lse anthropology personal statement

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Personal statements

Read the phrasing carefully.

Different institutions will phrase what they want to see in their personal statement differently, some examples (as of September 2013) and how you could break the wording down to ensure you address everything are below:

Example of application guidance from LSE:

You must submit a personal statement with your application form. This should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words. It should describe your academic interests and your purpose and objectives in undertaking graduate study. 

Suggestions of what to include for this phrasing:

• Outline what are your academic interests specifically
• How they are related to the course.
• How do you see the course furthering these interests?
• Do you have previous experience of studying these areas?
• Was your undergraduate dissertation, major project or a group presentation relevant to the course or your academic interests?
•  Have you attended conferences, seminars or networking events outside your studies to increase your knowledge?
• What have you learnt recently,
• and how does this link to the course you are applying for?
• Perhaps you can link your academic interests to work experience you have gained?
• Purpose in undertaking graduate study  – Why are you applying for postgraduate study? This could be linked to discussing your academic interests, or perhaps you have a career orientated goal.
• Objectives in undertaking graduate study  – What do you hope to achieve by the end of your postgraduate study, whether educationally or professionally? If you have professional objectives, how will this course help you move towards your career goal?
• What else?  – you could also include some of the suggestions in the guidelines below, but make sure you address everything in their description.

Example of application guidance from SOAS:

Your personal statement should be no more than 1,000 words. It should include the reasons why you are interested in the programme, highlight your relevant experience and suitability for the programme as well as future plans. 

• Why you are interested in the programme  – Look at the course content carefully to decide what it is that most interests you in the programme content-wise. Discuss any relevant research or coursework you might have done in the past, and include technical language or language that shows you have a grasp of the topic.
• Relevant experience  – think back to your work experience, extracurricular activities and voluntary experiences and reflect upon relevant projects you might have worked on, tasks you were set or research you conducted that demonstrates relevance to the course. You might not feel you have this experience yet, but perhaps you have worked in a relevant sector and you could show your technical and commercial understanding.
• Suitability for the programme  – Think about the skills you might need to succeed in this programme. What is your experience that makes you suitable for the programme? Perhaps you will reflect on study or research skills that you have gained, or maybe you’ll need strong negotiation, communication or presentation skills which you gained through mooting or as a student representative? If you can show you were engaged with your undergraduate university’s community then this might be a good place to mention what you did.
• Future plans  – What are your career aspirations and how do you see the course furthering these?

Writing a personal statement

If they do not specify what to include in your personal statement, areas you might want to include are below. There is no set order of when to mention what but starting your personal statement with your most relevant point is advised.

Motivations

• Why are you applying for the programme?
• What do you hope to gain from the programme?
• What is it that interests you about the subject? Can this be related to your previous education or work experience (see below)?
• What are your career aspirations and how will this course help you achieve them?

Educational experience and commercial knowledge

• Do you have past education that gives you the knowledge base you need for the course?
• Is your undergraduate dissertation relevant? Tell the tutor about it and the research methods you used (especially if applying for a research masters).
• Perhaps you like to keep up with current news in the sector you hope to go into. You could mention a topical issue and discuss how you see the course furthering your understanding.

Work experience

• Have you gained work experience in a field relevant to the course or relevant to your career ambitions? Can you link this experience to your motivation to wanting to continue studying in this field?
• Tell the tutor about this experience and reflect on how this could help with the course or use it as an example of your motivation for continued study in a related area.
• If you are a mature student returning to study, why are you returning? Are you looking to make a career change? Why, and how, do you expect the course will support your new ambition?

Other experience

• Include your extracurricular and voluntary experience too. Tutors want rounded people on their course; show that you engaged in university life during your undergraduate course or that you gained some relevant skills or experiences through volunteering.

Anything else

• You can outline your main achievements, awards or successes in competitions. Think about the course you are applying for and if there is anything they might be particularly impressed by.
• Mention relevant summer schools, overseas study or conferences/ short courses you might have attended that are related to the course.

Other circumstances

• Deferred entry – if you would like to start the course the following year explain to the course tutor what you will be doing with the next year.

