retired_shalurana

I have to get my Personal Statement 1st draft handed into my school this week and i was just wondering what you guys thought of this as my plan.

1st Paragraph - Trying to get my enthusiasm for the subject(Politics) across.

2nd Paragraph - Linking how my other two subjects(Economics & History) to politics and how they have helped me develop useful skills for the subject.

3rd Paragraph - Extra curricular activities some relevent some not so relevent and mentioning the skills i have developed from my job(Waitrose) into school life.

4th Paragraph - Rounding the statement off.

OTF, have i missed anything crucial out? Some people at my school are putting cheesy quotes into thier statements while others have hat loads of extra curricular experience that is actually relevent to their subject.

Thanks.

retired_putpo

One thing is paramount, personality. If you don't get this across you're just another name on a piece of paper. Obviously this doesn't mean crack horrendous jokes all the way through, just try and get it across who you really are.

Unless you're not a very nice person - I wouldn't advise you to promote the fact you're a bit of a dick.

retired_senegalg

Quotes are a definite 'no-no'. Maybe in the final paragraph give a sense of you as a human being, rather than somebody who does everything with the thought 'how will this help my study of politics in mind?' Perhaps mention your interest in sport (if you have one) or film or whatever. Also do you play any sport, if so mention it

retired_breakbred101

I've got to do mine too, just where to start?

retired_shalurana

Cheers for the advice :thup:

retired_senegalg

Why do you want to study your subject?

retired_shalurana

Try not to state the obvious, give a reason as to why you have an interest in what you want to study. Try to make the reader get to paragraph two.

retired_breakbred101

Why do you want to study your subject? </BLOCKQUOTE>
That's the tough thing. I know why and I'm struggling to put it so that I don't sound arrogant. I want to do 'Management'. Why? Well, at 16 I was the MD of a school start-up for a year. This year I am the President of an FE Student Union, I manage the executive team. I'm good at it. I'm told I'm good at it (in fact, my lecturer says I'm the best in the year) - so put simply, I want to do it because I know I'll excel in the subject and enjoy it.

Any suggestions?

Flaming for arrogance permitted etc

retired_senegalg

Management is more than just a subject for me, it is something that I have been actively involved in for a number of years. For instance, when I was sixteen I was Managing Director of a school start-up company for a year. This year, I am president of the Student Union at my school(/college). I have always found leading people to be something I enjoy greatly and therefore want to build on this. Further, I believe it to be complementary to the skills that I have acquired both within, and without, education.

Your job is to say why you love it, your teacher's job is to say you're brilliant at it. Your reference will do the bits you can't because you don't want to seem arrogant. You can therefore be slightly modest and understated although the mere fact that you've done those things is impressive in itself.

retired_kathydonatto

I remember when I used to worry about things like personal statements and think they actually mattered, now I read threads like this and chuckle at the naive youthfulness of the posters in here.