Year 13: I want to study Politics/International Relations for uni instead of Law

study62

Del

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 1

University of Kent Reps

Official Rep

Original post by study62

Heyy I’m just about to start year 13 and I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks. I’ve spoken to a lot of people from different law firms that have said they’ve studied a degree of their interest and then did a law conversion course. I didn’t think this was possible and I really love Politics from year 12 and want to continue with that. However, most of my work experience was on law and now that I have to start my personal statement I don’t have any relevant experience on politics except some books and documentaries. Can anyone who’s done/doing their politics personal statement please help on what I should include or do to make a good one. Thanks

Hi there!
I've just finished the second year of my politics degree at the University of Kent, when it came to writing my personal statement I did not really have any politics-specific work experience, however, I could make my work experience from my part-time retail job relevant. There are lots of skills that are transferable such as teamwork and communication which are really important in politics. As well as this if you write down the books and documentaries you have read and watched it shows you have a passion for the subject, not to mention there are a lot of crossovers between law and politics in terms of looking at law-making bodies and institutions so your previous knowledge of those will be beneficial!
In terms of tips on what to include I highly recommend talking about the work experience you have and what skills you have developed from it, any trips/visits you may have done with your school and any material you believe is relevant, it is also worth seeing if you can find any reading lists from your chosen unis and see if you can read some of those books or some chapters just so you can expand your knowledge and it gives you a slight headstart.
It is also very useful to write about the kind of politics you're interested in, for example, if it's International Relations and conflict make sure to include this with an explanation and any recent examples of events that have inspired you to then take this subject.
Your personal statement is a great opportunity for the universities you apply to, to get a good sense of whether their course is right for you so I would recommend going through what your first year would cover and try and make links to some of your first-year modules, which will be on their website.
I hope this has helped!
-Bethany, UKC Rep