History Personal Statement Example 23

I have maintained a strong interest in History since my early days when I found a profound enjoyment from the way historical stories fired my imagination. I have enjoyed the challenge in the transition from my childhood's mythologized and historicised tales to relatively 'cold' analysis and evaluation. My History A level course was particularly focused on this and allowed me to combine my fascination for the subject with significant academic progress so that gradually, in a process that will continue through University, my natural inclination for history will become equalled by my refined ability. This belief is supported by an academically successful final two years of my school career.

I have enjoyed the increased curricular freedom of A levels and the ability to delve beyond the boundaries of set studies as encouraged me to satisfy my natural curiosity of the past. This year I have participated in several events that rewarded such further exploration such as the Vellacott history essay ompetition in Cambridge and the AEA History exam. Both required a significantly broader knowledge base than expected at A level and I was immensely pleased to be awarded a commended and merit award respectively. I also helped to found my school's History society and attended the Politics society as I found them excellent arenas to debate historical and present issues with similarly inclined students. This not only brought me into contact with areas of history which I had not previously looked at but also showed me direct links between past events and present problems.

My economics A-level strongly complimented this showing strong correlations between a nation's history and present economic and social situation through events such as colonisation. I have developed a fascination for the Middle East, and the history of its many countries. I find it enthralling how such a multitude of people and nations are united in their heritage because of the language that they share. Much of the historical material is more meaningful when read in its original context and thus I became interested in learning Arabic, firstly by myself then through a course at Bristol University. I had discovered the importance of viewing the origins of the history you are studying during my four visits to France as part of the Bristol-Bordeaux exchange and my school's Battlefields trip. The events that you had previously felt detached from become far more forceful when you see row upon row of white grave stones that cover acres of Europe. This experience is one of the fundamental reasons for which I plan a gap year. I hope to explore my historical interests further by travelling to Cairo and try learning outside of an academic sphere.

My focus is to experience what I cannot under the regime of a Western lifestyle and also to develop my historical knowledge, my linguistic ability by studying at an Arabic school and enhance my character.

I have strived to learn about many different periods of particular interest, through both conduits of historical study: the imagination-sparking tales and the reading of books of refined sources that give evaluated conclusions.

My curiosity has led me to reading books that combine both of these paths such as Tolstoy's War and Peace, Manfredi's Alexander and even the Flashman series. It also makes me inquisitive as to how different interpretations of historical events leads to present day opinions and global issues and thus how important history is to modern day citizens. This became particularly apparent when I tried discussing Napoleon with my exchange partner. I love history's ability to transcend typical subject boundaries, a quality which ties it to a myriad of other academic fields and one that allows me to broaden my knowledge in other subjects that I enjoy. The opportunity to spend a further three years immersed in something that has always been my strongest passion is an exciting opportunity and one I greatly look forward to.