Personal Statement - Management 12

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Although English novelist C.P. Snow divided the intellectual life into sciences and humanities, I believe this subject is rather the perfect fusion of both. The way it merges qualitative and quantitative methods with the practical application of theory to identify and solve problems makes it truly versatile. This inherent versatility of the subject along with its fundamental importance in the real world motivates me to study it at university.

Reading 'The Goal' by Goldratt has only fuelled my interest in the subject. It introduced me to various management techniques and concepts including the theory of constraints which I found particularly interesting because of its wide applicability in areas such as operations, finance and even sales. The book demonstrated that instead of relying on assumptions, we should question everything before we make a decision. It also made me aware of how people often get distracted by things which are not necessarily essential. For example, measurements like cost per unit are useless if they do not contribute to reaching the goal - to generate profit. Another book I found really compelling was 'Thinking Strategically' by Dixit. It helped me to achieve a better understanding of game theory and its application. It enabled me to see things from a new perspective by showing how everything from simple games to complex political decisions can be studied using this method. Having been inspired by the examples presented in the book such as the prisoners' dilemma, I conducted my own study as part of a project for my history class. I attempted to analyse the Munich Massacre. By using game theory I contemplated the players' objectives, choices and decisions one-by-one to see how they affected the outcome to determine what exactly led to the disaster and how it could have been prevented. I came to the conclusion that if the German police had approached the incident as a non-zero-sum game, the tragedy could have been at least partially avoided. This experience and the satisfaction I got from carrying out my own research confirmed my choice of study.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

During secondary school I have developed time management and organisational skills through working on tasks with set deadlines, both independently and as part of a team. My strongest subject has always been math. I particularly enjoyed the statistics module teaching me how to collect and interpret data. Besides using the traditional methods I love finding different, alternative ways to solve the same problems, and although at first they were not welcomed by my teacher, they proved to be effective in contests such as the Mathematics Olympiad. I am looking forward to learning more in depth about quantitative methods used in business, such as time series and decision analysis. Studying Social Studies gave me a foundation in economics, law and sociology, while also enhancing my essay writing and argumentation skills. I loved the analytical approach which involved studying case studies, such as examining a tax discount proposed by the Slovak government that would benefit local companies over multinational firms. It demonstrated the great effect political decisions can have on businesses.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Outside of school my greatest passion is IT. Considering the way it has affected management by enabling us to collect and utilise data in real time, I feel it will be essential in my studies. Having learnt HTML and later PHP, I created several websites, including a database-driven revision website. I also try to keep myself up to date by reading magazines, my favourite being Forbes - Rich Karlgaard's column on innovation economy is truly captivating! In addition, I am a member of the school's Spanish and French clubs.

As a motivated individual I am looking forward to studying this demanding, yet beautiful subject, and I am eager to reach my full potential at your institution.

Universities applied to:

• University College London (Information Management for Business)
• University of Exeter (Business Economics)
• University of Southampton (Management Sciences)
• University of East Anglia (Management)
• London School of Economics and Political Science

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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