Personal Statement:Chemistry 7

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Chemistry Personal Statement

Every time I learn something new in chemistry I become motivated to discover more, continually finding new aspects interesting. Advancing always, chemistry is ever changing the way we live in our society and in our environment, influencing what toothpaste we use to how water is filtered. In one hour we range from talking about something as small as an electron to the grand scale manufacturing of titanium. This diversity is one of the many reasons why I like chemistry and wish to study it at university.

Most aspects of chemistry appeal to me, and I have found organic chemistry particularly interesting. Studying mechanisms of reactions and discovering more in depth about how electrons and intermolecular forces play a part has intensified my desire to learn more about reactions in general. Currently, my favourite topic is optical isomerism and its uses in the pharmaceutical industries, as it has shown me how theory can be applied. I enjoyed the topic so much that I researched beyond the syllabus into drugs, such as Thalidomide and Dopamine, eventually presenting my findings to the class. Other forms of isomerism are also of interest to me; it has been intriguing to see how different structures can lead to different reactions, especially in the study of the oxidation of alcohols into aldehydes or ketones.

Distinguishing between aldehydes and ketones has so far been my favourite practical session, as the silver mirror produced is difficult to obtain and so it was rewarding when mine turned out successfully. Other practical work has also been satisfying, as it has made me realise how careful planning and accurate measuring is of vital importance. I am looking forward to improving my practical skills at university, expanding on my ability to analyse data and evaluate experiments.

I have enjoyed studying mathematics this year, both within chemistry and outside of it, and so have opted to pursue Further Mathematics to AS Level whilst studying for my A2s. My additional mathematical skills and understanding will benefit my studies enormously, as chemistry involves many quantitative principles. My other A Level is History which allows me to express myself more creatively and forces me to form concise arguments, generally developing my writing skills. My interest in debating led me to participate in the Mock UN Debate in November 2006, allowing me to incorporate my interest in science as we talked about issues such as global warming and nuclear weapons. Once again this made me realise what role chemistry has in our society, consolidating my belief that chemistry is the subject for me.

Elected to represent both my form in our School's Council and my school at Liverpool Schools' Parliament, I have always taken an active interest in school life. With the Parliament I visited the European Union in Strasbourg and participated in the 50th anniversary celebrations with students of over twenty different nationalities. The activities that I took part in at the European Union allowed me to gain confidence in speaking in front of large groups and also benefited my team-working skills. I enjoy mountain walking and skiing, and have found that the outdoor skills gained during xxxxxxx have furthered this particular hobby.

My enthusiasm and work ethic will allow me to gain a lot from university, both from my degree and from university life itself. Keeping an open mind about career options, I am in no doubt that the skills that I will acquire through studying for a chemistry degree will allow me to make the most of future opportunities.

Universities Applied to:

• Bristol (ABB, A in Chemistry or Maths)
  
• Durham (AAB, in any order)
  
• Imperial (AAB, As in Chemistry and Maths)
  
• Sheffield (BBB including General Studies)
  
• UCL (ABB in any order) - firm choice

Grades Achieved:

A Levels:

• Chemistry - A
• History -A
• Mathematics - A
• General Studies - A
• Biology - a
• Further Mathematics - a

Comments

General Comments:

This is a strong personal statement which shows a very good understanding of what the subject entails. They have gone into a lot of subject specific detail on the topics such as isomerism and the silver mirror test which really helps to convey an interest and an enthusiasm for the subject. Throughout the statement they have used their experiences well and related their experiences back to how it relates to chemistry and how it has furthered their interest in the subject. The structure of the statement is good and there is a good balance between academic discussion and hobbies outside of the subject.

Small improvements could be made to improve some of the wording and to remove content which is not adding value to the statement, creating more space for an expanded discussion and specific examples to further enhance this statement. It would be good to see a little more detail on the application of maths to chemistry rather than describing what subjects the applicant is taking, which is already covered on the UCAS form.

Overall this is a strong statement which would be a positive addition to the student's application.

Comments on the statement:

Every time I learn something new in chemistry, I become motivated to discover more, continually finding new aspects interesting. This is a good start to the statement, but a specific example of what they have found interesting may improve it further. Advancing always, chemistry is ever changing the way we live in our society and in our environment, influencing what toothpaste we use chemistry isn’t really influencing which toothpaste we use, but it is developing new toothpastes for us to choose from to how water is filtered. In one hour we What does we refer to? It's generally better to refer to the first person in a personal statement since this is about you, the applicant. range from talking about something as small as an electron to the large scale manufacturing of titanium. This diversity is one of the many reasons why I like chemistry and wish to study it at university. This is a strong introduction to a personal statement. The applicant has started off by saying what chemistry is, and the influence it has. The more specific that you can be here, the better in conveying a real interest and enthusiasm. The use of examples is therefore good and particularly important is how they have related it to themselves and their desire to study the course at the end.