Final checks

• Spelling and grammar – this will give the course tutor an idea as to your writing skills, so ensure there are no mistakes.
• Abbreviations and acronyms – explain any you have used.
• Content structure – ensure the paragraphs make sense and that the document flows well. Don’t repeat yourself by revisiting an experience or educational point.
• Don’t write a narrative of your life, from leaving school to current day.
• Be positive; don’t use negative language i.e. Although I have little experience of…
• Adhere to the word count (where applicable) or if there isn’t one, keep your statement to two to three pages of A4.

If you are already a student at LSE and would like LSE Careers to check your personal statement before you submit it please  make an appointment for a careers discussion  on CareerHub. It is also advised that if your application is fairly technically subject specific that you get an academic to check the content for accuracy.

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CollegeLAH is a website by the students for the students, featuring the honest story of applications and university life as told by Malaysians. It’s a non-profit social project to help Malaysian students to achieve their higher-education dreams and inspire them to reach their full potential. 

Anthropology and Law Personal Statement (Patricia Deborah Cheng)

Patricia Deborah Cheng will be studying Anthropology and Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2023, and will graduate in 2026. This personal statement was part of her successful application to  King’s College London for Politics, Philosophy and Law, LSE and SOAS University of London for BA Anthropology and Law, University of Manchester for Law, and Queen Mary University of London for Politics and Law.

My father once told me, “In the face of injustice if lawyers don’t speak up, who will?” That same father lived as an immigrant in Malaysia for seventeen years and it was only upon his death that I realised the effect of cultural hegemony, sanctioned by law, that led to him receiving inferior treatment.

Following his death, I began to consider the question of what constitutes belonging and to what extent we confer it to non-native legal citizens. His experience stands in marked contrast to Malaysia’s “Truly Asia” image, founded in inclusivity and egalitarianism. Nowhere is this juxtaposition more evident than in Art. 153 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution, where the Bumiputera policy grants the indigneous Malay majority greater rights that, elsewhere, would be afforded universally. Through Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony and my reading of Haque’s ‘The Role of the State in Managing Ethnic Tensions in Malaysia’, I recognised the manipulation of ‘citizenship’ and ‘culture’ through Art. 153 and policies such as the New Economic Policy, which led to the unequal administration of my father’s healthcare. While one may be granted legal citizenship on paper, other implicit, non-legalistic forms of racial and cultural citizenship are shaped by policy to establish the Malays as cultural hegemons. This subjects minorities like my father to second-class status, denying them belonging to the dominant culture of Malaysia.

Galvanised by this discovery, I explored how fundamental liberties are overtly violated to protect archaic religio-cultural norms through the Constitution. My internship with the Malaysian Parliament exposed me to how cultural norms, codified in the Constitution, violate the right to freedom of religion, enshrined in that same Constitution under Art. 11. I did further independent research and wrote an article titled ‘Apostates in Malaysia’ published by advocacy organisation SUARAM where I analysed the non-uniformity of these “liberties”. The criminalisation of apostasy, which recommends the death penalty for divergent religious beliefs, and Art. 11, which provides for the freedom to practise different faiths, creates a clear legal paradox. This stands in contrast to Dicey’s Law of the Constitution which states that uniformity is key to enhance the public perception of fairness and justice. The prioritisation of ‘plural monoculturalism’ over multiculturalism for certain privileged groups is intriguing to me as a juridical-anthropological phenomenon. I believe that studying anthropology will complement my understanding of the in situ practice of law and give me relevant knowledge to devise policy solutions in a complex cultural environment.

To consolidate my interest in law, I interned with MahWengKwai & Associates, a family law firm where I witnessed the ramifications a lack of jurisdiction had on non-citizens, such as limitations to basic healthcare and education. Emboldened by this experience, I established my school’s first law society, where I advocated for the need to re-evaluate legislation in light of human rights issues, alongside educating young people on the utility of intersectional perspectives. To hone my creativity and leadership skills, I also organised debates and events based on legal issues balancing and synthesising information from various academic areas.

My deep-seated belief in social justice motivated me to co-found MISI:SOLIDARITI, a regionally renowned research NGO that strives to defend fundamental freedoms by supporting victims of human rights violations in court, and bringing awareness of injustices to the national attention. More recently, MISI co-organised the internationally-covered Black Flag movement to protest the continued rolling back of citizens’ rights and democracy in Malaysia. In this vein, I seek to further develop my skills as an advocate to fight against the further abrogation of human rights and work towards a Malaysia where the experience of my father is the exception.

