What should I put in my personal statement?

Applying for Oxbridge is a daunting and ultimately unique experience. Unlike other universities which use your personal statement as a way of finding out about who you are as a person, Oxbridge will be looking specifically for academic enthusiasm and a genuine love of the subject you are applying for. Whilst playing the piano and being captain of the football team are worthy pursuits, information about your extra-curricular activities should ideally only take up 10% of your statement; instead you should focus on showing evidence of reading outside your A level courses, and examples of how your subjects at A level have furthered your interest in particular fields. For example: The study of English Literature at A level has given me a fresh perspective for approaching historical and political responses to feminism. For my coursework I chose to study ‘the Handmaid’s tale’ by Margaret Atwood, which drew a chilling portrait of the perils of corrupt governments, an issue which has become increasingly urgent and relevant in the 'post-truth' era of Brexit and the Trump administration.