I have seen all 5 of my children's and they vary a lot. They all, however, concentrate on the subject and only make minor mention at the end of their hobbies. None of them let me change things other than if I spotted a spelling mistake.
I particularly like this one of one of my children. He did not ask for any input and it just tells you what he is like (not that I agree with most of his views - he is vegan, into eco stuff etc but I like the way it showed exactly how he is so I hope he does not mind my putting it here - I removed the name of the school). It is for Geograrphy BSc. I have no inside knowledge of what universities want however and this may be nothing like what those involved in recruitment want and it may not even have been read by his university - he finished his degree last year. I am sure mumsnetters could rip it to pieces or disagree with most of it if they choose but I am just putting it up there as an example. His Head thought it was quite a good one too. What I liked was it was so personal to him and how he is - honest.
I don't think the below is the final version. I always had to wrench the PS from each child reluctantly and only have 4 of the 5 and only in draft form.
"I live in a world where, for the first time in history, half of the planet’s wealth is in the hands of 1% of the total population. Gluttony is killing three times as many as malnutrition. CO2 levels are double what they were 50,000 years previously. I live in a world where, for the first time in history, we, as a species, have the knowledge and power to fix these issues. There is no better moment, no more important moment in the Earth’s time span to study Geography than now. I wish to study Geography to augment my ability to help all inhabitants of the planet to thrive.
Geography is so broad that it encompasses all of my subjects. In my History A-Level course, I found it riveting how the populace of the Northern USA in the C19th and C20th had such different views on slavery compared to the ‘Old South’ and how the distribution of black Americans changed over time. Studying the environmental, economic and political push and pull factors is fascinating, as one realises that it is not as simple as social issues behind the increasing rights of African-Americans in the 1800s and 1900s. Having been curious about how African nations allowed the Atlantic Slave Trade initially to occur, I purchased Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, using the money I was awarded from my school Music and Geography prizes. Marshall outlined that the extreme African climate meant that the continent has been held back for thousands of years as it is a perfect breeding ground for a virulent set of endemic diseases, such as malaria. In recent times this issue has been amplified in Africa by crowded conditions and poor healthcare, thus making worse the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. I am also fascinated by the use of GIS to see correlations and possibly find causations. For example, GIS has allowed us to multilayer data such as population density, GDP per capita and incidence of Ebola thus enabling correlation of the stated data and then debate causation. My Economics background makes it clear that having a low GDP per capita often causes poor healthcare as the lack of wealth deters investment and lack of tax revenue means that the Government cannot afford to invest in healthcare, thus aiding the spread of Ebola.
Sustainability is a key interest of mine. Watching both Cowspiracy and Hans Rosling’s Stockholm 2013 talk 200 Years of Global Change made me realise how ignorant and naïve I was about my own ecological footprint. I have completely changed my lifestyle, now eating a vegan diet, cycling rather than driving whenever possible and reducing general waste. I have set up my school’s Green Committee, with the aim of reducing the school’s and pupils’ harmful impact on the environment. In this I put the ideas I have learnt in both my Geography A-Level and also Geography Society into practice. We began by reviewing waste management and the ways in which different departments recycle waste. We then took this one step further by trying to influence pupils’ diets, such as by improving the choices with the vegetarian option, in order to make it appeal to carnivores. Inspired by the Preston Montford FSC, the end goal is now to heat a building in the school with a biomass boiler.
Having won a Music Scholarship to my school, I am now the Music Prefect and organise and take part in a plethora of ensembles. I have achieved grade 8 trumpet, grade 7 singing and am a keen guitarist, having formed the new school Rock Band. Sport is also one of my main hobbies; I have been in the school Badminton team since I joined XXX and play in my club’s senior squad. Raising money for charity, I have also completed the Windsor half marathon.
Geography has never been more relevant than now. In the future, I wish to make this ever-changing world change for the better. I believe that my enthusiasm not only for Geography, but also for sport and music should make me a valuable addition to the university."