E-Sport Personal Statement

Hi, this is a very stupid question but I'm writing my personal statement for uni and I don't know if I should put my e-sport experience. I do play CS:GO as a half pro and I have made some money from tournaments in the past (small amounts of money and pc equipment) but is this worth mentioning? I don't have a lot to go on but I don't want them to think that I'm some sort of a typical basement dweller gamer.

I would honestly put it in. Everyone knows how competitive gaming is and how you have to make fast decisions and do multi tasking .. it shows dedication and passion and also that you can make decisions under pressure .. maybe you even got some leadership qualities out of it?As long as you connect your e sports success with the qualities they are looking for (e.g. the qualities I ve mentioned) .. I would definitely include it. There was this one guy who got offered a place at a couple Ivy League Unis in America by focussing his whole statement around his 500k subscriber youtube channel. As long as you are enthusiastic about it there shouldnt be a problem .. I wrote a whole paragraph about how European Handball helped me develop leadership qualities and I was applying for Law :'D

Ivy League universities are not really focusing on the same things UK universities are looking for. You could mention your love of underwater basket weaving in a US essay and get in to a great school, but at Cambridge they wouldn't be interested.

Underwater basket weaving is pretty dope. I would totally include that xD
Just my opinion on the matter. I think you should just show them what you are passionate about and how to connect it with the qualities they are looking for and if they dont like it then it is their loss ..

Doesn't make sense to pretend to be someone you are not just to get into a good uni ..

. You could mention your love of underwater basket weaving in a US essay and get in to a great school, but at Cambridge they wouldn't be interested.

It makes you stand out. Puts something in their mind to remember you by

Hmmm. Standing out, and being remembered, is so much better if it is for a good reason. Being the subject of a discussion in the admissions staffroom that starts "You'll never believe what some idiot wrote in his PS today ..." is not good.

This topic is in the same class as discussion about Pokemon and Snakes & Ladders - trivial and not likely to be a positive contribution to an application.

Whatever his hobbies are doesnt really matter

That is the point. Hobbies are rarely relevant to a university application, and even more rarely make a positive contribution. Space devoted to them is, therefore, wasted.

So, should you include your hobbies?
Yes! But there are a few things to watch out for.

Admissions tutors encourage applicants to produce a personal statement which distinguishes them from others. Talking about your interests and hobbies, in a way that supports the rest of your application, can help serve this purpose.

Just make sure you stand out for the right reasons...
Keep it brief
Your personal interests should only make up a small proportion of your overall statement. If you don't keep tabs on how much you're writing, you risk waffling on about your love of bird-watching rather than why you're the perfect candidate for a psychology course.

Your personal statement should centre around your interest in the subject and why you want to pursue it, your academic achievements, experience and why you're a good fit for that course, all demonstrated with some solid examples.Those personal interests, usually towards the end of your statement, can then help admissions tutors build a more rounded picture of you.

Relevance to the course
If your interests and hobbies have some connection to the field you are applying to study, then this is a terrific reason to include them. However, try to tie them back to the course rather than make empty statements. If you're applying to a film course, don't just say, 'I love watching films'. Talk about specific films or genres you enjoy, what you've learned and how you've developed critical and analytical skills as a result. Similarly, don't simply put, ‘I play rugby on Sundays’. Talk about the qualities this has taught you - from teamwork to tactics, leadership to resilisence - and relate them back to your suitability for the course.

Standing out (in a good way)
Not everyone will view your interests in the same way as you, so it's worth thinking about how a hobby might be perceived by an admissions tutor reading it. While you and your friends may love a certain subculture, it might have a different connotation to others.

Think about whether it's really relevant for inclusion in your personal statement. Anything odd or extraordinary might not make the impression you were hoping for.

Remember, highlighting work experience and other activities can equally work to convey your personality and interests.Be prepared to talk about your interestsYou may be required to attend an interview where you'll have to expand on what you wrote in your personal statement. While this will obviously focus on your suitability for the course, your interviewer might start the interview with a more personal ice-breaker question to put you at ease.

So be prepared to talk about your hobbies
, face-to-face, in a formal setting (another reason not to write anything too strange!). Equally, don't make up hobbies or interests, as you may be tripped up when asked about these.

Hmmm. Standing out, and being remembered, is so much better if it is for a good reason. Being the subject of a discussion in the admissions staffroom that starts "You'll never believe what some idiot wrote in his PS today ..." is not good.

This topic is in the same class as discussion about Pokemon and Snakes & Ladders - trivial and not likely to be a positive contribution to an application.

You dont know what his application is for or how he might spin it in his statement.

You said that hobbies are not useful to a PS. How many words can you dedicate to saying that you really like the works of Chaucer or that you entered a maths competition when you were 15 and got third place? Only so much of your personal statement can really express direct academic interest and ability. There comes a point when you're left with expressing indirect academic ability, by saying you can play the French horn or by saying that you've been the head boy. Within that, tying in key quality skills, such as leadership and commitment and focus, e-sports does not seem at all ludicrous.

And if OP does get a more curmudgeonly admission tutor, only a sentence of two of their PS will be dedicated to it and naught will be lost.

I don't know but assume, from his posting history, that he is still interested in law. It makes little difference what it is he wants to study (unless it is something closely connected to the hobby itself, which does not seem likely).

In any event, spinning it implies that he would be trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, which is not a clever move. It makes the spinner appear glib or as if he has nothing more worthwhile to say.

Where does the OP say law? I have only looked at this thread. I might have missed it.

It depends completely on the context of where he is spinning it and how he spins it.

No spinning has more to do with how he presents his argument and the underlying message..

Chaucer would be highly relevant to a literature degree, not relevant at all to maths. The reverse is true of a maths competition. The space devoted to it should be in direct proportion to its relevance.

The horn is only directly relevant in music and is otherwise a hobby only, and should be given little space, if any.

Head boy, frankly, is chief cook and bottle washer, chief chore-doer, and offers little of relevance, merely showing that you have a history of impressing your teachers outside of the academic side of school. Few universities will be interested. The same applies to other cherished institutions like DoE, scouts, cadets and prefectships.

What are you going to lead at university that is of relevance to an admissions tutor? How is leadership relevant? This is not a job application. You are going to learn. The important thing is to demonstrate your strong history of effective learning, your deep interest in the subject and your potential to study it at university.

A sentence, or two at the most, on hobbies is more than enough. There is no room for "spin".