Personal Statement - History with Business Studies

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

I have always had a love for history. I find the past fascinating and the different cultures and societies. I am particularly interested in the period in the 19th and 20th century. This is an interest of mine because many things happened that defined the world we live in now. For example the American Civil War. It sparked the abolition of slavery all around the world. In particular the late modern period is my favourite period because I find the events that happen during that period the most defining and interesting. I feel events such as World War 2 and several major revolutions for example the industrial revolution in Britain have defined how we live now. In history you’re learning about something that might have changed something in your life even if it happened a hundred years ago. I find history fascinating because it is like a window into the past and you’re peeking into someone’s life.

One of my hobbies is reading. I love to read. It is one of my favourite things to do. My love for reading has helped me in my studies because I am able to read and understand pieces of text. I am able to pick out information that is relevant to the question or what I am studying. I have read some classics for example Little Women by Louise M. Alcott. During the course of the book the struggles of women during the 19th century are explored. For example not being able to go to war and educational difficulties. It portrays the issues of feminism in the 19th century.

I look forward to the challenges that university will bring and I feel that I will enjoy the hard work needed.

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

Through my studies I feel that I have gained the skills I need to investigate history further at university. Through studying history I have learnt essay skills and research skills. Also through business studies I have acquired the skills to analyse and evaluate information. I can then put these skills into practice in my history essays. I can also work independently. I gained this skill when I was out of school for a brief period of time. I was out of school because I was not happy at my previous due to several reasons and had to wait for another school place. I worked with a tutor but most of time I was working on my own. I had to work independently; this is when my interest for history grew because I chose what I studied for history. I had to research my topic myself. I feel that this experience has helped me gain skills that are essential for history. I have learnt how to research and work independently. This has helped me in my history essays and will continue to help me in university.

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

I completed work experience at a Primary School. This experience was helpful. It helped build my confidence and my organizational skills were improved. They were improved because I had to do filing and sort out the children’s work. I also completed work experience this year. A group of sixth formers, myself included, set up our own mini company. We planned a Film and Fun day in our schools active learning week. I had to work in a team and make decisions as a team. I enjoyed working in a team and running the day. This experience helped my team building skills. I improved them by deciding together what was going to happen on the day.

In my free time I volunteer at my local Girls Brigade Company and thoroughly enjoy it. I am a young leader helping supervise the junior section. I often set up games and activities for them. I have also been a member of Girls Brigade for 5 years before becoming a young leader. Through hard work and commitment I have been awarded the brigadiers brooch. To achieve this I have had to complete the 4 normal parts of a badge; spiritual, educational, physical and service. Plus an extra section from these. I have also gained my young leaders foundation award. I have gained confidence and team building skills. This shows that I can work with people in a group well.

Universities applied to:

• University Of Lincoln
• University of Derby
• Kingston University
• Anglia Ruskin University
• Canterbury Christ Church

Grades achieved:

• History (A2) - D
• Business Studies (A2) - C
• General Studies (A2) - C

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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