding of the demands of the course. These applications and Personal
Statements are more often than not consigned to the reject pile.

To research universities effectively, you can:

use the excellent UCAS website (www.ucas.com)

read books and websites (listed on pages 227–232)
carefully read the websites of the universities and take the chance to
visit them.

You will live there and study there for three years, so it is foolish to commit
without ever walking the streets of the town or peering into the libraries and halls
of residence.

THE UCAS WEBSITE

The UCAS website (www.ucas.com) is an excellent site, full of useful advice.
It has a comprehensive course search facility that allows you to access every
course that is offered in the UK through the UCAS system. It allows you to
compare courses and find out more about the nature of the courses.

Do use the course search facility as an initial sift. Look at the ‘entry profiles’ that
have been compiled by all the universities. These give a good insight into what
they are looking for in a good candidate.

STAMFORD TEST AND UCAS-ENDORSED

CENTIGRADE
The Stamford Test is a short questionnaire that can help to match your interests
and abilities to possible higher education subjects. Many students find this
extremely helpful when trying to make up their minds.

The test is extremely easy to use and I recommend that all my students do the
test as part of their research activity. To do it, you need to register with UCAS.

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Another popular and UCAS-endorsed test is ‘Centigrade’, which is designed

and promoted by Cambridge Occupational Analysts (COA). Centigrade goes
into much more detail, matching a student’s interests, current academic grades,
preferred degree subjects and likely range of UCAS tariff points scores to direct
them to up to eight course areas. Once you have answered the questionnaire,
COA will send you a detailed bound report with well-matched selections.
Centigrade can be completed online or using a paper questionnaire. The cost
is £20 for a full colour printed personal report (approx 48 pages). For further
information phone COA on 01362 688722 or go to www.centigradeonline.co.uk.

WHERE TO STUDY?
There will be many reasons why it is inappropriate or appropriate to apply to
a particular university – these include academic grade expectation, cost of
living, course content, proximity to home, graduate employment prospects and
location (rural vs. urban; campus vs. non-campus). All these factors need to be
teased out before you start to write your statement.

My students often ask what the right university is for them. Here is my answer
which I trust will help you compose your own. In short, the best university is the
one that best suits the individual student!

It is the university that offers you:

a course that is interesting: make sure that you apply for a course
that meets your needs and that equally you do not apply for a course
that does not. A Warwick admissions tutor remarked to me recently that
he was amazed at the number of students who simply applied because
of the ‘name’ of the university, rather than because the course suited
them. Such applicants often failed to gain a place as it was clear that
they had not done their research
a good quality of teaching: look at the information you can find on the
excellent Guardian Education website (http://education.guardian.co.uk).
League tables are not the be-all and end-all, but they are a good place
to start
a favourable geographical location
a realistic and achievable conditional offer: it is clearly not
appropriate to apply for a course where the expected grades

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significantly exceed your grade predictions and previous academic

record
a good graduate employment record: very important, particularly in
the current economic climate
a range of excellent facilities, not least affordable accommodation.

Choosing a course that is interesting and has good quality

teaching
When doing your research, the following tips are useful.

Check the research and teaching rating for the relevant course on the
latest league tables. League tables are a good place to start, but do not
reject those whose research rating is lower than four. Tables are useful
but they need to be treated as starting points, not ends in themselves.
The ‘premier league’ of the British university system includes the Russell
Group universities. They are the ones with the best research ratings
overall, the best reputation with employers (normally) and highest kudos.
Most commentators suggest that the following are the ‘premier league’
(not all are in the Russell Group): Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge,
Cardiff, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial, King’s London, Leeds,
Liverpool, LSE, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield,
Southampton, St Andrew’s, Sussex, UCL, Warwick and York.
The best course for you may not be at one of the so-called ‘best’
universities. You need to consider other factors, most notably
employment prospects, course content and location.
Look at some of the books available to help you such as Brian Heap’s
Choosing Your Degree Course and University. He does a lot of the
hard work for you, giving a brief summary of each institution and their
courses. It is updated every two years and published by Trotman. It is
not cheap, so look for it in a school, college or local library.
Ask for your own copy of all the relevant prospectuses. You can
order them via email by going to the universities’ websites. Online
prospectuses are also first-rate and are usually updated before each
admissions cycle. They can often provide more up-to-date information
than the expensive-looking paper copies. They also provide details
of open days and taster events. These ‘taster’ events are particularly
useful when preparing the first part of your Personal Statement.

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Further research opportunities

You will find many books, websites, magazines and prospectuses to help you
make these two vital decisions. My favourites are in the Further Reading section.

However, I am now going to assume that you have done the reading, asked
the questions and thought about your options. We shall now start to write your
statement that will hopefully be part of your passport to the course that you
crave!

FACTORS IN YOUR CHOICE

The right Do you want to live away from home? There are
geographical personal development factors to be gained when
location living away from home and this can prove significant
when seeking a job.

