International Relations Personal Statement Examples

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by the constantly changing world that we live in, wanting to understand and explore the causes and effects of current and future human interactions. During my teenage years I started listening to the BBC World Service and reading internationally recognized journals and magazines...

Politics can be seen as essentially a convention inextricably linked to the birth of diversityand conflict,but it can also be seen as a willingness to co-operate and act collectively.Mypassion to study politics further is unrelenting...

I believe that we are living in a time of social and political revolution. From the election of a black President to the Arab spring and more locally the London riots of 2011, people's interest into politics is becoming ever more apparent...

I have always taken a keen interest in public affairs, always wanting to know what was happening in the world so studying politics and international relations is a natural attraction for me. I have been encouraged to pursue concentrated study due to my incredible fascination with the impact that political decision making has on humanity...

Politics and International Relations have always captivated me. Being closely connected to Israel, where political stability and good relations with her neighbours are considered luxuries, I have seen the importance of both politics and international relations for providing a safer future...

The era in which we live goes through constant turmoil and shifting powers. Not a day goes by without a change somewhere on our planet, which in turn has an effect on yet another change to come elsewhere...

It was November 1989. My parents were rattling their keys in the main square of Bratislava with other Czechoslovak youngsters asking for the democracy that was denied by the Communist regime. They raised me in an environment, where appreciation of freedom, expressing my thoughts and being an active citizen have been essential...

Being of Pakistani heritage means I am at the heart of multiculturalism that many would say defines Britain today. Growing up as a British Asian in the last decade has allowed me to experience life embedded in a world of politics, not only from a Western perspective but also that of other cultures...

Throughout my travels, studies, and experience in the world, I have been able to attain what I hope to be a worldly and open-minded perspective. In my efforts to further broaden and improve this perspective, and fully pursue all of my academic passions, I hope to have the privilege of attending university in the United Kingdom...

"I killed the bank": the last words of Andrew Jackson, former president of the US, after he had vetoed to renew the charter and withdraw all federal deposits from banks causing them to bust. Real money was backed with gold shortly after, causing the greatest economic boom in history for the US where no income tax was implemented...

Growing up in a deteriorating global economic climate I have come to appreciate the extent to which economics influences the relationships between nations, and the importance of competent macroeconomic management...

Through my insight into the UN's work I have learned that having declarations about Human Rights does not mean they are obeyed and automatically enforced. Law is not static, but develops all the time. It is part of everyday life, as in Berlin everyone is confronted with the issue of asylum seekers...

‘Life must be lived forwards, but can only be understood backwards.’ Here, Kierkegaard defines why I want to study History. I have always been curious about how the world works, how the past has shaped society and why cultures develop differently...

I'd like to study international relations because I am concerned about the rapid rise of great powers such as the resource-rich Gulf States. I would like to understand how states engage at the national level and how they leverage power...

I have always been motivated to acquire a wider knowledge about multifaceted relations among States, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, regarding problems that affect world’s stability, like terrorism, climate change, nuclear proliferation, internal and inter-State conflicts...

As the first of five children to go to Sixth Form, I will be the first out of my entire family and my neighbourhood to go to university. I go to the Newcastle Royal Grammar School, and have become very independent in travelling to the city for my education and to socialise with friends, and most importantly, in my studies...

My purpose for this personal statement is to NOT bore you thus whilst at the risk of trying, by ALL possible means, to avoid sounding cliché I must state my desire for the course international relations/ Development Studies stemmed from being that 13 year old child who thought that on 20th March 2003 when war was announced that I would immediately not be able to date all the boys in the world (ahhh such a tender age) or buy all the “garms” (as street slang would have it) because of fear it would be rationed or we would be bombed...

The theory behind the relationships between high authoritive figures of global power posses a fresh and compelling interest in me. To be able to learn about the contemporary international system, will help me to establish a more structured and knowledgeable opinion on the world issues and interlinks, preparing me for a career on an international level...

My perception of Politics changed when I read the Communist Manifesto. I began to see the world as not a collection of states but a universal society divided by relative beliefs. Humanitarian initiatives, such as Amnesty International, became a large part of my life, and my passion developed from there...

