Cambridge University Personal Statements
We hope our collection of Cambridge University personal statement examples provides inspiration for writing your own. Please do not plagiarise them in any way, or UCAS will penalise your application. Our Personal Statement Editing & Review Services are availble if you feel you need a little extra help.
Computer Science Personal Statement Example 1 
From an early age I’ve always been deeply interested in computing. It was my dad, introducing me to the computer systems at his work place that first sparked this interest. I can always remember the feeling of wanting to know just how computers worked, why they worked and what else they could do...
Mathematics Personal Statement Example 1
I have always been fascinated by my mathematical studies and, having a flair for the subject, there was never any doubt that I would choose mathematics as a degree.
It is a pivotal subject on which so many others depend (such as physics and chemistry)...
Engineering Personal Statement Example 1
The art of engineering is applying scientific theories to design. The fundamental principles that are applied to products and structures are paramount and by studying engineering I am hoping to learn how engineers use these principles and then integrate them into designs...
History Personal Statement Example 68
I have always read widely and, due to my English Exhibition at Woodbridge School and my enjoyment of writing, at one point I had hoped to read English at university. However, whilst studying World War One poetry for my English Literature GCSE, I found that I was most interested in the times and conditions in which the author was writing...
History Personal Statement Example 2
I am captivated by the diversity and depth offered by a History degree; attracted by the way it encourages us to be analytical of the values and patterns of past societies. It was in my final year of secondary school that I was awarded the History Attainment Award, although my desire to study History dates back to an earlier age when I visited the site of the allied landings in Normandy at just eleven years old...
Linguistics Personal Statement Example 1
My most memorable Christmas came with a parcel of Harry Potter audio books and this was where my quest to understanding language began. The moment Stephen Fry started to narrate chapter one, I fell in love with words and all they could achieve...
Psychology Personal Statement Example 2
Psychology surrounds us. I often observe my class mates and ask myself why they are so different, struggling with attention or eating disorders. While looking for reasons, I also want to find ways to help them and I am confident that psychology will give me the means to do so...
Politics and International Relations Personal Statement Example 4
The era in which we live goes through constant turmoil and shifting powers. Not a day goes by without a change somewhere on our planet, which in turn has an effect on yet another change to come elsewhere...
Education and Drama Personal Statement Example (Oxbridge)
"I shall have poetry in my life. And adventure. Unbiddable, ungovernable, like a riot in the heart, come ruin or rapture." Perhaps one should not begin with the words of another when presenting oneself, but as an actress, utilising the words of others is something that has become second nature...
Psychology Personal Statement Example 6
It was the odd behavioural traits displayed by my uncle, who has Asperger’s syndrome that first generated from a young age my questioning about why he acted so ‘differently’ to the rest of us.
This was part of what led to my interest of studying psychology, as it made me question how and why humans are so disparate from one another, and what part the brain plays in running our everyday lives...
Politics & International Relations Personal Statement Example 2
It was November 1989. My parents were rattling their keys in the main square of Bratislava with other Czechoslovak youngsters asking for the democracy that was denied by the Communist regime. They raised me in an environment, where appreciation of freedom, expressing my thoughts and being an active citizen have been essential...
Mathematics and Physics Personal Statement Example 1
Mathematics is a fundamental tool for understanding our world: it can be used to define the symmetry of flowers or to manage global companies. What is so appealing about mathematics is the opportunity of applying it in the physical world...
Aerospace Engineering Personal Statement Example 1
Fire, the wheel, boats, book printing, electricity, engines, automobiles, planes, spaceships, wireless information transfer: engineering is determining this progress.
Leading engineers are the creators of our future...
Maths and Spanish Personal Statement Example
For as long as I have recognised words and numbers, I have seen a connection between the two. As I progressed in the AS Mathematics course I realised how drawn I was to the subject, motivating me to spend 2 weeks at school over the summer holidays learning 2 entire AS Further Maths modules, in order to take the full A-level course in one year...
Languages Personal Statement Example 10
At the age of eight, a friend introduced me to Guy Hamilton's 1969 film 'Battle of Britain'. This instilled in me two things: my doomed childhood ambition to be a Spitfire pilot, long since grudgingly abandoned, but also, perhaps ironically, a love for the sound and feel of the German language that has stayed with me all through the intervening decade...