An offer that You need to balance optimism with pragmatism. Ask

realistically you yourself what you really expect to achieve and what
are going to evidence from past performance you can point to in
achieve your statement and academic reference to support
this. There is no point applying for a course that
you cannot reasonably expect to get into with your
predictions or subject profile.

A good If you are clear about what you want to do after

employment university, the subject must provide a suitable basis
record for recent for that career.
graduates

A range of The facilities offered by universities are similar: they

excellent will all have a library, a sports hall and careers service.
facilities, However, if you require a specialised facility, then this
including is a factor to consider. A climber is not advised to go
accommodation to East Anglia if he or she wants access to mountains!

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 CHAPTER FOUR
YOUR PERSONAL
STATEMENT: GETTING
STARTED

our Personal Statement is, I believe, the most important piece of writing

Y that you will complete outside of the examination hall. For that reason
alone, it is vital to take the time to get it right. Most universities in the UK
do not have the resources to select via interview. Cambridge interviews almost all
candidates whose applications are considered worthy of further exploration; Oxford
does the same in some subjects but ‘deselects’ between 20% and 25% of
applicants for some subjects. Other universities do interview, but they tend to be for
highly competitive courses, vocational courses such as medicine, veterinary
science or nursing. Artists and architecture applicants are often interviewed to
examine their portfolios, and drama and music students should expect an audition.

The application form is, therefore, the only medium that most students can use
to sell themselves. Note my use of the word ‘sell’. This is deliberate. The British
are often reluctant to sell themselves well: they think that it is either boasting,
evidence of an over-inflated ego or worse!

This is a mistake. You need to write in a way that is persuasive, emphasises your
strengths, minimises your weaknesses and essentially ‘sells’ you (the applicant)
to the reader (the admissions tutor). The admissions tutor is the ‘gatekeeper’
and if your statement is not engaging, undersells your achievements or is poorly
constructed then the tutor will be less inclined towards offering you a set of keys!

HOW DO THE UNIVERSITIES USE

YOUR STATEMENT?
The University of Leicester student support service suggests on its website that
your Personal Statement gives you the opportunity to:

help the university find out about you and your suitability for the course
they have to offer

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Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
Fred is not a doctor yet."

"Then we may keep him till he is a doctor. Is that what you

mean?"

"If you wish it. Of course, we would pay all his fees, or
whatever expenses there are; but we could not bear to
think that you, who have been so good to him—the truth is,
Lucy, we have talked this over several times, and we cannot
get further than this: he must stay in England to finish his
studies."

"That will be another year. When that year is over, Alick will
not be sorry to leave Edgestone. I will speak to him, and I
hope he will go out with Fred and settle in Gattigo."

"But you?" Janet said softly.

"I shall be at rest, my dear. It cannot last another year. Fred

has made all the brightness poor Alick has had in his life
since our boy died and my long illness began. It is only right
that Fred should go out to you, but it would be hard on Alick
to be left alone. I shall be happy about him now."

"I am sure of one thing—Dr. Wentworth will be Fred's first

thought," said Janet, earnestly. "And I am glad to know
your wishes. My husband cannot be absent from Gattigo
much longer, but this makes it possible to arrange matters."

"Tell me, Janet—I know you wrote to that dreadful woman,

Mr. Rayburn's stepmother—have you had an answer?"

"No; but I hope she will write. Poor, unhappy woman!"

"I hardly think she will. She must feel like a murderer."
"She never intended to drive the children to such an act—
they were so young that they did not understand. I think I
hear them at the door. Yes, here they all come, my poor Lily
looking so happy! The cousins at the Ferry Farm will be
jealous."

After this, it was an understood thing that Fred was to live

with the Wentworths until he had completed his medical
studies. His father and mother were obliged to return to
Canada, and the time they had fixed on drew near.

"Fred," said Janet to her husband, "I want you to leave

Edgestone one day before we need go to Liverpool, for—I
want to go to Hemsborough."

"Why, Janet?"

"I want to see Mrs. Rayburn. She has not answered my

letter, but I am sure she is very unhappy—though, indeed, I
tried to be gentle with her. Do you remember, in that first
letter—the one that told us that she had seen our boy—she
seemed to long sore to be forgiven?"

"Janet—how can we forgive her? You ask too much—I'm

only a man."

"Have we no need of forgiveness? And remember 'forgive

us, as we forgive.' Oh, dear Fred, you would not make that
prayer mean 'do not forgive, for I will not'?"

There was no resisting that argument. In a few days,

farewell was said to the Wentworths, and also to the little
grave, where now a marble cross bore Francis Rayburn's
true and full name, and after the date and notice of his age,
the words "Love is strong as death." Fred went with them,
intending to see them off, and then go to London to
continue his studies.
They went to Hemsborough, and walked from the railway
station to the Thompsons' house. They knocked and
inquired if Mrs. Rayburn were at home. The servant said—

"Mrs. Rayburn is not at all well. She keeps her room, and
sees nobody, ma'am."

