How to stop panicking about the personal statement?

I know this might sound stupid or childish for some people, but I can't stop panicking about UCAS and all.

I don't deal with stress well, and since our school's deadline is on Monday, I don't have a lot of time left.

I already made a 'decent draft' of my personal statement 2 months ago, so it's not that I left it to the last minute. I've been trying to edit it for the past week, but ever time I try I end up crying and giving up. I keep telling myself that my personal statement is rubbish, and that I'll get no offers. I know it's not THAT bad since when I was drafting it I felt that it's alright.

Any tips on how to stop panicking about UCAS? Thank you (:

Sounds like you have tried your best, now don't put all your eggs in one basket (getting accepted) because that will create anxiety. It's not the end of your life. I like to think of it as, if it doesn't go well, it wasn't meant to be, provided that you tried your best. If you have tried your best with what you have then there is no need to panic. You should be afraid of panicking and therefore not panic if that's possible. Just realise that panicking isn't doing you any good, and the only reason you think it's a rubbish PS is because you know yourself too well.

Write a good one and you'll be excited for tutors to read it, rather than spend your time dreading what they might think.

Get some people to read it for you and help go through any areas that need tweaking. It’s very helpful to get multiple opinions, and others can spot the daft little mistakes you make but don’t notice because it’s always been there.

Especially get a teacher who teaches in the area of the course you are applying to, or at least teaches something that is relatively similar. I’m applying for microbiology courses (or the equivalent at that university) so I got ken of biology teachers to have a read.

Also ask family to read it. Even if the help is only reading through and pointing out small things like spelling or grammar errors it will help you. Plus, there’s a nice confidence if somebody likes your personal statement. 😊

All in all don’t worry too much about it. Yes, it is important but if you’ve written it up and gotten a few people to have a look through it I’m sure you’ll be fine.

just submit it - that'll stop the panic.
Seriously though - it's more about making sure it's not bad than wasting your time making it amazing.

I know an admissions tutor at Durham and he says they don't even read personal statements.

That both makes me feel relaxed and stressed out at the same time lmao

I was scared of going uni as I’m not that clever but everyone’s just as confused as each other lol

What are you applying for?

In general universities are only looking at a PS to answer 3 questions:
1) does the applicant understand what the course applied to will involve
2) does the applicant demonstrate an enthusiasm and motivation to study this subject for 3+ years
3) does the applicant demonstrate any non-academic skills that are required for success on the course (and that aren’t tested in another way) - this one doesn’t apply to the vast majority of courses.

Have a look at your courses on Which. If the offer rate is over 90% then it’s unlikely that your PS will play any part in the decision about whether to make an offer or not. PSs are more often used in August to decide between applicants who have missed their offer conditions.