DISCLAIMER:  The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements.  COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND .  UCAS employs a plagiarism check system  that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please  DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

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BA Anthropology and Law

Introduction

Accreditations, preliminary readings.

Our BA Anthropology and Law brings together two different, but complementary fields – with an equal focus on both areas.

Through anthropology, you’ll explore how our lives are shaped by religious, political and economic systems. You’ll engage in debates about social justice, multiculturalism, race, gender and the direction of political and economic change in today’s world.

The law components delve into the legal system and the technical procedures needed to practise law. As this is a qualifying degree, you’ll be able to progress straight to the LPC (Legal Practice Course) when you graduate.

The programme provides full training in anthropological research methods. There’s also the chance to complete an in-depth ethnographic study, take part in our summer fieldwork placements scheme, and apply for a year abroad with one of our global partners.

You’ll be encouraged to critically evaluate topics and see the world from new perspectives – all within a friendly, supportive, yet academically challenging environment. Our academics are leaders in the field. We were rated as the best anthropology department in the UK for our research (REF 2021) and 3rd in the UK for law in the QS World University Rankings 2023.

• Our BA Anthropology and Law programme is accredited by the Bar Standards Board for the purpose of a qualifying law degree. Since Autumn 2021, the process to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales is via the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).
• The new SQE assessment has two stages, with the first being focused on legal knowledge, broadly similar to that supplied in law degrees at present, and the second on practical vocational skills. While a law degree or diploma will no longer be necessary to the process of qualifying, a law degree is likely to remain the most effective and reputable way of acquiring the knowledge that is required to complete the first stage of the SQE.

Please refer to  our website  and  www.sra.org.uk/sra/policy/sqe for further information and updates.

If you wish to gain further insight into social anthropology, we suggest that you look at one or more of the following books. The general introductory texts will allow you to get a sense of the discipline's coverage, while the ethnographies will allow you to dig deeper into specific isues and give you a flavour of the primary materials you will be engaging with during your degree. We've offered a wide selection to allow you to choose texts that mesh closely with your personal interests.

General introductions to anthropology

• R Astuti, J Parry and C Stafford (eds) Questions of Anthropology (Berg, 2007)
• C Geertz The Interpretation of Cultures: selected essays  (Basic Books, 1973)
• M Engelke  Think like an Anthropologist  (Pelican, 2017)

Ethnographies

Gender, poetry and emotions:

• L Abu-Lughod  Veiled sentiments: honor and poetry in a Bedouin society  (University of California Press, 1986)

Cyber-ethnography, the virtual:

• T Boellstorff Coming of Age in Second Life: an anthropologist explores the virtually human (Princeton University Press, 2008).

Gender, sexuality:

• S G Davies  Challenging Gender Norms: five genders among the Bugis in Indonesia (Thomson Wadsworth, 2007)

Hunter-gatherers, shamanism, cosmology:

• P Descola  The Spears of Twilight: life and death in the amazon jungle (The New Press, 1998)

Race, education and achievement:

• S Fordham  Blacked Out: dilemmas of race, identity and success at capital high (University of Chicago Press. 1996)

Economics, globalisation:

• R J Foster Coca-Globalization: following soft drinks from New York to New Guinea  (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008)

Medical ethics, law, feminism:

• F Ginsburg Contested Lives: the abortion debate in an American community (University of California Press, 1998)

War, anti-colonialism/nationalism, religion:

• D Lan Guns and Rain: guerillas and spirit mediums in Zimbabwe (University of California Press, 1985)

Postcolonialism, exchange, modernity:

• C Piot Remotely Global: village modernity in West Africa (University of Chicago Press, 1999)

Christianity, morality, conversion:

• J Robbins Becoming Sinners: christianity and moral torment in a Papua New Guinea society (University of California Press, 2004)

Introductions to law

• J Adams and R Brownsword Understanding Law (Sweet and Maxwell, 2006)
• T Bingham The Rule of Law (Penguin, 2011)
• A Bradney et al How to Study Law (Sweet and Maxwell, 2005)
• F Cownie, A Bradney and M Burton English Legal System in Context (Oxford University Press, 6th ed, 2013)
• E Finch and S Fafinski Legal Skills (5th edition, Oxford University Press, 2015)

