geography teacher personal statement

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How to write a personal statement for geography

Demonstrate your enthusiasm for the subject – and make sure you apply for the right course

"Geography is a living, breathing subject, constantly adapting itself to change. It is dynamic and relevant, a great adventure with a purpose," wrote Michael Palin.

From global warming, to the impact of economic change on communities, geography can be a fascinating subject to study. But first, would-be geographers have to impress admissions tutors in an application.

In a personal statement for geography, tutors look for enthusiasm for the subject, experience and things that demonstrate you are a well-rounded person. There are some important things to include, and some equally important things to avoid.

What to include

Interests: Explain why you are interested in studying the course. "We want to know why on earth you want to do geography," says Peter Mackie, professor of human geography at Cardiff University.

"We're happy for students to express a specialist interest at this stage. You could say 'I'm interested in the Arab spring movement', or 'I'm interested in sustainability and climate change'. A better student can draw on interests outside of the classroom."

Experience: Next, admissions tutors want to hear about your experience. "You've told us about your interest, now we want you to prove it," says Mackie. "Show us the evidence."

"It could be a field trip, a holiday, or something you've seen in the local paper. If you've arranged geography seminars in school, or volunteered with Oxfam, let us know."

Personal qualities: Some tutors are particularly keen to see that you have compassion and empathy. "Students must show empathy with different people, places and environments," says Phil Barker, from Lancaster University's environment centre. "Things like volunteering can be good to talk about."

Other interests: In addition to your course-related experience, admissions tutors want to hear about your other interests. "We want people to be well rounded because all of our graduates go on to do diverse things," says Lucie Bilsbrough, admissions officer at the University of Leeds.

"So if you do ballet or you work at Mcdonalds, let us know. Because that can show that you're good at time management and that you have a life outside of geography."

Personality: It's also good to have an idea of what you want to gain from the course. "Say what you want to do once you leave university, even if you don't know in any detail," says Bilsbrough. "Because it looks good if you have an idea."

This can help to show tutors your personality. "I always advise applicants to try and find their own voice," says Bilsbrough. "Because you see a lot of applications that are very generic."

Communication: Basic grammar and spelling are expected. "The ability to communicate, both written and verbally, is important," says Mackie. "So students could talk about debating societies or a presentation they've given. You have to show you're willing to read and to work hard."

What to avoid doing

Lack of research: What should you avoid in a personal statement? First of all, make sure you apply for the right course. "We sometimes get people who have clearly applied for the wrong thing," says Barker.

"There are students who apply saying 'I'm really interested in a career in geo-physics'. And they've applied for a geography degree. Sometimes things with superficially similar names confuse people, so it's very important to do your research."

Forcing things together: Don't try and connect unrelated experiences to geography. "Some students try to tie unrelated experiences, such as working in Topshop or football coaching, to geography in very strange, weird and wonderful ways," says Mackie.

Lack of depth: It's best not to simply describe what you've done, but to evaluate and explain things. "People tend to be quite descriptive," says Barker. "You should try to be more evaluative to get depth into the statement."

Complicated: Don't try and tackle too many complicated ideas in not enough detail. "Sometimes we get people who try and write a lot about academic literature," says Barker. "But it's hard to do that well with a short amount of words, so it might not be right for the personal statement."

Too brief: But at the same time, make sure you use the space you've got. "Some applicants keep it very short," says Bilsbrough. "That makes you think, do you really want to do this and are you really committed?"

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Successful Personal Statement For Geography At Oxford

Last Updated: 7th April 2022

Author: Rob Needleman

Table of Contents

Welcome to our popular Personal Statement series where we present a successful Personal Statement, and our Oxbridge Tutors provide their feedback on it. 

Today, we are looking through a Geography applicant’s Personal Statement that helped secure a place at Oxford University. The Geography Course at Oxford provides a holistic view of the workings of physical and human environments, the ways in which humans are transforming the world and the implications for human societies.

Read on to see how this candidate managed to navigate the many disciplines and topics of Geography. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Personal Statement:

SUCCESSFUL?

The universities this candidate applied to were the following:

Enrolling on our Oxbridge Geography comprehensive Programme will give you access to Personal Statement redrafts. 

