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Law and business personal statement example (international student).
From an early age, law has always been number one priority in my vision of the future. Probably because of my father's profession (he is Head of the Regional Criminal Police), I have always been intrigued by Criminology and the idea of analysing and solving tangled cases.
To be a Private Investigator was one of my dreams for a long time. On the other hand, I am completely aware that the world of criminology is full of risks, sleepless nights and health hazards. That is the reason why I see Business Law not only as a chance for prosperity, but also of a life devoid of fears and restlessness.
I am confident that the combination of business and legal studies would enable me to show the best of my intellectual capacity and prosper in a competitive commercial environment.
Having obtained a degree in Business Law, I will be able to enjoy a successful career in any of the following spheres: banking and finance, accountancy, local and central government, business and commerce, the police and prison services etc.
In primary school, mathematics, literature and English were always my favourites. Analytical thinking and problem-solving kept me active and entertained. Later, at high school, Informatics was my core subject, while my undoubted favorites were philosophy, ethics and law and psychology.
Thus, along with my Mathematics classes (over 200 per year) and Informatics, my interest in reading Law at university grew significantly. Last year, my geography teacher announced that 25 high school students will have the opportunity to go to Strasbourg, visit the European Parliament and take part in the Euroscola project.
Being interested in the European institutions, I promised myself to be one of those who get to be there. To achieve that, I had to take exams in English and European integration. Not only did I take them, but I ranked 5th among the best 25 students (and 1st of all girls). Winning that competition gave me more than just a visit at the European Parliament:
I improved my social and teamwork skills, presented in front of a big audience and enhanced my enthusiasm to work in the sphere of law. Now, I am hoping to win a competition which will allow me to visit the Science Parliament in Aachen in March 2010.
Thanks to my participation in the international Comenius Project "From Sky To Tap" I enjoyed an unforgettable trip to Sicily and developed my communication skills significantly. Later on I took an apprenticeship at the City Hall, and for a week I acted as a personal interpreter to councilors from Liverpool and Indonesia.
A number of extracurricular activities have helped me develop important skills: I can proudly say that my 7-year, successfully accomplished piano education, contributed greatly to the development of my auditory memory and helped me improve my confidence in front of a big audience.
My long standing tennis practice is the basis of my competitive spirit. Sport taught me concentration and determination to win. I hope to continue with my favourite sport, thus keeping fit and healthy, doing something I enjoy and competing for my university.
I choose the UK as my study destination because British universities are renowned for their well-balanced academic programmes which offer opportunities for professional development through teamwork and participation in research projects.
I will have the chance to prove that I am capable of understanding and mastering complex information and learn to express myself and write with the proper confidence in English.
Working hard on my assignments and meeting deadlines will prepare me for the real world of business. A degree course at a British university will allow me to live for a few years in a country of rich cultural traditions and will also enhance my career opportunities in the future.
Profile info
This personal statement was written by tennisgirl for application in 2010.
tennisgirl's university choices The University of Edinburgh University of Portsmouth The University of Hull The University of Liverpool
Green : offer made Red : no offer made
tennisgirl's Comments
I was really nervous about the admission office' decision. I'm a Bulgarian student, so it is pretty hard to get an offer. It seems they liked me and I'm really happy I got not one but four really good offers. Just to make it clear, the conditions are measured this way: A = ( 5.50-6.00 ), B = ( 4.50 - 5.50 ) and so on.. which is my GPA from the graduate diploma. I needed a TOEFL result, which was 98 points on Internet-based test. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
This personal statement is unrated
Related Personal Statements
Hi. i am a bulgarian student,.
Thu, 29/09/2011 - 21:34
Hi. I am a Bulgarian student, who wants to apply Law and Business Studies in the UK. I was wondering if you could give me any advise, share your experience, or simply cross your fingers for me :)
Hi tennisgirl's,
Tue, 06/12/2011 - 17:38
I have some specific, questions regarding the personal statement, so how can I discuss with you, can you please write me to [email protected] , the ways for contact. I am going to apply for LLM Commercial Law.
