How volunteering helped me get accepted to UWE Bristol

Former Kings Brighton student Solaleh Nasri Soleleh shares more about how volunteering helped her land a place at UWE Bristol.

"During my time at Kings Brighton, I had a chance to participate in a wide range of charity and volunteering activities which aided me with my personal statement and work experience pathway.

It’s a good idea to include relevant experience related to the course you are applying in the personal statement. However, UK Universities would also like to see the skillset that we may have gained during our high school studies.

For me giving something back to my community has been a lifelong passion of mine. I volunteered to be a marshal for the Brighton Half Marathon and took part in the beach cleaning events at Brighton Palace Pier. Both of which have helped me to improve my interpersonal and communication abilities.

There is a Student Council that students can sign up for. Our academic management and welfare staff were incredibly helpful and diligent. They came together during Student Council meetings to offer their assistance through volunteer opportunities.

Looking back, I’m glad that I signed up to be a member of the Council. I organised charity bake sales and international food evenings. I enjoyed every moment of it. These events have enhanced my skills that I would not be able to obtain in my academic studies: teamwork, organising skills and time management. I won the end-of-year prize for my Student Council participation! All those experiences have benefited me to write a high-quality personal statement.

Thanks to all those opportunities, my personal statement has stood out amongst others. I have received four conditional offers from the university choices. As a result, I was able to pursue my dream job of studying diagnostic radiography at UWE Bristol to provide optimal patient care in the near future. As far as I can recall, one of the universities told me that one of the main reasons they had chosen and extended the offer to me was because they thought my personal statement was really interesting.

I profoundly recommend all students to get involved in these worthwhile volunteer and charitable endeavours, as they can help them develop lifelong skills that will not only prepare them for university degrees but also for the rest of their lives."

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