English Personal Statement Example (Mature Student)
Having worked on a secure psychiatric unit for two years, caring for many people unable to or precluded from following their dreams due to mental illness, as well as over a decade employed in positions just to pay the bills, I am finally pursuing my dream of becoming a published novelist...
History Personal Statement Example 7
It isn't an exaggeration to say my devotion to History has moulded me into the diligent and ambitious person I am today. History continues to shape our contemporary world and my opinions have been formed from an intellectual curiosity about the resonances between the past and the present...
Agriculture Personal Statement Example
Ever since i watched "shaun the sheep" on CBBC, i have been passionate about becoming a farmer. For me, nothing in life would be as good as a farmers life; driving a tractor really slowly and holding everyone up, speaking in an "ooh argh" farmer accent, immediatly gaining a farmers wife upon becoming a farmer, almost guaranteed fame due to presence in most adverts regarding bread/wheat/cereal, wearing clothes that died out decades ago, and most importantly raising animals in order pit them against each other in a gladitorial pit...
Chemistry Personal Statement Example 2
Science is not just a subject taken in school, or a body of knowledge; it is a state of mind as well – always inquisitive and wondering. As a child, the world around me constantly captivated me and inspired questions, and I found delight in having my questions answered, always wanting to learn more, from fundamental particles, to atoms and molecules, to organisms, planets, and the universe...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 2
My fascination with human behaviour and the motivations behind human actions has existed for most of my adult life, to determine a cause however I would accredit this to the voluntary work I participated in with Crisis Single Persons Homeless charity...
Economics & Statistics Personal Statement Example
Living in a time of immense economic uncertainty has sparked my curiosity to explain the rationale of consumers, firms and governments.
The severity of vast global problems, from financial crisis to poverty, has also attracted me to Economics: a subject relevant now more than ever to the prosperity of all societies...
Natural Sciences Personal Statement Example 2
My perception of the sciences has changed over time as my understanding of them has developed. Subjects that once appeared isolated and independent now merge into one coherent field, each interacting with another...
Mathematics and Economics Personal Statement Example 2
Every day we make decisions and interact with others; the laws of economics help us make rational choices and consider the irrationality of others, as well as understand the world better. Maths and statistics are the necessary tools for me to understand the modern economics...
Mechanical Engineering Personal Statement Example 2
The ability to apply what I have learnt in the classroom to the outside world is an aspect of physics and maths that I particularly enjoy. An example of this was being able to calculate the coefficient of friction between a book and a table, by knowing the weight and measuring the angle at which it started to move...
Architecture Personal Statement Example 4
My application for your university stems from my desire to study at one of the best universities in the world and from my internationalist perspective as a world traveller.
It also ensues from my deep passion for art, my appreciation of architecture, and my yearning to be amongst those who create the changing skylines that form our cities...
Pharmacology and Neuroscience Personal Statement Example
I enjoy studying science because it is a subject that encompasses so much of life's issues and practicalities, and a subject that can be applied and made useful to everyday life. Biological science is fascinating but it is even more exciting when studying abnormal function in medical science, from the facts in pathology to the application in pharmacology...
Pure Mathematics Personal Statement Example
Mathematics is beautiful to me because of the deep and meaningful ideas touched upon by it, the vastness of these ideas, the clearness and elegance of their representation. Mathematics gives me the ability to apply knowledge by approaching things logically, and thinking clearly...
Civil Engineering Personal Statement Example 1
Modern life is almost wholly dependent on engineering. It is everywhere and it is always changing, and it is this in particular which attracts me to civil engineering.
I hope that in this field I can combine my knowledge and skills in physics and maths, two subjects which particularly interest me, and also work in an area which is both diverse and exciting...
Mechanical Engineering Personal Statement Example 9
I personally feel that there is substantial cachet to be gained by pursuing the field of mechanical engineering. The diversity present in this field has attracted me and it is consistent with my enthusiasm for Mathematics and Science...
History, Politics and Economics Personal Statement Example 1
It may sound exaggerated, but I genuinely love History, and it has become a part of my life for over four years.
