Geography Personal Statement Example 13

I am eager to take Geography onto higher education because I have had a keen interest in Geography since my lower academic years. It is a broad subject where I can explore and learn the physical, human, social and cultural aspects of Geography. I have been on field trips to Swanage in Dorset where I learnt the effects of eroding coastlines and the associated positive and negative impacts caused by humans. I find it a good subject to learn because I can explore the place in which I interact on a daily basis. In addition, I can develop a concern for the wider world and awareness of which I should become an active and informed participant of society. I have an interest in the world around me, the people and countries relating to human geography.

As the course demands a lot of skills, I think I am capable and well suited because I have good communication skills as it includes oral and written skills such as writing essays, projects and oral presentations. Moreover, I can work well in a team as fieldwork is an essential component of the course, and it is the ideal setting in which to develop my teamwork and leadership skills. I am fully capable of managing myself and adapting to any situation as I have sufficiently prepared for GCSE’s and Alevels. I can analyse work, through geographical investigations and testing hypotheses which involve analysis. Investigations I carried out at Box Hill National Park and Swanage, Dorset at GCSE and at AS is an example of this. These investigations had deadlines to them, which required me to manage my time responsibly, which I did successfully. I am both numerate and literate as I am used to manipulating and interpreting data and preparing reports which encourages conciseness and clarity in the use of language. In addition, I can undertake complex decision making exercises using information on a variety of scales. From using ICT since a young age, I am computer literate, as I can use it in many aspects of my work, for example data collection through the internet, and analysing spreadsheets.

I have studied Geography at GCSE and A Level. At AS I studied coastlines, HIV/AIDS and the impacts of Obesity, where I have covered different aspects of Geography. This provides me with basic ground knowledge and further detailed knowledge of what part of Geography I am interested in.

I took part in a voluntary enrichment scheme called Learning Mentor where I am assigned to one child and I help them with their Literacy and Numeracy as well as other things. I help building the pupil’s self confidence and belief. Sometimes I was given the responsibility to take care of small groups which gave me my leadership qualities, communication skills and also helped develop my people skills. As I was working with children, I learnt things myself such as greater patience, explaining things in a simpler way.

As a part of work experience, I have organised to work for my local council and a Law firm in Kingston. This would provide me with a broad range of transferable skills.

I think I can cope academically with this course because I can keep to strict deadlines, managing my time and take responsibility for my own work, whether it is independently or in groups. I have the sufficient knowledge for this course to be taken onto higher education because I have taken Geography since year 7, through GCSE and A Level where I had a choice to take it or not. I think I have developed higher order cognitive skills because being in a different environment at 6th form enhances my responsibility and reliability of my studies and social life.

I am capable of using higher education teaching and learning provision to achieve because I have had the opportunity in 6th form to be taught by a past university lecturer and been taught through seminars, and one to one tutorials. Overall, I have been open days and taster days therefore; I have had the experience of higher education. I have the necessary skills and aptitudes for this course because I have a lot of experience in Geography fieldwork, in both sides of physical and human Geography. A lot of field trips have added to my skills and knowledge of my subjects, such as carrying out investigations at Box Hill National Park and Studland Bay in Swanage, Dorset.

In the past I have participated in voluntary work. Whilst on holiday in India, I took part as a volunteer helping a non-profit organisation called ICamp. The trust is aimed at testing, diagnosing and treating local villager’s with eye problems such as cateract. I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity as it enabled me to gain further knowledge about the poverty in rural areas and how much people are dependent on doctors and how limited resources are in order to help people. Likewise, I enhanced numerous skills including communication skills, doing systematic observations and using various software programs to input data.

Outside of my academic studies I like to involve myself in sports. Such sports I play are Rounders and Basketball. I have been playing Rounders since year 7 which definitely helped my communication skills and helped me to fit in. Just recently my trip to Florida, Orlando, I went to an MBA finals match of which increased my knowledge about Basketball and it allowed me to gain firsthand experience of the sport. In addition, I like to dance, and instead of it just being a hobby, I have organised and participated in dance shows both for charity and entertainment which has greatly developed my confidence. This also shows how responsible and reliable I am, proving I have great organisational skills.

I am environmentally and socially aware. I can understand the links between places and people as well as looking at complex systems in a straightforward way. Studying Geography I have been taught a wide range of skills, showing I can adapt to any situation. This ability to view issues from a wider perspective is appropriate for going into higher education.