Cambridge Personal Statement Example 1h5xp

CAMBRIDGE PERSONAL STATEMENT 1 It is perplexing how, as a child, I could be fascinated with the notion of eternity before I ever glimpsed upon the transience of life. Obsessed with things that were 'ever-lasting', I toyed with ideas of perpetual motion seen on various illustrations of cleverly arranged pendulums, siphons and other contraptions. Years before I could dismiss such fanciful caprice with the laws of thermodynamics, I had intuitively sensed that such idealised levels of efficiency were too good to be true. It was not until secondary school that I truly appreciated the full extent of the gap between the theoretical and the realistic, when I worked on a project to build a model ship moving on electromagnetic propulsion. Despite our best efforts to maximize the thrust generated, the ship failed to move at any perceptible rate when our order-of-magnitude estimations had predicted a detectable motion. Science on paper alone can hardly ever capture all the factors that affect a system of practical use. Engineers play the quintessential role of bridging that gap. By manipulating the countless approaches and refinements, engineers induct scientific theories to the real world. My interest in the specific area of environmental engineering had been piqued rather unexpectedly while doing a case study for economics. The case material had indicated improvements in fuel efficiency and exhaust emission of road vehicles at staggering proportions over the past decades. While not all people can be expected to forgo their comforts to save the environment, continuous contributions by generations of engineers had made a difference. At the same time, I felt a sense of urgency for the work to be built upon. I shuddered to think of the consequences should progress in environmental technology fail to stay ahead of the mounting pressures on our habitat. As of now, I am most anxious about whether the work of environmental engineers will eventually reach some helplessly asymptotic plateau when all the design short-cuts have been exploited, optimisations exacted and redundancies discarded, or there will soon be significant breakthroughs as theoretical innovations mature in feasibility. My confidence in coping with the demands of an engineering course has been boosted by various honours I have received in the maths and sciences, like an honourable mention in the Singapore Mathematics Olympiad open section, top of physics in the graduating batch of my secondary school, Raffles Institution, and a bronze award in the Singapore Physics Olympiad. Taking both H3 Mathematics and H3 Essentials of Modern Physics for A Level had been a leap of faith as it was considered very demanding to take two H3 subjects. However I personally found the two subjects complementary to each other, for instance the techniques of handling differential equations proved valuable to facilitate my understanding of solid state physics. Apart from studies, I have also been

vice-chairman of the Chinese literary club of my secondary school while training for 6 years as a sprinter in the school track and field team. These additional demands on my time and energy had given me important lessons on prioritisation, time-management and long-term commitment, while through working with my fellows I had enjoyed being a team player and appreciated the power of camaraderie. After graduating from junior college I have been doing military service. The experience has heightened my independence, willpower and interpersonal skills. In my free time, I have also started pursuing other interests such as the electric guitar while honing the engineer's most trusted tool by studying multi-variable calculus, a topic that I had always wanted to learn. I am fully aware that my decision to study engineering will likely determine the kind of career I have in future. Nevertheless, it is an endeavour for which I am confident of myself and one that I believe will make my working life meaningful.

