Personal Statement - International Relations and French

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

From the age of thirteen months until I was almost six, I lived in Caracas, Venezuela, oblivious to the fact that I am half British. When we moved back to Warwickshire in 1999, I started to learn English for the first time, as I had only known Spanish. Growing up, I began to realise that my parents' decision to return to the UK was politically motivated. With Chavez's rise to power, it was apparent to my parents that Venezuela was about to face huge changes. As the years passed, returning to Caracas every 3 years, I understood that the society was becoming increasingly divided, affecting even my close relatives. It showed me the importance of international relations in everyday life, even in the family. At home, I was exposed to political discussions, not only about Venezuela and Britain, but also Sudan, Bangladesh and Peru due to the nature of my father's work in developing countries. Experiences like these led me to question how governments can fail their own citizens and how foreign policies try to address this.

My upbringing directed me into choosing Politics and Economics for A level. Whilst learning about British and American politics, I read articles from The Economist and more specifically on Venezuelan politics on a website called LAPOP - the Latin American Public Opinion Project. A favourite piece of mine, written by Maria Rodriquez, is called "Problems may convert believers into non-believers in Chavez's Venezuela". Rodriguez gives a riveting account on how rising crime rates and the declining economic conditions are damaging Chavez's popularity.

Because I am a native Spanish speaker, taking A level French was not a difficult choice. The two languages have similarities but are beautiful in their own way. I am currently a member of the French Culture Club at school, watching films such as Persepolis and playing French Scrabble with other sixth form students. My flair for languages is the reason I was chosen to take part in an afterschool club for learning Mandarin in Year 11. It was a weekly session taught by a visiting tutor from Shanghai, who led us through the complexity of this logographic language. In Year 12, I took on weekly Italian lessons as enrichment to broaden my affinity for European languages.

Pairing this interest with my passion for international relations, I contacted a Labour MEP named Linda McAvan, the leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the Environment, Public Health & Food Safety committee. I secured work experience with her in the European Parliament at Brussels for a week during July 2011, sitting in meetings with the Envi Committee, speaking with lobbyists, and even protesting against the European fish discarding policy. Being there enhanced my knowledge and understanding of the EU system, as well as furthering my skills in research, listening and note-taking. I flourished in the surroundings and regularly listened to both the French and the Spanish translations of the speakers. It suddenly occurred to me that this is what I want to do: helping people using both my political and language skills. Working for the EU, the UN or even being an ambassador are careers that I aspire to pursue.

With all of my personal experiences, studying International Relations at university would truly help me to understand fully just how globalisation and conflict can affect the world.

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

My upbringing directed me into choosing Politics and Economics for A level. Whilst learning about British and American politics, I read articles from The Economist and more specifically on Venezuelan politics on a website called LAPOP - the Latin American Public Opinion Project. A favourite piece of mine, written by Maria Rodriquez, is called "Problems may convert believers into non-believers in Chavez's Venezuela". Rodriguez gives a riveting account on how rising crime rates and the declining economic conditions are damaging Chavez's popularity.

Because I am a native Spanish speaker, taking A level French was not a difficult choice. The two languages have similarities but are beautiful in their own way. I am currently a member of the French Culture Club at school, watching films such as Persepolis and playing French Scrabble with other sixth form students. My Spanish is also kept fluent and I have developed complex language through political debates at home.

My flair for languages is the reason I was chosen to take part in an afterschool club for learning Mandarin in Year 11. It was a weekly session taught by a visiting tutor from Shanghai, who led us through the complexity of this logographic language. In Year 12, I took on weekly Italian lessons as enrichment to broaden my affinity for European languages.

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

Pairing my interests with my passion for international relations, I contacted a Labour MEP named Linda McAvan, the leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the Environment, Public Health & Food Safety committee. I secured work experience with her in the European Parliament at Brussels for a week during July 2011, sitting in meetings with the Envi Committee, speaking with lobbyists, and even protesting against the European fish discarding policy. Being there enhanced my knowledge and understanding of the EU system, as well as furthering my skills in research, listening and note-taking. I flourished in the surroundings and regularly listened to both the French and the Spanish translations of the speakers. It suddenly occurred to me that this is what I want to do: helping people using both my political and language skills. Working for the EU, the UN or even being an ambassador are careers that I aspire to pursue.

Other than politics and languages, I have always been interested in music. In Year 10, I joined the upper school choir, often performing lead vocals in assemblies and at fetes. Working as part of the choir was a satisfying lesson, as we all had to work in harmony in order to get a high quality end result. At the end of Year 11, I was awarded Best Female Musician 2010 by my school; a prize that had been voted on by my peers.

Universities applied to:

• Sussex
• Kent
• Exeter
• UEA
• Essex

Grades achieved:

• Politics: A (B at AS)
• French: B (B at AS)
• Economics: B (C at AS)
• History AS: 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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