Personal Statement - English Linguistics

English Linguistics Personal Statement

The English language is an invigorating adventure. It has the power to make you believe in even the most incomprehensible things. It has the power to beguile the minds of those who read and listen to it, and by its nature, it is something that we as humans can all relate to. My decision to study English further at university, is based on my desire to further my understanding on a subject I find so enthralling and exciting, and through this, I hope to understand the language that I speak and know of from a critical and analytical point of view. I am currently studying English combined, performance and media. All three I feel compliment each other in a way that allow me to explore my passion for not only English language, but with expressing myself and acting, which I am involved with in and outside of college. Media gives me the opportunity to analysis a wide range of different texts, whilst focusing on particular language features and what impact they can have on our society, and how the right language used can be a powerful tool of manipulation.

From studying English combined at A-level, I have had the chance to explore authors such as Jane Austen, Henrik Ibsen, and Angela Carter. Reading Henrik Ibsen's play 'A Dolls House' particularly inspired me by Ibsen's enviable lucidity and innovative character development such as the transformation protagnist Nora goes through. We see a insecure young woman, turn into a powerful, plucky woman of society.

During high school, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to help out with my schools English mentoring program for 2 years. This ran twice a week during lunch time and was open to those pupils who were struggling with certain aspects of their English. One week we would concentrate on punctuation, then the following week focus on sentence structuring. It was great to see that from 2 hours of my time a week, I was able to make an impact on their education. I have had an active part in my school as a prefect and head boy. These roles developed my leadership skills and capacity to work co-operatively as part of a team. Additionally, I was apart of the editorial team for the school magazine. This was a great experience and allowed me to write for an audience once a month. This also developed my writing repertoire and gave me greater confidence in my own work.

Outside of college, I have a part time job as a customer assistant for the branch of Marks and Spencer. Through this, I have come across a wide range of people, which has articulated my customer service skills. As a result, I have gained more confidence and learnt to work under immense pressure. In my spare time I like to maintain a high level of physical fitness by running and swimming at my local gym. I also help out at my local Theatre Royal with weekly acting classes as well as helping out back stage when productions are on. This has allowed me to be involved with something I have a great deal of enthusiam and love for. I have been in many productions such as: Aladdin, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Robin Hood, Cinderella and Bouncers, all of which have given me an equally amazing experience. I also try to see as many local theatre shows as possible to help improve my own acting skills and to give me ideas for scripting drama pieces in college. I feel that the transition from college to university will be the perfect environment for me to grow as a person and to let me learn more about a subject I have thoroughly enjoyed for such a long time.

English linguistics will also be a fantastic platform for a career in journalism, which is something I inspire to do. However, I know that whatever career path I chose to go down, a degree in English will prove a great benefit. I look forward to university life and to taking my adoration for the subject to the next level.