Classics Personal Statement Example 2

Classical civilisation and the ancient world have always fascinated me, from Homer to Zeus, and from politics to artwork, and so it is this academic field in which I wish to further my education and my career.

I am highly enthusiastic about the subject, and feel that this enthusiasm and my personal studies, such as reading a great deal of Virgil, are more than sufficient reconciliation for my lack of advanced qualifications in the field. Throughout my educational career I have always been willing to go the extra mile, so that I can be the best I can be, and university would be no exception to this. I am prepared to work as hard as I can in order to obtain the results I desire.

I feel I have exceptional organisational and communication skills, which have been developed by my administration experience, and believe that these skills will aid me a great deal within a classical degree. I have studied English Literature at an advanced level, and consider this to have given me valuable skills which I am able to transfer to a classical degree, most notably the ability to study a source in context of the world around it, the effects this may have, and bias that it may create within the source.

During my time at Bishop Luffa I undertook some work experience at Chichester District Museum, which gave me a positive insight into working in the historical field and furthered my zeal for the ancient world to an even greater degree. Although I have studied Latin at GCSE level, the college I progressed onto did not offer this as an A Level option, and so I have aimed to keep my basic knowledge fresh by maintaining personal studies at home.

As well as refreshing my basic Latin I have also aimed to study what I can at home, and have read numerous books surrounding many aspects of the classical world - a particularly insightful one being the Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World. I find the ancient world, particularly the literature and socio-political aspects highly fascinating, and wish to develop this into a degree, and eventually into a rewarding career.

I feel a degree in the classics will make me highly employable, as skills such as source examination and critical analysis are vastly useful in many career paths. I have experience in the retail sector which I feel demonstrates that I can work efficiently as part of a team, that I have good social skills, and that I am an outgoing person, all of which helps to make me a more rounded student. Unfortunately, I find that the retail sector does not stimulate me academically and so I wish to progress, and provide myself with new challenges.

'Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning'; a quote from the poet Hesiod, who many see as the father of Greek didactic poetry, and a quote which reflects the attitude I take towards my future academic accomplishments.

Bishop Luffa School provided a strong basis for my education, Chichester College gave me freedom within my learning, which helped me to mature within my studies, and taught me the valuable skill of effective time management, and so I progress onto the future of my education, and look forward to all the challenges and triumphs it will bring with it.