English degree personal statement example (1t)

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. 

 

From a young age stories have enthralled me, captured my imagination and offered me an exciting way to learn and have fun. Literature has made me fall in love, made me laugh out loud, leap with joy and shake with fear. The many ways in which our language and literature can paint pictures in our minds and manipulate our imaginations astounds me, which is why I wish to continue to enhance and develop my knowledge at university.

To me, literature is the ultimate way in which humanity can express itself and pass on its ideologies and thoughts. I particularly enjoy reading works of the Romantic movement. My favourite English novelist is Thomas Hardy and I have read all of his novels. I especially like his masterful characterisation and also his Wessex setting offers a brilliant insight into late 18th century rural life in England. I also enjoyed "A Scots Quair," a trilogy by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, as it is set locally and I was able to recognise all of the locations that were described, allowing me an even deeper appreciation of the novels. The contemporary "French Trilogy" by Faulks initially interested me because of the combination of themes of war and love. I enjoy reading war novels and poetry as they catalogue some of the most important and turbulant periods of history, and consequently I have a lot of admiration for the World War 1 poets. I have read many poems by Brookes, Owen, and Sassoon, as well as Rosenberg and Brittain. What I like about the war poems is that by reading them in series, you are able to see how the realities of war affect the poet and therefore their work, and how the tone and atmosphere conjured by their words change from being patriotic in early works to being disillusioned in later years. I also appreciate and admire the works of Kipling and Poe, whom I regard as my favourite poets.

I read Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" last year which led me to an interest in dystopian fiction, and I read H. G. Wells' "The Time Machine" soon after. I especially enjoyed the settings of these particular books, as I have always enjoyed immersing myself into the worlds of fictional stories. I particularly love the worlds of Terry Pratchett's "Diskworld" series and of J.R.R Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" as they are incredibly detailed, with a depth of mythology and culture which I enjoyed exploring.

At school we have looked at Shakespeare's "Hamlet," "Macbeth" and The Merchant of Venice" in depth, but more recently, we have studied more contemporary plays, "The Devil's Disciple" by Bernard Shaw and "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" and "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard. I enjoyed both plays' existentialist themes and cleverly used humour.

I attend the theatre regularly with friends. We recently saw "Forgotten Voices" performed at the Edinburgh festival and we are going to see Ibsen's "A Doll's House" in November. Studying French has enabled me to understand our own language's construction in much greater depth. It has also led to an interest in French literature; I took it upon myself to read the French edition's of Marcel Pagnol's "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources," and I decided to read both again translated into English soon after. Also, I read Zola's "Therese Raquin" while considering a variety of books for my Advanced Higher English dissertation.

At school, I am a Peer Support Captain. I dedicate 4 hours a week to helping in English classes and I help in a homework group for children with learning difficulties. This has been a valuable experience as it has given me the chance to encourage others to share in my love of literature and languages. I enjoy acting, recently taking a solo role in a production of the musical "Oliver." I have taught myself to play the piano to a high standard and I have achieved a green belt in Tae Kwon Do. I have enjoyed all aspects of my education so far and look forward to meeting the challenges that studying in a university setting will bring.

Universities Applied to:

  • St Andrews (English) - Offer (AH:B, H:B) Firm
  • Aberdeen (English) - Offer (AH:B, H:BBB) Rejected
  • Glasgow (English Literature) - Offer (AH:B, H:AAA) Rejected
  • Kings College London (English Literature) - Interview/Rejection
  • Edinburgh (English) -Rejection

Grades Achieved:

  • English (Advanced Higher) - A
  • French (Higher) - B
  • Geography (Higher) - B
  • Human Biology (Higher) - B
  • Modern Studies (Higher) - C
  • Psychology (Higher) - C

 

Comments

I was extremely unwell during both my 5th and 6th years, which had a rather large effect on my grades. The Universities I applied to were aware of this as I did declare it in the disability box (It was caused by a long-standing medical condition.) I obviously met my conditions, and I'm now studying at St Andrews, which thankfully was always my first choice anyway!