| This is a real personal statement written by a student for their university application. It might help you decide what to include in your own. There are lots more examples in our collection of sample personal statements. |
Computers have always fascinated me, even from a young age. Back in my last year of primary school, I bought a book on websites - specifically how to write HTML. From then onwards, my interest in the technical side of computers grew. The next thing I learned about was programming in C++. I used my self-taught knowledge of the programming language to create DOS programs to help me with all sorts of basic mathematical problems. For example, one of the first programs I created was to quickly work out the Surface Area and Volume of Shapes.
Mathematics is another subject I have been interested in for quite some time, although I feel it is only now that my real potential with the subject is showing and consequently, I have decided to study Further Maths as an extra AS Level in my Upper 6th year, having achieved an A grade at AS. Maths and Computer Science complement each other very well and I would relish the opportunity to further my studies of the subject to a greater depth.
Throughout my AS Level courses, I have developed numerous skills and vastly broadened my knowledge of the subjects that really interest me. Within my Mathematics course I have learned new and interesting topics such as Calculus and Decision Mathematics, the latter which I found very appealing due to its link with computing and ergo, has encouraged me to continue to study Mathematics at university and at the same time support and nurture my understanding and development within the field of Computer Science. The coursework tasks on the AS Level Computing course proved to be thoroughly enjoyable and informative, such as creating a computer game in Visual Basic; and they also allowed me to delve deeper into the theoretical algorithmic side of computing. Furthermore, I recently attained an A grade in AS Computing. My Geography A-Level course has provided me with a better understanding of the environment and the economic workings of the world itself, while fieldwork tasks have helped boost my team-working, data analysis and presentation skills. I was required to work together with others to collect data and then represent this using various techniques, e.g. proportional bars and circles and; statistical methods such as Spearman's Rank to create a 50 page report on my findings.
A great deal of my spare time is devoted to the sport of sailing, in which I regularly represent Pilkington Sailing Club at local and national level; competing for the club in the Southport 12 Hour- and the West Lancashire 24 Hour Race each year. I also practise the martial art of Ju-Jitsu twice a week and have passed Kobudo weapons courses with the Bokken and the Bo Staff. From September 2007 to May 2008, I was the Finance Director of a Young Enterprise company, 'Sprise'. Through this experience my team-working skills and sales techniques have both developed extensively. My public speaking skills have also improved vastly through twice delivering a five minute presentation to over 150 representatives from a variety of Young Enterprise companies across Merseyside. My team won four awards including those for the best and most innovative company. I am currently working towards my Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award, which requires precise planning and teamwork and in college, I have also been elected to serve as Complaints Co-ordinator on the student council for 2008-2009, which places me as one of the first points-of-call for the 1,600-strong community.
I am dedicated to my future study of Computer Science and Mathematics and I firmly believe that innovative ideas lie with the next generation of computer scientists who will strive to push forward new ideas and different technologies. I want to be part of this new generation.
