I have worked with students applying to university to study English for years. The Personal Statement is now a big part of the application: it is seen as a mission statement; a way of signalling interest, passion and committment; a way of standing out from the crowd. I have always told my students to start thinking about the Personal Statement (and I am deliberately capitalising the words) at the start of the sixth form: what kind of novels do you enjoy? is there a pattern in