How to Write the Perfect Italian Personal Statement
The Application Process: Writing a Strong Italian Personal Statement
Personal statements are key to the UK University Admissions Process. They are your opportunity to sell yourself to your dream university on paper and show off your interests and enthusiasm for your subject. A strong and clearly-informed personal statement proves to a university that you are exactly the kind of candidate they want to accept. But how do you actually write one?
It can be hard to know where to start, especially if (like many applicants for Italian!) you’re applying for a subject you’ve never studied before. How can you show your knowledge and enthusiasm for a subject if you can’t speak the language? Whether you’re starting from scratch or post A-level/ IB, this guide will explore ways in which you can build and develop your knowledge of Italian literature, culture, history and more in order to craft a strong Italian personal statement that shows your knowledge and curiosity.
Five Engaging Ways to Build your Knowledge of Italian Culture for your Italian Personal Statement
1. Explore Italy’s rich history
Italy has a rich and varied history to explore. You can find a great overview of Italian modern history in Christopher Duggan’s The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796, which will give you a solid framework for understanding Italy today as well as giving you some ideas for where to jump in. Here are some other key moments of Italy’s history you might like to learn more about:
The Renaissance (Rinascimento): Beginning in the 14th century and lasting into the 17th century, the Renaissance was a period of cultural rebirth characterized by a revival of interest in classical art, literature, and learning. Italy, particularly Florence and Rome, was the epicenter of this cultural movement, which profoundly influenced art, architecture, literature, and philosophy across Europe.
The Unification of Italy (Risorgimento): In the 19th century, Italy underwent a process of unification, known as the Risorgimento, which culminated in the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. This period saw the consolidation of various Italian states and territories into a single nation-state under the leadership of figures like Giuseppe Garibaldi and Count Camillo di Cavour.
WW2 and Italy under Fascism: From 1922 to 1943, Italy was under the authoritarian rule of Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party. This period, known as Fascist Italy, was characterised by totalitarianism, censorship, militarism, and the suppression of political dissent. There are so many different areas you could focus your research on: Are you interested in military history? The revival of Roman art and values? The architecture? Women’s role? The Partisan resistance movement?
Political Instability in the Late 20th century: In the late 20th century, Italy faced significant challenges, including political instability, terrorism, and the pervasive influence of organized crime, known as the "anni di piombo" or "Years of Lead." This era, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, saw a rise in political violence by extremist groups like the Red Brigades, as well as ongoing struggles against the Mafia in regions like Sicily and Calabria.
2. Visit a museum
Italy is famous for its artwork. If you’re in or near London, why not go see some of the famous artworks yourself in The National Gallery? There you’ll find the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian, among others.
If art history is your specialty, you could research some of the lesser known female artists of the period too, such as Artemisia Gentileschi and Plautilla Nelli. When you get home, make sure you do some of your own research into the lives of these artists and the different schools they were part of. Did you know, for example, that both Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci wrote sonnets?
3. Get reading
While it’s fun to explore outside of the classroom, it’s undeniable that literature must be a central part of your personal statement, especially if you’re applying to Oxbridge where it’s such a strong element of the degree.
If you haven’t studied Italian before, there’s lots of fiction you can read in translation. Some great writers to look at include:
Italo Calvino
Leonardo Sciascia
Luigi Pirandello
Natalia Ginzburg
Elsa Morante
If you fancy more of a challenge, the New Penguin Parallel Text Short Stories in Italian offer a great opportunity to engage with the target language and to explore a variety of texts. If you want to push yourself, give Dante a go. I recommend focusing on context and picking out key cantos (chapters) to look at, or exploring some of his other, lesser known sonnets which are more approachable.
But reading a book isn’t the only way you can engage with the language…
4. Watch Italian films
Films are a great way to gain exposure to the target language without missing any information. If you’re new to Italian, watch attentively with English subtitles. If you want more of a challenge, try with Italian subtitles only and see how much you can follow. Italy has a rich cinematic history. One of its most famous periods is Neorealismo or “Neorealism”. Neorealism emerged in post-World War II Italy as a film movement characterized by its focus on everyday life, social issues, and authentic portrayal of working-class individuals. Rejecting traditional studio filmmaking techniques, neorealism aimed to capture the raw reality of post-war Italy through naturalistic storytelling and non-professional actors. Some great (and really enjoyable!) examples of Neorealist cinema include:
I ladri di bicicletta by Vittorio De Sica
Il tetto by Vittorio De Sica
Roma, Città Aperta by Roberto Rossellini
Alternatively, you could also explore the representation of the Mafia in Italian cinema through films like:
I Cento Passi by Marco Tullio Giordana: a gripping biographical drama that chronicles the life of anti-Mafia activist Peppino Impastato and his struggle against the Mafia's grip on his Sicilian hometown.
I 57 Giorni: the story of the murders of the two anti-mafia judges Borsellino and Falcone, famous for bringing about the Maxi Trial where 475 mafiosi were charged.
Just make sure when you include film in a personal statement that you approach it the same way you would a literary text. Show an interest (and do some research into!) the context and make sure you’re thinking analytically about symbolism or framing throughout.
