English degree personal statement example (1g)

This is a real personal statement written by a student for their university application. It might help you decide what to include in your own. There are lots more examples in our collection of sample personal statements. 

 

Why choose to study English? To me this is a question, which can be answered in easy and simple terms. In my opinion it is one of the most exciting and intriguing subjects that an undergraduate can choose to study. This is because in reality, most pieces of literature are merely a starting point for the plethora of ideas an author or poet wishes to describe through their work. To me a novel or poem is more of an inroad to a deeper study of human behaviours and an understanding of the world that is around us. That, I believe is why throughout my educational career and outside of it English has always been a subject that I have excelled at and found incredibly enjoyable

Thus, why the range of courses I have applied to study are closely focused upon the subject. History also is a subject area in which I have always possessed a keen interest. To me it's intriguing to analyse the reasons why or how an influential event in our past occurred. What happened to possess people to think certain things or act in certain ways has always been of particular fascination to me and, having an in-depth understanding of historical context has vastly improved the way in which I have been able to criticise literature

There is a great advantage in having the ability to get inside the mind of an author's main character and understand the society in which they are living

Why me? As a sixth former I believe that I have come a long way in maturing as a young adult and that I have developed well the precise balance between study and life outside of school. As a pupil at Sandon I have always tried to display an enthusiastic & engaging attitude towards work whilst at the same time adopting a healthy attitude towards life in general. I have tried to make sure that study is the most important but not over dominant factor in my daily life and this I believe is the reason why I enjoy such good working relationships with my teachers. Outside of school my part-time work at Danbury Conference Centre has helped me greatly in developing the ability to communicate and organise my daily life. It is vital for me to be both courteous and efficient. The job, and my work experience at Chelmsford Crown court have both improved the way in which I can communicate with people in the adult world giving me a sense of responsibility. In my spare time I enjoy both playing and watching sport. I enjoy badminton for competitive and social reasons yet I am also a keen runner and have taken part in every distance event at school sports days and also represented the school at district level in cross-country events. I have enjoyed playing football, hockey, volleyball and other team games in some of the competitions that have been laid out for me via the school's house system of which I am House captain. In this role I have been able to challenge myself with the organising and running of house events. As part of a team I have had to present house assemblies to the school. This has given me much more self-confidence, improving the way in which I am able to speak to large audiences.