Writing a personal statement is a key part of the UCAS process and it can be stressful, as lots of people find it hard to promote themselves.

Be positive! It’s designed to increase your chances of getting offers. It’s a space for you to convey how good you will be as a student at one of your chosen universities. To give you a helping hand, here are my three top tips for writing a perfect personal statement.

1) USE AND ABUSE ALL OF YOUR RESOURCES

Getting started really is the hardest bit. Ask teachers, guardians, employers and peers to write a few words and phrases to describe you and start from there. I personally found that a mind map helped me structure and organise the points I wanted to cover. After you have drafted your statement leave it alone for a week and then review what you have written. Use books, online resources, older siblings and teachers to help you, but remember to be yourself!

2) THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE

They teach you about this in English for a reason! Chances are the academic reading your statement will have hundreds more to read, so make yours stand out. Avoid boring your reader with clichés such as “from a young age” and “passion” that they will probably see in half the applications. Also ensure that you don’t lecture tutors on their own subject, instead convince them why you want to study their subject – and why they might want you to study their subject as well! Finally, don’t make references to specific universities because this alienates the others – remember they might not want to be your second choice.

3) INTRODUCING… THE “SO-WHAT” RULE

It’s simple. You need to PEE all over your work (that’s Point, Evidence and Explain, by the way)! Every point must be valid and truthful, remember you must be able to prove this in interviews and if you can’t give evidence, then that doesn’t create a good impression. In your statement explain why the points you have made are relevant to the course, the universities or the career path.

Good luck!

Written by Chris Bowditch