I have always wanted to understand more about the world - not about its physical form or its surface, but about the people in it and the reasons why we have come to live the way we do - the reasons for conflict, government decisions and economic developments...

Being the daughter of a German mother and a Ghanaian father, having grown up in multicultural Berlin, I've always been surrounded by many diverse and fascinating cultures which- eventually- caused my curiosity about their different appearances...

From as early an age as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with the news, and as a child, used to ask "grown-ups" to explain to me what was happening and where. It was not, however, until the crisis and terror of September 11, 2001 that I realized the extent to which news from around the globe can affect our daily lives...

Bolivia is the poorest country in South America and since gaining its independence in 1825,has always been a place of political and military unrest, with huge social and economicdivisions between its Spanish descendants and indigenous people...

I have always been interested in the way politics shapes the world and current affairs. Through my quest to understand the nature of corruption, altruism, driving force of conflict and the nature of capitalism I have encountered various ideologies...

Many people speak of days and events that change the world in a matter of seconds, and in modern times, 9/11 is surely accredited as being such a day. The resultant political hysteria caught my attention and having scarcely watched the news previously, the nature of politics on an international scale became a fascination...

Internationals relations and politics are around us in our everyday lives, even if we are aware of it or not. They can influence our society through newspapers; the broadcasted news and general day to day activities and we have all been affected by politics and international relations or influenced by it...

I have always been interested in politics and economics and the historic effect that major decisions and events have had on the world. In my teenage years I started to read internationally recognized journals and magazines to follow current international affairs...

Being Bruneian at birth and state educated in that country to the age of 16, my recent experience of being educated in England has quickened my curiosity in the differing forms of government and economic policy that exist between the two cultures...

A trip to Mexico at age twelve sparked my interest in the social sciences. The level of poverty and governmental corruption jarred me whilst there, and thus my determination to understand why social injustice occurs and how to combat it formed...

Most of all, I feel European, and that probably why I have developed a strong interest in international relations and foreign matters, the European Union had and still has an important impact on my everyday life, (...

A variety of influences have led me to decide to pursue studies and a subsequent career within the field of International Relations, not the least of which include my current organization of employment, my academic and volunteer work, and my upbringing in the United States Foreign Service...

Throughout school and college I have always been fascinated with Politics and International Relations. I am a keen listener and interpreter, and believe these skills will be best suited in my chosen vocation...

From an early age I have had a keen interest in current affairs and how the influence of politics controls the world. My interest has significantly increased since the events of September 11th. Politics form an integral part of our society and I have always been intrigued as to the causes of such atrocities...

I was born in the 1990, when my country retrieved its independence and got its freedom from a long oppression of Russia. Later on this political and historical change of my country affected me so much that from a young age I started reading books on Lithuanians and world history...

I gained my interest in social sciences in my early teenage years, when I started to question the surrounding world trying to find my way and place in it. As I browsed through books, which introduce main points of today's cultural, management and social studies, I became eager to strive for more...

I have always known that my career path would be related to humanities. Out of the subjects I studied at school, Romanian literature, history and foreign languages have particularly appealed to me. However, I chose to study sciences too, aware of their contribution to the development of my intellectual abilities...

In Physics, Chaos Theory describes a system so complex and unpredictable that the slightest change in initial conditions drastically alters the end result. Such a system exists in the form of our planet’s increasingly interconnected web of national governments and economies that reflect the unpredictability of human free will...

Through commonly accepted law, international organizations and sovereign nations establish and enforce vital laws and moral codes of conduct such as those relating to human and civil rights. Yet, despite many ratified agreements relating to principles that are universally accepted throughout the world, human and civil rights remain threatened in industrialized nations as well as third world countries...

The Middle East has always been a political hot zone, at the center of international disputes which gain worldwide attention. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the region has acted as a battlefield for other nations, making stability in the area an impossible feat...

"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." Although Wittgenstein was in this case expounding his deterministic philosophy, one can change the context and his statement is a reminder that reaching out to a different language also opens up a different culture, a different history, a different way of thinking about things...

