Writing your personal statement.

Here comes the most frustrating part. You get 4000 characters to show your university choices why they should accept you onto their course, but, you can only write one personal statement. So, if you're applying for 5 different courses at 5 different universities, it becomes very difficult (trust me, I applied for 3 different courses) - I'll go into more detail about this later. A lot of university tutors find personal statements crucial when taking course applicants, whereas on the other hand, some might not. You won't know what kind of tutor will be reading your personal statement, so to stay on the safe side make sure that it is as good as it possibly can be. Also, if you narrowly miss gaining the entry requirements then sometimes a tutor will look over your personal statement again, and if they believe you possess the skills and passion for the course, they may still accept you. I'd recommend starting your personal statement quite early on, just because it can take a long time to perfect and you want to make sure you send your applications off way before the deadline.

When getting started on your personal statement, it's best to begin by writing a list of everything you want to include in the statement. If you just began writing the statement, you may miss points out and it could be in an unstructured order. When creating the list, don't worry about structure or expression, this will come later when putting it all together. (You could also create a mind-map if you'd prefer, anything as long as you're getting your points down) Think about:

•  Your reasons for choosing the course - Reasons related to your current studies (you could enjoy a particular subject and/or excel in it so you wish to study it at university), any career plans you have that relate to the subject, work experience related to the area you wish to study. 
• Any personal achievements, experience, activities and interests - Responsibilities you have had at school or in the community, any voluntary work you have done, sports or special achievements, hobbies and any part time work, any awards you have acquired (Duke of Edinburgh for example).
• You can also talk about any skills you have gained that relate to your course - For example, I have studied media for the past five years and wrote about my skills in Adobe programs, editing and journalism etc). 
• You will include a conclusion at the end - You could talk about what you want to do after you leave university in slightly more detail, you could talk about any personal attributes that make you perfect for the course (not too much as they will have read hundreds of personal statements before and it can be a bit of a cliche!) 

After creating your list, read through each point you have made and decide which ones you would most like to include. You don't have enough characters to talk about everything and anything, which I found out the hard way! Your reasons for choosing the course will only be small paragraph, roughly about 30% of your whole statement. If you find yourself with too many points, take out those that can be repetitive and those that are quite general. You want your statement to be specific to you.

Once you have gathered the most important points together, it's time to write a draft. Don't worry, people can write 4 or 5 drafts before finishing, but getting a rough copy is great as you have something to work from  - writing it all down the first time is the most difficult part. Make sure that you list similar points together. For example, if you are writing about your achievements at college, group them together in the same paragraph. That may sound pretty obvious but you'll be surprised at how easy it is to throw in various attributes in each paragraph. When I wrote my first draft, I didn't worry about how long or short it was, I just structured it in paragraphs and wrote down everything I wanted. Then I read and re-read and read over it again, taking out the parts I thought weren't needed. 

Right so after completing your first draft, it's time to hand it to your college tutor or someone similar to have a look over it. They've seen plenty in their time, so don't be embarrassed (I know I was) to have crosses and corrections all over it. Being a tutor themselves, they know exactly what needs to be in there and what doesn't. So if you think your story about coming 3rd in a show jumping competition when you were 7 makes you seem dedicated should be in there, and they don't, it's probably best to take it out. 

Now you're statements been checked over (by more than one person I'd recommend, just because a fresh pair of eyes make spot something you and your tutor haven't), check it again yourself! It is crucial that there are no spelling mistakes, misuses of grammar etc, as the course tutor will just stop reading your statement and you won't be offered a place. Don't forget - this statement is the first thing the tutor will see that will give them an insight into you as a person, so be sure to impress! Once you're completing satisfied  attach it to your UCAS application which will tell you how many characters you have used (you can also use character count on Microsoft Word). Save the section, and you are nearly ready to send your application off!

Be sure to check these links for any further help on your personal statement :) 

Opening your personal statement from The Student Room
Help from studential.com
UCAS' help on writing your personal statement.