For many students approaching their first year of university, the Covid-19 crisis has thrown a real spanner in the works of what is already a highly stressful time of year. With exams written off and predicted grades cashed in, there has never been a time where 4,000 characters have needed to say so much. Here, for example, are six things your personal statement can say about you, that your exams cannot.

Your Interests University life offers far more than a brilliant next step in your education; societies, clubs and teams of all kinds form the heart and soul of university campuses, and universities themselves love to hear about your plans to get involved. From sports to travel, Netflix, dancing, reading, and hanging out with friends; academia is one thing — to set yourself apart, why not dig a little deeper?

Your Knowledge Whilst curriculum is key, an exam will show little or nothing about everything else you know about your chosen degree and the topics that surround it. Cash in on your knowledge — be that from films, lectures, work experience, or additional reading — and establish yourself as someone who chooses to go (or read) the extra mile.

Your Motivations Every one of us has a different set of motivations for our academic choices — particularly when staying in education is a choice, and no longer a legal requirement. Maybe you’ve got your heart set on a certain career, or you’re the first in your family to go to university; perhaps you have a deep and lifelong passion for oral hygiene, and a course in Dentistry is your truest ambition. We seldom have to justify what motivates us, but it is sometimes well worth explaining — particularly if it means standing out from the crowd via your personal statement.

Your Personality A personal statement should be exactly that — personal. There is nothing about a set of exam results that can communicate what you are like as a person, and why you’d be an asset to university life. Give them that you are extroverted, or you’re shy; you find the humour in everything; you’re sporty, sociable, or more of a lone wolf. You have 4,000 characters at your fingertips, and the opportunity to shine.