How do I make my personal statement stand out in an Oxbridge application?

Oxbridge tutors are looking for someone who shares the same passion that they harbour for their subject. The most important thing therefore, to convey in your personal statement is your own zeal to study the subject you are applying for. It is important to identify a specific area of interest that personally appeals to you. Build your personal statement around this. It is also important for this area of interest to be outside of your school curriculum. They want to see initiative, that your passion for the subject has driven you to looking into it outside of school (bare in mind it does not have to be completely unrelated to school content, it could branch from a topic you have studied in school). Examples of areas of interest for English could include the Renaissance period (1550-1660), since perhaps you only got as far back as the Victorians in school. It can be something even more specific, such as the written work of women during the Renaissance period and the attitude towards this. In subjects like Philosophy you might want to be as specific as looking into the A. J Ayer and the Logical positivists as well as the subsequent replies from A. Flew and Wittgenstein, rather than merely stating you are interested in 'the relationship between meaning and religious language'. The more specific the better, that is how you make your statement different, that is how you stand out. Also remember to always keep it authentic.