Right, so before/soon after I graduate, I hope to have done bits and bobs of work experience, and hopefully; a big opportunity to work at a firm or somewhere! So I'm thinking...when creating my portfolio to show to employers, do I include my personal statement but not necessarily call it a personal statement? Hmmm.. Afterall, it does have a lot to do with my future aspirations.
This is it anyway:
"My passion is to study to become a Journalist by studying this degree to develop useful and diverse skills including critical analysis of presentation skills, writing skills and most importantly, practical media skills. After studying to become a Broadcast journalist, I would love to strengthen my ability to have strong writing skills, strong social networking skills whether it be freelance or office-based.
At the age of 14 I focused on gaining these skills as a young aspiring journalist which is a head start to this profession. When selecting my A Level subjects, I seemed drawn to practical/debated based courses which were Sociology and Media Studies. I have a passion for practical work such as interviewing, travelling and reporting, as well as writing. In year 12 I was required to make a music magazine cover in Media, which was amazing and a great challenge as it increased my interest in Broadcast Journalism. Media Studies in particular relates a lot to my future role as it is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'.
As soon as I became clear about the career path I want to follow I was keen to gain work experience in related areas so I attended workshops such as ‘ekho!’ in Islington Town Hall In 2008. We discussed as a group the production of a magazine for the Islington community covering the range of topics you would expect to find in a magazine such as fashion, gossip, music and real life stories. This was a useful and valuable experience because I was part of the team voicing opinions and producing a publication to share with residents of the Islington borough. In 2010, I attended another workshop called ‘So you want to be a Journalist?’ in Kings Place, Kings Cross, where a group of well known Journalists held a Q + A and those aspiring to be in this industry, like myself, got to ask them questions about their career and how liberating it is. I believe they all reached this level of success as they had a thorough understanding and knowledge of the news and interpreted it in very creative, yet imaginative ways, which is what I hope to do.
Another exciting experience I had was in Year 12, where as a group, we produced my college magazine, ‘La Mag’ which was fascinating seeing sheets of planning eventually transform into what looked like a magazine publication. A lot of the sixth form students enjoyed the challenge of creating a school magazine and it also proved extremely useful for future decision making and preparations for university life, as it contained valuable advice and information.
My hobbies include watching documentaries, especially on channel 4 where I watch Journalists reporting on a range of real-life stories that have a huge impact on society. As an example, documentaries by Mark Nolan explore extraordinary case studies that are of particular interest to me. News like this, besides the daily news really intrigues me. I have always imagined myself in that position interviewing people of interest, and being successful in this due to my strong social skills.
Studying Performing Arts for A level is definitely developing these skills and building my character due to the exciting challenges and performance/ workshop opportunities it presents me due to the character building and stage confidence whilst studying.
Commitment, determination and communication are one of the key skills I have accomplished during time in sixth form. I’m a very hardworking individual who is passionate about Journalism and would love to gain a better understanding of the society we live in surrounded by the media. I handle pressure well and like researching ideas for the latest story and therefore I hope I can bring a lot to this industry. I’m a sociable person, confident in public speaking and enjoy taking on new experiences increasing my knowledge of the media. I really look forward to studying this degree at university."
(Don't worry, I WILL change bits of it when actually putting this in a CV etc. - just thought I'd share the personal statement that I slaved over and what won me 5/5 university offers! :D)