Your tutor will give you actionable feedback with insider tips on how to improve and make your Personal Statement Oxbridge quality for the best chances of success.  

Geography Personal Statement

Geography is outward-looking, dynamic and topical. It allows me to gain insight into daily news stories on immigration and Middle Eastern conflicts for example, by highlighting their complexity and the challenge to find and evaluate solutions to these problems for the future. The diversity and vital relevance of Geography makes it an immensely valuable subject to study in-depth and I would relish the opportunity to pursue further study in the field.

The area that is of particular interest to me is development geography and specifically global aid. I was introduced to the use of aid in closing the wealth divide in my A2 case studies, where bottom-up aid on a local scale was consistently depicted as a sustainable solution. I was forced to question these views, however, after reading ‘Dead Aid’ by Dambisa Moyo. Her critical comments on charity-based aid particularly caught my attention as they offered a stark contrast in perspective on my case studies. I found it interesting that the factors which contributed to the success of many of the case studies, including small-scale, intermediate technology and low cost solutions were the very aspects of aid that Moyo calls ‘band-aid’ solutions implying unsustainability. The book also touched on the controversial issue of whether aid remains a successful or even acceptable solution when the $50 billion of aid given to Africa annually is arguably not producing significant economic development or improvement. To investigate this further I read ‘The End Of Poverty’ by Jeffrey Sachs which explained how well managed aid can indeed offer an answer to closing the wealth divide. This led to my research into the Millenium Villages of Ghana. Here aid, coupled with local leadership, appears to have delivered a long-term solution to serious economic and social problems. This divergence in opinion over a controversial issue has excited me about exploring these issues in more detail.

To investigate these issues further, I have been prompted to take a gap year to experience the workings of an international NGO. I will be joining the work of education promoting ‘Empower A Child’ in Uganda for 3 months. I hope to gain a rewarding insight into the practical relevance of Geography in the field of non-profit aid and specifically to test Sach’s belief that investment into education is a viable solution to ending poverty.

My other subjects complement my understanding of economic, physical and scientific elements of development and Geography in general. Reading ‘Driven to Extinction’ by Richard Pearson highlighted how Biology and Geography are inextricably linked in our study of the physical world, particularly with regards to the role regulatory systems have in levels of biodiversity. Chemistry and Physics have been relevant in equipping me with the skills to devise data collection programmes and to analyse the results; skills which were necessary to my fieldwork visit to Dartmoor. 

My academic background is complemented by my extra-curricular activities. I was the Organ Scholar and Choir Prefect at my school. My responsibilities included conducting and directing the Chapel Choir on a weekly basis. I was also a fully committed and dedicated member of other choirs and ensembles.  I relished the challenge of arranging and conducting in the House Singing competition which required me to inspire and motivate team work within the house. I have gained 3 Grade 8’s in Organ, Piano and Flute and am currently working towards my Piano Diploma. I was involved in leading the school’s Christian Union through which I have catalysed fundraising for organisations such as Mary’s Meals. In my gap year I am working as Organist and Choir director at St Luke’s Church Grayshott before going to Uganda. These activities demonstrate leadership skills, commitment and an enthusiastic approach to challenges, all of which will equip me well for the study of Geography at university.

For more inspiration, take a look through our other successful Personal Statement a nalysis articles:

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Download our Free Personal Statement Starter Guide 

Good Points Of The Personal Statement

This is a very good personal statement and is well-written. The student is clearly interested in many aspects of geography, which is very important as geography is a multi-disciplinary subject. The student describes several areas of geography which capture their interest, demonstrating their interest and commitment to the reader. The student justifies their decision to take a gap year well, and the relevance their activities will have to the subject of geography and their interests in global aid.

Bad Points Of The Personal Statement

The student misspells the word ‘millennium’ in the second paragraph. The second paragraph is also very long. It is hard for the reader to stay focused when reading through long paragraphs, and it would have been better if the student had separated the second paragraph into two. The final paragraph is also very long, and it is not clear where the conclusion begins. As a result, the end of the statement does not deliver the impact which the student has intended to produce. If the student separates the sentence ‘These activities demonstrate leadership skills, commitment and an enthusiastic approach to challenges, all of which will equip me well for the study of Geography at university’ into a new final paragraph, this would have made the final statement much more effective.

