What do I say about books on my personal statement?

I've read 2 books for my personal statement but what I'm struggling with is what to actually say about them. If anyone could help it'd be greatly appreciated!

For context it's a psychology personal statement and the books are 'the man who mistook his wife for a hat' and 'thinking, fast and slow'

Reply 1

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

What did you enjoy?
What did you find surprising?
What did you find difficult to understand? And what did you do to try to make sense of it?
What did you find linked to topics you covered in your A levels?
What do you want to study in more depth?

There’s no single right answer - think about what you would say to someone asking what you thought about what you’ve read. That genuine reaction and some reflection about links to past and future topics of study is what makes your PS personal and unique

Hi there

Current Cardiff Uni student here!

For reference, I got offers from all the Russel Group universities that I applied to so I hope that I can give you some valuable insight into writing a personal statement. I was advised to include anything that demonstrated additional interest or effort, beyond the curriculum, in my chosen course. For instance, I discussed what relevant magazines or books I enjoyed and relevant skills.

For including a book, I would first mention what drew me to the book and how I thought this is relevant to the course.

I hope this helps - please feel free to ask any more questions :smile:

Jaz - Cardiff Student Rep

Original post by thrivingfrog

I've read 2 books for my personal statement but what I'm struggling with is what to actually say about them. If anyone could help it'd be greatly appreciated!

For context it's a psychology personal statement and the books are 'the man who mistook his wife for a hat' and 'thinking, fast and slow'

Reply 3

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by thrivingfrog

I've read 2 books for my personal statement but what I'm struggling with is what to actually say about them. If anyone could help it'd be greatly appreciated!

For context it's a psychology personal statement and the books are 'the man who mistook his wife for a hat' and 'thinking, fast and slow'

Hello @thrivingfrog

When it comes to books that you've read it really depends on what personally drew you to those books because it won't be enough to just say you read those two books. You should take the time to really think about what they achieved for you personally in relation to not only your A levels, but also your aspirations heading into university.

When I do coursework essays I always read books that link to what I'm interested in writing about. I'm a literature student so I've inevitably dabbled and researched so many other subject areas for my essays, psychology included. I also took Pyschology for a year at A level before dropping it to focus on English Lit, Lang and History. Being able to pick out what parts of a book are most relevant to what you're writing is a good skill to have.

So I would include aspects that directly link to your A levels and then aspects that link to personal enjoyment. Sneak in at least something that directly references a module the psychology department at your firm offers that you're interested in because that shows you've researched that university--inevitably making your statement stand out from one that more generalises psychology.

Hope this helps,
Dom, Student Ambassador

What do I say about books on my personal statement?

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