| 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. |
Sir Thomas Watson once said "You have to put your heart in the business and the business in your heart". This caught my eye immediately for one reason. It reflects my passion and commitment to persevere and succeed in attainting my dream of becoming a Chief Executive Officer. We are in a climate where there are fewer jobs, more discerning consumers and lower profits. In times like these managerial decisions become more crucial and more significant than ever before and I aspire to be in the future generation undertaking these decisions. My interest in current affairs, my appreciation for the causes and effects of the current climate and my enthusiasm to join an increasingly dynamic and international business environment are justification for my choice to study a business degree.
Since being a young boy employing his friends to draw paintings, later selling them on for profit, my fascination has grown through studying business at GCSE and AS level, resulting in an A level student who can view many business situations, critically evaluate and analyze the problems and produce a solution. This analytical skill has developed in part with my law course along with my proficiency and confidence of presenting my ideas and findings to large groups of people. The combination of maths and accounting has given me the flexibility and ability to accurately handle and analyze figures that I am given and the knowledge in identifying what techniques and concepts I should use with these figures to produce the correct result.
One way in which I differentiate, is by the various summer schools and similar projects that I was lucky enough to have attended. The first and most influential was a week during 2008 at the University of the West of England, where through all manner of group assignments I was chosen to lead the final task of redeveloping a section of Bristol to make it more financially and economically viable. This role was perfect for me, as not only did it allow me to gain experience of managing a team efficiently by fairly and democratically delegating roles, but also allowed me to prove myself capable of making sound, logical decisions, and show I hold the ability to manage time and resources effectively. This exposure to university life influenced me to further my experiences. So during the summer of 2009 I spent a week at the University of Bristol taking part in varying law lectures and group exercises where I enhanced my interpreting and research skills and furthered my confidence in presenting to a group. However, this confirmed my preference of studying business, so I then took it upon myself to obtain work experience at Kaplan Financial in Bristol. This was a vital undertaking as it was my first encounter with accounting and introduced me to many accounting terms and concepts and we developed on these to a point where it ignited a newfound interest in this area.
Spending ten years on the football field does a lot for a person's ability to work in a team. I was the captain, thus I had to incorporate leading the team and making decisions in with general teamwork. During my school years I was chosen to be head boy. It was a lot of responsibility but I took a very democratic and fair approach and gained a wealth of knowledge. Combined with the fostering that happens at home, I have spent time with people of all ages, personalities, some with various disabilities. All of which I've had to adapt my actions and behaviours to ensure the best communication was achieved.
In relation to what Mark Twain once said "The secret of getting ahead is getting started". My desire and commitment in studying business at a degree level and the experience, expertise, initiative and understanding I will gain is fundamental in helping to achieve my aspirations in a business related career and essential in attaining my personal ambition of climbing the corporate ladder, and ultimately, placing my own personal mark on the business world.