UniAdmissions Overall Score:

This is a very good statement. The student has a wealth of experiences and clearly highly motivated to study geography. Some paragraphs are very long, and this reduces the impact that the statement has on the reader. With some restructuring, this could be an excellent statement.

This Personal Statement for Geography is a solid example of demonstrating a wealth of knowledge, motivation and interest, vital to Admissions Tutors.

Remember, at Oxford, these Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years, so you need to appeal directly to them.

You can find more successful personal statements and our expert guides on our Free Personal Statement Resources page.

Our expert tutors are on hand to help you craft the perfect Personal Statement for your Oxford Geography application.

With our  Oxbridge Geography Premium Programme, we help you craft the perfect Personal   Statement , score highly on the TSA and teach you how to  Interview effectively .

Discover our Oxbridge Geography Premium Programme  by clicking the button below to  enrol and triple your chances of success.

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Being a geography teacher

“Geography is not a narrow academic subject for the few. It is fundamental for everyone. It starts very early, when a young child encounters and begins to discover the world. Geography can nourish and enrich a whole lifetime of learning.”

A Different View, Geographical Association, 2009

Topics on this page:

What sort of geographer are you? | What is ‘geography’? | Reading | Discussions | What does it mean to teach geography today? | Who studies geography? | For the early career teacher | Further reading

What sort of geographer are you?

Before you begin to teach students, consider your own geographical identity. What sort of geographer are you and why do you want to be a geography teacher?

Think about these questions:

• Why is geography important to you?
• How has your school and university education influenced the sort of geographer you are?
• Which geographers have influenced your thinking?
• How can you apply your interest and enthusiasm for geography to a secondary school context?

Write a short personal statement (300 words) about the geography teaching you have experienced and what you believe are the characteristics of a good geography teacher and good geography teaching. 

Show this to your geography tutor or mentor and discuss it with them. You can return to this statement at the end of the training to see if your views have changed!

What is ‘geography’?

In the introduction to  The Handbook of Secondary Geography , Mark Jones writes: ‘If we are to consider more critically the complexities of what, and how, to teach geography we must engage with the very purpose of geography’.

A geography tutor who runs a PGCE geography course recounts that when he asks prospective geography teachers to define the discipline they are applying to teach, a surprisingly common answer is ‘geography is everything’. 

What answer would you give to this question: What is geography? Were you asked this question at interview? What answer did you give? You should have a convincing answer to this question if you are going to be a good teacher of the subject, so clarify your thoughts now. This page suggests some readings that should stimulate your thought processes.

But first, let’s consider what students do in school when they study geography, the ‘world subject’. In geography lessons, students learn how to observe, describe and seek explanations for why the world around us is as it is.  They study the earth’s surface, which includes the landforms, landscapes, settlements and the peoples that live on it. They study the interactions and connections between these that affect our lives. They explore the rapidly changing environmental and social challenges facing us and how we should tackle them.

Geography studies include diverse topics that range across the physical and human worlds. It is a unique subject that bridges the social and natural sciences. Geography helps students to think more intelligently about complicated and unresolved issues: global warming, international population movements, natural hazards, food security or where to build new homes. It positively encourages them to imagine possible futures.  

Ways of finding out are as important to geography as what is being studied. The subject is concerned with making sense of the world first hand, or ‘in the field’. Geographical thinking is distinctive and in geography students study real problems and are put in decision making roles. They use data, examine preferences and prejudices, argue value positions, draw and communicate conclusions: i.e. they undertake geographical enquiries.  

A very special aspect of geography is that it studies both the physical and human worlds. Gill Miller (2020) explains: ‘What makes geography special is its holistic nature. We are the only discipline to draw together all these perspectives into a coherent understanding of people and environment, Earth and society, at local, regional, national and global scales. Uniquely, geography combines depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding with analytical and practical skills.’

But back to the question ‘What is geography?’.

In order to engage with the purpose of the subject you are going to teach, read and reflect on each of the texts below. These are all written from different perspectives; yet they all emphasise the importance of geography in the contemporary world.

