French and Philosophy MA (Hons) personal statement example

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

In French, the single word conscience covers what English separates into consciousness and conscience. I noticed this while reading Sartre's Existentialism is a Humanism in the original, and it made me wonder whether a French writer thinking about awareness is always, somewhere in the background, also thinking about responsibility. My teacher pointed out that context usually settles which meaning is intended, which is fair, but the question stayed with me: does the language we think in affect which problems seem connected? That question sits between French and philosophy, and it is why I want to study both together. Sartre's lecture also gave me my first argument I wanted to answer back. His example of the young man torn between staying with his mother and joining the Free French is meant to show that no moral theory can decide for us. At first I found it convincing, but on rereading I felt his point that choosing an adviser already means choosing the advice was too quick, because we often ask people precisely because they know something we do not. I want a degree where I can read texts closely in French and test their arguments carefully.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare?

French A level has shifted from learning vocabulary lists to reading literature and discussing society, and I enjoy the precision it demands. For my EPQ I compared Stuart Gilbert's and Matthew Ward's English translations of the opening of L'Étranger. Gilbert turns maman into Mother, while Ward keeps Maman, and I argued that this small choice changes how cold or affectionate Meursault first seems to an English reader, which matters in a novel so concerned with how others judge him. The project taught me to check claims against the French sentence rather than my impression of it. In Religious Studies I most enjoy the philosophy units. Studying Descartes on doubt, I read the Second Meditation in translation and found the wax example useful for seeing why he trusts the mind rather than the senses, though I am not yet convinced it proves as much as he wants. History has helped me write structured arguments under time pressure and weigh evidence, and I have started using it to place French thinkers in context, such as reading about the Occupation alongside Sartre's lecture. Comparing translations left me asking how far an interpretation depends on a translator’s choice of tone. Philosophy gives me a way to examine the argument, while French helps me check the wording on which it rests.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

For eight months I have helped at a fortnightly French conversation evening in our local library, run by a retired language teacher. I set out the tables, prepare prompt cards on topics such as food or holidays, and sit with beginners so that they can practise without feeling watched. I do not teach, but I have learned to slow down, rephrase and wait, and I have noticed how often adult learners know the grammar but hesitate over everyday phrases. Listening to the more fluent members, including two French residents, has made my own spoken French more natural. On Saturdays I work in a bakery from seven, serving customers and boxing up pre-ordered cakes. It is busy and practical, and it has made me reliable and calm with queues. Outside school I orienteer with a local club; reading a map at speed while tired has given me a stubbornness that also helps with difficult texts. Each weekday morning I walk my younger brother to primary school, which keeps my week organised. I am ready for the independent reading and spoken practice a joint degree in French and Philosophy will require.