Earth is an ecosystem consisting of uncountable amount of substances, organisms and climatic changes, and of fragile relations between all of them. As a slight increase of global temperature causes great changes around the world, like melting of humongous ice glaciers which lead to flooding areas many miles away, as cutting of few trees may cause significant change in the population of one type of animal which destroys balance between other kinds living in the same forest, thus the human world today consists of the same political ecosystem with both fragile and strong relationships between different nations, countries and people themselves...

'If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.' - Pearl Buck. This quote illustrates my enthusiasm and interest in history; you can be enlightened of the events of the past, while furthering your understanding of the present...

My great grandfather volunteered in the 1948 War of Independence and became the first Inspector General of the Israeli Navy, ensuring I was brought up in a strongly political family. However I am broad minded, as I attend a conservative school yet am part of a liberal youth movement so I have been exposed to many diverse opinions, encouraging me to be an informed decision-maker...

My interest for international relations arose already in my childhood as I witnessed my parents working at the Finnish Ministry of Foreign affairs. In the early 90’s, after the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Finland went through a very deep change, which also influenced my parents’ careers and our family history...

I have been ambitious in studying International Studies since when I was in secondary school. I have been fascinated by the constantly changing world that we live in, wanting to understand and exploring the causes and effects of current and future human interactions...

Political action is something we feel, breathe and live very second of every day. Political action engulfs us completely in the way we live together and see society. It is something that cannot be denied, it is the reflection of what people want, however, we know that all citizens have differing points of view as you can be a member of a party but still disagree with the actions that your party are making...

Throughout the majority of my life I have enjoyed studying the constantly shifting political climate of the world. In particular, I have been fascinated in the work undertaken by non-governmental organisations and of the various political approaches that countries around the globe embark upon...

The relevance of the study of international relations has never been clearer than now. With all that is happening around the world, from the Eurozone economic crisis, to the political unrest in the Middle East and even the war against drug that my native Mexico is facing, it seems that the only way forward is through effective international cooperation...

Growing up in a family directly affected by the Biafran War has greatly contributed to my interest in Politics and International Relations. My mother's stories about the nomadic life forced upon her family made me examine the reasons why countries go to war...

Having an inquisitive mind I simply want to know how and why the international issues of today occur. Access to 24 hours' media coverage is one that I find fascinating, society is never far from visual or aural stimulation; it has become a major influence on both the cultural and political world...

Throughout my life, I have been fascinated but also deeply fearful of the power that politicians around the world possess. Having grown up in the years following Lithuania's departure from the Soviet Union and joining the European Union, I have observed how imperative it is that political decisions should be made responsibly...

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, ‘’Ambition is of little account without opportunity’’. This quote has always struck deeply with me, as it can be interpreted in various ways, but the message remains that we should seize all opportunities presented to us, enabling us to be the best we can be...

The Korean peninsula has long been a site of international controversy and political dispute:once a site of an ideological battle between superpowers during the Cold War, it remains fractured on into the 21st century...

Since visiting Cairo in 2009 and hearing first-hand of the contempt towards the police force and government I have held an enduring interest in the politics of other nations. This is why I was struck to see my twitter feed overrun with updates on the Arab Spring and later the global Occupy movements...

t was on a family holiday to Egypt, just two weeks after the Egyptian uprisings; that I learned first-hand, from those who had experienced it; the power of the people. What I did not know then, was the explosive effect this would have on the middle-eastern community and that this call for democracy would ripple through Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and multiple other countries, including Syria; which is currently in the midst of a civil war...

The study of history is a lens through which political developments can be viewed, enabling us to see how past policies between nations have sculpted western society today. The intertwinement of history and political relations was best epitomised through my discovery of historical revisionism and negationism; how the realities of history can be altered and distorted in the name of political gain...

Our entire system is based on law, making it the essential foundation of stability in societies; the emergence of UN, NATO, and EU made the world more cordial. International cooperation is one of the chief elements of the functionality of the modern world; thus a combination of law and foreign affairs is the base of international prosperity...

I find international affairs preoccupying. The political, social and economic dilemmas facing society are as complex as they are interesting. Doing work experience at the Council of the European Union (EU) has reinforced my ambition to work in Politics and International Relations...

