UCL Politics and IR Applicants

There’s been threads for this course previous years so I thought I’d make one for the 2022 cohort!!

I’m on a gap year, achieved grades A*A*A and applied in december!! Would be interested to know why others have applied to the course and what they spoke abt in their personal statement :smile:

Reply 1

Anonymous #1

hi! i am here from the UCL thread (Anon 127). I am predicted A*A*A in my A-Levels and applied the first week of December. I was initially interested in the ESPS dual degree programme but attended an open day for PIR last spring and found the content more interesting!

Some things I mentioned in my PS were - Intersectionality, sustainable policymaking and the UN's sustainable development goals, military intervention, asylum-seeking, identity politics etc....! These themes all linked to my super-curriculars, extra-reading and volunteering that i have done :smile:

. Would be interested to hear what else others mentioned in their PS!

Reply 2

Lashby537

OP

11

Original post by Anonymous

hi! i am here from the UCL thread (Anon 127). I am predicted A*A*A in my A-Levels and applied the first week of December. I was initially interested in the ESPS dual degree programme but attended an open day for PIR last spring and found the content more interesting!

Some things I mentioned in my PS were - Intersectionality, sustainable policymaking and the UN's sustainable development goals, military intervention, asylum-seeking, identity politics etc....! These themes all linked to my super-curriculars, extra-reading and volunteering that i have done :smile:

. Would be interested to hear what else others mentioned in their PS!

ahhh your statement sounds so interestingggg!! yeah i applied to PIR as i find the policy aspect so interesting!! i spoke abt my personal experiences (had cancer in y11 lol) and how it changed the way i see politics, how covid has impacted inequality and will impact electoral turnout in the future, feminism, climate change and policy (polluters pay etc) and spoke abt how i’m on the unicef youth advisory board / have spoke in parliament for teenage cancer trust :smile:

Reply 3

areebshahid

11

hey! im on a gap year as well with 3x A* achieved, applied back in mid November. I can't really remember what I wrote about in my ps haha it was mostly about wider readings, a few bits about my travels to Greece and Egypt and how these were once rulers in the ancient world but economic policies have bought them down. I also wrote about the partition of the subcontinent very briefly.
good luck to us all :-)

Reply 4

elisasroses

5

Hey everyone! I’m an international student, in my final year of high school, and I applied with predicted 43/45 (777 HL) IB points in September. I applied to UCL because of several reasons… London and the opportunities it provides, the quality of teaching and resources available at UCL, the fact that PIR is a BSc, and the flexibility of the modules (as well as the atmosphere at the university!)

In my personal statement, I wrote about populism and democracy (especially in connection with Brexit and the 2016 US elections), neoliberalism and the impact of economics on politics (in connection with the 2008 financial crisis), the legitimacy of international bodies (EU and Brexit), and a little bit about globalisation. My personal statement was intended for PPE and PIR, but I did try and link even the economics and philosophy aspects to politics because that’s what I’m most interested in :smile:

I would love to hear where everyone else applied, aside from UCL ofc

Reply 5

alicercave

4

I applied with A*AAA predictions, feeling very nervous and seeing all of the things you guys included in your PS i'm starting to lose hope ngl. I perform very well in interviews so hopefully I get given a chance to speak as my verbal communication is one of my assets but based off of grades and PS alone I really don't think I'm getting in :frown:

Reply 6

username5908563

14

Original post by alicercave

I applied with A*AAA predictions, feeling very nervous and seeing all of the things you guys included in your PS i'm starting to lose hope ngl. I perform very well in interviews so hopefully I get given a chance to speak as my verbal communication is one of my assets but based off of grades and PS alone I really don't think I'm getting in :frown:

I didn't apply for this course so don't mind me. They interview for this course???

Reply 7

alicercave

4

Original post by Cleebee

I didn't apply for this course so don't mind me. They interview for this course???

