Past college problems....what do i put??

I'm 19 and redoing college im half way through my first year BTEC National Diploma Medical Science and iv been told to write my personnal statement now to start applying in september.
but the thing is when i finished school in 2007 and went to college i kind of had alot of problems with parents splitting up and me having to take the role of mother to my sisters and i became ill (different reason) and couldnt complete year one of college and second year i was still slightly ill and then got better and looked for a job but was unsucsessful

what should i put and how do i explain this??

xx

I agree with the person who said tell your referee to write about it, but also write it in your personal statement, as most universities read one or the other. When you write about it in your personal statement though, write about it in a positive way. Just be like "despite the difficulties I've had over the last few years my passion for learning is still prominent and my dedication to my education can be seen by the fact that I have never given up on my education".

No, it does not belong in a personal statement. That's for why you want to do the course, not a sob story.

No, it does not belong in a personal statement. That's for why you want to do the course, not a sob story.

We were told that it's a good idea to put it in at the end of the ps because Universities generally only read one or the other (ps or reference). Therefore if they only read the ps then they're not going to know and it may affect them giving you an offer.

Also, from the amount of University post-offer days I have been to they have nearly all said that they read only one of them. I'd do it just to be on the safe side, especially if you have a history of dropping out or not getting great grades or any other reason why they might be a bit wary of giving you an offer. You need to explain why you'll be dedicated to this particular course, so it can fit into the personal statement.