Try to keep your language concise, ensuring good grammar and syntax at all times. Not only will that help your Statement flow and read well, it will also help you meet the character count.
Try to avoid being deliberately controversial or provocative since it risks alienating the reader. Sweeping generalisations and unsupported assertions are a recipe for disaster. Always ensure points made are supported by evidence e.g. don’t just say what book you have read, but say what aspects you enjoyed or how it influenced your ideas and thinking.
Above all ensure your Personal Statement has a clear structure and that it addresses the key issues:
- Why do you wish to study your chosen subject and why do you find it interesting?
- What you have done, beyond you studies, to further your interests in, and understanding of, your chosen subject? This might include reading, research, open days, work experience etc.
- If relevant, why you wish to take a Gap year, and what your Gap year intentions are. This is particularly important if you are planning to study something professional or vocational and your year out involves preparatory placements e.g. working in industry prior to studying Engineering.
- Other things that are important to you in or out of school and that make you a well-rounded person.