• An academic’s view : Bonnett, A. (2017) ‘What is geography’ in Jones, M. (ed) (2017)  The Handbook of Secondary Geography .  Sheffield: Geographical Association, chapter 1.
• A geography teacher educator’s view : Lambert, D. (2013) ‘Arguing for geography in schools’,  Teaching Geography , Spring.
• A geography teacher’s view in the 1990s :  The value of geography , an extract from Day, A. (1995) ‘Geography: Challenges for its next century’,  Teaching Geography , April.
• A geography teacher’s view 20 years on : Kerrigan, K. (2013) ‘Educating earth readers: An argument for geography’s contribution to a young person’s education’,  Teaching Geography , Summer.
• A view from the media :  A  Guardian extract on Geography .
• The view of 11 year old students:  Kitchen, R. (2013) ‘What is geography? The view from year 7’,  Teaching Geography , Spring.

Discussions

Discuss with geography teachers, your geography tutor/mentor what geography is and why students should study the subject. Is there a consensus? Do they agree with the views presented in these readings? What is your own view?

• Do you believe that ‘geography is the world discipline’?
• Does its holistic nature make it special?
• How do you feel about Alastair Bonnet’s comment that: ‘ Its wide sweep, its long history and its curiosity about the raw world outside the window, make geography a potentially awkward discipline both for schools and school students’ ?
• Do you agree with David Lambert that geography ‘ contributes to our capabilities as individuals’ ?
• Should the value of subjects such as geography be promoted in schools over ‘ the beguiling merits of generic learning skills’ ? (Lambert)
• ‘ Long after the exercise books have been stowed away in the loft, these young people will be using their geographical skills in their adult lives’  (Kelly). What legacy do you hope your student will take forward from your geography lessons?
• What surprised you about the views of the year 7 students?
• How would you talk about the ‘value’ of the geography to parents after reading the extracts from Andrew Day and the Guardian?
• Is geography an essential component of a ‘good’ education?

What does it mean to teach geography today?

(This section refers to the English National Curriculum. Refer to the government websites for other parks of the UK; and for Wales read the article Robinson, S. (2022) ‘Curriculum for Wales – where are we now?’,  Teaching Geography , Summer.)

Search  www.gov.uk  for these official documents about geography in school. Keep a file of key documents so you have them to hand when you need to refer to them.

• Geography in the National Curriculum (published 2013)
• Geography in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc)
• GCSE subject content for geography
• GCE AS and A level subject content for geography.
• Read Rawling, E. (2016) ‘The geography curriculum 5-19: What does it all mean?’,  Teaching Geography , Spring. This analyses the National Curriculum, GCSE and AS/A level geography to show the conceptual structure and coherence of the subject.
• Read the  Purpose of Study and Aims  in the  Geography National Curriculum . Is there an overlap between this and the ‘importance of geography’ as reflected in what you read by Bonnett and Lambert?

While the geography content taught in schools is derived from the documents you have researched, there is much more to school geography than this. The national guidelines are not statements of exactly what to teach. 

Geography teachers are responsible for designing their school curricula and the pedagogy they use. They are ultimately in control of the quality of educational experience their students receive in geography.

• Read these five items. They discuss teaching geography in a way that is relevant to the world today and the types of work that students will go on to do when they leave school. As you read, consider whether this represents the type of lively and stimulating geography that you want to teach:
• Geographical Association (2009)  The GA Manifesto  ‘A Different View’.
• Kinder, A. (2017) ‘The power of geography’,  Teaching Geography , Spring.
• Miller, G. (2020) ‘Geography really matters!’,  Teaching Geography , Summer.
• Pollard, G. and Hesslewood, A. (2015) ‘A more “authentic” geographical education’,  Teaching Geography , Spring.
• Scoffham, S. (2019) ‘Celebrating geography’,  Teaching Geography , Summer.

Who studies geography?

Consider the views of students as they explore the role that geography can play in addressing a range of challenges in the world today. Talk to young people about geography in and out of school. What concerns them in the world today? What excites them? If they had the chance to travel, where would they head for?