2 “Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was.” Theodore Von Karman. For me, this portrays why I want to be an engineer; I wish to create and diversify what is to drive technologies forward leading to new concepts and ideas. I have always been interested in how things work and Maths helps me appreciate how to accomplish such as it is often the main tool used to discover or advance in the real world. The enjoyment I find within maths has enabled me to take further maths this year to AS level in which I enjoy the mechanics modules since the maths involved is the backbone of society. The reason behind this love for maths is due to the challenge of solving problems and the application of familiar concepts to strange or unfamiliar situations. Through this enjoyment it is obvious that engineering is the subject for me to study at the highest level possible since the best engineers must be good problem solvers and innovators, as demonstrated in the reads of "Why buildings stand up" and "The science of Formula1 design". In studying Design&Technology I have learnt to be a creative thinker and a problem solver. This year I plan to build an electric guitar, from the body down to the electronics incorporating an innovative pre-amp system. To further my learning independently, I am currently studying an Open University physics short course entitled "How the universe works". The course is opening my eyes to strange concepts such as how space expands and how this effects our perception of the universe around us. I believe the modern engineer must apply innovation coupled with technology in products and services whilst also meeting supply/demand needs of the customer in the most efficient and cost effective manner. Studying economics to AS-level has triggered my thinking in these areas and the science subjects have made me appreciate the principles behind production techniques, which I have backed up further by visiting an engine production line. I had one weeks work experience within the civil engineering department of East Riding council where I learnt about the range of responsibilities that may be placed upon an engineer. I also worked with an environmental engineer team as I think the environment is an increasingly important factor to an engineer‟s designs and decisions. Whilst there we talked about how a proposed fish at a weir would materialise from design to construction. Along with attaining high academic standards, I have always been keen to help people where I can, for example over the past I have visited a primary school every Thursday afternoon in order to help 6-7Year olds with their class work and reading. The patience and interpersonal skills obtained from this are invaluable in any situation which permits them to be used. Along with this I was recently chairman of the charity committee and therefore the main coordinator in raising £4500. The teamwork skills I developed here were of great aid to everyone involved and without this, along with the organisational and leadership skills involved, many events would not have materialised. On top of everything within school I have always been a keen guitar player, playing

at a grade 8 standard in many styles and also playing at several charity events as part of a band. Music has long been a ion of mine, along with computing which has lead me to be owner and creator of various websites as well as a keen windows programmer in Visual Basics and a beginner in C++. With these I.T. skills I recently worked on the I.T. and marketing team for a laboratory equipment selling company. Engineering covers so many aspects of our everyday lives yet it is so unobtrusive within its role that most people take the discipline for granted. I believe it is the necessity behind the engineer that will make me a good one; my determination to succeed along with the wonders of what more is possible will ultimately drive this ion and make me an asset in any team.

3 As a young boy, I have often been told that curiosity killed the cat, but although curiosity never got me killed, it sure did get me into quite a lot of trouble. I used to always fiddle with things, rare artifacts that my father used to bring home, and as one would expect, such fiddling usually ended with something broken; my usual excuse was I just wanted to see how it works. This curiosity has developed and now manifests itself in my desire to read engineering. I had always considered engineering to be a science that studies the functioning of systems and to improve them by coming up with clever ideas, but it was not until I picked up Henry Petroski's books "Remaking the world" and "To engineer is human" that I realized that engineering covers a much wider range of abilities, that there is much more to engineering than just sitting in a dark room trying to come up with ingenious and clever ideas. I'd never thought about the human side to engineering; how correcting human failures is the most important lesson to be learnt; how too much confidence causes accidents but worry prevents them; how engineering doesn't exist "for its own sake but for society's sake". These findings did not scare me away from engineering; in fact, I was even more attracted to it. Whilst reading through the books I also came across a very interesting phrase: "standing on the shoulders of giants". At first I didn't quite capture its full meaning, however when I read how our modern day internal combustion engine evolved from the primitive Greek steam engine, it finally clicked. The reason we are able to see this far today is due to all those achievements in the past and my aim in engineering is to see farther thus allowing tomorrow's engineers to see farthest. Last summer I spent three weeks doing voluntary work on board a tanker that sailed along the west coast of Africa. It was an enlightening experience that had significant impact in my respect for all professions, as well as giving me an opportunity to observe the functioning and the maintenance duties involved with the ship's engine. This summer however, I topped up my organizational and leadership skills and headed a backpacking expedition of 16 people around Europe. Much teamwork was involved in finding accommodation and train tickets for such a large group on such short notice, but nevertheless the trip went as scheduled. At first, I wished to take a gap year to gain some industrial experience in the field of study, nonetheless my nationality doesn't allow for me to work freely in many countries (e.g. the YINI scheme), thus I have decided to dedicate this year to academics. I shall be working as a teacher at my school, helping a wide age range of pupils with their difficulties in Maths, Chemistry or Physics. The level will probably range from pre-IGCSE to AS, and the number of pupils will depend on the needs. It is also my intention, during the gap year, to do voluntary work on wildlife conservation schemes. Regarding academics, I have completed all of my A levels and have enjoyed them greatly. Much of the work I did was outside the school's academic requirements. Such is the case of Further

