This is an article I originally wrote for the Which? University website. A version of it can currently be found on the UCAS site.

Are you getting frustrated because you can’t think of a good way to open your personal statement? Or, worse still, are you struggling to write anything at all because you just don’t know where to start? If so, you’re not alone – and our advice is to stop worrying.

We’ve picked up numerous tips on this from admissions tutors up and down the country and they all tend to take a similar line, which is …. don’t get stressed about trying to think up a killer opening!

Yes, it’s important to ‘sell yourself’, but don’t overdo it. In fact, one of the dangers of trying to come up with a killer opening is that what you often end up with is overkill. As one admissions tutor…