Personal Statement - French and Spanish 1

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

I have always felt that the ability to communicate with others is an essential life skill. As a child, when on holiday, I disliked not being able to fully experience the culture of the country by speaking with the people I met in their own language. To this end, I was delighted to commence the study of French in primary school, and although the vocabulary was very basic, I felt I had achieved something when I visited Paris and was able to converse with the locals. As I learned more of the language at High School, I felt I was broadening my horizons, which encouraged me to select French as a Standard Grade. At this point I was also given the opportunity to begin learning Spanish, and my passion for languages that had evolved by this time drove me to take up this language. I continued my studies of both languages at Higher level, which I thoroughly enjoyed and was successful in.

I remain fascinated by the structure of words and their functions in different languages, therefore it seems natural that I should select to study French and Spanish at university, as I feel extremely passionate about these languages, and aspire to become fluent in both. I hope to use my language skills in my future career, perhaps as an interpreter or languages teacher.

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

Last year, as well as studying five Highers, I played an active role in my school community by assisting in S4 English and S1 French classes, during which time I was able to work one-to-one with members of the classes who were having difficulties with their work, including a pupil who was learning English as a second language.

Furthermore, I was on the school Charity Committee, helping to organise a sponsored fast to raise money for SCIAF, as well as various other fundraising activities. I also participated in the school "Bully Busters" campaign by performing in a series of sketches, which had been written by a group of four pupils including myself, in front of S1 pupils in order to demonstrate the various types of bullying and how to react in the event of being bullied. This year, the same group of pupils decided to record a new performance on DVD format, which will be shown to each new S1 as they begin High School to try to eradicate the problem of bullying.

This year, I was elected Head Girl of my school, which has encouraged me to develop leadership and interpersonal skills in order to meet the needs of my classmates and ensure their opinions are listened to and dealt with.

Furthermore, I have recently been selected by my local Rotary Club as their sole candidate to be put through to the final stage of the selection process to go to Strasbourg as part of the Euroscola group, which would give me the opportunity to improve my spoken French whilst meeting new people and taking part in politically-orientated activities, such as street questionnaires. This would be a fantastic opportunity to put my spoken French into practice.

As I am studying fewer subjects this year, I have enough free time to take part in more peer support, so I am utilising my free periods to offer support in Spanish, French and English classes. This allows me to ameliorate my communication skills and develop relationships with younger pupils.

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

I have been working as a shop assistant since 2005, which has taught me how to juggle academic and working life, and find a balance between the two. I believe that I possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Although I may not always agree with my colleagues, I have learned to communicate my opinions in such a way that they are taken into account, as well as listening to others and ensuring their problems are not ignored. I am aware that working as part of a team is an essential skill for university life, and I feel that my job has assisted me in developing the skills that will prove useful during my time as a university student.

Universities applied to:

• University of Glasgow (French/Spanish)
• Strathclyde University (French/Spanish)
• University of St Andrews (French/Spanish)
• Aberdeen University (Law with French Law)
• Edinburgh University (French/Spanish)

Grades achieved:

• French (Advanced Higher) - A
• Spanish (Advanced Higher) - B
• French (Higher) - A
• Spanish (Higher) - A
• English (Higher) - A
• Maths (Higher) - A
• Business Management (Higher) - A

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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