Writing a personal statement for your university application can be daunting, and for the most part it's the first time you'll ever have to write something like this.

It can be difficult to know what to include, what to leave out and even what tone you should write it in.

To make everything a little clearer Future Mag has put together some handy tips, with the help of Professor Neil Fowler, dean of students at the University of Salford.

When does it need to be submitted to UCAS?

The deadline for any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge - or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry - is 15 October, 2017 at 6pm.

The deadline for the majority of courses at other universities is 15 January, 2018 at 6pm. Some art and design courses have a March 24 deadline.

Others have a January, 15 deadline so make sure you check the course details to confirm the correct deadline you need to apply for.

Who will read it?

Admissions tutors will take first look. Some academic departments decide which students they’ll accept, and some universities decide centrally. The more competitive a course or university, the more likely an academic tutor will look at your statement, which will act as an extra filter.

Tutors and teachers might be able to help you write it by pinpointing areas of interest or strengths that you hadn’t thought of, advises Ucas. Sixth forms might offer dedicated workshops. Talk to friends or family studying similar courses. Take all the help you can get from any open days – ask students on hand about what they put in their own personal statements.

What should I put in it?

Your personal statement should be around 70 to 80% about your chosen subject – you need to convince universities that you are genuinely interested and will stay the course. It’s not enough to say you love a subject – you must prove it.

“We’re looking for a connection between what the applicant is saying and what they want to study,” says Professor Fowler.

Any extra reading around a subject and relevant work experience, or visits are good – but only if you can make the connection, by reflecting upon what interested you, how your thinking developed or how it relates to your course. Most medical, veterinary or health care related degrees will require work experience that’s directly relevant, but other degrees don’t.

Talk about what you hope to get from a course and if you have a particular career in mind. Include what your strengths and abilities are and how they help you study or how could you develop them during your degree.

For the remaining 20% you can include details that prove you are a real and rounded person. But again, says Professor Fowler, “don’t just tell me your football team won the league. That’s great but I don’t care. Tell me what you learned from being part of a team, dedicating time to training, communicating with others. Likewise with work experience or hobbies – if you can draw from them what you learned and relate it back to – say time management, attention to detail or commitment, then include them. If not, then leave them out. Reflective thinking is one of the most important skills for university study, so it’s great if you can really demonstrate it.”

Structure?

You don’t need a killer opening line, but all must read well and hang together. “All subjects require you to be able to communicate clearly, so show you can,” says Prof Fowler. Make sure your key points stand out. There’s no set structure to a personal statement, but start with the most important points, while a clear, concise conclusion summarising your academic interest could draw it all together.