Ancient History Personal Statement Example 1

Ancient History, English language and history of the English language are my special interests. I have a particularly strong interest in ancient history and - more recently - in the history of the English language. However, the complexities of the Roman and Greek Empire caught my imagination, which enveloped me in my own thoughts for many an hour.

My earliest interests in The Roman Empire were to come about in my second year at school, where we drew diagrams of what the Roman "Tortoise" defensive manoeuvre would look like. My interest however, dimmed on this subject when we were no longer taught it. This was when I started middle school. Instead, I pursued other historical interests that were more recent historically. In particular, I enjoyed (and still do) studying the Second World War. I enjoyed this topic during this time I suppose because my Father was in the Army, and I wanted to be like him.

Towards the end of Middle school I discovered such programmes as Time Team, which showed me how exciting the task of uncovering the past and its secrets could be. This kindled my interest in Archaeology. My mother can vouch for me when I say that I spent about 6 months of my life wanting to become an Archaeologist!

My interest in ancient history was re-ignited when my mother lent me a book that she had read. It was the first of five books in the EMPEROR series by Conn Iggulden. The Book itself was about the childhood of Julius (or Gaius) Caesar and Marcus Brutus, whose lives would progress through the five books right through to the murder of Caesar. After reading this enthralling book, I was convinced that this was a literary text, instead of the slightly altered fiction that it turned out to be.

After finding out in the acknowledgements that it had been altered slightly to make the storyline flow better, it spurred me on to find out what really happened and when. Unfortunately, the curriculum that we studied at GCSE and A-level did not cover any of the Classics, so to compensate I embarked upon lots of personal study, in particular on the life of Julius Caesar, and most recently The Peloponnesian War, the twenty-seven year long war between the Spartans and the Athenians in 431-404BC. Resources that I must include in this is The Histories, By Herodotus, and The Landmark Thucydides:

A comprehensive guide to The Peloponnesian War. These I am now currently studying as a hobby, rather than begrudgingly slogging through an un-enjoyable subject, which I had experienced pretty much throughout all of my GCSE and A-level history. These topics were all on recent political history such as Poverty in Great Britain in the 18th and 19th Century. Although some of it was incredibly interesting, I don't have a passion for these types of subjects as much as the Ancient Histories.

After finishing the three years completing your Ancient History degree,I will go on to take a Bachelorship of Education, and find a post at a University to teach exactly this subject. As personal interests, I enjoy golf, football and other recreational sports. I was also allowed to use my knowledge of the past in other subjects at A-level, particularly English Language, as I am studying the history of the English language, and its roots, which are derived mainly from the Persian and the Indo-European Languages.

I would like to join your university because I believe that this is the best course for me to study if I am to carry on to teaching at a university. This is because of your high level of teaching standards, as I wish to be the best, therefore I need to be taught by the best to follow in their example.