Course name

Find a course

Search, shortlist and compare thousands of courses to find that perfect one.

Search for a course

Personalise your search by expected grades and more.

A-level explorer

See where your A-level subjects will lead you.

Popular subjects

Medicine

Law

Biology

Teacher training

Nursing

Midwifery

Where to study

See what makes a university special and discover where you belong.

Find a university

Search by name or city.

Recommended universities

Bangor University

Birmingham City University

Sheffield Hallam University

University of Aberdeen

University of East Anglia

University of Hull

University of Kent

University of Reading

Get Advice

Get tips, tricks and wise words from students and experts at each stage.

Browse advice

Personal statement examples

A-level choices

Law degree

Revision help

Oxbridge applications

Ucas application

Student life

Student finance

Popular right now

Clearing 2026: four things you might not know about Clearing and results day

Clearing and results day 2026: prepare your back-up plan

Finding a university place in Ucas Clearing: 10 top tips to help you get ready

Clearing 2026: how to call universities

A guide to Ucas Clearing 2026: how to find your university place

How Ucas Hub works on results day 2025

A-level results day 2026: what to expect

Btec results day 2026: what to expect

Personal Statement:Social and political sciences 1 - The Student Room

This is a real Politics personal statement written by a student for their university application to York (Politics), Cambridge (Social and Political Sciences), Edinburgh (Geography and Politics), Queens University Belfast (Politics), Bristol (Politics) and Durham University (Social Sciences). It has been carefully edited into the new three-question format, with all of the original wording kept. It may have strengths and weaknesses, but it can be used as inspiration for writing your own UCAS personal statement. Ensure your personal statement is entirely your own work, copying from this example or other sources is considered plagiarism and can affect your application. There are lots more examples in our collection of sample personal statements.

This statement has been reviewed by one of The Student Room's personal statement reviewers, and their feedback is included below.

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Reading about history, economics and sociology has opened up the world for me, and strengthened my interest in international development. This interest originates from my experience of growing up in an emerging economy with many third world characteristics. Studying macroeconomics gave me an insight into a new dimension of factors that affect nations, and helped me to further understand how countries impact each other. Reading modern world history gave me insight into how today's governmental structures and ideologies evolved. Fitting these puzzle pieces together has been very exciting to me. I studied A level Biology to further explore practical ways of becoming involved in third world development. I looked at the work of international organisations such as the WHO, and became aware of the need for insight into the local political, sociological and cultural climate before attempting to enforce or apply solutions.

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

My academic background includes HIGCSEs in English Language, History, Economics and Biology from Pretoria, South Africa, complemented by A levels in English Literature, Biology and Chemistry taken in Andover, Hampshire. These qualifications have helped me develop my own study style and ethic. Studying macroeconomics and modern history provided me with key insights into global development and the evolution of governmental ideologies. Biology studies allowed exploration of practical involvement in development, including awareness of the essential role of international organisations such as the WHO. This array of qualifications has prepared me with both theoretical and practical perspectives relevant to social and political sciences.

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

Outside of my studies, I am a very keen rock climber and hiker, climbing twice a week and often embarking on outdoor adventures. I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in January this year and hiked up Ben Nevis followed by a trek from Fort William down to Glasgow in August. I enjoy travelling and have been privileged to visit 21 different countries, experiences which enrich my global perspective and adaptability. During my gap year, I plan to travel further and gain additional work experience alongside taking a part-time access course in A level History. I have a passion for reading, enjoying a broad range including fantasy, adventure, classics and non-fiction such as Jane Austen, "Sophie's World" by Jostein Gaarder and "Gods, Graves and Scholars; The Story of Archaeology" by C.W. Ceram. I regularly read articles from 'Time' magazine, 'The National Geographic' and BBC and use the internet to deepen my understanding of areas of interest. Music, art, drama, languages (Afrikaans and French), critical and analytical writing, cooking and active involvement in my church define my broader interests and personal development. These activities have demonstrated my discipline, organisation, enthusiasm, and ability to engage with diverse cultural and social contexts.

Universities applied to:

York (Politics)
Cambridge (Social and Political Sciences)
Edinburgh (Geography and Politics)
Queens University Belfast (Politics)
Bristol (Politics)
Durham University (Social Sciences)

Grades achieved:

HIGCSE English Language - 1
HIGCSE History - 1
HIGCSE Economics - 2
HIGCSE Biology - 2
GCE A Level English Literature - A
GCE A Level Biology - A
GCE A Level Chemistry - C

Expert feedback from The Student Room personal statement reviewer

Overall this statement has a lot of positives, but with some room for improvement. They've got a couple of really interesting points here and with some expansion, this could be an incredibly interesting and unique personal statement. There is enough material here to flesh out a good statement, but there is a need to reduce the time spent on extracurriculars and personality slightly in favour of academics. It's important to make sure you justify things in your statement and connect the content together a bit more.

As an international applicant it is not critical to give a history of yourself or to write a list of your qualifications. At most you may wish to include a sentence towards the end of your statement detailing why it is that you wish to study in the UK. Another common mistake of international applicants is to sell themselves too much and without foundation. It needs to be more subtle for a UK application and to be demonstrated by examples of how they have shown these qualities.

The applicant's academic history should already be on their UCAS form; it is not necessary to put it in a personal statement. It would make for a stronger statement to start with their interest in and reasons for choosing their course(s), as given above. Also note that the semi-colon here is incorrectly used, since the clauses do not make sense in isolation. Reading about history, economics and sociology opened up the world for me, and strengthened my interest in international development. This interest originates from my experience of growing up in an emerging economy with many third world characteristics. Studying macroeconomics gave me insight into factors that affect nations, and helped understand international relations. Reading modern world history gave insight into how today's governmental structures and ideologies evolved. The applicant could relate more to their experiences in South Africa and include what they've read and their opinions. The paragraph on international organisations such as the WHO is slightly disjointed and could clarify how these insights affected their outlook.

The extracurricular activities paragraph reads like a long list. To improve, reduce the focus on extracurriculars and relate travel and activities to the course. Show what was gained from travels and the skills or perspectives developed. Some interests are somewhat empty, such as "I enjoy critical and analytical writing"; these should be demonstrated through examples or omitted.

The conclusion states qualities the applicant should have shown through previous content. They should replace statements of qualities with demonstrating these through examples such as rock climbing and church involvement showing discipline and organisation, travel showing adaptability, etc. Avoid listing qualities directly without evidence, and remove overly confident or arrogant phrasing.

Overall, the statement has strong potential but would benefit from a clearer academic focus, better justification of interests, and tighter integration of personal qualities with supporting examples.

AI generated feedback

This feedback is AI-generated, based on the text of this personal statement:

This personal statement displays genuine passion for social and political sciences, particularly in international development, supported by diverse academic studies and rich personal experiences. The applicant effectively links their background with their interest in the course. To improve for the new UCAS personal statement format, the statement would benefit from a clearer, more structured narrative that prioritizes academic motivations and preparation. The extensive list of extracurricular activities and personal interests could be more selectively presented and directly tied to the course to demonstrate transferable skills. Providing specific examples of reading materials, insights gained, and reflections on experiences will enhance authenticity and engagement. Removing detailed academic history, which is already captured elsewhere in the application, will free space for deeper exploration of intellectual curiosity and preparedness. Lastly, replacing assertions about qualities with concrete evidence through examples will strengthen credibility. Overall, with these refinements, the statement will align well with best practice for UCAS applications in 2026 and beyond.

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.

Need help with your personal statement? You can ask a question or get feedback from The Student Room community (and our trained personal statement experts) on the personal statement advice forum.

Take a look at some more articles on this topic.