Most aspects of chemistry appeal to me, and If this were not true, the applicant wouldn’t be applying. I have found organic chemistry particularly interesting. This sentence, while expanded on later, doesn’t really flow so would be better merged with the following sentence. Studying mechanisms of reactions and discovering more in depth about how electrons and intermolecular forces play a part in what? has intensified my desire to learn more about reactions in general. Good discussion of their favourite area and it's important to relate this to what the applicant hopes to get out of studying the degree. Currently, my favourite topic is optical isomerism and its uses in the pharmaceutical industries, as it has shown me how theory can be applied. Good example I enjoyed the topic so much that I researched beyond the syllabus into drugs, such as thalidomide good and dopamine, dopamine isn’t a drug, so this needs rephrasing eventually presenting my findings to the class. Specific discussion such as this really helps to convey an interest. If space allowed they could go into more detail about the research they carried out and what they had read Other forms of isomerism are also of interest to me; it has been intriguing to see how different structures can lead to different reactions, especially in the study of the oxidation of alcohols into aldehydes or ketones.

Distinguishing between aldehydes and ketones has so far been my favourite practical session, as the silver mirror produced is difficult to obtain and so it was rewarding when mine turned out successfully. The applicant could go on to discuss the theory and their interest in it as well, if space allows Other practical work has also been satisfying, as it has made me realise how careful planning and accurate measuring is of vital importance. I am looking forward to improving my practical skills at university, expanding on my ability to analyse data and evaluate experiments. This is a good paragraph in demonstrating an aptitude and interest in the practical side of chemistry. In a personal statement it is important to show as many different facets to your interest as possible and so demonstrating and discussing an interest in both theory and practical aspects is a good idea.

I have enjoyed studying mathematics this year, both within chemistry and outside of it, and so have opted to pursue Further Mathematics to AS Level whilst studying for my A2s. My additional mathematical skills and understanding will benefit my studies enormously, as chemistry involves many quantitative principles It would be nice for the applicant to show an appreciation of where maths is used with a specific example in chemistry to demonstrate the link between maths and chemistry.. My other A Level is History which allows me to express myself more creatively and forces me to form concise arguments, generally developing my writing skills. Applicants often feel the need to discuss all of their A levels when they do not; they are listed elsewhere on the application form and do not need to be in the PS unless they are really relevant! Given they’ve not really said much about maths, this could also be removed as it will be clear from their education section that they’re doing AS FM and instead use the space to expand on the relationship between maths and chemistry.

My interest in debating led me to participate in a Mock UN Debate in November 2006, the date isn't important and could be removed to save space. allowing me to incorporate my interest in science as we talked about issues such as global warming and nuclear weapons. Once again this made me realise the role chemistry has in our society, consolidating my belief that chemistry is the subject for me. It's good that the applicant has related their interest in chemistry to the debating they have done and how they were inspired to study the subject. I was elected to represent both my form in our school's council and my school at Liverpool Schools' Parliament, I have always taken an active interest in school life. This isn't really necessary as they have demonstrated an active interest in school life through their involvement in the school council, without needing to say it. With the Parliament I visited the European Union in Strasbourg and participated in the 50th anniversary celebrations with students of over twenty different nationalities. The activities that I took part in at the European Union allowed me to gain confidence in speaking in front of large groups and also benefited my team-working skills. Discussion of transferable skills and how these are beneficial for a chemistry degree are a very important part of this section of the personal statement. I enjoy mountain walking and skiing, and have found that the outdoor skills gained during xxxxxxx have furthered this particular hobby. which particular hobby? This last sentence does not add a huge amount of value since it does not discuss skills, however it does show that they have a life and interests outside of the subject. This paragraph is of an appropriate length and normally about 1 paragraph of the PS should be taken up by extra-curricular activities. Each “skill” only needs to appear once to demonstrate they have that attribute and each experience should highlight different skills.

My enthusiasm and work ethic what is the applicant's work ethic? It could be good, or it could be bad will allow me to gain a lot from university, both from my degree and from university life itself. Keeping an open mind about career options, I am in no doubt that the skills that I will acquire through studying for a chemistry degree will allow me to make the most of future opportunities. What sort of skills do you hope to acquire? This could be improved by making it a bit more personal to the applicant. It is worth re-emphasising an interest in the subject in the conclusion as this is the important message that you want to leave the reader with.