As contemporary political events have increasingly become my main concern in recent years, Politics and Economics are also my favourite subjects...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 4
For me the appeal of anthropology is that it draws on a wide range of disciplines, and that it combines theory with empirical study. Anthropology is a useful discipline in the world, where, for example, its use in developing countries is needed to give appropriate consideration as to how to successfully aid development without harming or diluting the country's indigenous cultures...
International Physics Personal Statement Example
Since infancy, I have been intrigued as to how anything I came into contact with worked; however, the explanations I received were always either too vague or beyond my knowledge at the time, I have came to realize that the keyword for all my questions was physics, where the most complex phenomena of the universe can be explained by fitting small pieces of the puzzle into a structured theory...
Civil Engineering Personal Statement Example 9
Civil engineering is a discipline which is essential in the modern world: roads, bridges, airports, railways, sewage works and power stations all provide the fabric of today's society, and without them the world would be a very different place...
Electrical & Electronics Engineering Personal Statement Example
Flirting with electrons has worked wonders. Electronics engineers have manipulated these positron antiparticles to revolutionise fields as diverse as acoustics, medicine and robotics.
Impressed by these phenomenal advancements, I am ambitious to join the wonderful people who relentlessly strive to change our lives for the better...
Mathematics and Engineering Personal Statement Example
Questions regarding the reason for my liking of mathematics have only one answer: mathematical logic and concepts contribute to a practical approach in every aspect of life.
It is the diversity and universal applicability of this subject that encourages me to delve further and study it in depth...
Engineering Personal Statement Example (Mature Student)
Having had a successful 11 year career in the travel industry, it may seem a little peculiar that I am now applying to study engineering.
When I was younger, I had planned to become an engineer and at 16 I took an apprenticeship with the Royal Navy...
Maths and Science Personal Statement Example
Maths and science, in particular physics, have always been my favourite subjects in school. I have an inquisitive mind and am always asking "how?" and "why?" to find out how things work. I chose maths, physics and biology for my A levels, yet only realised I wanted to do engineering when I started studying topics such as mechanics...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 6
Witnessing Hindu worship in Old Delhi, I became drawn to the systematic study of humankind. Having viewed religion as diminishing and irrelevant, I grew receptive to the manifestations of worship that exist in my own culture, and saw that the explanation of a cultural feature should involve the entire context...
International Relations Personal Statement Example 12
The Middle East has always been a political hot zone, at the center of international disputes which gain worldwide attention. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the region has acted as a battlefield for other nations, making stability in the area an impossible feat...
Civil Engineering Personal Statement Example 12
My choice to study civil engineering was the result of mature reflection. I'm aware that the decisions I make at this age will surely determine my life.
The direction of my studies will certainly bond my future and I decided that this commitment should contain things I love, and make me feel useful in society...
Medicine Personal Statement Example 48
Given that over ninety nine percent of the body consists of just six elements, it is hard to imagine the human body as an intricately synchronised and immensely complex machine.
Yet, it has done well to puzzle even the brightest minds in history-but I am drawn to a challenge; I cannot think of anything else more fascinating to work with...
Geography Personal Statement Example (Human/Environmental)
The possibility of the human race’s days being numbered by our destructive lifestyles, as planted in my mind by Al Gore’s sensationalised and controversial ‘The Inconvenient Truth’, has fuelled my interest in the global warming phenomenon, forcing me to question society’s reluctance to tackle it and realise the worldwide impact of each of our daily lives...
Psychology Personal Statement Example 51
There is a reason behind everything we do, a purpose to our actions. The cognition behind any decision that we make is one of the many aspects of psychology that I am fascinated by.
The following five words, as said by the Prophet Muhammad, I believe explain such a suggestion: "Actions are but by intentions"...
Mathematics Personal Statement Example 12
Mathematics is at the root of many academic subjects, such as mechanics in Physics, organic Chemistry and even Music and this is why I find it so fascinating. The process of starting from a simple set of formulae and deriving nearly all mathematical truth from these is what makes Mathematics a leading academic subject...
Physics & Maths Personal Statement Example 1
The nobility of physics together with my aspiration to explore natural phenomena mathematically and to formulate theories that govern them has changed my perception of reality and this has made me ponder difficult questions...
Engineering Personal Statement Example 20
Overcoming economic hurdles tempered by ecological limits requires innovative solutions. For centuries mathematical and analytical skills have fused to solve practical problems.
