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Personal statment alternative to &quot;from a young age&quot; or similar phrases?

mttailz

So I'm writing a personal statement for biology and I know it's a really cliche thing to say "from a young age" or "since I was little" but it is true (I know everyone probably says that lol). So I'm trying to kind of get across that I've always loved science and I've been reading books in science from a very young age. I've pretty much always wanted to be a scientist as well. I'm trying to convey this but it's really hard to do without sounding cliche.

So I was wondering if anyone has any alternatives or tips for how to put this across?

Thank you in advance

Reply 1

Thorsas

I had this problem and I decided the best way to do it was to tell the truth regardless. You want to avoid clichés where possible but at the same time don't be afraid to use a common line if it helps you force your point through.

I came at it from the angle that I had "always been curious/eager to learn" (which I don't think is so cliché) and so gained my interest in the sciences growing up, and then described how my school life and the things I'd done outside it eventually lead to me being an affirmed wannabe physicist.

Reply 2

Magnus Taylor

Original post by mttailz

Go third person

Reply 3

AdorableDrip

'From the start of my school career' or whenever you began the interest?

Reply 4

username1862217

"Science has always been a passion of mine, and...."

Reply 5

HeyThereHarry

instead of being so general about it, literally describe how your interest has evolved as you've progressed through academia. the greatest advice I can offer is that you be as specific as possible

Reply 6

NineTailedFox

Either Leicester uni or DeMonfort did a talk at the college I went to about personal statements and they told us never to say things like 'I have always...'
They said everyone uses it and that you have not always been interested in the subject.

Reply 7

Kevin De Bruyne

Perhaps you could specify what kind of books you've been reading, and roughly what age. Toddler, primary school age, etc..

Reply 8

christopher23

ever since i was a yout init

Reply 9

mttailz

Original post by HeyThereHarry

instead of being so general about it, literally describe how your interest has evolved as you've progressed through academia. the greatest advice I can offer is that you be as specific as possible

I've said how I became more interested in specific topics when we did GCSEs and I started researching it more and how I was inspired by certain articles. But I guess I'm trying to get across that science has been a big part of my life for a very long time.

Reply 10

mttailz

Original post by Thorsas

Yeah I felt like that as well. I want to tell the truth. But I am struggling to find a better way to put it. Maybe something about an interest in reading from a young age.

Reply 11

Conzy210

'I have had a long standing interest in SUBJECT stemming from (work experience/book/anything genuine), and it is my intention to further my knowledge of this area at undergraduate level'

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Since fertilisation,

Original post by mttailz

I think "for as long as I can remember" shows passion in whatever message you're trying to convey! Hope this helps.

Reply 14

Interrobang

Honestly they won't care how long you've been interested in it. Focus on why now

Reply 15

Thorsas

Original post by mttailz

Yeah I felt like that as well. I want to tell the truth. But I am struggling to find a better way to put it. Maybe something about an interest in reading from a young age.

Looking back on mine now I ended up cutting the idea out anyway. I started by describing what physics meant to me and why I wanted to study it, and moved on to what I had learned at a mature age and why that made me want to study it.

If you are just starting to work on it, I suggest just diving in and writing it. Mine changed almost completely, at least in wording and structure if not content, by the end. (And I didn't start writing properly until first week of september ;P)