Psychology Personal Statement Example 80

During my undergraduate studies, I was impressed by the depth of humanity, which can be found in the work of Yalom, and by the vulnerability of human will explored by Seligman.

What’s more, Zimbardo’s book ‘Lucifer Effect’ not only affected the way I look at how evil works, but also gave me hope to believe in the hero in every one of us. These are a few reasons, which led me to my interest in social psychology.

My passion for the understanding of the biological basis of the human mind resulted in my studies of brain functioning. Hence, I participated and won the Student Scientific Research Activity prize at my university in the topic of Subliminal Perception (2013) and Synaesthesia (2014), which gave me my first experience with conducting my own research and improved my critical thinking skills.

I have continued my active involvement in extracurricular activities by joining the European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations (EFPSA), where I held several positions.

This made me curious about the dynamics of organisational development. During my voluntary involvement in the organisation I have enhanced my skills in teamwork, time-management skills and leadership skills. Moreover, I have learned to keep deadlines organised and work efficiently in high stress situations, through my skill to balance workloads.

Furthermore, I attended a summer school for experiential and outdoor learning (2015). From this, I have improved my English language skills and youth work related vocabulary by developing project ideas and discussing them.

Moreover, I have since learned how to deal with conflicts in a constructive way. I dare to take risks and go out of my comfort zone, because in this way I can develop myself. I have also delivered several trainings in order to develop my skills within the field.

My excitement for trainings has strengthened my interest in organisational psychology and directed me to participate in the Youth Trainers Academy, which aims to train new trainers and teach them the methodology of training sessions. At present, I am now eager to develop as a trainer and help people improve their soft skills, such as presentation or leadership skills.

I find travelling an incredible experience of getting in touch with the practice of psychology abroad. Therefore, I have done an Erasmus study in Belgium (2013-2014) and now I am studying in Portugal.

I have not only improved my English language skills, but also sharpened my communication skills and broadened my knowledge. The international environment made me more curious about other cultures and I have a clearer view on cultural differences.

I have also enjoyed an Erasmus Internship in Prague, Czech Republic (2014), oriented on research about visual search in maps. Throughout the preparation of the experiment, I have gained experience in working with the software PsychoPy and basic skills in the programming language R, which I believe may be of use in the future.

For the purpose of psychohygiene, I had been a flute player of a swing orchestra at my music school. It was an exceptional experience of team work and active listening.

Furthermore, I like to search for knowledge in the books. The work of J.R.R. Tolkien is a great inspiration for me to relentlessly follow my goals, which is to pursue the career in the field of social and organisational psychology.

Recently, I have read articles about mindfulness, which inspired me to learn more about its impact on well-being and its potential to improve people’s quality of life.

Becoming a psychologist requires a special set of qualities and skills, which I believe I possess and will develop throughout my studies.

I find the quality of the studies your university offers to be an exclusive opportunity to develop personally and professionally, and I look forward to the challenges this degree has to offer. I hope I have been able to highlight my readiness for this challenge throughout my statement.