Cancer Biology Postgraduate Personal Statement


Sample Cancer Biology Postgraduate Personal Statement

It is perhaps not unusual for individuals who wish to be involved in cancer research to have a personal connection to cancer, usually in the form of a relative or loved one suffering the illness. In my particular case, the death of my grandfather when I was ten years old from a disease that I could not even begin to comprehend was the event that, once I had matured a little, stimulated my wish to make a contribution to human wellbeing. As I grew older and became increasingly interested in biology, I reached the conclusion that, based on my academic and personal skills, the best contribution that I could personally make to saving lives would take the form of a career in scientific research that sought to unlock the mysteries of cancers and work towards creating new treatments for the different forms of the disease. Consequently, I chose to study Cell Biology at the University of East Anglia, with the intention of subsequently undertaking postgraduate research. Now, in the final year of my BSc, my motivation to continue down this path remains as strong as ever.

I have enjoyed the full range of courses that I have taken in my undergraduate degree, something which I think is reflected in the excellent marks that I have received. I believe the BSc has served as an excellent and thorough foundation on which to build a research specialisation. Throughout my time as an undergraduate I have maintained my interest in cancer, and where possible I have selected courses related to this field. In preparation for undertaking postgraduate research in this area, I have chosen cancer as the focus of my final-year research project. Carrying out preparatory research into the area has been highly rewarding, and I am looking forward to the challenge of carrying out laboratory work and writing up the findings of the project.

Studying Cell Biology and carrying out research for my final-year project has helped me to develop a much greater understanding of the current state of cancer research. Over the past few years, for example, I have gained a much fuller understanding of the ways in which cancer cells develop multi-drug resistance, something which explains why in the past so many cancer drugs and therapies have been unsuccessful. This aspect of the fight against cancer captures my interest because it presents the possibility that, if researchers are able to develop methods of counteracting that resistance, previously unsuccessful treatments could become effective. This is just one of the strands of cancer research in which I would be interested to be involved. I have found that studying cancer as part of my degree has generated a wide range of areas that I am motivated to study in greater depth and, I would enter the MRes with an enthusiastic and open mind regarding the available research project options.

Whilst I see the MRes as an opportunity to specialise in cancer research, I am equally looking forward to the taught aspects of the course. I recognise that being a research scientist requires far more than a simple desire to contribute to scientific knowledge and an undergraduate science degree. My commitment to cancer research is a deep-rooted and long-term one, and as a consequence I am looking forward to the opportunity to gain a rigorous grounding in the biology of cancer and research methods and skills in preparation for being involved with a research project. I believe that the courses offered as part of the MRes and the world-class facilities of the University of London will provide me with the best possible training for a career in scientific research, and I hope to be able to progress from the MRes to undertaking doctoral research in the field.

I believe that I have developed the skills and attributes that are necessary for the demands of scientific research work. I have greatly enjoyedthe laboratory work that I have carried out to date, both during the course of my BSc and whilst carrying out a three-month work placement at a hospital in Cyprus. I believe that the results I have achieved so far in my BSc so far demonstrate my aptitude for advanced study. I am equally comfortable working on my own or as part of a team, something of which I have ample experience through both extracurricular activities such as my period of national service in the Cypriot military and through university work. Above all, however, I have an unwavering motivation to pursue a career in the field of cancer research, based around the desire to make a meaningful contribution to helping people that I have developed not just through the passing of my grandfather, but also through carrying out voluntary work and hospital work experience in Cyprus.

We hope that this sample Cancer Biology postgraduate personal statement will be a useful guide for those looking for help with writing a personal statement of their own.

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