LSE University Personal Statements
These UCAS personal statements have been kindly provided by students applying to London School of Economics. You can click on one of the links below to view the entire statement and find out if the applicant was offered a place.
You can also view our entire collection of personal statements or view personal statements for application at other universities.
Economics Personal Statement Example 1 
Examination of any quality newspaper will probably demonstrate that more of the headlines address economic problems than any other topic.
The importance and relevance of economic related disciplines to the modern world have led me to want to pursue the study of the subject at a higher level...
International Relations and Politics Personal Statement Example 1
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...
History and Politics Personal Statement Example 1
History and politics have had a profound impact on my outlook. From childhood, the tangible history I found in castles, museums and family photographs appealed uniquely to my imagination.
As I grew up my interest in the past introduced me to the political traditions and ideas of my community, and the study of politics became equally absorbing...
History Personal Statement Example 3
Recently, I found out that my grandma was gambled into slavery for seven years. She escaped her prison and made her way back to Hong Kong, 300 miles south. I was amazed at how courageous she was. This personal discovery led me to read Jung Chang's 'Wild Swans' which made me both proud and ashamed of my heritage...
Mathematics and Economics Personal Statement Example 1
As Pythagoras may have said, (Ambitious)2 + (Bold)2 = (Critical thinker)2 makes a perfect student and is what I strive to be. From the simple Pythagorean to the complex Fermat's Last Theorem, mathematics is a never ending branch of study which I enthusiastically enjoy studying and why I wish to pursue it even further at university...
Economics and Politics Personal Statement Example 1
"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...
Maths and Actuarial Science Personal Statement Example
Maths is a subject like no other; its complexity makes it a challenging and often frustrating area of study, however the logic behind every problem leaves a feeling of certainty about it. My devotion to the subject has grown exponentially, especially in recent years...
Geography Personal Statement Example 1
At first glance, my A Level choices appear scientifically biased, but they underpin key topics studied in Geography. I enjoy investigating the theories of global economies, population and poverty. The mathematics I have studied enables me to manipulate raw data meaningfully...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 1
Completing my sixth form education at a multicultural boarding school has allowed me to experience a wide social and cultural diversity that I never would have expected in a school environment, in great contrast to the subtle ethnocentrism of my previous schooling...
Sustainable Development/Economics Personal Statement Example
The first time I recognised the magnitude of my passion for sustainable development was when my family visited the waste-site Smokey Mountain in Manila, Philippines. Smokey Mountain is a two million metric tonnes waste mountain and home for about 30...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 2
My fascination with human behaviour and the motivations behind human actions has existed for most of my adult life, to determine a cause however I would accredit this to the voluntary work I participated in with Crisis Single Persons Homeless charity...
Economics & Statistics Personal Statement Example
Living in a time of immense economic uncertainty has sparked my curiosity to explain the rationale of consumers, firms and governments.
The severity of vast global problems, from financial crisis to poverty, has also attracted me to Economics: a subject relevant now more than ever to the prosperity of all societies...
Mathematics and Economics Personal Statement Example 2
Every day we make decisions and interact with others; the laws of economics help us make rational choices and consider the irrationality of others, as well as understand the world better. Maths and statistics are the necessary tools for me to understand the modern economics...
Politics Personal Statement Example 4
I have always been passionate about the study of history and more recently international relations. I feel that to understand what is happening in the present requires an understanding of what has happened in the past...
Politics Personal Statement Example 5
My background, living in three major metropolises, Lagos, London and Aberdeen bestowed me a very diverse, open, multicultural way of thinking. The cultural shock of Lagos widened my eyes to vastness of the world and prepped my involvement in the Community Development Committee, allowing me to get in touch with all sectors of Nigerian society; here my interest in sociology, politics and government took flight...
Maths Personal Statement Example 5
Mathematical logic and concepts underlie functionality of practically every process from rocket science to the budget of a household. It is this diversity of application that intrigues me and makes me want to study it in depth...
Law Personal Statement Example 10
I first became interested in studying law after visiting my local Magistrates' Court in Melbourne, Australia. After witnessing the impact a lawyer could have on the outcome of a case and on a person's life I saw that a career in law offered a career in which my work made an impact in the world around me and a career in which I could directly see the consequences of my work...
Economics & Politics Personal Statement Example 1
My perception of the world changed on September the 11th 2001, when I returned home from school to find that a terrorist organisation had attacked the World Trade Centre.
The attack destroyed my feeling of security, provoking me to probe and question the world around me in a way I hadn't before and sparking my interest in current affairs...
