Personal Statement - English Literature 10

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

To me, literature is the most effective means of experiencing and analysing the unfamiliar. It has the ability to typify the social climate of the time and place in which it was written, while simultaneously entertaining an audience. This twofold power confirmed my interest in the subject and developed my strong desire to study it further.

I was introduced to diverse cultures and languages as a child, my father's employment requiring us to move around the world regularly. As well as emphasising the necessity of a thorough understanding of foreign customs, these experiences made me recognise how an understanding of another language can affect the way you look at your own. I am interested in not only how a language develops, but also in the social reasons for these developments. My studies in French, German and Latin revealed the origins of the English language; I believe that further resonance and accuracy are given to a word once its history is known.

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

While I have taken great pleasure from reading since childhood, it was only after studying Hamlet at AS-Level that I recognised literature as the course I wanted to follow. The in-depth examination of language and theme, combined with an analysis of the relevant context, established for me a full captivation with the subject. I regarded each of my AS-Level courses - including Shelley's Frankenstein and Keats' collected poems - as a springboard to contemporary literature. Studying Romantic poetry encouraged me to explore the works of Wordsworth and Coleridge. Similarly, Hamlet led me, after the remaining great Shakespearian tragedies, to Doctor Faustus, The Duchess of Malfi and The Revenger's Tragedy. The intricacy of language and politically rich context marked out the Renaissance tragedies for me as a pinnacle of literary achievement. My studies of classical civilisation showed how the influence of a work can be traced through subsequent generations: one example I considered was how the Shakespearian soliloquy, epitomised in Hamlet, had evolved from the monologues of such plays as Antigone and Prometheus Bound.

I find it revealing to explore the social and political background of a work while reading it. I believe that the most rewarding means of appreciating literature is to immerse oneself in the period in which it was written: in this way a reader can identify and analyse both the ideas relevant to the time and the author's reaction to them. For example, I gained a greater understanding of More's Utopia through examining the political situation in the early sixteenth century; likewise a poem such as Eliot's The Waste Land could not be fully appreciated without identifying the social effects of the First World War.

I am taking AEA English next year: this opportunity will allow me to use the skills I have gained studying English at A-Level at a more challenging level.

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

I am a cross-country runner for my school and have been on two overseas tours. It is crucial for a runner to train outside the running season to be fully fit for the autumn and winter months: I have learned from this the importance of hard work even when the results are not immediately apparent. I am interested in music: as well as playing the trumpet and the piano, I listen to a variety of genres, from jazz to hip-hop. My taste in music reflects my affinity for poetry: the means by which an artist places emphasis on a word or phrase intrigues me.

Since the beginning of the year, I have held a part time position at Waitrose and, before that, Homebase. In the past, organisational skills were not one of my strengths: however, these jobs have taught me the necessity of time management and forward planning. Additional roles undertaken in Sixth Form allowed me to practise previously untested abilities: for example, I helped organise and run an educational trip for the Year 8s of my school, using my knowledge of French to encourage them to approach language with enthusiasm.

Universities applied to:

• Oxford
• Durham
• York
• Leeds
• Edinburgh

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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