How do I start writing a personal statement?

Your personal statement should give the reader an idea of your experiences and motivations and how these have shaped you and, finally, how the course you are applying for will bring forth that which is within you. It can be a daunting experience to write about yourself, but it shouldn't be. Before you start writing your personal statement, it helps to draw a spider diagram of any experiences you can think of (open day visits, gallery visits, volunteering, travels, etc) that would be relevant in building the case for why you are an asset for the university you're applying to. While making this spider diagram, think about what skills you have developed, whether they connect to other experiences and what is the overarching theme? Think about how these experiences and what you have learnt from them make you stand out. Once you have done this exercise, I recommend writing about yourself in a freestyle manner: without editing yourself (at first) and overthinking about how things appear. The editing, organising, cutting down should all be done when you have a raw first draft of unfiltered truth about why you should be on the course you're applying for, what do you want and who you are. If you are ever stuck on the path to writing a personal statement, do something different to get your mind off of it for a while then get back to writing (go for a walk, play a musical instrument, etc). This will open your mind to create alternate pathways that will help you with the content of your personal statement.