Government Personal Statement Example
On a vacation to the Krak des Chevaliers and Palmyra in the Syrian Desert, I witnessed the rich culture of the Middle Eastern people. This region is generally perceived by western democracies as a constant source of political and social turmoil...
History, Politics and Economics Personal Statement Example 1
It may sound exaggerated, but I genuinely love History, and it has become a part of my life for over four years.
As contemporary political events have increasingly become my main concern in recent years, Politics and Economics are also my favourite subjects...
History Personal Statement Example 24
My decision to study History was never a difficult one. Having always been captivated by the past and its relationship to the present, study at Advanced Level has served only to strengthen my interest...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 4
For me the appeal of anthropology is that it draws on a wide range of disciplines, and that it combines theory with empirical study. Anthropology is a useful discipline in the world, where, for example, its use in developing countries is needed to give appropriate consideration as to how to successfully aid development without harming or diluting the country's indigenous cultures...
Politics Personal Statement Example 20
The unpredictability of politics is what makes it such a fascinating subject for me. A particular topic that sparked my interest is the extremely volatile relationship between one established superpower and one rising giant: the USA and India...
Economics Personal Statement Example 20
Having been born in the UK, with parents from Delhi and Kenya, I feel my background has given me an internationally diverse outlook. In my travels, I have met with both the affluence of Europe and the poverty existing in India...
Maths & Actuarial Science Personal Statement Example 1
"It has become a very strange and perhaps frightening subject from the ordinary point of view,but anyone who penetrates into it will find a veritable fairyland"( Kasner E and Newman J).This saying is perhaps the most fitted to describe my enthusiasm for Maths...
Environmental Policy and Geography Personal Statement Example
The presentation of environmental problems in the media was what initially sparked my interest in environmental studies. In school, I have always enjoyed geography and natural sciences, which led me to take the Geography Concours General, a particularly challenging exercise...
Business & Management Personal Statement Example
There is no limit to what you can learn and how much you can earn from it. Instilled with this belief by my father, I have since the beginning learnt to approach the world differently.
I view that knowledge can be applied practically not only to earn a living, but also to earn wisdom...
Mathematics and Engineering Personal Statement Example
Questions regarding the reason for my liking of mathematics have only one answer: mathematical logic and concepts contribute to a practical approach in every aspect of life.
It is the diversity and universal applicability of this subject that encourages me to delve further and study it in depth...
Economics and Economic History Personal Statement Example
Over the past few years I have developed a strong interest in the Economic history of the UK. I have become interested in how the UK's economic policy over centuries has built the UK into one of the world's most economically developed countries today...
Economics Personal Statement Example 23
It would not be foolish to contemplate the possibility of a far greater progress still.
John Maynard Keynes
From childhood I was bred to learn and the passion to understand has become a trait of my character...
Accountancy & Management Personal Statement Example
I have chosen to study combined degrees in Accounting and Finance or Economics because I intend to further my studies towards developing a career in financial consultancy.
Accountancy and Finance remain central elements of the dynamics of commerce, that define the way a firm, shareholders and society at large interact on multiple platforms...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 6
Witnessing Hindu worship in Old Delhi, I became drawn to the systematic study of humankind. Having viewed religion as diminishing and irrelevant, I grew receptive to the manifestations of worship that exist in my own culture, and saw that the explanation of a cultural feature should involve the entire context...
European Social & Political Studies Personal Statement Example
In my opinion, the problems societies face today deserve an in-depth analysis which draws on different disciplines of thought for its relevance; furthermore the implementations of strategies to combat problems must take into account more than one academic approach if they are going to be positively effective...
International Relations Personal Statement Example 12
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...
Politics Personal Statement Example 23
World History has shown, mankind’s pursuit of a utopian society has led to its experimentation with various forms of government. The ingrained desire in man to have a social system where a select few rule over the majority, makes politics one of the most essential areas of study...
Politics and International Studies Personal Statement Example 1
"In our age there is no such thing as keeping out of politics, all issues are political issues." Politics for me is the power to effect change, to make a difference whether that is to the detriment or advantage to society as a whole...
Government/Politics Personal Statement Example
The power and influence of Governments around the world has always intrigued me. That the decisions of a handful of people should have such enormous effects across the globe is a concept by which I am both excited and terrified...
History Personal Statement Example 36
I have always cared passionately about my academic endeavours, from reading as widely as possible in my English and history A levels to carrying out an investigating into the antibiotic effects of indigenous poisonous plants in biology...
Politics and International Relations Personal Statement Example 9
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...
