Geography Personal Statement Example 17

Having reached the incredible 7 billion mark it is clear that the world population and the planet we live on will have to develop a more harmonious relationship if both are to survive. I want to be one of the people helping to develop and build that relationship.

I have spent my life in the Highlands and come from two families who have cultivated the land or interpreted and worked with the environment to make a living. As I have grown up so has the size of the local population and I see challenges within the relationship between people and the physical environment that will require some considerable problem solving to balance everyone's needs with these limited resources. Over the years this has sparked my keen interest in finding out about the world around me.

I have further developed my interest in geography academically, taking the subject to advanced higher. This has allowed me to develop independent study techniques and further develop organisation and time management skills through my geographical study, all huge assets at university. It is my hope that by studying geography alongside environmental science in higher education the insights I gain from understanding the physical and human world will help me ensure that the relationships within any environment can be positively maintained whenever possible.

During my work experience placement I spent some time with a car parts logistics firm and was able to see some of the difficulties of meeting customer’s immediate requirements whilst limiting the negative environmental impact of the service because of transport, packaging and energy use. This placement has also allowed me see how the urban geography of Inverness affects how small businesses operate.

I currently work part time co-ordinating sales for a small arts and crafts supply company, which trades solely online. I have in my spare time been using some of the experiences from my work placement and skills developed in my studies, reducing costs to the company by revisiting packaging options and the potential of gaining an income from recycling materials. This has allowed me to see how changes to improve sustainability can make a financial difference to business as well as maintaining the health of the natural world.

I am also a member of the school yearbook committee with responsibility for gathering and formatting written content and work with different staff members and departments as well as my fellow students and have been encouraging the committee to work with materials that cause less damage to the environment.

I am a student of close up magic working specifically with cards. I have been working with other student magicians online in America and Europe to develop my skills and have been selected to take part in a week long course later this year in London. I really enjoy developing my understanding of how even on this small scale the relationship between people and environment can be altered and reinterpreted. I also believe that the planning, negotiation and communication skills required to do this kind of magic have helped me in my academic studies developing a strong work ethic and the need to focus to succeed.

Whether academically or in my own time my keenest interest is in understanding how places affect people and people affect places.