Writing your UCAS Personal Statement...how can my application stand out from the crowd?

One of the most important generators of academic evolvement is doubt. As a student of the German School in Budapest, I have been exposed to a multicultural environment that challenged me to think more critically about cultural standards and barriers. Adapting to the German language, traditions and cultural norms, I experienced being a temporary outsider in my own country. In “Notes on the Sociology of Deviance”, Kai Erikson argues that we do not inherit notions of deviant behaviour, but that these are socially conditioned. I realised that people’s idea of normality is very much dependent on their subconscious social, cultural and national background. Speaking several languages also developed my curiosity and challenged me to suspend my own cultural norms, as emphasised in Thomas Eriksen’s “Small Places, Large Issues”, in which he stresses the necessity of cultural relativism. I first experienced the importance of the relativistic mindset when discussing World War II with my German classmates. The tension created by the two opposing historical narratives sparked my interest in social sciences, to better understand the factors that shape our cultural and social “reality”.After familiarising myself with notions such as gender inequality and social class through Anthony Giddens’ “Introduction to Sociology”, I joined the Milestone Institute, an advanced studies programme for gifted students. Here I took up modules in sociology and economics in English, given my interest in the socioeconomic forces behind globalisation, poverty or the future of sustainable development. For me, social sciences offer an interdisciplinary understanding of how global phenomena alter the social perception of the individual. One example is societal anomie, which describes a social dysfunction whereby individuals lose their sense of belonging due to new circumstances, thus creating social fractures. Such a state was generated by the Industrial Revolution, triggering significant changes in the socioeconomic system. In “Capital in the 21st Century”, Piketty addresses contemporary inequality and its impact on various social classes, arguing that many aspects of our inherited economic system will inevitably lead to growing wealth gaps and thus to alienation. In “Suicide”, Emile Durkheim looks at anomie from a sociological point of view, concentrating more on the issues affecting individuals, analysing how the unfamiliar conditions brought by the Industrial Revolution challenged people’s outlook on life, social status or religion. We may be witnessing something similar today, considering the adverse social and economic effects of capitalism, as the 2008 crash caused a crisis of confidence among the middle class, which contributed to greater nativism and populism (see Brexit). Combining the perspectives of the different sciences would allow us to better address these issues.My experiences in school inspired me to further my knowledge outside of my habitual environment. I was selected for an Erasmus+ programme in Rotterdam, which granted me to debate issues surrounding cultural heritage with students from six countries and to attend an interactive lecture by Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission. Apart from exchanges in Germany and Spain I also participated in debating competitions such as Jugend Debattiert (in German) in 2017 or the Heart of Europe Debating Tournament (in English) in 2018. As Vice President of the Milestone Debating Society, I am active as both a delegate and a judge for younger debaters, which encouraged me to run for Social Officer. In this position, I organise events to ensure a vibrant student community. This summer I also volunteered for the Red Cross where I worked with disabled children and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.Studying in the UK would allow me to continue my investigation of cultural and social boundaries in English while expanding my understanding through my doubt.