Chinese degree personal statement example (1a) SOAS offer

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Perhaps because of my dual British and American heritage, I have wanted to understand and compare different cultures from an early age. During my GCSE years, I became aware that my studies had a primarily Western focus. There was a large part of the world about which I knew little, and I wanted to learn more about their languages, literatures and histories.

My curiosity in China originated from my interest in world religions as a window into understanding how different cultures approach complex questions. I found Confucianism and Daoism particularly interesting, especially since these opposing views had emerged from a single society. This led me to read about Chinese history. I enjoyed Robert Marks's "China: Its Environment and History", as it gave a concise and approachable overview of the vast and changing region that has constituted China over 4000+ years. My investigations culminated in my entry to the Corpus Christi College History Essay Competition, where I addressed the relationship between religion and power in China from 1949 to 1999.

With my interest in China, my love of languages and my desire to gain a richer understanding of the world's cultures, studying Chinese seems like the ideal path for me. Spending a year in China will allow me to immerse myself in contemporary Chinese society and enable me to study Chinese culture more deeply. Although I don't know exactly know what I want to do when I graduate, I believe that being fluent in Chinese will open up opportunities and career paths that excite me and might otherwise be unavailable to me.

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

I believe language is a key way to understand the opinions and viewpoints of other peoples, especially where nuances of thought get lost in translation. I help teach French to lower years. Explaining grammatical ideas that make sense to me but which younger students find difficult is satisfying; it has also made me a better language learner. This year I am one of two Subject Mentors in French. As well as helping year 12s in class, I will organise activities to enrich appreciation of French culture, for example through films and posting articles on our French A level Facebook group. My love of languages led me to start Ancient Greek GCSE in year 12. This was a fun way to tackle a language with a different script and a complex grammar. Over time it has also allowed me to learn about the ancient world through contemporary writings, which provides a different perspective to secondary sources.

I am really excited about my EPQ, which is about the films of Jia Zhangke and his portrayals and critiques of modernity in China. I really appreciate his realist aesthetic, which conveys an unaffected view of contemporary Chinese life.

I contacted SOAS during my application and changed Chinese (Modern and Classical) to Social Anthropology and Chinese, The Offer changed to AAA and this was the offer I firmed.

Grades Achieved:

• English Literature (A2) - A*
• French (A2) - A
• Maths (A2) - A
• History (AS) - B

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

I am one of twelve senior students, representing the views of my year group of 250, serving as an ambassador for the school and organizing social and academic events. This has provided an opportunity for me to develop my leadership and team working skills. I also co-run our school's LGBT+ group. This is a support role in which I also engage in activism, for example holding educational assemblies and fostering links between our group and my school's Christian Union.

Outside of school, I took part in the Cambridge University Year 12 Summer School in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology. My project was to determine whether or not a Viking artifact was a chess piece. I found it very interesting to see first hand how physical items can be used to understand pre-modern cultures. I also took part in the Access to Bristol Social Policy course and Bristol University Year 11 Summer School.

I enjoyed taking part in Model United Nations. It gave me an appreciation for international policymaking, understanding the needs and interests of different countries and insight into how these countries interact with each other. In my spare time I participate in a band that performs locally and go to the gym regularly. I am employed by a local charity as a fundraiser.

Universities applied to:

• School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
• Edinburgh
• Durham
• Manchester
• Oxford

Grades achieved:

• English Literature (A2) - A*
• French (A2) - A
• Maths (A2) - A
• History (AS) - B

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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