Undergraduate Personal Statement

I have been fascinated by electronics for as long as I can remember. As a young child, I was never happy to be told how something worked; I had to find out for myself. This often meant family items were dismantled, purely to expand my knowledge.

At the age of 12, I passed the City & Guilds Novice Radio Amateurs Exam and aged 14, I passed the Radio Amateurs Advanced Exam gaining a full licence. In doing this, I had to show a basic understanding of the principles of practical and theoretical electronics. This has enabled me to converse with people from around the world, enhancing my communication skills.

On entering year 9 in secondary school, I founded a science club for people with similar interests to myself this was a popular club, and in February 2003, I was proud to receive the Jack Petchey award for Young Achievers for my devotion to both the science club and my scientific studies. I was selected by my school to attend a one year Saturday engineering club, run by a local technical college. The course was arranged in blocks, covering mechanical and electronic engineering, as well as some programming. I worked with teams of students, sharing ideas and gaining experience in the use of various machines and materials.

During my time in secondary school, I received three headmaster's commendations for outstanding work and effort in English, History and ICT, and an internal school award for Design Technology in 2004. For the last two years at secondary school, I was a Senior Prefect. I was often chosen by the headmaster and senior tutors to support the school at many functions. In year 10, I was fortunate enough to do my work experience at Ford Motor Company's research and development centre. In shadowing an experienced engineer, I gained a appreciation of working as part of a development team, where measuring, analysing and problem solving were everyday occurrences. The experience strengthened my resolve to pursue a career in a technical environment.

I enjoy the constant challenge of using scientific and mathematical principles to overcome everyday problems. I spend many hours in my home workshop, which is well equipped with electronic test equipment, such as oscilloscopes, a spectrum analyser and signal generators, which I use for experimenting in electronics. My projects include a radio transmitter, various microcontroller based clocks, and a weather station data logger. For many of these projects, I have authored my own software using self taught knowledge of the 'C' programming language. I have also taught myself Visual Basic 6 to a proficient level.

I have a very active life, and enjoy socialising with friends, visiting the cinema, and listening to music. I have used my technical knowledge to help friends with the recording and mixing of live music, both in college and with our band. This has also encouraged me to learn to play guitar. I enjoy travelling and have visited various places around the United Kingdom, as well as Egypt, France, Greece, and Russia, where I experienced the warmth and friendship of other cultures.

The fascination of how and why something works and interacts with the world around us has always had me enthralled, and to be able to work in an environment where I am designing, prototyping and developing technology would be my dream fulfilled. I would like the opportunity to study at your university to expand my knowledge and form a solid base for a successful career in engineering.

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You may also be interested in my Postgraduate Personal Statement and my CV.