Glasgow University Personal Statements

These UCAS personal statements have been kindly provided by students applying to University of Glasgow. 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.

Psychology Personal Statement Example 2
Psychology surrounds us. I often observe my class mates and ask myself why they are so different, struggling with attention or eating disorders. While looking for reasons, I also want to find ways to help them and I am confident that psychology will give me the means to do so...

Environmental Science and Geography Personal Statement Example
I am aware of a Native American proverb which perfectly summarises my passion for studying Environmental Geography: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children". The idea of preserving this wonderful world for future generations inspires and motivates me to learn as much as I can about the earth...

Mechanical Engineering Personal Statement Example 1
Understanding and discovering how mechanical products work has always been an interest of mine. When I was younger, I would spend hours building complex structures using Lego or K-Nex which is where my passion for engineering began...

Astrophysics Personal Statement Example
As a child, I would often read books about space and astronomy and wonder what made it possible. This has developed into a much deeper, scientific interest in the subject. Studying Physics at GCSE and A-Level, along with Chemistry and Mathematics, has helped me further develop my interest...

Spanish and Economics Personal Statement Example
My aspiration to study Spanish and Economics has not only been influenced by my curricular education but also from experiences I have had throughout life. I am intrigued in the effects caused by the failing Euro zone, and I consider communication among speakers of different languages essential in progressing forward...

Scottish History Personal Statement Example
“Swap Access to Degree Studies” Whenever I walk through the village where I live in Polmont, and look just beyond the Westquarter valley where the tree line of the Callendar woods are visible, I close my eyes, and I am transported back to one of the most fateful days in Scotland’s history...

Plant Biotechnology Personal Statement Example
I have became fascinated with Science in my early childhood. It came from the first glance through the microscope at Paramecium. Since that time I have shown a pertinacity to learn about the world imperceptible by human eyes...

English Literature Personal Statement Example 3
When I was seven years old, I first read 'Twist of Gold' by Michael Morpurgo. When reading the book I was captivated by the absorbing plot, beguiling characters and incredibly vivid imagery. Since that time, I have been a passionate reader, particularly admiring the fluidity and profound depth of character and emotion that can be found in work by authors such as Sylvia Plath and Doris Lessing...

Aerospace Engineering Personal Statement Example 12
The time I first saw an aircraft fly over our house, I was three. Out of curiosity I asked my father about it. To avoid complexity he simply explained that it was like a gigantic flying bus. I was awed...

Computer Science Personal Statement Example 46 *****
When a friend asked me: "Why do you like computer science?" I found myself unable to give an answer. However, from that moment on, I tried to understand what makes computer science so attractive for me...

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...

Aerospace Engineering Personal Statement Example 14
For as long as I can remember, aircraft have always been a primary interest of mine. Being a typical young boy my early interests and aspirations were to become a fighter pilot or an astronaut. However, as I grew older and my eyes were opened to the wonders of physics, my interests were turned to the engineering behind the machines themselves, from the 11 ton Eurofighter Typhoon to the 2000 ton Space shuttle...

Medicine Personal Statement Example 46
My fascination with the innermost workings of the human body began at the age of twelve when my excellent, if somewhat eccentric, science teacher dissected a pig's heart in front of the class. From that point onwards my interest in human physiology has only increased, and from the common cold to coronary heart disease I have always queried their possible causes and solutions...

Languages/Linguistics Personal Statement Example
My decision to study languages at University stems from a fascination of the complexity of language and the changes which languages go through. As I am Scottish, I often speak in a regional dialect and I find myself engrossed as to why people speak in dialects and why speakers of the same language can have difficulties understanding each other...

Geography Personal Statement Example (Gap Year) 1 *****
Geography has inspired me from a young age and I believe that growing up in Scotland has had an important role to play in this. The country's geography, to me, can never fail to impress, particularly the city of Edinburgh...

Physics Personal Statement Example 10
My fascination for how things work is something that has always been a part of me. Why am I pulled back towards the ground when I jump? How can an airplane that weighs so much fly? In later years I learned that these questions, these as I thought to be unexplainable phenomena, could all be answered through Physics...

Interior Design Personal Statement Example 1 *****
I am anxious to become a creator. I wish to help people to live in appropriate and attractive homes. My intention is to learn to provide beauty and cosiness to their lives. And I believe I can achieve that through hard work, great effort and devoting a sufficient amount of time...

Economics and Management Personal Statement Example 1
The theoretical aspects of economics and business management have for the past years been one of my greatest interests and developing as an entrepreneur has been my goal. I am fascinated by strategies in management and the behaviour of companies in the theory of the firm...

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...

English Literature and Personal Statement Example
At the war cemeteries of El Alamein in Egypt, I spent an hour or two combing through the British Commonwealth cemetery for Royal Dragoons from my Grandpa’s division and found myself struggling, from the sheer number of headstones, to choose between condemning our capacity for violence and admiring the extent of our sacrifice...

