Any personal statement advice for Politics and international relations?

Hey everyone, currently a year 12 studying history, politics and sociology (I am predicted As in all 3).

I would really appreciate some personal statement advice (e.g how best to
structure, do I need a theme, etc) especially as I am looking at Exeter, LSE and UCL.

Reply 1

alevelstudiesmo

You don't really need a theme but you should treat the course your applying to as if it is the theme.
You do essay subjects so I sure you know how important it is to keep an essay controlled. Let's say you wanted to study a History degree. You'd need to tie in everything to History. How did this experience deepen your interest in History? How does studying politics at A levels affect your appreciation for History?

This link should be helpful: Personal statement examples by subject: complete list | The Student Room
Also I'm pretty sure LSE has some tips as well.

For structure, it would be good to have 4 main paragraphs+ your introduction and conclusion. Your conclusion will summarise like always but it can also cover what you want to do with this degree. I mentioned my want for getting a Doctorate.

Another tip is to plan it out! Plan it out like you plan out essays for your subjects. Mind maps are useful.

I apologise for how unorganised this advise is but I hope my listing of how I structured my PS may help.

PS for Politics and Philosophy

Intro: 2-3 sentences. I wrote about identity ( I guess that might be my theme) and how I have interacted with Art, Politics and Philosophy through that.

1st Paragraph: I studied A level Literature so I connected the skills from that to identity, Politics and Philosophy

2nd Para: A level Politics paragraph. What I've learned from it and how I've used Politics talk shows to develop my skills and understanding

A Politics book that linked to my exploration of my own identity and I did with that knowledge. What I did was participate in a research group.

External opportunities. Mention your skills.

Conclusion.

I really hoped this was helpful.

(edited 4 months ago)

Reply 2

Johnny_Pheeks

Original post by alevelstudiesmo

You don't really need a theme but you should treat the course your applying to as if it is the theme.
You do essay subjects so I sure you know how important it is to keep an essay controlled. Let's say you wanted to study a History degree. You'd need to tie in everything to History. How did this experience deepen your interest in History? How does studying politics at A levels affect your appreciation for History?
This link should be helpful: Personal statement examples by subject: complete list | The Student Room
Also I'm pretty sure LSE has some tips as well.
For structure, it would be good to have 4 main paragraphs+ your introduction and conclusion. Your conclusion will summarise like always but it can also cover what you want to do with this degree. I mentioned my want for getting a Doctorate.
I apologise for how unorganised this advise is but I hope my listing of how I structured my PS may help.

PS for Politics and Philosophy

Intro: 2-3 sentences. I wrote about identity ( I guess that might be my theme) and how I have interacted with Art, Politics and Philosophy through that.