How To Write A Personal Statement

f you want to get into university these days it's not just A-level grades that matter. You need a brilliant personal statement as well. That's because most universities don't interview anymore. There are just too many applicants. So they rely on the UCAS form and in particular the section where pupils have to sum up their whole life so far in 4000 characters. The personal statement. But what should it say?

Imogen Stubbs investigates how to write a personal statement, choosing as her case study one of the most competitive subjects at university: law. She asks 2 experts to re-write a personal statement she's cobbled together from examples on the internet: The director of 6th form in a top state school and a former top judge both do their best. But which one will convince the admissions tutor?

Producer: Lore Windemuth

A Loftus Audio production for BBC Radio 4.

A personal statement is crucial for university. What should it say, asks Imogen Stubbs?