• Read Gillman, R. (2018) ‘Where are we going? Reflections on the future of geography: Part 1: students’ views’, Teaching Geography , Summer. This reports the views of students as they explore the role that geography can play in addressing a range of challenges in the world today.

The number of students studying geography at school have been increasing in recent years. The number of pupils entering the GCSE has risen sharply as the 2019 report for the RGS showed.

Between 2010 and 2019 there was an increase of nearly 50%, even though the number of 16-year-olds fell by 9% in the same period. There is a clear link between this rise and the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), which is a performance measure that includes geography or history.

The number of students taking geography at A level has also risen but at a much less marked rate. Geography is a popular subject at A level. In a world where 80% of jobs require no specific degree, a geography education gives young people equal access to the worlds of art and science and an opportunity to develop essential life skills.

However, geography attracts a disproportionately low number of disadvantaged pupils and those from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds and those with lower prior attainment. Compared to other subjects, geography is one of the most gender balanced. In 2018, 43% of boys and 39.4% of girls took geography GCSE.

Devise a way of gathering students’ ideas and views about the aims and purposes of geography lessons: Ask them questions such as:

• What do they like and dislike about the subject?
• What do they see as its purpose?
• What would they like to study in geography lessons and why? 
• Read this report for more data on school geography from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (2020)  Geography of geography: the evidence base .
• Read Parkinson, A.  Why Study Geography?  London Publishing.

For the early career teacher (ECT)

During your induction, return to the question of ‘ What is geography? ’ and re-read some of these references and look at some of the references listed below. 

Think about the question in greater depth in the light of your training and your teaching experience. Do not lose sight of the ‘big picture’. Revisit your personal statement – have your views changed?

Further reading

• Crane, N. (2018) Why Geography matters . Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
• Dorling, D. and Lee, C. (2016) Why Geography? Profile Books.
• Matthews, J.A. and Herbert, D.T. (2008) Geography: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
• Murphy, A. (2018) Geography: why it matters. Polity Press.
• Nye, P. and Thomson, D. (2019)  Analysis of entries and attainment in GCSE Geography: Report for the Royal Geographical Society .

Also available from the ITE section

Good geography teaching – high expectations

Identifying good geography teaching

Developing your geography teaching

Subject knowledge for geography teaching

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Applications: How to write a brilliant personal statement

We asked those in the know what makes a geography personal statement stand out when applying for a geography undergraduate degree

As you’ll probably already know, all university applicants are allowed a maximum of five choices (either at different universities, or different courses at the same university). While many universities offer geography degrees they will all have slightly different specialisms and different field trip opportunities, so do plenty of research and attend open days (whether in person or virtually). 

Common advice is to apply for two or three courses that normally offer the sorts of grades you realistically expect to get, and two or three others which offer lower grades than you hope to get. Ultimately you will only be able to hold two offers; these tend to be the university you most want to go to, and one other safety-net offer for lower grades in case things go less well in examinations. 

Take care to put together a strong personal statement as this could be used to distinguish between two candidates with similar predicated grades. One of the best things you can do in your application is to include evidence that you have read around your subject ­– many applicants will look no further than the A-level syllabus. But most importantly of all, make it personal and make it clear why  you  want to study geography. Oh, and proof read! Take a look at what some of the people who really matter have to say on the subject…

‘The test of a really good personal statement is always this – by the end of reading it does it answer this question: “Why do you want to spend three years of your life studying Geography?” Explain your passion and love for the subject and do that as much as possible with references to your experiences and your life.’

Professor Ian Candy – Professor in Geography at Royal Holloway University of London

 ‘The key to a great personal statement is that first word: personal. Your statement should be an authentic reflection of you, your personal interest in geography and why you want to pursue the study of geography for three years at University. I know that sounds really obvious, right? But statements have a habit of being drafted and redrafted, edited by well-meaning teachers and careers advisors, then drafted again, and what pops out the other end can sometimes be more of a generic statement than a personal one. So, keep it personal, keep it authentic and let your own voice ring through.’