Legal issues explored from an anthropological perspective

A fascinating and influential overview of the ways in which legal systems and punishments reflect historical/cultural shifts in the way in which power is practiced and statecraft is conceptualised:

• M Foucault  Discipline and Punish: the birth of the prison  (Penguin, 1979)

Current "gold standard" of legal anthropology; focuses on how law is brought into being:

• B Latou  The Making of Law. an ethnography of the conseil d'etat (Polity Press, 2009)

Colonial law, legacies for postcolonial societies:

• M Mamdani  From Subject to Citizen: contemporary Africa and the legacy of late colonialism  (Princeton University Press, 1996)

Classic account of the paradoxes of legal practice:

• S Merry  Getting Justice and Getting Even: legal consciousness among working-class Americans (University of Chicago Press, 1990)

Fascinating insight into how law and punishment operates in Melanesia:

• A Reed Papua New Guinea’s Last Place: experiences of constraint in a postcolonial prison (Berghahn, 2003)

Entry requirements

Here, you can check our entry requirements for GCSEs, A-levels (please read them alongside our information about subject combinations) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. We also consider applications from students with a range of other UK qualifications and from overseas. Please select the overseas button below and choose your country from the dropdown list to find the equivalency to A-levels of your qualification.

For GCSEs, you’ll need a strong pre-16 academic profile such as several GCSE grades of A (or 7) and A* (or 8-9).

We also ask for a good set of GCSE grades or equivalent across a broad range of subjects, with a minimum of grade B (or 6) in GCSE English and Mathematics.

We also consider your AS grades, if available.

Contextual admissions A-level grades

Read our undergraduate admissions information to learn more about contextual admissions.

A-level subject combinations

• We consider your combination of subjects as well as your grades.
• A broad mix of traditional academic subjects provides the best preparation for studying at LSE. We expect applicants to have at least two full A-levels (or equivalent) in these subjects.
• We’re looking for students who have studied a broad mix of subjects. There’s no set subject combination. Previous students have studied: English, History, Economics, languages, Sociology, Music, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Religious Education, Psychology and Art.
• We’ll consider applicants offering Mathematics and Further Mathematics in combination with an essay-writing subject.

Find out more about A-level subject combinations .

37 points overall, with 666 in higher level subjects

Contextual admissions IB grades

36 points overall, with 665 at higher level

We welcome students from all walks of life at LSE. We want to recruit students with the very best academic merit, potential and motivation. So, whatever your background, please do apply. Get all the details on our general  entry requirements .

Competition for places at LSE is high. We cannot guarantee you an offer of a place even if you’re predicted or achieve our standard entry requirements.

Our standard offer requirements are intended only as a guide and, in some cases, you’ll be asked for different grades.

Programme content

Your time will be divided equally between anthropology and law.

On this programme, you’ll study 12 units over three years, plus LSE100 .

There’s also an opportunity to apply for a year abroad with one of our global exchange partners.

In your first year, you’ll take four compulsory courses – divided equally between anthropology and law. Additionally, you’ll complete a course on foundational legal skills, an introductory course on legal systems and another in careers in Law. You'll also take LSE100.

Introduction to the Legal Systems

Being human: contemporary themes in social anthropology, a history of anthropological theory, contract law, criminal law, legal studies skills, introduction to careers in law, the lse course.

Your second year includes compulsory courses in law and in political and legal anthropology. You’ll also choose one further anthropology option (or two half units). Previous topics have included kinship, the study of selected world regions, development and globalisation.

Politics and Power: Debates in Anthropology

Anthropology of law and human rights, foundational practice skills, anthropology options to the value of one unit.

In your final year, you’ll take one compulsory course in law and one option in the subject (worth one unit). Options cover a vast array of subjects from medical law to family law, corporate insolvency, modern criminology, and legal philosophy (jurisprudence). Finally, you choose options in anthropology (worth two units).

Law options to the value of one unit

Anthropology options to the value of two units, programme regulations.

For the latest list of optional courses, please go to the relevant School Calendar page .

