Sample Chemical Engineering Personal Statement
One of the most mystifying birthday presents I have ever received was for my eighth birthday – invisible ink pens! I became enthralled by them; this idea of magic writing sparked my curiosity into the world of chemicals and originated my fascination of chemistry today. Studying Chemical Engineering will allow me to immerse myself in a world where I can take my childhood enchantment and replace it with real life understanding, a notion I have already started to experience and am eager to explore.
With the nature of Chemical Engineering being so diverse, one topic I am especially interested in and am looking forward to studying is developing processes and materials making them more efficient and sustainable for the future. This is highlighted by John Emsley in ‘Vanity Vitality and Virility’. Whilst reading it, I was intrigued by how hundreds of years ago, products were made so differently and how the processes and chemicals used to make them have evolved over time. Topics such as green chemistry from my syllabus have further added to my interest in sustainability and this in conjunction with my subscription to The Chemical Engineer has been an invaluable source of information about the use of alternative fuel sources and renewable energy, which are important current political issues. Studying Chemical Engineering will allow me to apply my knowledge of Chemistry to real world situations, whilst still having to think logically and methodically, skills I have learnt from studying Mathematics and Physics.
I have completed 3 weeks work experience in two different engineering disciplines, chemical and civil. Both placements were in the Chemical engineering sector. I observed Chemical Engineers and learnt about different roles within their company and completed hydraulics calculations used by the companies as training tools. I found this interesting as I discovered more about the construction and design of a chemical plant. For my third placement I helped one of the structural engineers, on a car park they were designing, by checking the stress at every node and element, making sure that it was not above stipulated tolerances and was able to use their computer program to do this. When comparing the different experiences, I found that my interests and strengths were more aligned to the Chemical Engineering field. I also recently gained a place on a broad based engineering course run by Headstart at Birmingham University. Here I was able to speak to post-graduate Chemical Engineering students and was shown around a hydrogen fuel cell laboratory. I saw how a platinum catalyst used in a fuel cell was made and I was able to learn about how the hydrogen for the hydrogen fuel cells is produced. This experience cemented my interest in Chemical Engineering as I found the research engrossing.
I have been involved in many extracurricular activities both in and out of school. I have taken part in Young Enterprise and have completed the silver Duke of Edinburgh award. I feel that both of these activities have helped to develop my teamwork skills. Teamwork was especially significant during Young Enterprise as I had to work in a team with people I did not know therefore emulating a real world situation where I would have to work with people I do not know. The teamwork skills that I have gained will frequently be useful to me as a chemical engineer as I will need to use them when in similar situations for example when designing a plant with in collaboration with other engineers. I have always been musical and have achieved grade seven on the piano and grade three on the violin. In addition, I was also awarded a full music scholarship and a fifty percent academic scholarship to attend my senior school and sixth form. I have always been an active part of my school community and have started up an engineering club for younger students. From this I feel that I have gained management skills as I had needed to plan the activities a few weeks in advance to make sure I could have access to the equipment needed. I have always been an active member of my community have taken part in numerous charity dance and fashion shows. I feel that I have gained considerable confidence from partaking. I also spent 6 months volunteering at a Cancer Research charity shop which helped me to develop organisational skills which I believe will benefit me greatly at university.
We hope this example Chemical Engineering personal statement has been helpful, and give you some ideas for when it comes to writing your own Chemical Engineering personal statement