History Personal Statement Example 9

The opportunity to develop and broaden my knowledge attracts me to study history at university. My enthusiasm for history is driven by how past events influence today's political and economic decisions, and how human societies and cultures have gradually developed throughout the years.

By looking at history, we are able to see the way certain actions and decisions brought about events, and what consequences of those events were. For instance: the Versailles treaties which arguably lead to the rise of the Nazis. We see that people learn from the past. As Winston Churchill once said; “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”

My keen interest has flourished significantly and has continued to broaden since I was young, from visiting historical sites such as castles and state houses. These visits encouraged my curiosity in to history. By now, most aspects of the topic do not fail to captivate me. I am particularly intrigued in modern and contemporary history especially World War II. I have an enthusiasm to explore a wider and deeper range to these historical angles and also additional aspects such as the Middle Ages, and early modern history.

As a pupil, I brought my passion for history to a deeper level by choosing it as a GCSE subject and later as an A Level course, and this greatly nurtured my interest for the subject and in particular the coursework module enlightened my interest in modern history and politics by studying Neville Chamberlains decisions leading up to the Second World War. Studying media as an A Level, helped better my analytical skills. And whilst working on my Photography course, my organisational and critical skills advanced further. All of which are important skills to have for an honours course in history.

My historical knowledge expanded further this year by exploring historical sites, learning more about Welsh history and also volunteering at the local library, where the town archives are kept. During my year out, I took a lone trip to Australia to learn about the culture and history of a different country. Also, to experience something new that I've wanted to do for some time. Whilst there I gained an insight to a whole different affair, as well as experiencing different things such as scuba diving, surfing and other cultural activities, which has helped me mature and grow as a person. Additionally, I've been documenting my year out by creating my own historical photojournalism project.

Taking a year out of studying helped me to progress further as a person and experience being independent in the real world, through taking a trip by oneself and working two jobs. showing myself to be self-motivated and organised This year I also completed my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, and I'm currently working towards the Gold award.

Previous work experience at the youth service, expanded my leadership skills and also gained a lot of confidence by broadening my communication abilities with people of different ages and backgrounds. Other work experiences include the field of catering; where it's required to work efficiently under pressure. Being bilingual has been beneficial in these different areas of work, as it allowed me to be able to communicate comfortably and in a friendly manner.

I have contributed to the community and to my previous school by offering my time as a volunteer at open evenings, marketing for the school production and assisting younger students with their studies. I also offered voluntary services to the community, which included team conservation work, assisting in local events and fund raising for multiple charities. All these factors contribute to maturing me as a person with the necessary skills for student life, such as responsibility and independence.

In short, I'm reliable, trustworthy, hard working and eager to learn. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead in studying history at university, and I am eager to start working towards gaining a degree.