Mathematics degree personal statement example (2d) five offers including Oxford, St Andrews

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

‘A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.’ This excerpt from G. H. Hardy’s A Mathematician’s Apology is a beautiful description of what Maths means to me. The patterns it encompasses and the ideas that flow from it make it something exquisitely different from any other subject. The euphoric victory of completing a proof or solving a difficult question makes studying Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Additional Further at A-Level such an exciting challenge.

Particularly, I am interested in Number Theory – having been obsessed from an early age with the beauty of the unsolved Primes, and more recently by conjectures thrown forward from the past by Riemann or Fermat. This has compelled me to read books such as The Music of the Primes and Numb8r My5teries by Marcus Du Sautoy, Hardy and Wright’s An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh as well as the aforementioned A Mathematician’s Apology.

De Sautoy’s and Singh’s books have kindled in me a love of proof for Maths – something that I am especially excited to explore at degree level. Their dissection of the conflicting approaches by different Mathematicians throughout history has presented the subject to me as a dynamic, almost bloody battle between geniuses, wanting to strike their names into the Halls of Mathematical fame – to achieve where so many others had failed. How could anybody fail to be inspired?

This is my ambition, and I have already begun to deepen my knowledge and understanding by opting to study Additional Further Maths A-Level in my own time. My next step, a degree in Mathematics, will grant me the opportunity to study amongst like-minded students under consummate teachers; I hope this will enable me to turn my own ideas into permanent and beautiful patterns.

As I have learnt more about Mathematics, I have found enjoyment in research, and self-development through problem-solving. Solving hard problems can be rewarding; in finding intuitively plausible arguments while completing initially daunting challenges and I look forward to embracing the challenge of a university course in the subject.

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

Since I started studying at A-Level, my Mathematical ability has grown unhindered and I cannot wait to see what studying at University will unlock for me. I have also studied Philosophy which enhanced my analytical skills and enabled me to tackle problems calmly and thoroughly. Through Physics I have become more experimental, and investigated issues that apply Maths to real life, for example Mechanics. I have completed several of the UKMT Maths Challenges and plan to participate in Olympiads in the coming academic year.

In the past, I have qualified for the British Maths Olympiad as well as the Maclaurin Olympiad. I greatly enjoy this style of Mathematics, especially learning about new methods such as the AM-GM-HM inequality and how to apply knowledge to uncover solutions within situations. This provided enrichment beyond normal A-Level material, because of no real way to prepare for questions as they could be set on almost anything. It also helped prepare me for higher level mathematics.

During the early part of this year, due to ill health which lasted for a few months, my academic performance was less impressive, with less time available for preparation towards STEP and A Levels. Despite this, I managed to score highly in both the Further Maths OCR and Maths modules with 100 UMS in C1, C4 S1 and M3 achieving A* in both. I achieved an S grade, which was then revised to a high 1 grade, for STEP 1, and greatly enjoyed preparation towards other entrance examinations.

I self-taught the Further Mathematics syllabus, as the only OCR candidate in our school, and I greatly enjoyed the challenge. I especially liked the Pure modules, delving into topics like Group Theory, and keeping up a fast pace to complete the modules. My favourite topic across Core Mathematics was Calculus, with its variety of techniques which can be applied to solve seemingly impossible integrals. I also enjoyed exploring geometry and number theory, and created a blog to enlist those facts and theorems I found interesting.

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

I have an open, friendly and outgoing personality. I am vigorous in my approach to life and try to use my positive worldview to help and inspire others. For example, it is hugely important to me that barriers created by negative opinions towards Maths—and the difficulties that people face because of these—need to be broken down. Last year I successfully tutored two reluctant students at GCSE level, helping them achieve the grades they needed to reach the sixth form colleges of their choice. I hope to take on more students this term.

I have excellent time management skills. Over the past two years, I have effectively dealt with the demands of my academic studies, a part time job in retail, my work as a tutor and my commitment to the Air Training Corps. This has made me more mature and responsible, taught me the importance of leadership and teamwork, and given me the ability to communicate with people of all ages and backgrounds. At secondary school, my extra-curricular achievements included playing competitive badminton for the school, starring in several school productions in a leading role and playing musical instruments to a high standard – Grades 5 and 6 in Piano and Violin. Leading the Boys’ Barbershop quartet, I reached the finals of the National Music for Youth competition.

I have read Does God Play Dice, The Code Book as well as other mathematicians' biographies. I liked reading Does God Play Dice, as it demonstrated the true definition of randomness and how to bring order out of chaos through innovative methods. Learning about the historical developments of cryptography to the modern day was fascinating, and I especially enjoyed learning of interesting ciphers. Aside from mathematics, I enjoy badminton and chess. I have been a speaker for the school's Debating Society on occasions as well. I completed my Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award only recently, and relished the opportunity to work as a team unit and lead the group through uncharted territory.

Out of the classroom I have been an assistant C1 teacher, and have received positive feedback from the students, learning of the importance of having good social relationships to maximise class productivity. I am currently studying Mathematics at Warwick to learn about further study and also to extend my mathematical capability. On balance, I am a hard-working, meticulous student who is prepared to tackle and learn from challenges.

Universities applied to:

• Oxford
• Bristol
• UCL
• Durham
• St. Andrews

Grades achieved:

• Maths (A2) - A*
• Further Maths (AS) - A
• Physics (AS) - 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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