English Literature with Creative Writing Personal Statement Example

Writing is a form of release for me, a method through which I can spill all my thoughts and ideas onto a paper or document, and truly understand and express my feelings and perspectives. Much like art, music and film allow people to reflect on themselves, I feel creative writing allows me to analyse objectively all the notions and concepts I come across.

English Literature, reading and writing in general has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember, with English being my favourite class since primary school.

My family has always regarded me as the bookworm, a library being my sanctuary, which led me to take English Literature both at O and A Level. Studying short stories, plays and poetry of the likes of Tennessee Williams and Keats have allowed me to appreciate forms of writing that one must read a few times to fully perceive all of its allusions and connotations. As a result, I have learned to understand situations and people at a deeper, less superficial level.

This ability has aided me in achieving various accolades such as receiving both the Pablo Neruda award for Creative Writing and an Academic Distinction in English Language at my O Level graduation at The C.A.S. School, as well as opportunities such as attending a conference at Ladies College in Colombo, Sri Lanka after being chosen from the student body for the Nelson Mandela Peace Fellowship in 2015.

Working as a co-editor of my school newsletter, Neemtree, at O Level, I learnt the ability to put down important, detailed information in a concise manner and to delegate work and articles according to ability and interest, and continue to be part of the newsletter society in A Levels. Furthermore, subjects such as Sociology have also affected the way I perceive the world and has taught me to communicate effectively and respectfully to whomever I meet. Writing and presenting a research paper on violence against South Asian women opened my eyes to reputed journal articles and taught me to objectively perceive opposing perspectives while organizing them into cohesive thoughts, piquing my interest particularly in this topic.

These unique experiences led me to seek an internship at a local healthcare startup, Sehat Kahani, where I secured the position of a research intern for the summer. Through comprehensive research, I wrote a mental health manual including activities to be implemented in rural areas. Similarly, my research skills also aided me in my internship at the Speech Therapy ward at Ziauddin Hospital, where I generated reading material for Autistic children.

I personally see myself in the journalism sector, as I keep myself updated on world news and the media, with a specific interest in media representation of marginalised groups such as women of colour and differently-abled people. I am very interested in having the opportunity to write both opinion pieces and objective reports on social issues, movements and the current socio-political climate of the world.

Apart from reading, writing and volunteering, I tend to spend my time playing the piano and singing at open-mic events, competitions and school concerts. I am part of the music club at my school where I play a significant role in the core committee, helping to organise various school-based concerts which developed my teamwork and time management skills. My in-depth study of Music at IGCSE level has enabled me to perceive music in its raw state, and taught me to appreciate it at a completely unique level.

Studying English Literature and Creative Writing at university would help refine my writing style to fit these occupations, and I am focused and prepared to take on exciting academic challenges these courses will pose for me. I am confident that attending university in the United Kingdom will give me the opportunity to experience possibilities I would not be exposed to otherwise, and look forward to building confidence in my capabilities as a writer and sharing my work.