Personal statement: 10 most overused opening sentences

By Andrew Marszal. Ucas have compiled a list of the 10 most overused opening sentences in personal statements. Whatever you do, don't begin yours with any of these... Writing a personal statement is possibly the most important – and certainly the most time-consuming – aspect of the university application process. It's also rather tricky. I haven't dared dust off my own to see how many times I used the word "passionate", but the truth is it isn't easy to be original. Nearly 700,000 students applied for university last year – that's a lot of times for tutors to have to read "I have always been fascinated by ...[insert subject]". Ucas insider's guide to the personal statement. Read more...