Throw yourselves back to UCAS application deadlines all those years ago (almost 4 for me)! If you were lucky, you will have had a teacher hounding you about perfecting your personal statement from as early as the beginning of Year 12, guiding you on how to craft this work of art that you will probably be embarrassed about at this point in time.

For thousands of students across the UK however, this is not the case. The application process is a confusing one when there is little guidance. Austerity has meant that teachers are not properly paid, they are overworked and do not have the time to learn about the intricacies of different admissions systems across the UK and the globe. This puts some students at a significant disadvantage, or at least a perceived one, which is just as harmful.

Cambridge itself has additional steps to take in order to get through the admissions process, including interviews and assessments, when added to an earlier deadline, this puts off many talented individuals from applying to university.

I wanted to make a small change by helping to make one part of the process easier, to hopefully make a difference to students who don’t have access to support in university applications. This guide aims to help demystify what Cambridge expects from a personal statement, but is also useful for anyone trying to get to grips with writing one for any university, and will allow students to hopefully engage with wider reading so they can truly see what they want to study.

The guide is below, but if you have any ideas for more resources or ways to improve this one, please feel free to message me!