Mathematics, where many unlucky incidents occurred throughout its course, or my AEA Chemistry, where my school unfortunately lost my exam paper before it was sent. Outside classroom I enjoy a variety of sports such as football, tennis, basketball, bowling, swimming, martial arts most of which I have carried up to a competing level (tennis, basketball, swimming) but never reached a professional level, although I still actively enjoy them as hobbies. Only last year, I also started playing the guitar with the help of a friend and have performed twice already in school concerts. My readings around the history of engineering through Petroski's books have taught me much about the journey I'm about to embark on. Science has taught what is; now I'd like to use this knowledge to create what never was.

4 “Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them.” James A. Michener. For me, this quote symbolises why I want to go into engineering- because I want to do things, to design things, to make things. From early childhood I have been interested in how things work and why; it has been clear now for some time that engineering is what I want to do in later life. I am interested in a variety of engineering disciplines however, and have had trouble deciding which to study. Signal processing and audio systems are particular interests of mine within electronics, as well as electromechanical systems within mechanical. Acoustics also interests me, especially electro-acoustics, active noise control and musical acoustics. To allow for this, I have tried to choose courses that are either broad or allow specialism part way through. This has the advantage that I can decide which field to go into after I have a better idea of what they involve. I also intend to take a gap year to gain industrial experience, which would help me with this decision. For this reason I am deferring entry. I have been interested in Mathematics throughout my school career, especially in applied; mechanics is a subject that I find very engaging. I attended Maths Club after school for four years, (from year 8 to 11), did GCSE Maths a year early, and did the FSMQ in Additional Maths the following year. I am presently studying Further Maths, and have now taken six modules (95.5% average). Electronics is extra-curricular, and is a fascinating subject. It involves a lot of design, something that I enjoy, and something that is not featured in my other subjects. Physics appeals to me, and will give me the knowledge I need to study Engineering. I found AS Chemistry absorbing, although time has not allowed me to continue this subject further. Last year I took Latin to GCSE as an after school subject, and enjoyed it very much. It gave me a real insight into another culture, literature and language. I was fortunate enough to be awarded an Arkwright scholarship last year, along with the Year in Industry prize. Faber Maunsell is sponsoring me, and I did a weeks work experience with their acoustics division this summer. It was very rewarding, and included a noise survey and results analysis. Music has long been important to me; I now have Grade 8 in Piano and Clarinet, and am working towards a CertGSMD (P) in Piano. Ensemble playing has been a major part of my musical life: I have been first desk clarinet in the highly successful Verulam Big Band (playing swing jazz) for five years, participating in many of their tours (including Spain, Italy and ), and have played the piano in a concerto with a local youth orchestra. In folk and jazz, I play melodeon, ukulele and C melody saxophone, including occasionally in a ceilidh band in St Albans. In fact, musical instruments interest me both from a scientific and historical perspective, especially woodwind. Indeed, for my AS Electronics project, I designed a system to amplify a saxophone; having now designed the saxophone from scratch, I am building it from plywood. Within the wider community, I have volunteered at the local museum on their „Science Day‟, (which involved explaining to children the physics behind toys) am a keen Bell ringer, and a member of the local ringing society.

At school, I am a senior member of the Bridge Society, an activity that I enjoy very much. In addition, I am the Parent Teacher Association Liaison Officer, (which involves contributing to meetings, raising student awareness, and helping to organise events) and prefect for Maths. Sailing is a great interest of mine, and I gained my RYA level two last summer. I am a Student member of the Galpin Society (for the study of musical instruments) and a Faraday member of the Royal Institution, whose evening lectures I have attended. I now feel that I am ready for the academic demands of university life, and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.