I'm in my third year of my BSc and swamped with a dissertation write up as well as several courseworks and fortnightly tests. Applying for Masters in Neuroscience but I just don't know what to include in my personal statements to the universities! Do I want to address the typical questions of: why I want to do neuroscience, what i do right now, how im suited to the course and how the course suits me/my career plans? Or should I take a different direction?

I'm also having trouble getting references from staff that have agreed already to do one for me! Several emails have been sent and i've seen them twice in person reminding them of a 9th january deadline but only one has pulled through! with christmas coming up i dont know what to do!!:-(

Ask them again on January the 6th. No way will most academics be writing references now if the deadline is 3 weeks off! Doing a Masters or PhD, you'll soon find out that they are not the most organised of people, and whilst it'll (95% of the time) get done in the end and on time, they'll still give you a heart attack. I get the same, and I'm applying for Fellowships and post-docs. I remember my references for PhD being exactly the same.

Hmmm, i must be rather lucky! My supervisor writes me references in no time at all (and she is scary busy, rushed off her feet absolutely with a zillion multi country projects and cant-keep-track-how-many publication!!)....she gave me one today, even though school's closed for the Xmas break and hardly anyone's around on campus! PS: In fact I was the one who dealyed getting it, she had it ready 3 weeks ago and dropped me an email to say its ready. The deadline is 31st Jan, can you beat that?

Can your supervisor write me a reference too please!!!

Haha, I half suspected they would leave it late. I have two references already (which is such a huge relief for me) But the last one I'm worried about. Given that term starts next week and I might not be able to track her down before the friday deadline of that week and she hasn't even replied to my emails, I'm half tempted to find a new reference just in case! :(