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Personal Statement - Land Economy 3

This is a real Geography personal statement written by a student for their university application to University of Cambridge (Land Economy), LSE (Law), The University of Edinburgh (Law with Economics) and Warwick University (Law and Business Studies). It has been carefully edited into the new three-question format, with all of the original wording kept. It may have strengths and weaknesses, but it can be used as inspiration for writing your own UCAS personal statement. Ensure your personal statement is entirely your own work, copying from this example or other sources is considered plagiarism and can affect your application. There are lots more examples in our collection of sample personal statements.

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

The moment a snapshot is taken it becomes outdated. This is exactly how rapidly today’s world is changing, provoking a sense among people that more should be done to secure the foundation of their stability. Law fascinates me not only as an inherent part of our heritage, but also as a subject that, combined with diverse academic disciplines, must continuously develop in response to the manifest challenges facing modern society.

I have a deep interest in the concept of the rule of law, which is central to the work of international organisations. To understand it more in practice, I have attended Model United Nations sessions. Having received the distinction award for the debate on human rights abuses in Syria, I was given a chance to chair the Warsaw MUN. Also, being chosen a representative for Poland at the European Youth Parliament I was able to perceive the pertinence of law in addressing international economic challenges. Moreover, my reading of Tom Bingham’s ‘The rule of Law’ made me appreciate the fact that the concept is not only legal, but also political in nature, and contributes vitally to economic development. The desire to explore how law can be applied in these areas motivated me to join a combined course.

Anticipating ever greater challenges on my academic path I want to come up to them with my assiduity and passion for the subject, bringing fresh initiative to the university’s community. In the future I would like to contribute to the fine-tuning of law for the protection of liberty, economic growth and ecological sustainability – the core elements of the balanced and equitable development.

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

I firmly believe that the greatest social achievements require effective exercise of argument. With this in mind, I completed *** course at ***. Through lectures and debated I improved my logical reasoning and rhetorical skills. I realised the importance of them at a mock trial of ***, when I became familiar with practical aspects of the civil justice system by preparing court exhibits and charges. I pursued my interest further by reading ‘What About Law’ by C. Barnard et. Al., which helped me understand the benefits of the incremental nature of the common law system and the limits of the codified procedure.

My aptitude for social sciences was confirmed, when I managed to secure the top position in the region in the Geography Olympiad, conducting extensive research in my local area. Studying geography and history in the IB Programme I have learnt about serious consequences of the lack of social and environmental awareness. With this in mind, I made and effort to preserve biodiversity of the Baltic Sea region by participating in discussions on the recent changes in the EU’s legal framework initiated by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Additionally, I coordinated the Baltica Project – an expedition promoting the protection of wildlife reservoirs.

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

To gain first-hand experience, I undertook an internship at one of *** leading law firms. In this role, I was able to demonstrate my personal responsibility in dealing with administrative authorities and was encouraged to take part in analysing legal cases. The time of the internship spent at the ‘Department of Debt Recovery’ led me to consider further fiscal policy, particularly its impact on developing countries that I focused on in my IB Geography Course. To better understand this relationship I completed the Cambridge Enterprise Programme, which concentrated on business management and macroeconomic issues.

The excursion made me realise the benefits of being involved in sport through skiing and captaining my school’s basketball team. It helps me to lead a well-balanced life, but also gives motivation, the teamwork and organisational skills. They became incredibly useful when I co-founded a charity organisation for youths.

Universities applied to:

  • University of Cambridge (Land Economy)
  • LSE (Law)
  • The University of Edinburgh (Law with Economics)
  • Warwick University (Law and Business Studies)

Grades achieved:

  • HISTORY HL (7)
  • GEOGRAPHY HL (7)
  • ENGLISH B HL (6)
  • POLISH Lit SL (7)
  • MATHS SL (7)
  • BIOLOGY SL (7)
  • EE - Polish (A)
  • TOK (A)
  • OVERALL RESULT (44)

AI generated feedback

This feedback is AI-generated, based on the text of this personal statement:

This personal statement strongly conveys a genuine passion for law and its interdisciplinary applications, particularly in the social, economic, and environmental realms, which aligns well with modern expectations for a new UCAS personal statement. The applicant’s integration of academic achievements, practical internships, and extracurricular leadership successfully demonstrates preparedness and motivation.

To improve, the statement could benefit from clearer university and course mentions within the body for stronger contextual relevance. Also, where placeholders (e.g., *** course at ***) appear, replacing them with specific details would enhance credibility. More explicit connections between the applicant’s experiences and how they will contribute to university life and future ambitions would strengthen the narrative.

Overall, the statement meets the new UCAS format by separating motivations, qualifications, and extracurricular preparations clearly while maintaining an authentic personal voice.

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.

Need help with your personal statement? You can ask a question or get feedback from The Student Room community (and our trained personal statement experts) on the personal statement advice forum.

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