Book to read for Chemistry personal statement
Hi all,
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
Scroll to see replies
Original post by singh29037
Hi all,
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
You don’t necessarily need to read any books for your personal statement.
In my law one I had no experience and read no books and got offers.
I strongly recommend you just illustrate your passion for the subject - is there a topic that interests you, recent breakthroughs in the industry, or a personal reason why you want to get into the field?
Original post by Krab21
Elegant Solutions by Philip Ball
And why chemical reactions happen by Peter Wothers and some other guy cant remember his name I think its James Keeler
And why chemical reactions happen by Peter Wothers and some other guy cant remember his name I think its James Keeler
Is the second book relatively easy to understand??
Original post by singh29037
Hi all,
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
I don't know why people are under the illusion that you need to read books to put in your personal statement. You can logically explain why chemistry, what you hope to get out of the course, what you aspire to be ect.
Original post by singh29037
Is the second book relatively easy to understand??
Yes it is; as long as you have basic a-level chemistry knowledge. No knowledge of maths is really needed in my opinion.
Original post by singh29037
Hi all,
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
Moved to Chemistry
https://sciencebookaday.com/
Check this website out and you can pick from there based on the reviews
Check this website out and you can pick from there based on the reviews
Original post by singh29037
Hi all,
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
Hi @singh29037,
It will be far more important to the admissions tutors to see your interest in the subject and an idea as to where you hope your degree might take you in the future. Doing some form of volunteering/outreach is always a good way of displaying this, or even doing some research into the sorts of careers that you are interested in.
If you do genuinely want to read a book because you are interested then you could listen to the Chemistry World book club, which discusses a wide range of chemical science books and can give you a flavour of what they are like.
All the best,
Gareth
Royal Society of Chemistry
Original post by Royal Society of Chemistry
Hi @singh29037,
It will be far more important to the admissions tutors to see your interest in the subject and an idea as to where you hope your degree might take you in the future. Doing some form of volunteering/outreach is always a good way of displaying this, or even doing some research into the sorts of careers that you are interested in.
If you do genuinely want to read a book because you are interested then you could listen to the Chemistry World book club, which discusses a wide range of chemical science books and can give you a flavour of what they are like.
All the best,
Gareth
Royal Society of Chemistry
It will be far more important to the admissions tutors to see your interest in the subject and an idea as to where you hope your degree might take you in the future. Doing some form of volunteering/outreach is always a good way of displaying this, or even doing some research into the sorts of careers that you are interested in.
If you do genuinely want to read a book because you are interested then you could listen to the Chemistry World book club, which discusses a wide range of chemical science books and can give you a flavour of what they are like.
All the best,
Gareth
Royal Society of Chemistry
Hello,
Thanks for the reply - how do I volunteer without a membership? I'm really interested
Original post by BR260799
You don’t necessarily need to read any books for your personal statement.
In my law one I had no experience and read no books and got offers.
I strongly recommend you just illustrate your passion for the subject - is there a topic that interests you, recent breakthroughs in the industry, or a personal reason why you want to get into the field?
In my law one I had no experience and read no books and got offers.
I strongly recommend you just illustrate your passion for the subject - is there a topic that interests you, recent breakthroughs in the industry, or a personal reason why you want to get into the field?
Read sample chemistry personal statements.
Relevant work experience not needed. Those who do have it may have something to talk about in their PS or at interview, yet at Imperial and Oxbridge, the interviewers rarely glance at your personal statement - they ask solely academic questions.
It is a big plus to have Mathematics, and to a lesser extent Physics, to A-level because of the theory element of a Chemistry course. Mentioning any relevant concepts in your personal statement will show you understand this. However, don't throw in words that you don't entirely understand, as you might well be asked on it at interview! Helpful books on this topic are "Why Chemical Reactions Happen" by Keeler and Wothers and "A basic introduction to Quantum Mechanics" by the OUP, even if you just read/grasp the ideas in the introductions.
Go to some relevant lectures at a local University if you can or watch some lectures about Chemistry on You Tube or those available from the University of Bath. These will a) help you understand the step up from A levels to University level study and b) show you are starting to move beyond just your A level syllabus. Don't explain the entire lecture in your PS - just mention that you found a particular theory or approach within it interesting/intriguing etc.
Further Mathematics, can be helpful due to the nature of the course but it's by no means essential. Most universities include a maths module in the first year that covers the mathematics you will need to know for the course. Biology too can be helpful but again by no means a necessity, but may useful for certain biologically related topics such as medicinal chemistry. It also shows you have a wider interest in science beyond just Chemistry.
The most difficult part of a PS is saying what/why you love chemistry. Don't try and grapple with ideas like 'how important chemistry is to the real world'. Using an example of when you realised you got a real buzz out of understanding some coursework is a good way to do this, but keep it personal - 'I realised ...', 'I understood....' etc. A couple of well thought out sentences at the beginning is all that is needed.