For a few years now I have been unsure of what I want to study and where I wish for my life to take me. I have a broad range of interests, yet struggled for a long time to hone in on just one particular subject...

What is the motivation behind Western Intervention in the Middle East? Has the UN done more harm than good in terms of world peace? Questions like these capture my interest in International relations. Since a very young age, I’ve had a great interest in politics and a talent for solving disputes and issues...

The recent events in Syria, the rise of "Islamic state" Daesh and the migrant crisis in Europe have confirmed how Politics and International Relations are inextricably linked. As a result of my parent's heritage, I developed a strong interest and curiosity in international developments at a young age...

As a liberal, the ambivalent nature of modern democracy is something I find intellectually stimulating. Having for the first ten years of my life witnessed the politics of corruption, intolerance, and neglect in Nigeria; and then that of the apathy, partisanship and majoritarianism embodied by the UK's political system - I am forced to question the legitimacy of the West's claims towards polyarchy...

As I belong to two cultures and two countries by birth : France and Romania,I have been aware from a very young age of how,we,humans being are all different from one another and I find it fascinating on a daily basis...

Domestic policy is no longer simply that: most national issues must take into consideration a possible international reaction. It is this significance of international relations that enthuses me. My ambition is to become a perceptive and eventually influential operator in this diverse, fragile and complex global political arena...

As a child, I traveled everywhere with my parents. Washington D.C., Toronto, Chicago, Zambia, London, you name it, I’d seen it. But through it all my favorite place to visit was always the airport. For me, the airport was a miasma of confusion and solidarity that summed up a giant psychosocial experiment, which became root of my fascination for social relations...

Admittedly my interest in politics was piqued in an English Literature lesson when we were reading JB Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. I was inspired by Priestley’s encouragement to consider that we as humans are “members of one body...

Growing up in Taiwan with a mother from Mainland China, I have always been fascinated by the relationship between the two governments. From this stems my interest in International Relations (IR) as I try to find the answer to the question, 'What makes a country?' This formed the basis of my PPE Project, which explored the international status of Taiwan...

One of the biggest challenges society faces today is having countries cooperate with each other. Having attended an international school in Shanghai for 8 years, I am very lucky to be in a place where people get along regardless of nationality or background...

Is creating a secular state the best solution for every country? To what extent should we tolerate and accept cultural traditions? Are we in need of a ban on full face-and-body covering in times where security is not guaranteed, or does it hinder the process of integration rendering it counterproductive? People in my social environment often wonder why I get excited about these questions and start discussing them so passionately...

One of my inclinations for studying International Relations is my scepticism of US Foreign Policy. With particular regard to the United States' policy of democratisation in the Middle East, I want to understand whether democracy is the ultimate goal or whether there are ulterior motives involved...

History interests me greatly, especially on a geopolitical level, and has helped me to understand the motivations behind events in this period of global uncertainty and rapid change. Constructing sound arguments and using a variety of different interpretations in the analysis of a historical excerpt is a key part of studying History and is something that I believe I can do well and enjoy in the process...

The study of conflicts, international relations and politics could essentially be seen as understanding the way different actors relate to each other. It therefore holds the potential to polarise but also to include and encourage co-operation, which summarises my ideas, thoughts and hopes as to why I wish to pursue this interest...

When the world went berserk during the US presidential elections in 2016 over the herculean power shift to a questionable authority figure, I was busy thinking about how my homeland and the land I've made a home out of would be affected...

Growing up in Malaysia, the discussion of political issues always remained behind closed doors. Talk of pursuing a political career was met with judgmental, suspicious eyes. Puzzled by the causations behind deafening news headlines, my curiosity of understanding the profound dynamics of political power from an international perspective propelled my decision to pursue International Relations and Politics...

The study of International Relations greatly fascinates me as although it may not be taught directly in schools, it is a subject matter that affects everybody in some way. My interest in studying International Relations was piqued after reading 'Paul Wilkinson's 'International Relations, A Very Short Introduction'...

Politics have always been a key interest of mine, especially due to the significant role it has played in my generation from Tony Blair's New Labour to Cameron's Social democracy ,my interest led to me doing it as an A Level course ...

