Assignment: Writing the University Application Letter (personal statement)

When you write a college or university application in the UK or the USA you are sometimes

asked to write a personal statement to be included in your application.

Your assignment is to write your own personal statement and gear it towards a

university/college in the UK (e.g. Manchester, Oxford) or the U.S. (e.g. Harvard, NYU,

UCLA) regarding what you would like to study after graduating from high school. In your

letter you should focus on the instructions that Hugh Gallagher got when he wrote his

application letter:

In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you, the applicant, better, we

ask that you answer the following question: Are there any significant experiences you have

had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

Guidelines

Focus on answering the question above when you write your personal statement.

Your text should contain 500 words or less (minimum 350 words). This means that

your writing needs to be concise and you need to choose your words carefully. Follow

the formalia set in the guide for students at NTI-gymnasiet.

Use formal language and a formal structure when you write your letter (please refer to

page 95-98 in the handout about formal and informal language).

Make sure your text has a clear structure (paragraphs, a clear introduction and ending

etc). Advice on how you can plan your writing: Prepare a basic outline, where you

begin with sketching content and concentrating on structure. Then write your

statement in full. Also, use the checklist for writing in the handout about formal and

informal language.

Try to make your text personal, interesting and as eye-catching as possible. Remember

that in this assignment you really need to focus on yourself, so don’t be shy!

Work on your language so that it is clear, varied and advanced.

Core content in English 6

We are focusing on the following core content in English 6 when working with the

application letter:

Content of communication

Concrete and abstract subject areas related to students' education and societal and working life; current issues; thoughts, opinions, ideas, experiences and feelings; ethical and existential issues.

Focus: We focus on the future and university studies and primarily focus on the process of writing an application letter when applying to university in some English-speaking countries.

Reception

Texts of different kinds and for different purposes, such as formal letters, popular science texts and reviews.

Focus: formal letters

How structure and context are built up and how attitudes, perspectives and style are expressed in spoken and written language in various genres.

Focus: How to write a formal letter with a specific purpose

Production and interaction

Oral and written production and interaction in different situations and for different purposes where students argue, report, apply, reason, summarise, comment on, assess and give reasons for their views.

Processing of language and structure in their own and others' oral and written communications, and also in formal contexts. Adaptation to genre, situation and purpose.

Focus: Your writing assignment where you write a formal application letter. You need to work on expressing yourself with formal English and adapting to the purpose of the text.

Assessment/grading criteria for Writing, En6

It is important that you follow the instructions carefully. In the assessment of your essay,

focus is on the following grading criterion that concerns your writing skills (how you express

yourself in English, how you structure your thoughts in the text, how well you adapt to the

purpose of the application letter and its potential readers, how you work on improving and

advancing your English).

Grade E Grade C Grade A

In oral and written communications of various genres, students can express themselves in a way that is relatively varied, clear, and relatively structured. Students can also express themselves with fluency and some adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. Students work on and make simple improvements to their own communications.

In oral and written communications of various genres, students can express themselves in ways that are varied, clear and structured. Students can also express themselves with fluency and some adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. Students work on and make well-grounded improvements to their own communications.

In oral and written communications of various genres, students can express themselves in ways that are varied, balanced, clear and structured. Students can also express themselves with fluency and adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. Students work on and make well-grounded and balanced improvements to their own communications.