Psychology Personal statement Example 46

Marathon, madness or pleasure?

What motivates a person to run 42 195 meters under a burning sun, on a hot summer’s day with a temperature of around 40 degrees Celsius? Well, it is a justified question if you’re not a fan of long distance running or if you are a student in the field of psychology.

My name is XXXXX XXXXXXXXX. I’m a Swedish citizen who is a fan of long distance running. I am currently preparing to run my first Marathon in June this year.

As a runner I can give you my answer to the question straightaway, but since I’m also interested in psychology, and would like to become, and work as a psychologist, I seek a deeper understanding of human behaviour in most situations in daily life.

Therefore I feel urged to apply for the bachelor program MA Psychology with Philosophy in a joint honours degree at the university.

I have chosen to study philosophy combined with psychology during the first and second year because I feel that I have more than a general curiosity for this subject and as with psychology, I’m eager to engross myself in it.

Furthermore it is my conviction that studying philosophy at this early stage of my academic career in psychology will most likely have a beneficial effect on the development of my analytical thinking, which will be useful during the remaining years of the undergraduate studies and also later during the postgraduate course in clinical psychology which I am very motivated to apply to after my undergraduate degree.

Since I am 33 years old and I have been interested in psychology for many years I have read several psychology books, covering a wide range. Yet, I see myself as a novice and feel enthusiastic about studying psychology at the university.

Furthermore I feel great excitement about participating in long interesting and analytical conversations about human behaviour during classes and attend to and listen to fascinating lectures. I have had a lot of life experience, gained a lot of knowledge while studying and working in different jobs.

During this time I have developed my social skills, my independence, my empathy, my humbleness and my efficiency and skills to organize my daily life which I believe will be useful for me while studying at the university.

For a while I also considered becoming a psychiatrist and after being offered a place at the English Division of The Medical University of Warsaw in Poland, I moved to Warsaw and began to study at the Doctor of Medicine program for an MD.

My studies went well and I passed all credits. I found anatomy very fascinating, particularly the anatomy of the nervous system, which we studied during the first semester.

Nevertheless, I felt rather quickly that it was psychology and not medicine that fascinated me the most, so between the first and the second semester I decided to change my field of study from medicine to psychology and I moved back to Sweden.

Besides my interests in psychology, philosophy and running, I take pleasure in literature. Furthermore I enjoy sailing, travelling, and spending time with friends and family.

If my application is successful and I am offered a place on the bachelor program in psychology at a university in Scotland, I will most likely join a sailing team and also get together with other runners.

I feel that running is a perfect sport for me while studying because you can easily take a break from your studies, put on your running shoes and simply run.

Running on a regular basis for several years has had an enormous impact on my wellbeing and I believe that running also has had a positive impact on my ability to concentrate and furthermore that my memory and my ability to cope with stress have improved.

Finally, I would like to say that besides the mere adventure of studying psychology at a university in Scotland, and meeting new friends from all over the world I also look forward to engrossing myself in and developing my skills in the English language.