| 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. |
I am interested in postgraduate study at the University of Edinburgh for three reasons: the programme allows me to study my major interest academically; the reputation of the department; and the desire to live and study in Scotland – I have visited the city numerous times, and my last visit formed the basis for an article that was submitted for a travel writing competition.
My interest in comparative literature developed alongside my degree in English, and I have interests in the fiction and non-fiction works of Eastern European (Joseph Conrad, Franz Kafka and Ryszard Kapuściński), French (Guy de Maupassant and Anais Nin), Italian (Giovanni Boccaccio and Giacomo Casanova) and Russian (Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Vladimir Nabokov and Ivan Turgenev, and also the theoretical works of Mikhail Bakhtin and Tzvetan Todorov) writers.
My extended essay is the first piece of substantial academic work that has allowed me to pursue my interest academically, and deals with Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground (1864). It investigates the construction of the underground-man's identity in relation to a number of literary motifs in the novella - notes, prostitute, underground and wet-snow.
I have, however, developed other interdisciplinary interests outside my degree too. For example, the colonial travel writings of Kapuściński and Mary Kingsley in Africa, and Conrad's short story An Outpost of Progress heavily influenced my entry ('A long walk to the internet') for this years Guardian International Development Journalism competition. I wrote about the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs's ADEN project, which aimed to increase internet access in eleven sub-Saharan countries. I was long-listed for the award and published on the Guardian's website.
I also recently submitted short stories for the Suzanne Furstner Foundation (TEFL scholarship) and the High Sheriff's Cheshire Prize for Literature competitions, using the knowledge I gained from my second year Romanticism and Writing Contexts 2: Philosophy, Society & Culture units with the extra reading I had done on Boccaccio, Casanova, Kafka and Virgil. The latter was particularly inspired by Maupassant's short story Clair De Lune, and dealt explicitly with gender theory; a reversal of Eve's fall using sexual motifs.
Other interests I wish to pursue include: the use and potential of erotic motifs in literature, especially the construction of eroticism on a linguistic level; literary theory; philosophy of language; the novella and short story as literary genres; and I also wish to flesh out my own theories regarding naturalism too.
I aspire to be a university lecturer and admission to Edinburgh would not only progress this goal, but also immerse me in another education system, which I believe is extremely beneficial; my uncle teaches at Borders College in Galashiels, and has advised me about education in Scotland.
I have worked part-time with Aimhigher as a student mentor, using my subject knowledge to prepare GCSE students for their English language and literature exams. This involved researching fiction and non-fiction texts, creating revision material for students of different abilities, which was then checked by a senior lecturer in my department, and attempting to instil appropriate exam technique. This experience developed my communication and team work skills as I worked with other mentors on the scheme and coordinated with staff in the school. I often had to deal with large groups of students on my own too. But I felt the way I learned to prepare for sessions and talk to students in an appropriate manner was far more valuable in terms of experience. Building upon this experience I was invited to participate in Aimhigher's new Associates Scheme, which launched in November. I am scheduled to work at Macclesfield College from the New Year onwards.
I have also been accepted onto the Liverpool Student Associates Scheme for secondary English. Manchester Metropolitan University did not offer English placements so I contacted other regional providers, and was given a placement less than a day after attending an interview, which not only proves my suitability for a career in education but also my dedication too. I would actively look to build upon this experience whilst studying at Edinburgh.
Universities Applied to:
- University of Edinburgh (MSc in Comparative and General Literature) - Offer (2.1)
Comments
General Comments:
For large universities who are likely to receive lots of applications (Edinburgh had a comparatively short deadline date, for example), it is best to be as personal as possible in the application itself and in correspondence. A general aim (teaching in Scotland) can be improved significantly with small details such as mentioning that an uncle works in a further education college in Scotland. Of course, not everyone has localised knowledge, but if you do it is not something that should be overlooked.
