Comments by "Curious Crow" (@CuriousCrow-mp4cx) on "UCAS scraps the Personal statement- at last" video.

  1. In my experience, the skills involved in writing a personal statement weren't really taught to me in school, or in further education. I got no help or direction in even formulating what was to be said. I think it should have been the norm that pupils and students should maintain a private daily self-reflective journal during their education, where they can explore their progress and their goals. A 10 minute quick entry isn't onerous, and the habit gives benefits far beyond just keeping track. Not only can refer back to it as a record, but it's a wonderful way to learn relatively painlessly to write succinctly and clearly. Moreover, it's really good for one's mental health throughout one's life. If that had been the case, then the UCAS statement might have been worthwhile to some degree. But modern education is more like a sausage factory, where the efficiency and homogeneity of the process interferes with the quality of the output. That reflects the struggle between seeing education as mostly preparation for work, or as in forming capable, creative, and critically thinking people. That fight is still ongoing.
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