How do I start writing a religious studies / philosophy personal statement?

As you are only able to submit one personal statement to UCAS, you need to be both broad in order for the statement to apply to the different institutions you are applying to but also personable and knowledgeable on the course area to show admissions tutors that you are informed and well-researched in having chosen to apply to them. Taking the time to research the course, the university and even the city is important not only to show admissions tutors that you are a good fit for them but also so you know that it is a good fit for you. Before writing your statement, ask yourself these four questions for each course or university you are applying to:Why you? What is your motivation for going to university? Give an insight into yourself, your interests related to the course, perhaps a personal story as to why this course area is for you. If you are using a quote to make your introduction stand out, make it relatable to you - maybe it is a quote you studied, or it motivates you to study a particular topics or theme. Have you volunteered? Perhaps you regularly commit to a sport or activity in your local area? These may seem irrelevant to your course but it shows skills such as organisation, motivation, teamwork - all of which will be valuable to your success in the course.Why them and that course? It goes without saying that naming institutions here will exclude those you don't include. But you can identify themes or topics that appeal to you and are included in several of the courses you are applying for. In this instance some examples are philosophy of religion, religion and international development, gender, theological texts. Explain why these areas are of specific interest to you - you don't have to have studied them already for a theme to be of interest to you!What you can bring to them and their academic family? Going beyond the course and identifying ways in which you will contribute to the faculty or the university shows another side to you as a person and also shows that you have researched beyond the course. Maybe it's that you want to join a particular society to continue current hobby or ignite a new interest, perhaps it is simply that you want to meet the different academics who are part of the department. Again, don't name names here to avoid excluding your other choices.How does this shape your future plans or prospects? You aren't expected to know exactly what you want to do but your course should give you some direction. All universities will have statistics to show what their graduates do after university, mentioning a few areas that are popular with your area shows you are engaged in the course and how you can use it effectively after you graduate. Equally, if you write that you want to be a teacher for example, it doesn't mean you have to be a teacher; it simply shows that you are an ambitious individual with focus on what you want to achieve in order to get to the next step after university. It also shows you aren't doing the course simply because everyone else is going to university or because you don't know what to do. You can now use these different sections to construct your personal statement. The order given above is both logical and reads well as a timeline starting at what has brought you to this point today, what you would be interested in studying and doing whilst at university and finally looking to the future. However you are not limited to this structure; if your statement reads better and flows in a different order you can change it. Always get someone to else to read your statement; parents/guardians, peers, teachers etc and remember that a personal statement is rarely perfect first time!