Personal Statement -- What should you include?

In your Personal Statement include everything that proves that you are hardworking, conscientious and interested in the subject of your choice. Mention your life experiences from school to college which made you choose this area of study. For example if you want to take Law, explain when and why you thought of applying for Law. Also, mention all the career options open to you and what pathways you intend to take after you complete your studies. For example, do you wish to start out on your own or research or teach and study further?
A personal statement should also include any special skills you have—do you know many foreign languages? Can you play a musical instrument? Do you excel in any sport?
Also put down all your extra-curricular activities and participation in any events. If you are part of any social or national cause put that down too.
If you are working or have worked before, write down your work experience and your achievements at work. Explain how your work experience has contributed to your interest in your area of study.
Your personal statement in short, should present you in as an eager student holding a lot of promise. You should also be able to demonstrate that you are willing to adjust in a new environment especially if you are an international student.
Your personal statement is also a statement about your excellent communication skills, so proofread and structure your essay well.
Lastly, do mention why you chose this particular University to study in and how you will contribute to this University through extra-curricular activities or through research. A good thing to add is how, as an alumnus you will continue to be part of the University. For example, if you are part of say an Environmental Group, you could start a club or society at the University, hold regular meetings, conduct activities, publicize your activities through the media, publish newsletters and papers. Even non-academic activities count for a good resume later in your career. You could then mention that you will continue to mentor and monitor the activities of the club or society you will be part of, even after you pass out of school and begin your career.
You could talk about starting a Science Group, Think Tank, a debating society… very academic in nature or even an informal one like Latino Dancing and the activities you would like to promote.
If you are part of a Forum or Blogging Community (of the serious type, of course), mention this also. If you have a website or a Blog in your name and it is related to your academic interest, you could talk about it in your personal statement. Do not expect the admission committee to visit your Blog but this is a way to impress upon them that you are indeed passionate about your subject and are already involved in thinking activities. A student with a large set of world views always has the potential to shine in his or her field and contribute to society and even help change government policies.
The “extras” you bring in will help you stand out among other applicants to the University.

IELTS or OET ?

Many candidates who call me, ask me whether to take the IELTS test
or OET.
I will make the comparisons here and then you can decide.

• IELTS is recognized all over the world to gain entry into any institute or profession in an english speaking country.Students as well as professionals can take this test.OET is recognized only in Australia/Newzealand and is a test only for medical practitioners.
• The exam registration fees is five times cheaper for IELTS than OET.
• Both IELTS and OET test 4 skills in English--Reading,Writing,Listening,Speaking.Candidates are marked in each of these skills.The IELTS test is conducted at 2 levels--Academic and General--theAcademic level,is slightly more difficult than the General level.IELTS candidates receive scores from a bandwidth of 1-9 with 1 being the lowest level of proficiency.OET candidates receive their evaluation in the form of grades from A-E with E being the lowest level of proficiency.
• IELTS test papers are on gneral topics and require good knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary.In OET, the Reading and Listening tests are health related and the writing and speaking test are profession related.That is , dentists will get dentistry related topics,physiotherapists will get physiotherapy topics,etc.Here too, grammar,syntax and spellings are evaluated.
• The IELTS writing test has two parts to it--an essay and analysis of some given statistical data.The OET writing test asks the candidate to write a referral letter of 200 words,related to the diagnosis of a patient's problems.This ,as I mentioned earlier is profession related.
• The speaking test in IELTS is a conversation between neutral person and the candidate.Later, the candidate has to speak for at leat 5 minutes on a particular topic.In OET the candidate will have to play the role of a doctor and speak and diagnose a patient's problems.The patient's role will be played by someone neutral.The speaking test in both IELTS and OET will be recorded and later evaluated by two examiners.
• If a candidate fails in even one section of the IELTS and does not get the required average to pass,he/she will have to re-register and retake the entire test,ie all the skills.In the OET however,the candidate has to retake a test only in the skill where he/she has failed.
• Medical professionals and students require a bandwidth of 7 in the General category as average in IELTS in any country.Most Australian and New Zealand Medical Councils accept a B grade average in the OET.

Check the accepted scores in any Institute/country before you prepare for the test.If you are not proficient in English take adequate coaching before you appear for the test

OET/Occupational English Test

The Occupational English Test or OET is fast getting popular with medical practitioners who want to migrate to Australia and New Zealand.This test is profession specific and tests your English in relation to your profession.If you are not very proficient in English then OET is a better alternative to IELTS.

The OET tests 4 skills--listening,reading,writing,speaking.Some general reading passages related to health are given and you have to answer questions related to the passage.These questions are multiple choice questions.In the listening test you will hear a lecture and a conversation between a doctor and a patient and you have to answer some questions related to the listening.

The most important 2 skills for the test are the writing and speaking test.Here your grammar,sentence structure and comprehension will be tested extensively.You will have to write a referral letter to another doctor,diagnosing your patient's problems and you will have to interact with an examiner who will play the role of the patient and you,the doctor.

These two skills test are profession specific--for example if you are a dentist then your patient will talk about a dental problem or if you are a nurse,maybe you will have to analyze and state your patient's problems.Most importantly,it is your english that will be tested here and not your knowledge about your profession.

So,if you are not sure of your English,take some coaching especially to get through your speaking and writing tests.If you fail to get the required grades in these to skills,then your reading and listening grades will not be considered to get you through.You may then have to re-register for these two tests separately and take the test all over again.

For all the information related to OET visit www.occupationalenglishtest.org

Are you D.S.Vaidya or B.S.Vaidya?

"Good Morning"
"Good Morning.This is D.S.Vaidya and I would like to know..."
"B.S.Vaidya?"
"Yes.Thats right.D.S.Vaidya."
"B as in Bangalore,S as in Sugar,Vaidya?"
"No.I am from Hyderabad."
"I wanted to know your initials sir,is it B as in Building..."
"Never mind my initials...listen to my question first..."
This kind of conversation is such a waste of time and adds to confusion.If your name is D.S.Vaidya,you don't want to receive a mail to B.S.Baidya because you did not make yourself clear.This is especially important when you have to book a room or a ticket on the phone or give your e-mail id to someone.
When talking to an unknown person,announce your name first and mention your initials only if necessary.
If the listener at the other end has difficulty in understanding your name/initials,spell it out for him/her.Speak slowly and enunciate each alphabet correctly.
Many alphabets sound the same on the phone ,especially if there is a disturbance or if you have an unfamiliar sounding name.
Similar sounding alphabet groups:
B,D,G,P,V
M,N
F,S,X
The correct way to spell out something on the phone:
"My name is Vaidya.D as in Delhi,S as in Simla...D.S.Vaidya"
OR
"V as in Victory;A,I,D as in Delhi,Y,A"

Hello everybody--I am an Indian who speaks and writes good English!

Hello everybody.This is my first post.Many thanks to many of my friends who pushed me into starting a blog.My blog was created 6-7 months ago but just got down to making a post.
I am an English and Soft Skills trainer.

Some of the best English language writers and speakers are Indian or from non-English speaking countries and I am sure every one of us has the potential to compete with the best in the world.

I promise to be of help to anyone wishing to learn English .However,language learning is a long process and be prepared to put in many hours and many years (at least 2-3 years to be good)
I run an Institute for English and Soft Skills(http://www.avignalearning.com/) and am tired of telling people that you cannot learn English within a short time.Most people come to me seeking a two weeks class just before an interview so that they can get a job!

In my blog,I will give you links to other useful websites and help you by giving you grooming and etiquette tips.

I teach Business Communication,so queries on any communication problems at the workplace is also welcome.

Look forward to a long association.