5. Don’t be afraid of “lowbrow” content
This might be the opposite of the kind of advice you expect to hear for university applications. While “highbrow” texts are of course going to impress tutors and show your ability to engage intellectually with the subject (a crucial skill for university), being engaged with popular media can also show a genuine enthusiasm and interest. I watched a lot of Italian Netflix shows and YouTube before applying to university (and while revising for my finals!). Maybe these videos weren’t worthy of being individually named on my personal statement but they helped keep me immersed in the language, I enjoyed them, and they showed a broader, genuine interest in the language and culture, not just an academic one!
All the above tips are just intended as some initial ideas to start off your research. Try out a few of the suggestions and then find your own feet. It’s important for your personal statement that you find your own niche that you are genuinely excited to write and talk about.
How to Structure your Italian Personal Statement
Now that you’ve done all your research, it’s time to write your personal statement. You will probably want to be selective with what you choose to include from your research. Your personal statement shouldn’t read like a list; it’s important that you spend time engaging with and making links between the different information you include. You don’t need to include any flouncy analysis — it’s not an essay. You just need to show your ability to make intelligent connections between what you’ve read.
For this reason, a really strong personal statement will have a kind of narrative thread running through it that links your ideas. To find one, try reverse following the trail of your reading which will have had its own natural progression: What made you curious about what the text you’re writing about? How does it relate or contrast to another you’ve included?
If you’re applying for joint honours (studying multiple subjects together), then you’ll have even less space to talk about Italian so you’ll need to think even more about prioritising. A great way to do this is to find links between Italian and your other subject. For example, I applied for English and Italian so in my personal statement I discussed literature in translation rather than just in English to show my interest in translation theory.
If you’d like to receive 1:1 feedback and guidance on your personal statement, we offer sessions with tutors from top UK universities such as Oxbridge. Find out more here.
Writing a Great Italian Personal Statement for Oxbridge
Writing a great Italian Personal statement for Oxbridge follows all the same principles. You just have to bear in mind that if you’re invited to interview, your personal statement will often form the basis of the conversation you have. So be sure that everything you include on it you are genuinely interested in and you are not just prepared to but will actively enjoy expanding and discussing with your interviewer. This means it’s worth taking time at the start to really explore and find areas that really excite you.
Remember, too, that your personal statement isn’t finished when you hit send. If you’re interviewed, they will expect you to have further developed and explored your ideas, not just left them on the side. So keep reading and thinking and spend lots of time reviewing your personal statement before the interview, thinking about what questions might be asked. Mock interviews are really helpful for this. It’s great to get lots of practice before the interview to understand the kinds of questions that might come up and be prepared to answer them. If you’d like to have a mock interview with an experienced private tutor, take a look at our website.
We also have guides to other elements of Oxbridge application process, such as the MLAT and written work submission.
Three Final Tips for Italian Personal Statement Success:
Emphasise your curiosity.
You don’t need to know everything now. Show how your curiosity and interest in the subject has led you to explore these different areas and that you are able to think about them for yourself. Universities want to see that you are keen and excited to learn and your personal statement is an opportunity to showcase that.
Find your niche.
Follow and trust your special interests: are you excited by the flourishing of culture in the Renaissance or the strength of the Mafia in the second half of the 20th century? Do you love Fascist architecture like Mussolini’s Palazzo della Civiltà or prefer watching Neorealist cinema? Keep reading and searching until you find areas that you’re genuinely excited to write about as that comes across so much more naturally, and if there’s an area you know you’re already enthusiastic about, don’t be afraid to nerd out!
Get feedback
As with any piece of writing, feedback on a personal statement is invaluable. Give your personal statement to someone like a teacher or a parent to read. If you want more personalised feedback, get a personal statement review from an experienced tutor.
Ready to Apply for Italian or Modern Languages at a Top Russell Group University? Craft a Winning Italian Personal Statement
Navigating the Application Process to Study Italian at University, Especially at Prestigious Institutions like Oxbridge, Can Be Challenging
U2 offers tailored Italian Personal Statement tuition as well as wider Oxbridge Mentoring programmes to help you succeed. We have a great team of Oxbridge-educated Italian tutors including 1st Class, Master’s, and PhD level graduates. If you’re interested, book a free consultation here to discuss more.
The Process:
1) We suggest an Oxbridge Italian/Modern Foreign Languages graduate as a tutor and send their full CV for review. Our tutors are highly familiar with the admissions process to study Italian / Modern Foreign Languages at top Russell Group Universities, as well as the University of Oxford and Cambridge, and are well-placed to guide you through Italian personal statement curation, the entrance exam (if applicable), and the interview process.
2) We typically suggest beginning with a 1.5 hour diagnostic session, where the tutor will explore the student’s current interests and motivations for applying to their target courses. If applying to Oxbridge, the Italian tutor may also informally assess the student’s current performance level at Italian for application, including test and interview. Following this, we issue a report with feedback and structure a plan to best prepare.
3) U2’s approach for regular Italian application sessions: The main focus of tutorial sessions will be to explore material that can be discussed in the Italian personal statement and at the interview if applying to Oxbridge. Our tutors help you refine your interests within Italian, guiding you through a broader exploration of the subject and your own interests to ensure you stand out as a candidate.
The frequency of sessions can be decided between the student and mentor. Students can choose ad hoc sessions or a full preparation programme, which may include additional co-curricular opportunities such as research projects, language summer schools, and mock interview days. Long-term preparation is ideal for honing the skills necessary for success, and mentoring presents a wonderful opportunity to learn from some of the best graduates.
Ready to excel in your Italian personal statement and secure a place at top universities? Let U2 guide you through every step!
Sessions from £75/h + VAT.