Modern languages personal statement

Hi I’m applying for modern languages and want to study one from alevel and one from beginners. Do I include the language I have never studied on my personal statement and if so what do I write about it thanks

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

I should think so yes - they will want to know why you are interested in studying it after all! Just write why you are considering that language - what do you know about the culture of countries speaking the target language (e.g. literature, history, contemporary media, etc), is there any connection with the language you're continuing from A-level, and so on.

Which languages are you looking to study (and at which levels)?

Reply 2

bloograpefroot

Okay Thankyou and german from alevel and french possibly from beginners but I’m not totally set on that language

Reply 3

cchloepx

Yes. I’d recommend writing a little about your interest of that language. Write about the culture, politics, history, literature, etc. that you’re interested in. And it might be good to mention a bit about why you want to study two languages, why you want to study one from beginners, etc.

If you have any other questions you can ask me (: I applied to 3 Italian and German courses, and 1 Italian and Japanese. I previously self-studied Italian at higher and did the exam on my own. I also did higher Spanish and French in school. I have no experience of German or Japanese so my course will be like yours, one with prior knowledge and one with no knowledge

Reply 4

ttennitt

hi i'm in the same situation, applying for two languages, one previously studied and one new, how would you suggest I split my personal statement between the two?
i know extracurriculars should be about 15% max. so how should the 85%-90% be split between the two languages?

Reply 5

bluemoon03

Original post by bloograpefroot

Original post by ttennitt

Hi, I have offers (incl Cambridge) for French and beginner's Spanish. I did mention the beginner language on my personal statement and think it's a good idea because admissions tutors would probably like to see why you want to learn it - I focused on a book and a film which introduced me to Hispanic culture and made me want to explore it further. My personal statement's structure was a short intro, three middle paragraphs and a short conclusion. Out of my middle paragraphs, only one mentioned Spanish because naturally, I had more to say about my a-level language. In short, it's a good idea to mention the beginner's language but don't worry if you have more to say about your a-level one. Hope that's helpful!

Reply 6

xmin02

I applied for modern languages and got offers from all my choices. i would split talking about both languages or do a small paragraph on each. it's important to talk about what interests you about them, do you study in your free time? do you like music/media from those languages? have you travelled to the country and had an insightful experience? also, down the line if you want to change languages or study one you didn't include in your personal statement it's totally possible.

Reply 7

bluemoon03

Original post by bloograpefroot

Okay Thankyou and german from alevel and french possibly from beginners but I’m not totally set on that language

Just a note - not all unis offer beginners French so that might slightly limit your options. More do now, and French is a great language so don't let it put you off, just make sure you look carefully at the websites of unis you're considering/email for clarification if you need to, to make sure you apply for ones that will definitely let you do French as a beginner