You may be able to take a language, literature or linguistics option as part of your degree. Find all the details on our  Language Centre web pages .

A few important points you’ll need to know:

We may need to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees due to unforeseen circumstances. We’ll always notify you as early as possible and recommend alternatives where we can.

The School is not liable for changes to published information or for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside our control (including a lack of demand, industrial action, fire, flooding or other damage to premises).

Places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements so we cannot therefore guarantee you a place.

Changes to programmes and courses may be made after you’ve accepted your offer of a place – normally due to global developments in the discipline or student feedback. We may also make changes to course content, teaching formats or assessment methods but these are always made to improve the learning experience.

For full details about the availability or content of courses and programmes, please take a look at the School’s  Calendar , or contact the relevant academic department.

Some major changes to programmes/courses are posted on our  updated undergraduate course and programme information page .

Why study with us

Discover more about our students and department.

Meet the department

The Department of Anthropology is world-leading and internationally renowned – rated the top anthropology department in the UK (Good University Guide 2024).

Our work is rooted in ethnographic research: we explore how different societies and communities work. We ask big questions about what people have in common and what makes us different – challenging traditional assumptions and ideas.

Anthropology has been taught at LSE since 1904. The department rose to prominence under Malinowski – the founder of British social anthropology. Many of the leading figures in the field have taught and/or studied at LSE. Today, we strive to work in the best radical traditions of the discipline while constantly pushing our thinking in new directions.

The department offers a mix of undergraduate and postgraduate study opportunities, including a single honours degree in Social Anthropology and a joint undergraduate Anthropology and Law programme.

We have a dynamic and active research community. Long-term anthropological fieldwork is a key strength of our department. Most staff are involved in ongoing field research, in both well-established and emerging fields. Our academics also work at the intersections with other disciplines, including history, cognitive psychology and religious studies.

The department has strong international links. Leading scholars from around the world come to LSE as visiting academics. Postdoctoral fellows and PhD students also make important contributions to the department’s research.

We’re proud to welcome students from all over the world and diverse academic backgrounds to our vibrant, welcoming and inclusive department.

Learn more about our programmes and research .

Department of Anthropology

3rd In Europe

6th In the world

1st We're ranked top university in London for the 13th year running

Carbon neutral in 2021 lse became the first carbon neutral verified university in the uk, your application, who attends.

We consider each application carefully, taking into account all the details you’ve included on your UCAS form, such as:

• academic achievement , including predicted and achieved grades (also see specific information about this programme in the "entry requirements" above)
• subjects and subject combinations  (also see specific information about this programme in the "entry requirements" above)
• your personal statement
• your teacher’s reference
• educational circumstances

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency, although this is not needed at the application stage.  See our English language requirements page .

We’re looking for students who demonstrate:

• an interest in diverse cultures and societies
• an ability to ask incisive questions
• strong analytical skills
• a creative and flexible approach to study
• intellectual curiosity
• self-motivation and a willingness to work hard
• excellent time management skills
• an equal interest in anthropology and law.

Fees and funding

The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.

You're charged a fee for each year of your programme. Your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Home student fee per each year of your programme

This is the 2025/26 tuition fee. The home student undergraduate fee may rise in line with inflation in subsequent years.

Overseas student fee per each year of your programme

This is the 2025/26 fee for each year of your programme. The overseas tuition fee will remain at the same amount for each subsequent year of your full-time study regardless of the length of your programme. This information applies to new overseas undergraduate entrants starting their studies from 2025/26 onwards.

Your tuition fees, and eligibility for any financial support, depend on whether you’re classified as a home or an overseas student – known as your fee status. We assess your fee status based on guidelines from the UK Government’s Department for Education.

Learn more about fee status classification .

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We recognise that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country. LSE provides generous financial support, in the form of bursaries and scholarships, to UK, EU and overseas students.

Additionally, the UK Government provides loans to UK and some EU students. Some overseas governments also offer funding.

Further information on tuition fees, living costs, loans and scholarships .

Learning and assessment

How you learn, how you're assessed.

Format: most courses involve weekly one-hour lectures and classes, where you discuss reading assignments in small groups with a teacher.

Contact hours: in the first two terms you’ll typically have eight hours or more of formal teaching a week. Hours vary depending on the course. Get a broad idea of the study time involved in the Calendar within the Teaching section of each course guide .

