Why Study Political Science: Tips for Personal Statement Writing

Most universities will require their incoming students to submit a personal statement. In a sense, personal statement writing is a prelude to the students writing more complicated assignments such as Politics essays in the course of their study, should they be offered a place in the university's Political Science degree programme.

The student should consider personal statement writing as a chance to present a side themselves that will not be seen from a simple statistic or fact, as seen from a transcript or resume. Some universities set the student's personal statement as a substitute for a personal interview, while some determine which students to interview based on the personal statements they have submitted. It is important for the applicant to allow his or her personality to show on paper and aim to make a good impression on the university admissions officer.

This is not an easy task to impress someone you have not even met, and only using words on paper, which is why it is important for the student to make good on his or her personal statement writing. Avoid redundancy and use the space allotted for a personal statement by writing about facts or information that the reviewer can already view from the forms and documents submitted in the application. Instead, tell the reviewer what nobody else can about you from your own perspective.

You can do this by highlighting experiences, personality characteristics, abilities and interests which make you unique as an individual and which will help you fit in the university scene as a student of Political Science. Work on a narrative which will be engaging, interesting and worth the reviewer's time. Do not attempt to stand out so much by being too cute or unconventional. Keep the language simple and the statements concise. Illustrate with a situation or an example if possible to make it easier for the reviewer to visualise your point. When they are able to see their point, this means that you have successfully conveyed your message in your personal statement writing.