[材料准备] 如何写economics personal statement（转） [复制链接]

竹溪婉笛
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电梯直达

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发表于 2014-12-7 20:35:07 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

写ps摸不着头绪，google了一下，发现了几篇不错的专门针对economics ps的写作建议，所以贴上来给大家分享一下~

第一个网站：http://whystudyeconomics.ac.uk/
它家的home就是介绍什么是经济学，在your ambition下有具体介绍如何进行PS写作，感觉可以启发一下思路。具体网址：http://whystudyeconomics.ac.uk/Y ... personal-statement/
以下就是具体内容啦：（是从内容和结构两方面介绍的，很清楚~）

A personal statement is up to 4000 characters or 47 lines where you tell a University why you are a suitable candidate for the course. Unfortunately there is no way of guaranteeing a place on your chosen course but a combination of a good personal statement and the right grades will certainly give you a good chance.

To offer you something useful, we asked senior Economics lecturers around the country what they like to see in an Economics personal statement;

Content

1) Ensure the personal statement is grammatically correct and without spelling errors. Applicants have time to prepare and go over their statement over and over, as well as to get help from their teachers, parents etc. Sloppiness of this kind gives the worst possible impression.

2) Keep paragraphs short and to the point. This is easier to read than a big body of text - admissions officers are unlikely to spend a long time reading over the statement, so make the key points stand out.

3) I see little need to innovate by writing bizarre things so as to stand out - keep things clear, relevant and to the point, also statements such as 'I have dreamt of studying Economics from when I was a small child' are completely implausible and all too common! Show enthusiasm for the subject but back it up with evidence of this, such as relevant books you have read (but make sure you have indeed read them before an interview...if caught out lying, looks very weak - you would be surprised how often this happens), issues in the media or current affairs that interest you etc.

Emphasise the reasons why you're interested in, and want to study, Economics. What is it about the subject that makes you want to spend 3 years specialising in it? What especially appeals? If you've studied Economics before you might talk about some of the areas you've found most interesting; if not, then explain how you came to want to study it. I think this is an exercise that's of value notwithstanding the personal statement: students who've thought carefully about their choice are more likely to make the right one and ultimately to enjoy success with their degrees. Both with this and more generally on the personal statement, be honest (for your own sake as much as the selector's, remembering that any exaggerations and poorly thought out statements are likely to be exposed in the event of any interviews) and resist the temptation to write what you think the selector wants to hear (e.g. "I have always loved Economics ever since I was 2") or to try and flatter (e.g. "I welcome the chance to study at your esteemed institution"); both are likely to sound insincere, won't convince and will therefore add little value. Just be yourself, and be both interested and interesting!

Structure

Paragraph 1 - give a general introduction of why you wish to study Economics; this might include a particular aspect of the subject that fascinates you (though explain why), when your interest was peaked and how a degree in Economics fits in with your future career aspirations.

Paragraph 2 - give a brief account of why you are suitable for the degree(s) in questions, highlighting relevant A-level courses taken and aspects of them that were of interest. Give academic and non-academic reasons -applicants tend to focus on what they would take from the opportunity to study towards a particular degree- it is nice to explain how they hope to contribute also to the social fabric of the university and interaction within the course/degree.

Paragraph 3 - give evidence of interest for Economics by listing one or two popular Economics books (e.g. Freakonomics, Superfreakonomics, the Armchair Economist, the Bottom Billion...the list goes on) that you have read. Rather than giving an implausibly long list of books read, focus on one or two (or three if the course is a joint honours degree with other subjects) books and (this is crucial...) identify how the book/particular chapter/treatment of a particular issue fuelled your interest in Economics, in particular what questions it raised in your mind that a degree in Economics would help answer.

Paragraph 4 - describe (briefly) any work experience/voluntary work, highlighting any aspects that are relevant to Economics. A few lines on hobbies or sporting activities could also be included - perhaps to show perseverance of enjoyment in interacting with others. Some interests e.g. debating, are arguably of more relevance than say, golf.

