Unique selling points should run through a reference. In her experience of interviewing Mathematics students, JBR says that ultimately, Admissions Tutors care about seeing students “do Maths” – make sure the Personal Statement shows a student’s aptitude for a creative, challenging environment like an interview.
The reference should indicate that the student is promising enough to warrant the Admissions Tutor giving them the chance of the next stage. Write with the goal of an interviewįor Oxbridge applicants, the desired outcome of any reference is to get that student to interview. Three top tips for writing a reference 1. Particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, Admissions Tutors need as much information on a student as possible – they want to give all students a fair chance at a place, and clearly outlining extenuating circumstances helps them to do this. It’s largely inappropriate for a student to talk about extenuating circumstances in their personal statement but you must include this in the reference. JBR: Always show a student in the best light, but make sure it is a true light. Focusing on two or three of their greatest strengths is more relevant than stating every great thing about a student, as this won’t make a lasting impression. Instead, paying attention to what it is specifically that makes a student stand out is crucial – a student being highly skilled in statistics and demonstrating this across multiple subjects is much more likely to grab an Admissions Tutor’s attention. Admissions Tutors do not get attracted to references which point out that a student is good at Maths and will get an A* – this kind of information is repeated in every reference. JW: The job of the teacher writing the reference is to show Admissions Tutors the best of that student – but not every single good thing they do. Should all of the student’s good and bad points to expressed? If the student writes about all of the extra-curricular activities they do, then it is the reference’s job to explain why this is important – does it demonstrate time-management? Curiosity about the subject? The reference is where these skills can be highlighted. While there shouldn’t be an entire overlap of information, the reference should make sure to contextualise the information in the personal statement. JBR: The personal statement should be viewed as complementary to the reference. Getting input from the subject teacher of the student’s chosen university course is extremely important. The reference should also be as subject-specific as the personal statement is. Teachers are often in a better place to judge this.
Often, a student will undersell themselves and not highlight what the most important aspect of applications are. JW: Teachers should expand upon the personal statement in the reference, so tutors know what the significant achievements are. Should the reference reflect the personal statement?
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