Personal Statement

(called motivation letter on application form)

The personal statement is an opportunity for you to tell us more about yourself beyond what we have seen on your transcripts and CV. Submitting a personal statement is a required part of the admissions procedure and must be written in English. Your personal statement should not exceed 500 words.

Instructions

You should use your personal statement to share your personal story and to explain your motivation for applying to PPLE with us.

Why do you want to study at PPLE College? Why are you interested in an interdisciplinary education? And why these four disciplines?  How does a small-scale and intensive study programme suit you? Why are you interested in such a programme and not in a regular program with a lower study load? These are some of the questions that we would like you to address in your motivation letter. Tell us about your dreams and motivations and how you believe PPLE could help you with that.

In addition to your motivations, we are even more so interested in learning more about you and your personal story. You can use the following questions/prompts for guidance: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill and how have you developed and demonstrated this? What is your greatest deception in life and how did you deal with it? What have you done to make your school or community a better place? Discuss an accomplishment, event or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself. Describe a problem you have solved or a problem you would like to solve, its significance to you and what steps you took/could take to identify a solution.

The letter should be written in English. This is also an opportunity to show us that you can communicate effectively in writing by presenting your ideas clearly, concisely, and accurately. Your motivation letter should not exceed 500 words.

Curriculum Vitae 

While filling out the application form you will be asked to upload a CV. Although the application form refers to a curriculum vitae, at PPLE we ask you to provide us with a timeline of your educational background. We are not looking for a multipage CV as if you were to apply for a job position. The main purpose of the “CV” is to provide the PPLE Admissions Office with an overview of your educational background.

Instructions

Submit a 1-2 page document in Word or PDF format

Please make sure to include the following required information:

Personal information:

• Name
• Current address
• Date of birth
• Nationality
• E-mail address (preferably not a school email address)
• UvA net ID

Education:

• Current education (final year of high school, first year in university, gap year)
  • Include the full name of your diploma (to be obtained)
• Previous education (if applicable)

If you want, you may add the following information but this is not required

• Activities
  • Work or community service experience
    • E.g. waiter at the local restaurant, volunteering at a retirement home, babysitting, etc.
  • Other extracurricular activities
    • Secretary of your high school book club, participating in a Model United Nations Conference
  • Hobbies/interests
    • Sports, music, etc.
• Taking care of family or others in need
• Accomplishments
  • Prizes/awards earned through school or other activities
  • Language skills
  • Certificates earned

Please note that you are not limited to this list. If there is something we have not mentioned that you think should be included in your CV, feel free to add it.

Please note: The main purpose of the CV is to provide the PPLE Admissions Office with an overview of your educational background. Some students move between countries and schools and a CV can provide more clarity in this situation.

 

We understand that our applicants come from a wide range of different backgrounds and have had access to varying amounts of extracurricular activities and opportunities. Once again, we  understand that a high school graduate usually does not have an extensive CV, so do not stress over this or underestimate what you have done.