Somewhere in the statement - if applying from overseas, list the qualifications attained in English language and perhaps say a few words on how studying Economics in the U.K. is of particular value to you.

Paragraph 5 - list any awards, prizes etc attained or participation in things like the Model UN or Duke of Edinburgh awards. Some applicants are involved in Target 2.0 and in doing so get a first hand feel of the role of monetary policy and how interest rates are set and inflation targeting. These are relevant to the statement.

A statement that follows the structure above should give enough information to satisfy most readers and should appear structured, well-written and clearly thought out.

Vague statements of interest with broad sweeping statements of unbridled enthusiasm for the subject lack credibility if not backed up by specific activities/books read/courses taken etc. In my view, a straightforward personal statement that gets all the core points across in a coherent way serves the purpose best.

第二个就是LSE官网上贴出的，估计申LSE的都看见过吧~
网址：http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/under ... sonalStatement.aspx

What makes a good personal statement？
Your statement should be as original as possible, as this is the way in which you can differentiate yourself from other applicants applying to the same course as you and who have, or are predicted, similar grades. Your statement should focus mainly on your academic abilities and achievements.

There are several questions you should think about before you start writing your personal statement:

Why have you chosen the course you have listed?
What interests you about your chosen subject?
How have you developed you subject interest outside of your school studies? Have you read any relevant books or articles, attended lectures or followed online courses. How did these activities inform your choice of course?
What are the ‘big issues’ in the subject(s) you have applied for, or what do you find most interesting about them? What are your thoughts on these topics?
Which jobs, paid work or placements have you undertaken, and what you have learnt from them? If these experiences influenced your choice of degree, why?
If you are applying for deferred entry, then you should indicate why you are taking a gap year and what you plan to do during it.
If you are applying at the post-qualification stage, then why did you take time out between college and university? What have you been doing during this time?
What are your social, sports or leisure activities (although these are not as important as your academic capabilities)?
Have you held any positions of responsibility in your school or college?
Have you attended any schemes or activities at LSE or other universities (such as Summer Schools, Saturday Schools, LSE Maths, LSE Choice, etc)?
Have you won or applied for any sponsorships or placements?
Emphasise any skills you have gained (e.g. communication/IT/decision making)
What are your career plans for when you graduate from university?
What are your future plans?
Why should we choose you over the other 17,500+ applicants who apply to LSE
You should also ensure that you fully utilise the space available to you when writing your personal statement. UCAS state that applicants can use a maximum of 4,000 characters, or 47 lines, in their statement and we would expect applicants to the School to fully use the space allowed.

Mature applicants

If you are a mature student, as well as thinking about the questions listed above, you should also include information on:

Why do you want to return to study?
If your degree will result in a change of career, why have you decided to change career?
You should also provide details of any relevant work experience, plus information on your current or previous employment
International students

If you are an international student, as well as thinking about the questions above, you should also include information on:

Why you want to study in the UK
What evidence do you have that you can complete a degree in English? Are any of your studies completed in English?
Have you had a position of authority or used your communication skills effectively? For instance, are you on the school debating team?
Research

Before you write your personal statement, please visit our course guides in the online calendar. These guides give further information on the course content of each of our undergraduate programmes and will provide you with an understanding of the course. This is particularly important for courses where the content can vary from institution to institution. For example, students applying to History at Cambridge can choose to study Ancient History as part of their degree. However the History course at LSE does not offer any Ancient History units. If the Admissions Tutor reads a personal statement which includes information on an applicant's interest in Ancient History, they will not make the applicant an offer as it does not show evidence of interest in the particular course that is offered at LSE, which focuses on International History.

You may also wish to visit the Departmental websites, as these pages also provide further information on the course.

For further information please visit our Admissions Criteria web pages for the course you are applying to. These pages have been written by each of the departmental Admissions Tutors, so you can gain further information from these pages on what the Admissions Tutors are looking for in an application.

