Personal Statement - French and Russian

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Even before I started to learn French at the age of 10, I had developed an interest in other cultures and languages garnered from reading books, such as the eternally fascinating fin de siecle novel 'Around the World in 80 Days' by Jules Verne, which enthralled me with its whimsical story and classic tale of hard work paying off (despite its ironic aristocratic setting in 1890s London).

I am self-motivated, dedicated and fixed upon studying foreign languages and all the aspects of cultural and social learning they bring to the fray. Thanks to my experience on the Cambridge University Students' Union (CUSU) Shadowing Scheme in February, which gave me a real flavour of what studying these subjects at a top university is really like, I know that am ready for the research, analysis and open-minded thinking that a degree such as this involves. I am eagerly awaiting starting a new phase of my further linguistic progression. I know that the university I have chosen is a superb institution at which I look forward to spending my future academic years.

I also admire greatly French music, especially that of the maestro Charles Aznavour, to whom I listen fervently. I read French newspapers online, especially Le Monde and La Liberation.

My ultimate goal is to join the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, joining together my interests of linguistics and politics.

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

Throughout my academic career I have been recognised and awarded for prowess in languages, even before my GCSEs when I was awarded the prize for best student at French in middle school. I have since received several more prizes from my high school and achieved the highest UMS mark in AS-level French at my school.

I study one language at A-Level; French. Nevertheless I have continued Spanish (which I studied at GCSE) by myself, independently practising the language, maintaining a competency in it that I do not want to lose as I believe that through languages we may explore other cultures and learn more about our own by analysing linguistic patterns in say, German, which is among our closest languages grammatically, we can learn a great deal about the development of our own language.

I am also self-taught in Russian to a basic standard, as it is a language that has for a long time interested me. Firstly I toyed with learning the Cyrillic alphabet; however I have borrowed educational books that have expanded my horizons into the language and its links with others (like Russia itself, the language draws on both European and Asian influences) as well as Russian culture.

More specifically, I enjoy the literature of France and Russia, as well as revelling greatly in their histories and politics the politics of the Soviet Union being a personal interest. The Russian Revolution of 1917-1919 especially interests me. Literature-wise I enjoy both "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources" by Marcel Pagnol in their original French, and while I enjoy Sergei Lukayenko's "Watch" trilogy, my Russian is not yet good enough to read them in the native language.

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

Personally, I enjoy not only self-tutoring but other pursuits such as going to the cinema with friends and I also run my own small business part-time, mainly providing photographic services for clients such as my local county council.

My cultural interests outside foreign languages include politics, history and to an extent literature and film. I am my school's Deputy Head Boy, and try to involve myself heavily in school affairs, as I believe greatly in student democracy and self-rule, as well as being actively involved in local politics.

From working part-time I have learned well the lessons of time management, responsibility and coping with stress, and the valuable lesson that you must work hard to achieve what you want there's no easy way to success.

Universities applied to:

• Cambridge
• Durham
• St Andrews
• Exeter
• Sheffield

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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