Additionally, we show films about anthropology and the world's cultures in the first two terms. There are also tutorial meetings, linked to essay assignments. Independent study: you’ll be expected to complete independent study outside your classes. This varies depending on the programme and you’ll need to manage your study time effectively. Independent study typically involves reading, note-taking and research.

LSE teaching: LSE has a world-leading reputation in teaching and research. So, you’ll be taught by highly experienced academics, many of whom are nationally and internationally renowned. Courses may be taught by our academics, guest speakers, visiting members of staff, LSE teaching fellows and graduate teaching assistants, who are usually doctoral research students. Learn about the teacher responsible for each course in the relevant  course guide.

Academic support

Academic mentor: you’ll meet with your academic mentor regularly to discuss your work. Your mentor can provide advice and guidance on academic issues and, where appropriate, personal concerns.

Other academic support: at LSE, we offer lots of opportunities to extend your learning outside the classroom.

LSE LIFE is a great place to get advice and practise the skills you’ll need during your studies and beyond.

Through LSE LIFE, you can:

• attend workshops on developing leadership skills, finding the right study/work/life balance and preparing for the world of work
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Our BA Anthropology and Law graduates have proven very employable both inside and outside the legal profession. This is a qualifying degree, meaning you can go straight from graduating to taking the LPC (Legal Practice Course), and recent leavers have secured training contracts at world renowned law firms, whilst others have been taken on as analysts and consultants. Others still have used the legal and social insights gained in their degree to set up their own NGOs or start their own businesses.

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October 6th, 2023

Top tips for writing a ucas personal statement.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Starting to write your UCAS personal statement can be very daunting. I remember feeling completely overwhelmed by the idea and just not knowing where to begin. For me, the main challenge was trying to write something that fit the bill for all of the different programmes I was applying for at different universities. My choices ranged from maths and data science to international relations, so meeting the expectations of all of these seemed like an impossible task. But I received some very helpful tips and advice from my teachers which I hope you will find useful as well.

Tip number 1: Write about YOU

This one seems obvious, really. But it’s so easy to fall down the rabbit hole of just describing a university or programme in your personal statement, especially since you’ve likely been doing a lot of research and want to show the university that you’ve done that. However, you should try and write about what makes you different from all the other applicants; the advice I was given and eventually followed was to write about my journey to applying to university. Think about the key events that led you to apply – if you tell the truth, it’s very unlikely that your personal statement will be like anyone else’s.

Tip number 2: Your personal statement should be an academic essay

This one really took me a while to get my head around. The fact is that universities want to see that you have already pursued the interests that you claim to be so passionate about. If you just say something like, “I have always been interested in politics”, without giving evidence as to why the admissions team can believe this, they won’t. The most common way to show that you really are proactively passionate is to talk about reading that you’ve done around the subject area. You should also mention any relevant experience you’ve undertaken; include examples of times when you went out of your way to find out more. Most importantly though, for each book, podcast, article or experience you mention, tell the reader what you learned from it. For books, you could give an overall opinion or mention a specific idea from within the book and argue for/against it, for example. It’s also a good idea to describe how one thing led you to another – try to tell a story and keep it engaging.

Tip number 3: Don’t be afraid to focus your personal statement on something which isn’t directly relevant

For some, who have applied for the same subject everywhere, it might be appropriate to write about the programme you’re applying for and really delve into the specifics of why you chose that subject. However, for those like me, who applied for a wide range of programmes, it makes more sense to write about something else, rather than try to mention all of your choices or picking only one to write about. For example, as a student interested in politics, I chose to write about gender inequality. Try to think about the thing that you have really strong opinions about, the topic on which you can never resist a conversation/debate, and write about that. Remember to link it to the programme still; for me, I mentioned how my university studies would help me to make contributions to the goal of overcoming inequality. This is how I overcame my biggest challenge of tailoring my personal statement to my wide range of applications.

I hope that you find some of these tips useful and wish you good luck with your UCAS application!

About the author

Hi, I’m Amara, an undergraduate student studying Politics and Data Science at LSE! I’m from a small village in the countryside but I love the hustle and bustle of London! As well as writing I enjoy dancing and performing.

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