(Source)
Relevant work experience not needed. Those who do have it may have something to talk about in their PS or at interview, yet at Imperial and Oxbridge, the interviewers rarely glance at your personal statement - they ask solely academic questions.
It is a big plus to have Mathematics, and to a lesser extent Physics, to A-level because of the theory element of a Chemistry course. Mentioning any relevant concepts in your personal statement will show you understand this. However, don't throw in words that you don't entirely understand, as you might well be asked on it at interview! Helpful books on this topic are "Why Chemical Reactions Happen" by Keeler and Wothers and "A basic introduction to Quantum Mechanics" by the OUP, even if you just read/grasp the ideas in the introductions.
Go to some relevant lectures at a local University if you can or watch some lectures about Chemistry on You Tube or those available from the University of Bath. These will a) help you understand the step up from A levels to University level study and b) show you are starting to move beyond just your A level syllabus. Don't explain the entire lecture in your PS - just mention that you found a particular theory or approach within it interesting/intriguing etc.
Further Mathematics, can be helpful due to the nature of the course but it's by no means essential. Most universities include a maths module in the first year that covers the mathematics you will need to know for the course. Biology too can be helpful but again by no means a necessity, but may useful for certain biologically related topics such as medicinal chemistry. It also shows you have a wider interest in science beyond just Chemistry.
The most difficult part of a PS is saying what/why you love chemistry. Don't try and grapple with ideas like 'how important chemistry is to the real world'. Using an example of when you realised you got a real buzz out of understanding some coursework is a good way to do this, but keep it personal - 'I realised ...', 'I understood....' etc. A couple of well thought out sentences at the beginning is all that is needed.
(Source)
Original post by 04MR17
Wider reading helps, but it's not a necessity you're right. If someone wants to start reading around a subject anyway, they should do.
Definitely right, i just never had the energy to do so
Original post by singh29037
Hi all,
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
Do things because they interest you and they help you explore and be curious about your subject - NOT because you are trying to impress an admissions tutor (it doesn't...)
Work experience is not required for most courses, including Chemistry.
Even watching some Chemistry-related videos is absolutely fine. It's what you get out of them that matters.
Also have a look at: http://www.myheplus.com/subjects/chemistry and the linked resources such as http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry
And https://isaacphysics.org/chemistry
If you have a local science festival they might let you volunteer with them which would show an extra interest in the subject?
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Emilyfox13
If you have a local science festival they might let you volunteer for a day with them which would show an extra interest in the subject?
Also, if you’re looking for something short why don’t you find some relevant news articles from magazines like New Scientist. You could read up on a few topics that you find really fascinating and perhaps talk about those interests on your personal statement.
Finally, listening to podcasts such as the BBC’s “Life scientific” and “inside science” would give you an idea of some of the current research that’s going on in science at the moment. I’m sure you could find something there to talk about in your PS or interviews!
Also, if you’re looking for something short why don’t you find some relevant news articles from magazines like New Scientist. You could read up on a few topics that you find really fascinating and perhaps talk about those interests on your personal statement.
Finally, listening to podcasts such as the BBC’s “Life scientific” and “inside science” would give you an idea of some of the current research that’s going on in science at the moment. I’m sure you could find something there to talk about in your PS or interviews!
Thank you so much, your post was really helpful!
Do you study Chemistry btw?No I’m applying to start chemistry in 2019, these are just things I’ve been doing! Can’t guarantee any of it will work (:
Original post by singh29037
Hello,
Thanks for the reply - how do I volunteer without a membership? I'm really interested
Thanks for the reply - how do I volunteer without a membership? I'm really interested
Hi @singh29037,
You've got lots of options. If you want to do something through the Royal Society of Chemistry, i'd recommend getting in touch with the education coordinator in your area who can give you let you know of opportunities near to you. You can find a list of them here.
If you would like to do something a little broader than just chemistry, you could become a STEMNET ambassador or support the Big Bang Fair. That is a few to get yourself started but I'm sure that if you look at any science centres or clubs in your area, you could find a number of other options too.
All the best,
Gareth
Royal Society of Chemistry
Just finished my chemistry degree this year, i would recommend showing your passion for the subject in your ps by illustrating workshops you went to, or any other things which show you went out of your way to attend chem related things outside school.
Original post by singh29037
Hi all,
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
I'm TRYING to write my personal statement for Chemistry, but I'm so stuck and mine is so rubbish! I have nothing to write! The only work experience I have is at an opticians which isn't really relevant. What do I write!!
Can anyone recommend any books I could read for my personal statement which are simple and relatively short (less than 200 pages)?? I am predicted 4 A's btw.
Help me please!!
You don't (and imo shouldn't) need to read full books - think about topics you like and learn more about them whether thats reading sections from books or just looking it up and learning about it. I wrote about thermodynamics just from videos and online notes and also wrote about learning about differential equations from a maths book and I only read that chapter of the book.
Is there any particular aspect of chemistry you're interrested in?
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