Personal Statement - History and Spanish 1a

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

I have always had a passion for history, both as a subject and as an extracurricular research pastime. Often when studying the reigns of Alexander III or Nicholas II for my AS-Level course on Russian history, I would end up reading about Catherine the Great and other early Romanovs or the rise and demise of Kievan Rus’ and the Battle of Kalka River, out of curiosity and interest. I also have a passion for the Spanish language, Spanish being my mother tongue, and Spain being the home of much of my family. I have spent time reading around the subject of the Spanish Civil War, which is of interest to me, as well as the rule of Miguel Antonio Primo de Rivera and his impact on his son, Jose Antonio, and on the Spanish economy.

I think that I am very capable of performing well in a course studying history as I am used to hard work and have enough ability, interest and passion in the subject to be able to work hard and diligently and consistently. I would like to do History and Spanish at Oxford because it would stand me in very good stead to go on to a career in either law or politics, and because I would enjoy the course itself and get a lot out of it personally in terms of learning and experience.

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

Currently I am studying for A-Level in Government and Politics, Economics, Mathematics, History, and Spanish. I enjoy learning about History and Spanish, and always feel a desire to improve. I find that Mathematics helps me to understand Economics better, and Economics, along with Government and Politics, both help and enrich my understanding and learning of History, and I find that going to Spain several times a year and speaking Spanish with my parents to be very useful for improving and perfecting my Spanish, and it is very enjoyable and rewarding to be able to communicate coherently with my family.

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

I did some work experience in Year 11 of Secondary School for two weeks, which I found very interesting and enlightening. –I worked at Sainsbury’s Head Office in London and was fortunate enough to be shown around the entire supply chain, from where goods were produced, (Warburton’s Bakery, Enfield,) to where they were sent to be administered, (supply depots,) to where they are finally sold (on the shelves of stores,) which is what sparked my interest in economics, and how such fetes of coordination were possible.

After finishing my work experience and after finishing my GCSEs, whilst reading a biography on Napoleon Bonaparte by Paul Johnson: “Napoleon,” I noticed a brief comment on how, although Bonaparte had gone through a period of voracious reading, he did not read certain important works such as Adam Smith’s “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.” –This intrigued me and so I began to research Adam Smith, and read “On the Wealth of Nations” by PJ O’Rourke. It was after this that I decided that I wanted to study Economics at A-Level, as I realised for the first time what a powerful and fascinating concept economics was, and what profound links and implications it had with my two other favourite subjects, history and politics. Economics helped increase my interest in history as I increasingly found I could make better sense of events and generally saw history in a different light.

I enjoy reading a lot, though I find that during the academic year I read very few books, as I always feel I could be spending that time studying instead, and so in a way I often let school get in the way of learning, but I read heavily during the Summer breaks, and find that I miss reading during the year, and so I will be setting time aside specifically to read. During the year I read newspapers and magazines at home and in the school library, which help with History, Economics and Politics. I am also politically active, having been a member of the Conservative Party for some years, and I continue to distribute leaflets for Party, and maintain an interest in their activities.

I feel that my knowledge and passion for History, backed by an understanding of Economics and Politics, as well as my natural ability in Spanish, and my frequent visits to Spain, where I have always enjoyed the privilege and advantage of talking to my many friends and relatives, and my dedication and ability, mean that I would be well-suited to a course in History and Spanish at Oxford.

Universities applied to:

• Oxford

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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