Geography Personal Statement Example (Gap Year) 2
A trip to the capital city of Iceland; Reykjavík, shaped distinctively by its earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, I noticed how fundamental tourism and investment in geothermal energy had resulted in a strong correlation of economic growth for the country...
Economics Personal Statement Example 28
While working in the stock broker I became 100% sure that I wanted to study Economics at university. I gained employment at a Stock Broker office as a Monitor Operator in Bangladesh and my duty was to monitor the daily price list of trading of shares at the beginning of the day and then preparing trading reports at the end...
Law Personal Statement Example 74
In terms of academic study, I have always been passionate about two subjects, law and Japanese language/culture.
For the past year I have been pursuing the latter as an English teacher in Japan. At first, my life was quite difficult; however, as my Japanese improved, so did my comfort...
Law Personal Statement Example 76
As a first-hand witness to the day when the London Riots was most intensified, I am haunted by scenes of sustained looting, violence and indiscriminate attacks on properties on almost the entire city.
Those images substantiated my long standing belief that a society without law and order leads to chaos and anarchy...
Law Personal Statement Example 78
“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life,” noted Plato, Classical Greek philosopher and student of Socrates, and I hope to live by those words. It has been my desire to study law at degree level since the age of fifteen...
Economics Personal Statement Example 29
I have an Austrian father and an Australian mother. I was born in Thailand and grew up in various third world countries around Asia due to my parents’ involvement in humanitarian aid work. From an early age, this sparked a deep curiosity about the way the world works and given me a good understanding of different cultures, traditions and languages...
Maths Personal Statement Example 13
'When is something maths?'. To ask this question would generate many replies perhaps declaring 'doing complex calculations' or 'working out sums', but it is simply so much more. To me, mathematics is a language, explaining how our world works, such as why things exist as they do in geometrical space...
Management Personal Statement Example 6
Lack of management can lead to disastrous outcomes, and my home country, Russia, has suffered from these in dramatic proportions for decades. Its business inefficiency has led to people being devastated by unemployment and poverty, including my own family...
Sociology Personal Statement Example 12
A Gospel choir tour around South Africa was the catalyst for my fascination with human culture.
As I travelled I was able to directly experience a multiplicity of cultures even within this one country...
Law and German Law Personal Statement Example
Since I lived in the Republic of Korea for 2 years, where I was able to witness a culture that is in depth very different from ours, I have been trying to see the world as an interdependent whole instead of occupying myself with only my native country...
Political Science Personal Statement Example 2
From Darwin's Theory of Evolution to the French ideologies during the revolution of 1789 to Karl Marx's theory on communism to Hitler's Nazi ideology, all are famous historical ideologies that have contributed to today's world...
History Personal Statement Example (Oxford University)
My interest in History was first sparked during a remembrance service at the Menin Gate. Hearing the bugles bellow out the 'Last Post' to a crowd of thousands, instilled in me a deeper appreciation of the past, and the sacrifices that were made to sculpt the world we live in today...
Economics Personal Statement Example 32
One look at the world around us and we can instantly see how vital a role economics plays in every aspect of life. A fleeting glimpse of a newspaper headline or the core section of the evening news will tell you that economics influences nearly everything we do and think...
Anthropology Personal Statement Example 7
Coming from a mixed religious background, the comparison between cultural practices has touched me deeply, personally and profoundly. I have been able to observe the influence of culture on people's perspectives and world views...
Philosophy & Politics Personal Statement Example 4
For the past 15 years I have lived in Dubai a cosmopolitan metropolis so perfect and yet so flawed that not even the residents truly understand its inner workings. A city built on the backs of poorly treated labourers and ruled by a monarchy that seems to disregard the values of ethics and morality...
Politics & Social Policy Personal Statement Example
The ever-changing nature and diversity of politics is fascinating. The rapid social and political development in Russia in the early 2000s, still surrounded by the left-overs, if not quite the toppled statues of the previous socialist regime, kindled my interest in politics...
PPE/Economics Personal Statement Example
Humanity today stands at the intersection of the most significant questions facing the world today: if democracy leads to political infighting, should it be sacrificed in the interest of economic well-being? Does religious fundamentalism provide a way for countries in the developing world to assert their identity in the face of Western hegemony? Does the entry of Western consumer goods threaten a country’s economic self-sufficiency?
The answers of these questions will determine what the nature of our world is in the twenty-first century...
Sociology Personal Statement Example 14
The need for the study of Sociology in society is, arguably, universally fundamental.
The study of society is of paramount importance in solving social problems of great magnitude such as poverty and family disorganisation...
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