The Rhetorical Structure of Rachel Chloe's Ucas Personal Statement: A Genre Analysis

Abstract

This study analyzed a University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) 's personal statement, focusing on identifying its rhetorical strategies. A personal statement is an academic promotional genre usually required in University or higher study applications. The data used in this research was a personal statement written by Rachel Chloe. She was an Indonesian student who succeeded in being accepted by 5 (five) universities in the United Kingdom (UK) with each undergraduate course to which she had applied. This study applied the qualitative method and genre analysis (GA) approach. The result showed three moves identified in the generic structure: the introduction, establishing credibilities, and self-promoting. In addition, some rhetorical strategies were also found in every move. The benefit of this research is that it explains to prospective students the scientific method of writing a personal statement, which is one of the requirements for applying to universities abroad.