This coming UCAS cycle, applicants will face a new format when completing their personal statement. Rather than a single text box with general guidance, they will be asked three specific questions. This reform is designed to make the process more straightforward, and it might. We’ve consulted admissions staff across a range of universities to analyse their priorities and produce evidence-backed guidance. For students facing the greatest barriers, the new format could represent their chance to shine, or an added layer of disadvantage.

Following our 10th anniversary party, Causeway CEO and co-founder Sam Holmes reflects on the values that have guided us through our first decade and the challenges for the next decade that we were posed by young people speaking at the event.