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Extra reading for Personal statement - Chemistry

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone could offer any help with regards to reading for personal statements.

I am planning to read 'Why Chemical Reactions Happen' after my AS exams but I was wondering if there are any other interesting books ones purely to do with chemistry
Good starting point is reading lists for the unis you are interested in :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by *Interrobang*
Good starting point is reading lists for the unis you are interested in :smile:


That's why I am planning to read 'Why Chemical Reactions Happen'.:smile:
anything else that I can read?
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by ManpreetK
That's why I am planning to read 'Why Chemical Reactions Happen'.:smile:
anything else that I can read?


I'm not a chemistry person I'm afraid, so I don't know
Reply 4
"Every Molecule Tells a Story" - Simon Cotton; this is very interesting in my opinion.
Reply 5
Original post by *Interrobang*
I'm not a chemistry person I'm afraid, so I don't know


No worries! Thank you for all your help!:smile:
Reply 6
Original post by Zamolxis
"Every Molecule Tells a Story" - Simon Cotton; this is very interesting in my opinion.


Thanks! I shall check it out on Amazon after exams! :smile:
Original post by ManpreetK
Thanks! I shall check it out on Amazon after exams! :smile:


"further reading" does not have to be limited to books - there are loads of radio programmes and videos online with useful info.

eg http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b051vr38 (I'd recommend listening to this every week - it's only short but much more likely to be engaging that saying that you read the New Scientist like every other applicant). Also programmes like http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00shrcc/episodes/guide and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qbq7f/episodes/guide and lectures like https://royalsociety.org/events/2015/02/faraday-prize-lecture/ will give you insight into topics you might not come across in books (once you get to university you wont be studying much from books). Likewise keeping an eye on http://news.sciencemag.org/category/chemistry is more likely to get you in sync with the sort of information your future lecturers will be interested in hearing about.
Reply 8
Original post by PQ
"further reading" does not have to be limited to books - there are loads of radio programmes and videos online with useful info.

eg http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b051vr38 (I'd recommend listening to this every week - it's only short but much more likely to be engaging that saying that you read the New Scientist like every other applicant). Also programmes like http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00shrcc/episodes/guide and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qbq7f/episodes/guide and lectures like https://royalsociety.org/events/2015/02/faraday-prize-lecture/ will give you insight into topics you might not come across in books (once you get to university you wont be studying much from books). Likewise keeping an eye on http://news.sciencemag.org/category/chemistry is more likely to get you in sync with the sort of information your future lecturers will be interested in hearing about.


Thanks for all your suggestions! I didn't know about these.
Thanks for these.:smile:
are you an a level scientist as well?
Original post by ManpreetK
Thanks for all your suggestions! I didn't know about these.
Thanks for these.:smile:
are you an a level scientist as well?


It's worth keeping an eye on the courses available at futurelearn and similar. (eg https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/introduction-to-forensic-science is the only chem related one I can find atm but they cycle through a lot of topics). MOOCs are a good way to get some extra insight into your subjects without committing yourself to a lot of time (although if you get hooked then you can end up spending a lot of time on them!).

I graduated quite a while ago and now work at a university.

Another thing to think about would be something like: http://www.etrust.org.uk/chemistry-newcastle or http://www.etrust.org.uk/chemistry-and-drug-design-sussex or http://www.etrust.org.uk/chemistry-leeds The courses cost £350 but they're really good experience of a university environment as well as extra insight into the sort of things you'd be studying at degree (and the £350 covers room and board for 3/4 days). You don't have to pay unless you get and accept a place (so there's no harm in applying - if you can't find the money you can always turn down the place and they do offer bursaries).
Reply 10
Trying to write a personal statement for a straight Chemistry degree.

So I just started using the PS builder tool on TSR, thinking that I have done quite a lot of stuff and will do more this summer and it would be pretty easy... but nope!

I literally have nothing to write for the 'Any other hobbies of extra-curricular activities that are directly relevant to your subject choice?'. I could perhaps attempt to mention a podcast (that I stopped listening to a while ago cuz I got busy) about science... but other than that, I got nothing. Is there anything that I can start doing from now that would contribute towards this so that when I finally write my personal statement properly, I will have something good to write?

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.
You have till Jan next year to write your personal statement so don't panic! It may be a good idea to start listening to the podcast again. Do some reading around the subject (books, magazines, articles, etc), go for some lectures, try and get some shadowing or work experience.
Reply 12
Original post by alleycat393
You have till Jan next year to write your personal statement so don't panic! It may be a good idea to start listening to the podcast again. Do some reading around the subject (books, magazines, articles, etc), go for some lectures, try and get some shadowing or work experience.


Okay. How many lectures would be enough? I have been to one that is directly relevant to Chemistry and others are science related but not Chemistry related.
Also, how many articles/books? I feel like I need a number to work towards because it is more likely to encourage me to actually do it.
Lectures I'd say 1-2. Articles and books 2-4. No one is going to count how many of each you've been to or read but what will count is how you talk about them and use them to explain why you want to study chem, what your understanding of the field is and what your specific academic interests are.
Reply 14
Original post by alleycat393
Lectures I'd say 1-2. Articles and books 2-4. No one is going to count how many of each you've been to or read but what will count is how you talk about them and use them to explain why you want to study chem, what your understanding of the field is and what your specific academic interests are.


Of course. Using them in my personal statement is the easy part :smile:
Reply 15
Original post by PQ
It's worth keeping an eye on the courses available at futurelearn and similar. (eg https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/introduction-to-forensic-science is the only chem related one I can find atm but they cycle through a lot of topics). MOOCs are a good way to get some extra insight into your subjects without committing yourself to a lot of time (although if you get hooked then you can end up spending a lot of time on them!).

I graduated quite a while ago and now work at a university.

Another thing to think about would be something like: http://www.etrust.org.uk/chemistry-newcastle or http://www.etrust.org.uk/chemistry-and-drug-design-sussex or http://www.etrust.org.uk/chemistry-leeds The courses cost £350 but they're really good experience of a university environment as well as extra insight into the sort of things you'd be studying at degree (and the £350 covers room and board for 3/4 days). You don't have to pay unless you get and accept a place (so there's no harm in applying - if you can't find the money you can always turn down the place and they do offer bursaries).


Thanks a lot for all these links. I have added these onto my science club blog so that others may also use them. I would be ever so grateful if you could add to this list whenever you find a link relevant to science extra reading.
Thank you very much for all your help! :smile:
Reply 16
I'm currently in Year 12 and looking to apply to study Chemistry at uni starting 2016, what would you suggest that I could do over the summer to boost my personal statement to give me the best possible chance of getting into a good uni? I've missed the deadlines for summer schools, so that's out of the question.
are you looking to studying within medicine by any chance?
Reply 18
Original post by TheDboyAi
are you looking to studying within medicine by any chance?


No, just chemistry on it's own hopefully!


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Ser_
I'm currently in Year 12 and looking to apply to study Chemistry at uni starting 2016, what would you suggest that I could do over the summer to boost my personal statement to give me the best possible chance of getting into a good uni? I've missed the deadlines for summer schools, so that's out of the question.


I've merged this thread with a couple of others asking the same question. If you read up the thread there are a bunch of suggestions.

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