The diverse nature of engineering has made advancements possible in an array of fields from the wheel to The International Space Station...
Politics and International Relations Personal Statement Example 8
My great grandfather volunteered in the 1948 War of Independence and became the first Inspector General of the Israeli Navy, ensuring I was brought up in a strongly political family. However I am broad minded, as I attend a conservative school yet am part of a liberal youth movement so I have been exposed to many diverse opinions, encouraging me to be an informed decision-maker...
Architecture Personal Statement Example 16
I vividly remember the moment when I knew I wanted to be an architect. I had been taken to Barcelona to see ‘the wavy buildings’, at the time I didn’t know anything about Gaudí or his work so I was relatively unenthusiastic...
History Personal Statement Example 37
My interest in history lies in the simple fact that I have always been fascinated by the past. At eleven I won a full academic bursary to attend my current school. This was a way into a community in which my intellectual curiosity would be valued and where I could further my enthusiasm for history...
Mathematics Personal Statement Example 13
Mathematics is the fundamental basis of science. I want to understand just how the world hangs together, and maths seems to provide me with a solid foundation for my understanding of many other fields of knowledge...
Biology/Natural Sciences Personal Statement Example
I do not have to look far to find the source of my love of science. Just glancing around my living room my eyes fall upon a whole host of fascinating different organisms, seen and unseen they create a brilliant miniature ecosystem with billions of tiny processes and reactions for me to sit and unpick...
Medicine Personal Statement Example 61
While the idea to care for others is appealing to me, the applications of medicine for finding remedies to the complexities of the human body fascinates me even more.
Studying medicine opens several career options from general practice to clinical research! Having the interest and aptitude for scientific knowledge and the awareness to promote health safety, it encourages me to choose this highly rewarding and satisfying course...
Languages and Maths Personal Statement Example
I am a versatile individual with a passion and flair for both Languages and Maths. I am applying to a variety of courses to pursue my combined interest.
My love for languages began when I moved to Switzerland in 2006...
Aerospace Engineering Personal Statement Example 17
While other children fell asleep to the sound of their parents reading them bedtime fairytales, I was busy re-reading Ladybirds Explorer’s, “Flight” for probably the fourth time that day.
I’ve been enthralled by the concept of flight and aerodynamics ever since I was young...
Chemistry Personal Statement Example 17
The realisation I wanted to study Chemistry at degree level came with my growing appreciation of its contribution and significance in shaping modern society, coupled with an increasing interest in the subject as my knowledge and understanding have developed...
History Personal Statement Example 40
History has always fascinated me because of what it can tell us about humanity; the decisions taken, the actions chosen and the mistakes made can all make us reflect on what it means to be human. I firmly believe history is not simply a case of learning facts and dates but rather a chance to analyse the past, enhancing our understanding of how we interact with each other today...
Mathematics Personal Statement Example 14
The challenge of problem solving has always been key to my passion for mathematics. For me, the satisfaction gained from systematically working through a complex problem to an often unobvious solution is unmatched by other areas of study...
Maths Personal Statement Example 12
Mathematics dictates our understanding of the universe; the sciences that the world depends on today are founded and dependant on maths. Scientists and mathematicians spend their lives making remarkable discoveries contributing to the development of humanity, the findings we have been making in fields like quantum mechanics would be completely impossible without maths...
Maths Personal Statement Example 13
'When is something maths?'. To ask this question would generate many replies perhaps declaring 'doing complex calculations' or 'working out sums', but it is simply so much more. To me, mathematics is a language, explaining how our world works, such as why things exist as they do in geometrical space...
English Personal Statement Example 30
English is not simply the study of humanity, or society, or history or the written word; it is all of those together and it is this versatility that makes it so appealing to me. The link between literary criticism and psychoanalysis is a great interest of mine...
Politics Personal Statement Example 29
Politics has always enthused me because it allows an exploration of some of the fundamental values of our society: the principles of democracy, good governance and the relationship between the state and individual...
Psychology Personal Statement Example 67
I first became interested in psychology whilst discussing the underlying causes of criminal behaviour and non-conformity with my father.
The nature-nurture debate gave me a huge desire to increase my knowledge and understanding of the human condition...