Wed, 24/07/2013 - 09:30
Major thanks for the post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
hi i'd like to contact you
Tue, 01/10/2013 - 17:19
hi i'd like to contact you my mail is : [email protected]
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How to Write A Standout Law Personal Statement
A law personal statement is essential when applying to enrol on an LLB law course as an undergraduate or an LLM degree as a postgraduate. Get advice and tips on writing good law personal statements.
Our Guide to Law Personal Statements
- Find out the word count and the right structure
- See how universities use personal statements
- Learn how to write and structure your statement
- Get more top tips on writing a knock-out statement
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You’ll need to write a law personal statement if you’re applying for the LLB or other types of law degrees via UCAS . You will also have to write one if you’re applying to study law at postgraduate level.
What is a Law Personal Statement?
The personal statement is a piece of writing which you send off with your UCAS application to different universities . It’s capped at 4,000 characters (so will often end up running for about one side of A4), and serves as the best way to differentiate yourself from other applicants to the most competitive courses. In short, it’s the personal statement which is the truly ‘personal’ part of your application. This is your chance to grab the attention of the admissions team, who will often use the personal statement as the easiest way to pick between candidates with other similar metrics (e.g. predicted A Level grades which meet the entry requirements ). Other universities ( Oxbridge specifically ) place even more emphasis on your personal statement, using it as a way to decide who to invite to interview (and then as a source of discussion during interviews). Put simply, it’s an important part of your application.
For law specifically, a subject which is known to be both competitive and highly academic, the personal statement is even more crucial. The University of Law have a page outlining some law personal statement tips , but this article seeks to present our views on some of the most crucial elements of a successful personal statement for studying law at university – from what you should do to what you shouldn’t, structure, content and more, this article will get you well on your way.
How Universities Use Your UCAS Law Personal Statement
If a lot of students applying for law degree courses have achieved the basic entry requirements, university admissions teams use UCAS law personal statements to decide who is more suited to their learning programme. Some universities take this a step further with, for example, with the LNAT , which is taken into consideration alongside your personal statement.
Some law schools will read every personal statement and score them. They then use this score alongside your qualifications and grades to decide whether to offer you an interview. Other law universities don’t give as much consideration to personal statements and will only use them to decide between students who have borderline entry requirements.
Law schools may refer to your personal statement on results day if you don’t get the grades you need. A good personal statement could be the difference in securing a university place if you don’t get the grades you hoped for.
Planning Your Statement
Plan a clear structure.
First thing’s first, you’re going to need a clear structure. There are a few reasons for this. First, having a clearly planned out structure before you start writing will limit the amount of ‘waffle’ you could accidentally end up putting into your writing (more on that in our next point). Second, a clear structure allows your reader (those university admissions teams) to enjoy the personal statement more by increasing the smoothness of the reading experience associated with a well thought out body of text (remember, they’ll be reading hundreds, if not thousands, of these). Third, you’re applying to study law – the personal statement is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that you can produce well planned, structured writing (as is crucial for any humanities subject). The theme of the personal statement serving a dual purpose (presenting the content itself but also showcasing your writing abilities) will come up again throughout this article – it’s super important to bear in mind.
There is no one-size-fits-all structure that your personal statement should take, and you should allow yourself to be guided largely by the content you’re looking to present. It is a good idea, however, to feature a particularly catchy opening leading into an introductory section, a main body (structure however best suits the content) and at least a line or two of concluding material at the end.
Leading on from our last point, being concise is key. Not only does this allow you to demonstrate your clarity of writing (as all law students and aspiring lawyers need as a key skill ), but it also increases the amount of content (or explanation of that content) you’re able to pack into 4,000 characters. For example, have you written ‘on the other hand’? ‘Conversely’ is 2 words/7 characters shorter, and serves the exact same purpose. Also consider whether you’re repeating yourself. Conciseness is best achieved by proofreading.
Manage Your Tone
Throughout your personal statement, it’s best to take a relatively formal tone. Your content is the part that allows your personality and individualism to shine through. Also avoid humour – it’s simply too risky without knowing the preferences of the individual whose desk your personal statement will eventually land on.
