The UCAS personal statement is the only point in the application procedure where the university admissions tutor comes into direct contact with you yourself. The form will also carry a school reference, signed by the principal of your school or college and written by you tutor or head of year. Your school or college, however, is dedicated to the task of ensuring that you have the best possible chance of attaining a place on the course of your choice and will give a very positive account of you which the admissions tutor may find not really very informative. The reference acts as a guarantee, more than anything else, that you are what and who you say you are. The real picture of you will appear in your UCAS personal statement, which is a piece of your autobiography that can truly show your abilities and ambitions.

In the process of constructing you personal statement it is a good idea to go through the following procedures and checks

– Create a list of your ideas before you write your main statement.

– Ask your friends, family and anyone else for their thoughts on your statement!

– Check university and college prospectuses as they usually tell you the criteria and qualities that they want their students to demonstrate.

When writing the personal statement you should make every effort to note the following:

– Don’t make any spelling or grammar mistakes!

-Be enthusiastic but not gushing!

– Don’t say too much about things that are not relevant – if you think that you are starting to, take a break and come back to your statement when you feel more focused.

– Don’t leave it to the last minute.

The best idea for writing your personal statement is to write what is true and what comes naturally to you. You should keep the tone of your statement formal but not too formal because you still want your personality to shine through. You should look at each sentence individually to ensure that it brings a good, strong point to your statement.