Writing your personal statement
The difference between an ordinary and an outstanding personal statement is in the planning. You should think about what you want to include in your statement and prepare a draft version. Once you have written a draft copy you should check it to make sure that it flows in a logical order and then check the spelling, punctuation and grammar.

The Admissions Tutors at LSE are interested in well rounded students, i.e. students who can also show keen interest in activities outside of their academic life. However, your personal statement should mainly be about your academic interests. We would suggest that you split the information in your statement, with 75% showing your academic interest. Our Tutors are also looking for evidence that an applicant is able to work at university level, as well as cope with the challenges and workload university study brings.

When writing your personal statement you should think about splitting it into different sections. However, you should still ensure that you keep the statement broad. For example, we do not want to read about how much you want to come to LSE (or another university). You should remember that the same application and therefore the same personal statement goes to all of the institutions you apply to. So if you write about how much you want to study Business Studies when applying to LSE, it shows the Admissions Tutor that you haven't researched the courses available at LSE, as we do not offer a Business Studies course.

Opening section

This section should show why you have chosen to study the subject you are applying for at LSE. For instance if you plan on studying Law, what attracted you to this subject? You should indicate which aspects of the subject has interested you sufficiently to want to study it at degree level. For example, is there a specific area of Law that interests you? Do you plan to work in this field in the future?

You should also show your commitment to the subject. For instance, have you undertaken any additional reading to broaden your knowledge of the subject?

Middle section

This section should explain why we should offer you a place out of the 17,500+ applications we receive every year.

You should include information on how your non-related subjects (e.g. English and Sociology) tie in with and complement your application to study Law. For instance, do these subjects give you a wider understanding of Law?Alternatively they may improve your key skills, such as communication, essay writing, logic or debating/arguing. If your non-related subjects improve these skills, how will you use them in your degree?

You should also include how experiences beyond your school work improve your application. Have you undertaken wider reading around a subject, particularly in areas you will be studying at LSE? If so, what did you find interesting in this reading and what are your thoughts on the topics covered? Have you had the opportunity to attend lectures or other events that show you what studying at University would be like? If so, tell us how you feel these make you better prepared for further study. If you have taken part in competitions or extension activities don’t just tell us you have done them, but also what skills or knowledge you gained from them.

Some applicants have undertaken paid or unpaid work experience or employment that complements their application. For instance, have you worked at a law firm? If so, did the experience give you a wider understanding of the subject? Did this work experience boost your enthusiasm to study Law?Did this experience improve any of your key skills? If so, how? Remember to include information not only on what you've done but also what you've gained. Has working part-time in retail improved your oral communication skills? You should also mention any other transferable skills you have. Working in a supermarket, for example, may have improved your team work skills, which you would use during your time at university.

Your extra curricular activities should also be covered in this section. You should give a brief explanation of the activities you are involved in and how you benefit from them. Do they improve your key skills? If so, how? Again you should write not only what you've done in these activities, but also what you've gained from them.

Final section

The final section should round off your statement by tying together all the information you have presented. You should reiterate your interest in the course and end on a positive note. You should state what you can bring/contribute to the thriving multicultural student community at LSE.

As well as splitting your personal statement into these sections, you should also ensure that you have checked your spelling, punctuation and grammar, as the Admissions Tutors will pick up on errors, and this can have a negative effect on your application.

Applying for combined honours degrees

LSE offers 16 combined honours programmes. Applicants applying to these programmes are advised that it is essential to give equal weighting in your personal statement to both combined subjects.

For instance, if you are applying to Government and Economics you must show evidence of interest in both subjects. As half of the course covers Government, the Admissions Tutor would not make an offer to somebody who applies to this course, but only refers to their interest in Economics.

第三个：http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/ ... Personal_Statements
具体内容不粘了，和前两个差不多，感兴趣的可以进去看