I don't think they do interviews for it usually, but UCL can ask you to come in for an interview/write them an essay if it helps narrow down applicants. Tbh at this point i'm just hoping they do. I wrote a lot about my A-level subjects in my PS as I take 4 quite heavy and varied subjects so I thought it would set me apart however I would definitely have focused more on my political interests if I could write it again. I only really spoke about my interest in Brazil's political climate and the fragility of democracy in various countries. Anyhow, it isn't the end of the world if i don't get in as I also want to do a foundation art course next year (don't ask i'm an academic/creative mess)

Reply 8

username5908563

14

Original post by alicercave

I don't think they do interviews for it usually, but UCL can ask you to come in for an interview/write them an essay if it helps narrow down applicants. Tbh at this point i'm just hoping they do. I wrote a lot about my A-level subjects in my PS as I take 4 quite heavy and varied subjects so I thought it would set me apart however I would definitely have focused more on my political interests if I could write it again. I only really spoke about my interest in Brazil's political climate and the fragility of democracy in various countries. Anyhow, it isn't the end of the world if i don't get in as I also want to do a foundation art course next year (don't ask i'm an academic/creative mess)

Don't worry, I have the same issue with subject choices!! I didn't pick politics but I did pick Global Humanitarian Studies, which doesn't offer interviews, but also applied for Information Management for Business because I'm a conflicted person.

Reply 9

Anonymous #1

Original post by alicercave

I don't think they do interviews for it usually, but UCL can ask you to come in for an interview/write them an essay if it helps narrow down applicants. Tbh at this point i'm just hoping they do. I wrote a lot about my A-level subjects in my PS as I take 4 quite heavy and varied subjects so I thought it would set me apart however I would definitely have focused more on my political interests if I could write it again. I only really spoke about my interest in Brazil's political climate and the fragility of democracy in various countries. Anyhow, it isn't the end of the world if i don't get in as I also want to do a foundation art course next year (don't ask i'm an academic/creative mess)

I wish they did do interviews too because of how competitive the course is! Similarly to you, I think I am best at conveying my passion and motivation for the subject verbally rather than in a restrictive PS! And don't lose hope - you have great predicted grades and your different subjects will show that you are a versatile person who brings a unique approach to politics and IR! I am sure you stand a good chance :smile:

.

Reply 10

Anonymous #1

Original post by Lashby537

ahhh your statement sounds so interestingggg!! yeah i applied to PIR as i find the policy aspect so interesting!! i spoke abt my personal experiences (had cancer in y11 lol) and how it changed the way i see politics, how covid has impacted inequality and will impact electoral turnout in the future, feminism, climate change and policy (polluters pay etc) and spoke abt how i’m on the unicef youth advisory board / have spoke in parliament for teenage cancer trust :smile:

You PS sounds so interesting too! I don't know much about environmental law so you've convinced me to research it more! From what I have read online, UCL value applicants who display their personal motivation to study the course which you very clearly have done! Speaking in parliament sounds amazing too, was it a nerve-racking experience?

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

Hey! Is anybody else on this thread still waiting to hear back from UCL? I applied in December but have yet to hear anything...getting very scared lol!

Reply 12

karauni

1

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hey! Is anybody else on this thread still waiting to hear back from UCL? I applied in December but have yet to hear anything...getting very scared lol!

Hey, did you end up hearing back and when? Im in the same situation now but i applied in october and its about to be april and still nothing😭

Reply 13

Vanillaaaa

1

Original post by karauni

Hey, did you end up hearing back and when? Im in the same situation now but i applied in october and its about to be april and still nothing😭

Same here😭 applied in Jan and still waitinggggg

Reply 14

karauni

1

Original post by Vanillaaaa

Same here😭 applied in Jan and still waitinggggg

The wait time is so crazy😭 If you dont mind me asking, what were your predicted grades? Mine were A*AA.

Reply 15

Vanillaaaa

1

Original post by karauni

The wait time is so crazy😭 If you dont mind me asking, what were your predicted grades? Mine were A*AA.

Mine is A* in sociology A in psychology and A in history

Reply 16

karauni

1

Original post by Vanillaaaa

Mine is A* in sociology A in psychology and A in history

Nice we’re practically in the same boat then😁 My A* is in literature and the other two are sociology and economics. Logically, if either of us gets an offer the other is also quite likely to get an offer given our personal statements are both atleast decent. So if i do, ill lyk👍🏾 theres hope

Reply 17

Vanillaaaa

1

Original post by karauni

Nice we’re practically in the same boat then😁 My A* is in literature and the other two are sociology and economics. Logically, if either of us gets an offer the other is also quite likely to get an offer given our personal statements are both atleast decent. So if i do, ill lyk👍🏾 theres hope