Physics Personal Statement Example 12 *****
From investigating the properties of subatomic particles to predicting the behavior of the planets, Physics fascinates me. Partly, it's the logical aspect of the subject which seems to sum up the workings of the entire universe in a series of simple statements...

Philosophy Personal Statement Example 12 ***
In a world where religious, political and ethical antagonism is what makes headlines, one wonders what might justify these seemingly irreconcilable views. After all, there seem to be many more than there could possibly be truths...

Creative Writing Personal Statement Example 2
To me, fiction is like the magic carpet of Aladdin. It takes me to travel through time and space and explore the slices of human experience. In the wonderful trips, I am guided by the author and accompanied by the characters...

Medicine Personal Statement Example 57
My enthusiasm for the advances of medical science, understanding and technology drive me towards medicine. I yearn to discover further the wonder and complexities of science, and have a greater understanding of the illness' and diseases we face...

Politics Personal Statement Example 25 ****
Current and prevailing debate and discussion has widened my views on our ever changing society. After attending the Scottish leaders’ debate this year my fascination for Politics intensified. Having studied Higher Modern Studies I gained an initial knowledge of electoral systems and after following the 2010 General Elections my interest in Politics grew tremendously...

Medicine Personal Statement Example 62
When two, I suffered a large third degree burn on my chest. Living in a small town in Romania, I was not able to get appropriate treatment, so I grew up with complexes about the aesthetical appearance of the scar...

Medicine Personal Statement Example 63
My passionate interest in the sciences has been a major influence upon the choices I have made in terms of my academic studies. From a young age I wanted to understand how and why everything worked. In particular, I became fascinated with the sheer complexity of the human body and the way the different body systems work together seamlessly...

Languages and Maths Personal Statement Example ****
I am a versatile individual with a passion and flair for both Languages and Maths. I am applying to a variety of courses to pursue my combined interest. My love for languages began when I moved to Switzerland in 2006...

Philosophy Personal Statement Example 13 *****
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato said “philosophy begins in wonder”, and I believe this to be true. I think the wondering which Plato is speaking of, which leads to essential questions such as ‘why are we here?’ and ‘what is right and wrong?’, is one of the defining qualities of what it means to be human...

Biology Personal Statement Example 24 ****
Biology is a subject which fills me with wonder and awe but it was not until I started college to continue my studies that I was introduced to the vast complexity of our world. Realising intricate mechanisms are involved in what I had thought to be simple parts of life amazed me, inspiring me to want to learn as much as I could...

Medieval History/History Personal Statement Example
My grandmother’s maiden name is Marx. Her uncle, the world-renowned landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, was Karl Marx’s great-nephew. This fact, while seemingly trivial, has worked to strengthen the spark history has ignited within me since I was old enough to read...

Dentistry Personal Statement Example 10
My interest in Dentistry initially arose from my own experiences with Dentists. When I was younger, I suffered from cyclic neutropenia which led to many dental problems, and was always grateful to my dentist and dental hygienist for all their help...

Economics & Politics Personal Statement Example 2 *****
My perception of economics and politics changed when in 2008 I became involved in the city council’s budgetary committee as a student representative, which gave me an insight how a political decision can have an impact on the whole city’s future on both social and economic scales...

Politics & International Relations Personal Statement Example 6 ****
Throughout the majority of my life I have enjoyed studying the constantly shifting political climate of the world. In particular, I have been fascinated in the work undertaken by non-governmental organisations and of the various political approaches that countries around the globe embark upon...

Postgraduate Psychology Personal Statement Example 1
My enthusiasm to study psychology began as a child due to living with an alcoholic. Through observing and being around someone with such a social problem I was gaining first hand experience of what it was like to live with someone with an addiction...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 66 *****
Psychology can be applied at any level or aspect of society. This excites me. An insight into how people's minds work and how they work together is invaluable in just about every field. I was interested in psychology from the moment I saw the iceberg diagram which shows our consciousness and subconscious...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 67
I first became interested in psychology whilst discussing the underlying causes of criminal behaviour and non-conformity with my father. The nature-nurture debate gave me a huge desire to increase my knowledge and understanding of the human condition...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 68
For me human beings have always been fascinating, and even mysterious, because, though we are all humans, we all think differently and behave so differently. I wonder why those impoverished people who live with little can have a happy life, whereas some millionaires who have status, reputation and money choose to commit suicide...

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...

Mathematics & Physics Personal Statement Example 2
My enthusiasm for Mathematics and Physics comes from the fact that they are both used to further our understanding of the universe and have applications in all other areas of science. My main area of interest in Physics is particle physics as this tells us how fundamental parts of our universe interact with each other...

German Personal Statement Example 8
Studying German at an advanced level strikes me as a very natural choice due to my cultural heritage and my strong interest in the subject. I have been brought up in the French-speaking part of Switzerland in a very multicultural family with an Italian father and a German-Iranian mother...

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