English Language Personal Statement Example 3

My decision to study English Language is one I came to after serious thought. New media and political representation have been areas that have enticed me, specifically with how language is manipulated and moulded for this context. I am also interested in the area of Language Acquisition with the study of Linguistics complimenting this, allowing for a scientific approach to language analysis.

I am fascinated by the language use of the media; I find myself diving deep into the language used to alter our opinions and shape our thoughts through political campaigns, like the EU referendum. Having started to investigate the language of politics, I became absorbed with how classes and minorities are often represented by language. This fascination with language resulted in me writing an opinion article on the issue alongside a series of letters I sent to my local MP and Mrs Theresa May, giving people in similar situations as myself a voice when they may not know how to or the courage to do so.

For my NEA I researched the impact a flat hierarchy has on the position of ‘the chair’ during meetings and how language is intrinsically involved with power. It has given me a crucial understanding in the limitless research, further education and career prospects available; with research being an environment I find increasingly interesting. I have also been lucky enough to have been blessed with fantastic and passionate teachers, who have supported and shaped my passion for language; witnessing first-hand the everlasting impression they leave, which gave me an insight into teaching; being an area I could specialise into after the completion of my degree.

Outside of my commitments at college, I consistently volunteer with the Army Cadet Force. I have learnt to practise and develop my teamwork, problem-solving and communication skills. This included converging my dialect to a simpler version to ensure everyone from all ages understood the plan and activities of the day. Also within the ‘ACF’, I coordinate with 4 other adult instructors to create a monthly magazine which features all the exciting activities which cadets and instructors have taken part in; consisting of a blog piece, write-ups about the events, photos were taken and a ‘points to note’ page. The magazine is read by around 20,000 people per issue. I also volunteer with ‘The Bugle - The journal of The RIFLES’, which is an annual magazine about the experiences of my regiment within the army which takes a similar style to the ‘ACF’ magazine and newspapers.

I recently attended an open day at various universities, where I met multiple tutors, lecturers and current English Language students; talking to them gave me an insight into the personal skills necessary and expected of students, allowing me to prepare myself further for student life. A repeating insight from language students was the ever-growing stressful environment faced by them; bearing this in mind I enjoy playing rugby, a past time which has taught me how to work effectively under pressure and has become an outlet to relax me from a college day which I wish to carry on at university.

I believe I am a self-motivated and determined person who’s looking forward to the challenges and excitement University will bring. I know English has a wide and mixed prospectus; I strongly believe my ability to adapt and overcome potential hurdles will help me succeed in further learning with university, and eventually in a career focused around language.