Political Communication Personal Statement Example

For many of my colleagues, Marx was the one that introduced them to the notions of politics and communism. For me, it was Marin Preda, a beloved Romanian author who spoke about the terrors of the communist regime in a much controversial novel “The most Beloved of Earthlings”. Written as a harsh critic to the stanilinist era, the book presents history from the eyes of the repressed intellectual. When I was introduced to philosophy in my final year of high school, my passion for political science finally emerged and with it, the decision to pursue a degree in this domain. At that time I found the writings of Plato and Aristotle still eloquent for nowadays society and was amused that Machiavelli's classic work is quite capable of explaining many of the Romanian moderns' society events.

After my first two years at the University I was confronted with numerous situations and decisions that seemed to contradict the political theories that were taught to us. The course I took on electoral analysis (which focused on communicating with the electorate during a campaign) gave an image of the Romanian voter that had nothing to do with the one found in Downs's model. Freedom house awarded Romania a Democracy score of only 3.36, despite the fact that according to Dhal's criteria Romania is clearly on the right path. The difference between what should happen in theory and what is actually found in society is strikingly large. I experienced this directly when I came in contact with the Romanian political scene.

This happened in the November 2008 parliamentary campaign when I was hired to provide consultancy for a candidate from the National Liberal Party - Adrian Neacsu. The greatest disappointment was that he aimed his messages not at intellectuals or the upper middle class which the party's ideology should represent but mainly to pensioners. Furthermore, I noticed the poor cohesion between the party members, the lack of knowledge and unprofessionalism. At some point it seemed that it was all about who you knew and not about what you knew. Overall, from what I have seen, the lack of communication and collaboration inside the party ultimately cost them seats in the parliament. This work experience pushed me towards the MA Political Communication programme wishing to have as much expertise as I can in order to become the best at what I aspire to do and not to fall into mediocrity.

Despite the setbacks I came across, I realized that I could have made a much bigger difference if I had the necessary teachings. Although I tried to remediate as many issues as I could, I didn't have any successful bench-mark to refer to. These strategies can no longer assure the link between the elected and the electorate, which is so vital for a democracy to work. In order for me to make the change I wish for, I must have qualifications and abilities which are unavailable in Romania because of the lack of such programs. What attracts me the most at the Leeds Political Communication Programme is its unique mixture of courses and their vast coverage (ranging from Politics and Media to Public Relations). Besides this, it will offer me the opportunity to complete my formation in a landscape where the democratic tradition is powerfully embedded.

Finally, considering that I already have an academic background in politics, sought information regarding this domain through my extracurricular activities and have already applied some of the teachings from my faculty, I will have no trouble bringing a positive contribution to the political communication program. I have made the right choice three years ago, when I decided to move away from my home town in order to pursue a degree at one of the best universities in my country in the domain that flared my interest. Now I want to go a step further and do the same at one of the best universities in Europe.

Sincerely yours,
Luana