Students try to impress by repeating website slogans

International students are parroting university websites in their applications in an attempt to curry favour with admissions tutors, research suggests today.

A study by Surrey University found similarities between what a university says it offers and phrases found in the personal statements of applicants.

Personal statements are used by students to set out their reasons for choosing a university and particular course.

The study looked at a random sample of 60 personal statements, submitted between 2005-06 and 2008-09, for postgraduate courses at an unnamed business school.

They were compared to material found on the business school’s and relevant university’s websites, as well as on the website of the British Council, the UK’s international cultural relations body.

The largest proportion of the applications were from China, the majority were from abroad, and only three were from British applicants.

The findings showed similarities between the language used in applications and that found on the websites.

For example, applicants used the phrases “global reputation” and “excellent teaching quality”, which were found on the websites.

One student said the university “enables students to develop their competencies for working in multinational and multicultural environments”, and the business school’s website also used the wording “multinational and multicultural environment”.

The study concludes: “Personal statements provide an opportunity to give reasons but they tend to be the reasons the applicant might think the admissions tutors want to hear.

“Nonetheless, the reasons applicants provide in these circumstances tend to match the reality of a competition and choice process and they indicate what students believe are important reasons for choosing an institution.”

Report author Jane Hemsley-Brown, who is presenting the research at the British Educational Research Association annual conference at Warwick University this week, said: “Students in this study, from both cohorts, state that they are applying to a university because of reasons set out in the claims the advertisers make for that university (and for a British education).

“So, therefore it appears that the advertising slogans and straplines become the reasons given for choice.

“We expected to find the applicants setting out individualised and personal reasons for choosing the university. What we got was the university’s own admissions information quoted back at it.”