Media industry-Personal statement 

what is a personal statement?

A personal statement supports your application to study at a university. It’s a chance for you to express why you’d like to study a particular course and what skills and experience you have that shows you're passionate about your chosen field.

It's an opportunity to sell yourself to the Admissions team, it lets your chosen universities see behind the predicted grades and look at the person instead.

what do you include in your statement?

1. why you have chosen your particular subject-what your goal is and how you will use the subject after HE
2. The skills you have developed during your studies/work experience-What skills you have learnt in college/ other education that will allow you to progress in your chosen course
3. Details for your work experience and extracurricular activities 
4. Information about what type of person you are-Hobbies, clubs you've been a part of, awards you have been given and how you got them. 
5. Concluding statement: why you would make a good undergraduate, why the admissions tutor should offer you a place.

My personal statement draft:

Personal statement draft feedback-Sound more confident don't use words like 'think'. 

Discuss projects and skills developed during them. Push the fact that I take more care in other areas than other students.

After my first draft, I took into consideration the research and tips I had found out, while also reading past statements from other students. I reflected on the process of my own statement and felt that it was not up to par with the bar I had set for myself.

I felt like my statement was too robotic, I didn't feel like it reflected me as a person and my passion for media. So, I decided to write more from the heart rather than following a set structure.

Personal Statement Finale:

My passion for Media has always been driven by understanding the intention behind my favourite films, adverts or websites. Why has the creator chosen to make the product the way they have? Why this soundtrack? Why this plotline? Why this cast? I strive to understand what inspires creators' processes and decisions made to get the best outcome out of their work; this is the reason I would like to use the university to progress into the rapidly growing media industry and to develop and gain the skills that I need to become one of the next best content creators.

 

While studying Creative Media, I developed my ability to work around a client's criteria which largely improved my critical thinking skills through problem-solving- I was able to

effectively fit my ideas around the client's needs. I tend to go above and beyond in every

beginning stage of my projects; meeting with clients and audiences to grasp further knowledge on what they would like to see and always fine-tuning ideas when I gain more knowledge. I am not afraid to ask questions to my lectures and get feedback on what they feel is important for me to focus on when coming up with initial ideas and always make sure to have extensive knowledge on competitors and what makes their products worth viewing.

When tasked with a project to raise awareness about climate change to teenage audiences, I gained key knowledge about how to appeal to specific audiences. I was inspired by the new wave of digital activism among teens. A lot of young adults had started using the website builder 'caard' to make informational websites, which could be easily spread around social media platforms-I used this software to make my climate change website as I knew it would appeal to the audience I was aiming for. Since progressing through college, I have found another drive for my projects; Amplifying people's stories and raising awareness. In my first major projects, I thought I would be more inclined to create short fictional films as it was the reason that I began studying creative media in the first place. However, I took a massive liking to documentaries. I love the way that documentaries not only raise awareness on certain topics but also give people a massive platform to share their own stories. I remember watching Roman Kemps 'Our silent emergency.' and not only being so touched by the stories he decided to share in the documentary but also by the conversation it had begun creating all over social media.

This inspired me to create my first project 'self-identify in the digital age.', where I

explored the impact social media has on people's identity and self-image. This project was

massively independent as I had to do most of the work from home, which allowed me to not only gain a wide knowledge of camera operation and shooting (as I had to set up and take each shot independently) but also massive organisation skills as I had to get all my interviews in on time so that I gave me ample time to edit.

Recently, I have begun my final project for college where I will be taking the voices of local LGBTQIA+ youth and giving them a space (in the form of a documentary) to express their concerns and praises about growing up as LGBT in the North East. Being a member of my college LGBTQIA+ society I have spoken at an EDI Meeting (Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity meeting) with the chairs of my college, which allowed me to raise awareness for the needs of my fellow LGBTQIA+ students.

 

I have always been dead set on having my media pieces be as inclusive as possible, especially when it comes to the LGBTQIA+ community. I believe that as much as the industry is now becoming a place of inclusivity, there was a time when marginalised people had little to no representation in films or tv shows and it was something that I have been wanting to change through my work. I would hope to continue this passion when I come to study with you at your facilities.