Spending a weekend in Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship; seeing the consequences of a socialist regime in Cuba; visiting the disputed territory in Palestine and Israel and hearing out opinions from each of the opposing sides; following the Arab Spring in the international press were the experiences which awaked my interest and introduced me to the world of global politics...

Living in a region filled with cultural diversity since the time I was born and raised here, as in Qatar, did give me a lot of exposure to experience this form of diversity at first-hand. To be able to learn other people’s views about the world in general or the working of different forms of systems have always been an exciting experience for me...

Throughout my life I have experienced a wide variety of cultures- I have Spanish and Lebanese origins, but I was born in Mexico; and during my childhood I was educated in a British school. This multicultural background sparked in me a great interest in understanding relations between different countries and their differences in government and economy...

Having been born into a family from Holland, Poland, Germany, Russia and England, grown up hearing stories of my Polish grandfather’s arrival in England as a skin and bone man in the 40s I am enthusiastic to study International as I am eager to learn about events which will shape the lives of my descendants...

Throughout my life I have experienced a wide variety of cultures- I have Spanish and Lebanese origins, but I was born in Mexico; and during my childhood I was educated in a British school. This multicultural background sparked in me a great interest in understanding relations between different countries and their differences in government and economy...

In a world of high technology and mass media, journalism is at the epicentre. Edward Bulwer-Lytton once said 'The pen is mightier than the sword' I second this notion; through history a pen has been able to unite country, to form a nation and also incite conflict within us in which mayhem and cold war became the norm...

Connecting with different countries and bringing people of different backgrounds together is something English people often overlook due to our Anglocentric view of the world, which, to me, has always seemed absurd...

Having parents and grandparents who come from Sierra Leone, a country where there has been continuous strains of political unrest and world intervention, has heightened my determination to understand why neighbouring countries are not able to cooperate...

Some argue that nations work to increase their own power relative to other nations, where they must always seek power to protect themselves. Others may argue that nations share broad ties, thus making it difficult to define singular independent international interests...

I cannot remember a time when I was not trying to understand or find out something new. The best memories I have of my childhood are of my father reading to me out loud the subtitles of documentaries until would fall asleep...

Agreement is rare in politics, and rarer still is certainty, yet this volatility and change captivate me. If opinions fail to coincide, ideas collide, and the results ripple through all areas of society indiscriminately...

My interest in Politics first came about during the June 2016 referendum, specifically how a country and even members of the same political parties could be so divided. After this monumental event in British political history I began to follow British and International politics actively...

One of my favorite places on earth is the Field Museum in Chicago. I’ve gone there every summer since I was a little kid. Even though the change in exhibits is limited, I’ve always been fascinated by the numerous exhibits on natural and human history exposed there...

A knowledge of global affairs is imperative to all calibres of people because it directly affects the ways in which all levels of a functioning society operates. After studying the global shift of power, I found that the 19th century was the most important period for establishing trade relations and cultural norms, such as the shift from an agrarian culture to an industrial one...

I am fascinated by the importance of international relations (IR) for regional and global stability, especially regarding the effects of globalisation on economic, cultural and military affairs. In studying for a degree in IR, I hope to develop the skills to effectively engage in the field, particularly in understanding soft power in conflict resolution, political economy and global climate policy...

Partly due to my Jewish ancestry, I have always been particularly interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict. This dispute is a renowned example of the consequences that international cooperation, or lack thereof, can have on the stability of a society...

There is something wrong with modern politics, which often seems to judge countries only on the basis of dollar value. Yet more that than half of the world’s population survives on less than $2 a day...

When visiting the Palais des Nations in Geneva, I became interested in how different sovereign states interact and work together. Seeing where some of the decisions that have changed the course of human history were made, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and also more recent decisions, such as operating peacekeeping missions around the world, was inspiring...

Whilst it is true history is part of the past, it has influenced my life immensely. From the diverse selection of people I have met, it is interesting the extent that history touches us all. My passion for the subject has shaped me into intellectually curious person I am today, with History and Politics A level aiding to further expand my scope for debate in present circumstances and exceed my exploration into evaluating causations and outcomes in current political affairs...