Economics Personal Statement Example 31
Since my parents were busy with the financial income throughout my childhood, I have been raised up by my grandmother. She was the oldest of 8 siblings in a family who were living in impoverished conditions...
Natural Sciences Personal Statement Example 4
Why and How? I believe these are the two most important question words as they express mankind’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and they have lain the foundation of sciences and have helped us find answers and solutions to problems throughout history from the domestication of fire to Darwin’s theory of evolution, to landing on the moon and so on...
Archaeology Personal Statement Example 6
I have always enjoyed learning about different cultures and civilisations, reflected in my enduring love of history, and more recently, archaeology. Compared to modern history, archaeology carries a sense of enigma which makes it much more stimulating for an imaginative and inquisitive mind...
Mechanical Engineering Personal Statement Example 19
These days, we are surrounded by engineering marvels. From radios to space shuttles, everything involves a vital feat of engineering.
That is what I find most attractive about this field as its application is everywhere...
Natural Sciences Personal Statement Example 5
"Eureka!" This joyful exclamation sums up my satisfaction when I have finally solved an intractable problem. I frequently experience such "eureka" moments in my passionate exploration of science. My curiosity drives me to immerse myself in studying many scientific fields; which is why I believe the Natural Sciences course will best suit my abilities and interests...
Politics & International Relations Personal Statement Example 7
Growing up in a family directly affected by the Biafran War has greatly contributed to my interest in Politics and International Relations. My mother's stories about the nomadic life forced upon her family made me examine the reasons why countries go to war...
Land Economy Personal Statement Example (Cambridge University)
Having been born and lived all my life in Hungary, with an English father and Hungarian mother, I have always wanted to go to university in England and spend most of my summers working in England.
Being bilingual gives me an ability to see both sides of the question, and examine things from different perspectives which I feel will be useful for my studies...
Engineering Personal Statement Example 23
As I triggered the release mechanism and watched two pounds of rock hurtle skywards I thought to myself, "trebuchets are awesome!".
Years passed before I realised that this was my first engineering project...
International Relations Personal Statement Example 17
Since visiting Cairo in 2009 and hearing first-hand of the contempt towards the police force and government I have held an enduring interest in the politics of other nations. This is why I was struck to see my twitter feed overrun with updates on the Arab Spring and later the global Occupy movements...
Politics and International Relations Personal Statement Example 12
t was on a family holiday to Egypt, just two weeks after the Egyptian uprisings; that I learned first-hand, from those who had experienced it; the power of the people.
What I did not know then, was the explosive effect this would have on the middle-eastern community and that this call for democracy would ripple through Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and multiple other countries, including Syria; which is currently in the midst of a civil war...
Engineering Personal Statement Example 24
When I was a child, most of the sentences I spoke out finished with a question mark, asking how everyday things work.
Receiving answers to these questions and learning more about Mathematics and Physics has enlarged my desire to make human life easier and become an Engineer...
Linguistics Personal Statement Example 3
Have you ever heard the Tuvan throat singing technique?
Beautiful and intriguing at the same time. The question that's bound to accompany a throat singing performance is how the human voice could possibly produce such a sound...
Economics Personal Statement Example 32
One look at the world around us and we can instantly see how vital a role economics plays in every aspect of life. A fleeting glimpse of a newspaper headline or the core section of the evening news will tell you that economics influences nearly everything we do and think...
Computer Science Personal Statement Example 56
Computer Science - the most exciting insight into humanity's mission to conquer the future. It has been my favourite and most fascinating preoccupation since childhood, though back then I did not even know it...
Computer Science Personal Statement Example 57
Interacting with computers has been my passion ever since I was a young kid. I will not lie – I was initially drawn to them because I fancied computer games.
However, the more I operated with computers, the more I began to appreciate understanding how they work, discovering just how much they can do and the near limitless potential they hold...
History Personal Statement Example (Oxbridge) 2
Whether considering the real world applications of Bentham's utilitarianism in Religious Studies, analysing the context of a changing Victorian society in English Literature, or debating the evolving ideology of the Labour Party in Politics, there is one common thread connecting what I enjoy most about my studies: history...
Sociology Personal Statement Example 14
The need for the study of Sociology in society is, arguably, universally fundamental.
The study of society is of paramount importance in solving social problems of great magnitude such as poverty and family disorganisation...
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