Geography Personal Statement Example 27

Geography channels our desires to explore and comprehend what is around us. I am keen to study geography further because I believe it tackles the biggest issues we face today, from overpopulation, climate change, and health through to rapidly changing technology. I have studied Geography as a subject throughout my entire school career. I see it as the most diverse and panoramic subject. Geography is pivotal in the race to save the Earth. I am adept at piecing information together, which in geography is essential to see the full picture. Everything is linked and one slight change can cause thousands of lives to be shaken. The area which I am most intrigued by is how physical geography impacts on human activity and vice versa. During my GCSEs we were shown a video which described how the reintroduction of wolves was transforming the Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, USA. I can recall being mesmerised that the damage caused by humans was finally reverting to how it used to be. I am interested in the development of the One Child Policy, as social geography has been forced to evolve as China's development is compromised.

As part of my wider reading I went to the Hay on Wye festival, to listen to Danny Dorling and Carl Lee talk about their newest book ‘Geography: Ideas in Profile’. They described and evaluated in detail the ways in which our world works, and how we have migrated from the mitochondrial Eve to become a fully-fledged global community. The way they spoke about globalisation, equality and sustainability with such passion was captivating. I was myself captivated within the first five minutes, and by the end of the hour, my decision to study geography beyond A-level confirmed.

The year my family spent in France allowed me to become bilingual, a skill which I have come to see as invaluable. I have completed a month of volunteer work in Peru. I had a year and a half to fundraise GBP4000, which required a lot of encouragement from family and friends. I raised half of my money through doing the Three Peaks Challenge in partnership with IDAS (domestic abuse charity). Having returned from Peru a month ago, I can say that it has changed me for the better. I am a more balanced person, with a broader view of the world. Being a Geography student, travelling was always going to appeal to me, and Peru did not disappoint. I was thrilled to learn about farming techniques and the difficulties farmers faced due to the altitude. Peru has had a history of corruption, so while Lima is highly developed, the rural villages which became my home for the month were almost abandoned by the government. It was fascinating to see how they have coped with this. I built greenhouses and animal shelters, combating the freezing temperatures at night, allowing for other vegetables to be grown and cattle to be reared. This provided a sustainable food source, breaking up the monotony of their potato based diet.

I am a diligent student at school, achieving the best GCSE results in my school including an A in GCSE French in Year 9. I am an avid sportsman, playing netball and tennis on a weekly basis having represented at regional level. As captain of my team, I am able to cope well under pressure and have developed my organisational skills. In our first season we climbed from the bottom of the league to finally finish second. I am keen to give something back to community clubs, so I coach the U11 netball team who were victorious in the winter league. I am disciplined and have good time management skills, which are reflected in my academic achievements, work and sport record. I have held a part time job in either cafes or restaurants, giving me an understanding of work and responsibility.

My desire to further extend my geographical knowledge is unlimited, having achieved full UMS in my GEOG1 paper I know I can only grow from here. A degree in Geography would allow me to tackle a complex and beautiful subject, ending up with the skills I need for a rewarding career.