"Please ask if she will see me," said Janet. "I am her
daughter-in-law."

The girl ran upstairs, and in a minute or so a lady came

down to speak to them. Janet recognized her as one of the
Thompson nieces of whom Mrs. Rayburn used to talk so
much.

"Mrs. Rayburn, my aunt is too ill to see any one but you,"
she began; "Mr. Rayburn must excuse her. Indeed, I have
had great work to persuade her to see you; she is in such a
state of nerves. She is very ill, and has been worse ever
since she had a letter from you."

Anna Thompson was looking curiously at the two young

people all this time. Janet turned to her husband.

"Will you go back to the station, Fred, or will you wait

here?"

"Come in and wait in the parlour. My mother is there," said

Miss Thompson. So they went to the parlour, while she took
Janet upstairs.

"My aunt is a very secret woman," she said. "We know she
has something on her mind, but she never talks of it. This is
her room."

She led Janet in, and, going over to the window, took up
some work that lay there, and sat down.
Mrs. Rayburn lay watching Janet with a strange gleam in
her eyes, but she did not speak. Janet went up to the bed.

"Don't you know me, Mrs. Rayburn?"

"I know you. Is Anna there? Anna, go away—I must see

Janet alone. Don't be angry, Anna—you're very kind, but I
must see Janet alone."

"Oh, certainly," said Miss Thompson, tossing her head. "I

just thought you might be faint, you know; but I'm sure I
don't want to stay."

And she left the room with her nose in the air.

"Janet, you are changed. You have a sad face now. You
never can forgive me?"

"I do forgive you, Mrs. Rayburn. I am sure you have

suffered dreadfully, and been very sorry—and we forgive
you, as we hope to be forgiven."

"Fred—Fred forgives me?"

"Yes; he is here—will you see him? Will you see my boy, and
Lily?"

"No, no. Ah! They may forgive, but I can never forgive
myself. I dare not even pray to be forgiven. Why, Janet, I
murdered your Frank just as surely as I thought all these
years that I might have murdered both. Oh, when I saw
Fred, and felt sure that it was Fred, I never doubted but
what Frank was safe too! My heart got so light, I began to
feel like myself again. Then came your letter, and though
you wrote kindly, every word pierced me through. I don't
know but that I am worse, now I know for certain that
Frank is dead, than I was when I could sometimes hope
that both had escaped."

"Mrs. Rayburn, I have but a little time to stay with you, for
our passages are taken, and we must get on to Liverpool
to-day. But do listen to me, and don't be angry with me for
speaking plainly. Whether one or both of my boys lived or
died makes no difference at all in your share in the
children's flight. You never meant to harm them, I know.
You would not willingly have injured them. So, though they
had perished in the Kelmer, or died in any way, you are no
murderer. Your nerves are shaken, and you think the whole
over and over till you cannot really see it. What you really
have to repent of is, you promised to be kind to the boys,
and you were not. They were used to kindness, and were
more frightened, I suppose, than other children might have
been."

"Janet, I cannot take any comfort till I have told you just
what happened. No one else can tell you."

She sat up and began what proved to be a long story, but

Janet listened patiently, even to the first part, which
concerned her life at the old Gatehouse. When she came to
the story of the children, their mother had no need of
patience. She listened with quiet tears to the history of
Frank's constant care for the little one, and the occurrences
of the last day at Kelmersdale quite accounted for the
children's flight.

"And now, Janet, can you say again that I did not murder
Frank?"

Janet dried her eyes, and, looking gently at the poor

woman, she said—
"I can. You did not intend to injure them in any way. For
what you did, that made them unhappy and drove them
away from you, we forgive you with all our hearts. Mrs.
Rayburn, I must go; but promise me one thing. I am sure
there must be some clergyman here in whom you could
have confidence. Send for him, be as candid with him as
you have been with me; and though we shall hardly meet
again on earth, we shall meet at the right hand of the Judge
—both of us forgiven sinners, for His sake."

"I will—I promise you. Oh, Janet! How good you are to me!
Since you can forgive me, surely I may hope."

"He who taught us to forgive will not be unforgiving."

Janet bent and kissed her, and then went quickly to the
door, for she felt that her stay was longer than had been
intended. As she opened the door, she saw Miss Anna in full
flight down the passage, and could not help suspecting that
she had been listening.

It was not nice of Miss Anna to listen at the door, yet,

strange to say, what she thus heard made a great change in
her.

"There must be some truth in this talk about religion," she

thought. "I expected poor Janet would shake her in the bed,
and instead she forgave her, and seemed quite anxious
about her, and spoke so kindly."

And thus the leaven was hid in the meal, and gradually the
whole was leavened.

The Rayburns had lost the train by which they had meant to
go on to Liverpool, but they were in time for the boat in
which their passage was taken. The parting with Fred was a
trial, but it was, they hoped, only for a time.
And, now that Janet has found both her boys, we may bid
her farewell.

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,

LONDON AND BECCLES.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JANET'S BOYS
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