Dr Alasdair Pinkerton – Professor in Geography at Royal Holloway University of London

 ‘In personal statements, we want to see your enthusiasm and passion for Geography. You should include evidence that demonstrates this, which could take many different forms. For example, you could write about places that you have visited, topics that excite you, your engagement with your local community, experiences when working or volunteering, books that you have read, or anything else that draws on your personal experience.’

Dr Rebecca Hodge – Director of Undergraduate Admissions at  Durham University

‘I look at the personal statements. Not so much the content (“everybody” wants to save the planet/whale/whatever), but if the statement is poorly written with typos and grammatical issues that tends to ring alarm bells for future work and assessments (unless the candidate has a declared disability which could affect their writing of course).’ 

Dr Peter Burt – Programme Lead for Geography at Greenwich University

‘I’m not involved in admissions at Oxford (I don’t interview students or do any of the selection), but I have been at other universities. On advice. I would just say it is very hard to prepare for an interview. Ask people to give you a practice interview (a teacher for instance) and always have a questions ready to ask if they say “have you got any questions for us” – don’t just reply “no”.

Personal statement – try to make parts of it more personal so that it is different. Say something about yourself that is unique to you, even if it is a bit quirky. Anything that makes you stand out as a little different might well help.’

Professor Danny Dorling – Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford

Plus, we caught up with  Mark Whitehead, a professor in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at  Aberystwyth University. Mark talks about why you should consider studying Geography and how to write the best personal statement

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Geography Personal Statement

Interested in studying outside of the classroom?

Choose Geography at Hertfordshire, you will be constantly learning with trips (including one to the Swiss Alps!), lab and field training.

Protect the planet with a Geography degree.

Explore tropical rainforests, vast deserts, and the human impact on Earth at Leicester University.

Geography Personal Statement

‘Geography students hold the key to the world’s problems’ – Michael Palin. I have had a passionate interest in Geography since beginning high school at St. John Plessington; this and many documentaries have influenced my interest with the subject and inspired me to carry on my studies with it. This is a factor that has allowed me to show more enthusiasm in the subject which is exactly why I would enjoy a career relating to Geography.

I look forward to problem solving based learning, such as environmental impacts and sustainability within certain aspects of the course. Helping out with Eco-club with years 7-9 has allowed me to develop an interest within the field of study and improved my communication skills and leadership skills, as I have had to work with multiple students of different ages and abilities.

I am currently studying English Literature, Geography and Psychology. I thoroughly enjoy the challenges and different approaches to learning in all three subjects as they all allow an insight into how I learn. In English there are many group based activities, this has allowed me to grow as a communicator and to take responsibility for the group. Also English has helped grow my analytical skills as the work is based on the reader’s interpretation. Whereas in Geography the subject is based more on independent study which depends on organisation and time management skills, such as research into causes and effects into conflicts. In Psychology lots of the work has been formatted as presentation work, enabling me to establish more confidence and challenge me to do more public speaking activities. For example, my group was tasked with creating a presentation on schizophrenia. In this presentation I prioritised tasks and split the workload between the group, this shows responsibility and leadership style qualities as well as patience to work with others as a team. I enjoy independent research more as it allows me to work at my own pace and to my own standard. It also gives me the freedom and creativity to shape my work to how I want it.

Outside of my studies I play for a local football team which heavily relies on fluent commination and team work as in sports it is an integral part of the game and is the key to success. This helped me develop decision making skills, especially in high pressure situations. One factor contributing to my interest in studying Geography is due to visiting several different courses on open days at John Moores , and being the most interested by Geography.

During my Geography studies, I took part in a field test with my classmates. This involved obtaining data and analysing it within a group. In my work experience at Cammell Laird, I worked as part of a team of naval architectures, this offered valuable insight into the role communication and team work in a heavy industry and allowed for me to have insight into life in a competitive working environment. Outside of education I have developed multiple skills through my part time job in a kitchen showroom which have fluently transferred into my work life; skills such as a hard working ethic that has allowed me to be more responsible and manage my workload properly and efficiently.

As well as a part time job, The Duke of Edinburgh award has helped me to learn about resilience and team leadership. During DofE I have had to volunteer in both a farm to help rear animals and to grow a vegetable patch, these experiences have benefitted me with my outlook on life as I now am a more organised, social and deterministic person with a great work ethic.

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