Starting a personal statement with a quote?

Redpanda91

Ah I wish I had 2 weeks left, I go back next Wednesday :frown:

Eek year 13 and scary UCAS things... oh dear.

Ah, I'm only going into year 12. :biggrin:

Reply 83

Audrey Hepburn

What's wrong with that?

I mentioned my Daddy in mine :puppyeyes:

How did that go?

Sports Racer

"Adam Smith was an idiot, and you are too for believing his ****. No, just kidding. I have been interested in economics ever since I was a baby..."

Look out, Oxbridge! :woo:

OP: quotes, parents, etc. are big No-Nos

It may start a trend.

foxo

Quotes at the start of personal statements make me retch.

Yes.

"Hey you, you four-eyed ****. Yes, you, the dithering old **** reading my personal statement. Now I have your attention..."

Yes that's what I had in mind :smile:

My first draft of a PS started with a quote. I think what made it worse, was that I was quoting myself :s-smilie:

my tutor accused me of gratituous self masturbation. I sat there thinking self masturbation? self? who else am I supposed to masturbate sir?

Reply 84

MrShifty

9

Perhaps he was coming on to you.

Reply 85

thecaterpillar

14

My mum applied for uni as a mature student (she's 50) and used a quote to end hers...and I think it went down well. x3

She used 'It's never too late to be what you might have been', which is a George Eliot quote, and since it like, fitted her situation and her belief, then it probably worked.

But if you're just including one because you want to sound smart, then it's probably not such a good idea.

Reply 86

Erzan

Galatea

Thinking about it, if you were going to use a quote, firstly make sure you perfectly understand it, and know well the author and the context, and also go for one that is slightly unusual, and has a more esoteric author, and not the most obvious or famous ones, or you run the risk of sounding slightly cheesy; I'm thinking Adam Smith is a bit to obvious for Economics, like having 'I think, therefore I am' in a philosophy personal statement. But there will be others..

I used Edmund Burkes 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing'. I managed to connect this in my first paragraph, talking about Kosovo and war, its implications on Europe, then how on a micro-scale affected my friend and i. I connected it with my paragraph containing info on my extra-circular activates (debates, work experience with mp's and etc) which involved the topic of humanitarian intervention. Tony Blair’s and NATO 'humanitarian intervention' in Afghanistan and Iraq in contrast to NATO's 'humanitarian intervention' in Kosovo, as well as the lack 'humanitarian intervention' in Sudan. On top of this i had talked about my interest and support for international institutions like the EU and UN... Bla bla.

So my entire PS, from start to finish, was all about people needing to get of their ass and help others. Which to me I said, is the best single thing politics can achieve.

Of course in better words.

Cheesy? Probably. But i got in so i don't care lol.

Reply 87

Audrey Hepburn

12

The Lyceum

How did that go?

My opening couple of sentences:

'I can pinpoint the start of my love of Philosophy to coming across ‘Sophie’s World’ whilst scouring my Dad’s bookshelf. Unfortunately, I was only eight at the time and did not get past the Greek natural philosophers.'

I'm a Daddy's girl :yeah:

Reply 88

Audrey Hepburn

My opening couple of sentences:

'I can pinpoint the start of my love of Philosophy to coming across ‘Sophie’s World’ whilst scouring my Dad’s bookshelf. Unfortunately, I was only eight at the time and did not get past the Greek natural philosophers.'

I'm a Daddy's girl :yeah:

Ah, so a discreet and tasteful reference. Fair enough, I had imagined something abit more...obtuse :woo:

Incidentally, I hate that book.

Reply 89

The Lyceum

Ah, so a discreet and tasteful reference. Fair enough, I had imagined something abit more...obtuse :woo:

Incidentally, I hate that book.

Why??

(I don't know if you can tell, but it's in my top 5. :biggrin:

)

Reply 90

Draconis

Why??

(I don't know if you can tell, but it's in my top 5. :biggrin:

)

Aha I get that reaction alot, don't worry. There are a plethora of reasons, but the main is that I simply could not connect. I think because I had spent so much time with the Greek philosophers aforehand and just felt that I was rehashing stuff I already knew under a veil of fiction?

It's hard to say, mayhap one day I shall give it another try. What are the other four? :wink:

Reply 91

The Lyceum

Aha I get that reaction alot, don't worry. There are a plethora of reasons, but the main is that I simply could not connect. I think because I had spent so much time with the Greek philosophers aforehand and just felt that I was rehashing stuff I already knew under a veil of fiction?

It's hard to say, mayhap one day I shall give it another try. What are the other four? :wink:

Anna Karenina, The Children of Hurin, The Solitaire Mystery and The Queen of Spades. In that order. :p:

Although The Queen of Spades is a short story..

Oh, and I get why you don't like it now. I read it first as a 10-year-old, so I didn't really know much about Philosophy before I read it.

Reply 92

Jon of the North

10

I opened up with a quote and got four rejections out of five choices. Thats all I have to say...

Reply 93

Draconis

Anna Karenina, The Children of Hurin, The Solitaire Mystery and The Queen of Spades. In that order. :p:

Although The Queen of Spades is a short story..

Oh, and I get why you don't like it now. I read it first as a 10-year-old, so I didn't really know much about Philosophy before I read it.

Would you believe I still haven't read the new version? I remember the "Nairn I Hin Hurin" from Tolkien's "Unfinished Tales" yet have never quite got around to purchasing a copy of new edition.

:woo:

You've got good taste.

Reply 94

The Lyceum

Would you believe I still haven't read the new version? I remember the "Nairn I Hin Hurin" from Tolkien's "Unfinished Tales" yet have never quite got around to purchasing a copy of new edition.

:woo:

You've got good taste.

Likewise

I read the new edition a few years after reading Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and I have to say I like it much better than both of them. But that might be because I shy away from everything once people make a film out of it. It totally ruins the imagination element of reading a book. End rant. :p:

Reply 95

Redpanda91

15

Draconis

Ah, I'm only going into year 12. :biggrin:

Ah year 12... you have to work much harder than at GCSE :frown:

But it's worth it to see grades that you were predicted (and above!) on paper in August :biggrin:

And I guess it'll be worth it once I get to uni too :smile:

Reply 96

Redpanda91

Ah year 12... you have to work much harder than at GCSE :frown:

But it's worth it to see grades that you were predicted (and above!) on paper in August :biggrin:

And I guess it'll be worth it once I get to uni too :smile:

I like hard work, keeps me occupied. :p:

Reply 97

Draconis

Likewise

I read the new edition a few years after reading Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and I have to say I like it much better than both of them. But that might be because I shy away from everything once people make a film out of it. It totally ruins the imagination element of reading a book. End rant. :p:

Ah! I still have chants of "mormegil!" on my mind, it was a fun story. Both as an entertaining piece of prose, and of course the allusions to older tales (Arthur comes to mind for example)

Alas, yes, the film thing can be annoying.

Reply 98

The Lyceum

Ah! I still have chants of "mormegil!" on my mind, it was a fun story. Both as an entertaining piece of prose, and of course the allusions to older tales (Arthur comes to mind for example)

Alas, yes, the film thing can be annoying.

Ah, Turin. :biggrin:

Mormegil means something like the Dark Sword, doesn't it? Or do I remember completely wrong?

Reply 99