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Writing Your Statement
Proofreading is essential for a personal statement, and you’ll likely go through many rounds of drafts. Having concise writing is key (see the point above), but even more important is the fact your personal statement needs to avoid any errors in spelling or grammar. These are easily correctible and may reflect badly on you as a student applying to an essay-based subject at university. It’s fine if you personally struggle with spelling or grammar – see our next point for a way to combat that.
Get Feedback
Your personal statement, while being innately ‘personal’, is best improved by showing it to a range of people. Although there will naturally (and sadly) be a difference in the quality of assistance you will receive based on the quality of your sixth form/college, be proactive in seeking out the best people possible to read over it and give you feedback. Are there any teachers at your school who studied on the university course you now find yourself applying to? Can you find current students/alumni of that course on LinkedIn and ask if they’d be willing to spare a few minutes to glance over it for you? The more input you get (from people who have more experience than you on this topic), the more secure you’ll feel in defending why you’ve written what you have.
Capital Letter Checks
If you’ve successfully followed the tips above, you’re likely to have a personal statement with a great deal of specific references in it. There’s an easy way to roughly check this – visually scan down your personal statement and see how many capital letters there are. If you’ve got very few, it’s likely that you may have included a fair amount of ‘waffle’. If you can spot quite a few capital letters, that’s a sign that you’ve probably included the specifics – great job! Where ‘I’ve read many legal books’ might throw up a red flag, ‘I’ve read X and Y books’ means you’re on a great path.
Get to Know Your Course
Demonstrate your interest by improving your understanding
Perfecting Your Statement
Keep it personal.
Attempting to present a broad overview of your degree’s content (e.g. trying to do a broad sweep of UK legal history) is useless, impossible, and ultimately pretty boring to read. It also means you’ll end up with something that skims the surface of many things. Remember, this is a ‘personal’ statement. The best way to approach it is to drill down deep into one or two particular niches that interests you (again, rather than skimming the surface of a huge range of topics). This keeps your personal statement fresh and interesting to read for the admissions team. Have you developed an interest in a particular piece of legislation that’s just come out? You could spend a paragraph going into some detail here – and the contents of that paragraph are what comes next.
Show – Don’t Tell
This is one of the most important pieces of advice possible. Once you’ve found a particular area of interest to talk about in your personal statement, you need to back that up with specific, tangible examples. Some people will also advise that you try and keep this content relatively recent in order to demonstrate an engagement with world affairs. Although not compulsory, this can still be a useful avenue to explore. ‘I’m really interested in the new Online Safety Bill’ is generic, proves very little, and could apply to anyone. ‘My interest in the new Online Safety Bill led me to read X book and watch X documentary, after which I considered X issues’ is specific to you, demonstrates a tangible interest in these topics, and is simply far more interesting to read. This idea of constantly building on what came before allows you to demonstrate a thread running throughout your essay (helping your structure present itself as clear in the process). This is where you’ll often hear people say that your personal statement needs to ‘flow’.
The range of things that you could ‘show’ is vast – books related to your course are a great starting point. If you know one of your top choice universities employs a particularly prominent member of faculty, perhaps you’d be interested to have a look at their writing and include that too. Other such content could include documentaries, conferences, events, or work experience. Now your personal statement is looking far more personal.
Academic vs Extra-Curricular
Balancing the proportion of academic to extra-curricular content in your personal statement is not an easy task, especially when you’re likely to hear that certain top universities like Oxbridge heavily favour the former. Law is also an intensely academic subject. With that in mind, it’s only natural to place a heavy emphasis on the academic side. However, if you’ve got extra-curricular content which you feel you could successfully link to your degree course in some way (e.g. ‘For my swimming club, I researched current health and safety regulations to make sure we are compliant’ – ‘I am in a swimming club’, conversely, doesn’t hold much value), then do feel free to include that too.
In short, while writing law personal statements may appear a challenge, following our top tips will allow your application to excel. Be clear, be specific, be you.
Watch this video from Solent University Law School, Southampton, which is packed with great tips on how to write a strong personal statement for law.
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