History personal statement

1. History is a wonderful subject, however, the study of History tends to be left to us by the
literate, privileged classes, whereas I believe that the study of Archaeology gives a voice to
the common man. Studying things that were actually touched and used by people no longer
living fascinates me. I've been visiting English Heritage sites all my life. One of my favourite
places, Rievaulx Abbey, created a sense of awe in me. These ruins and the museum,
containing many artefacts from the Abbey, are what led me to want to study Archaeology,
giving me a love of the medieval era.
This summer I attended a dig in Balbithan, Aberdeenshire, which has further fuelled my
interest in Archaeology. It was an amazing experience as I worked with likeminded people
and learnt how to properly survey and excavate grounds. It helped me gain independence,
work in a team and understanding aspects of Neolithic Archaeology, such as the houses that
they lived in here were rounded, due to the environment, and what they may have used to
cook their food. To help me understand more about Archaeology I have started reading C
Renfrew & P Bahn's Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice, giving me a good insight
into the subject. A certain Archaeologist I have found to be very interesting was Mary Leaky,
who found the first fossilised Proconsul skull. This discovery of the ape showed us that it
was ancestral to humans and that she found many new species of animals is amazing and
for me someone to really look up to.
The subjects I am taking at A-level will help with an Archaeology course. History A level is
very relevant to Archaeology as they both link to bygone times, with History I am able to
evaluate sources and have been able to build upon my existing knowledge of the past.
English Literature has helped me analyse context and given me the ability to improve my
reading and writing skills and helped me to see things in a less biased light. Psychology has
given me an opportunity to learn about people and their actions through scientific methods.
I am more aware of research skills and am able to understand case studies. It has also
helped me to understand, in much better depth, the human mind and how it works in
everyday society, which I think would be beneficial to studying Archaeology as I would be
able to evaluate how people functioned in the past.
Working at Bettys has taught me to deal with customers diplomatically and to organise my
time management skills with school, work and social life. It also taught me to assume
responsibility for my actions. At school I work as a lunchtime supervisor, which has given me
good communication skills and show myself as a good leader to the younger years. This is a
quality that I also use when helping coach Year 7&8 hockey. Last year I participated in the
English Rotary competition, helping improve my public speaking skills and confidence talking
in front of a large group of people. As a hobby I enjoy going on long hikes with my Dad in the
Dales and the Lake District. A favourite walk of mine is the Tolkien trail. I also enjoying
reading as a pastime; my favourite genre is historical fiction like Philippa Gregory's White
Princess.
I hope that a degree in Archaeology will help to develop my critical and analytical skills and
provide me with an opportunity to come into direct contact with primary sources of
evidence of human history of various eras and locations. As I am particularly interested in
bones and understanding what caused people's deaths and how they lived, I would like my
degree to lead to post graduate study specialising in this field of Archaeology.