Sample Environmental Health Personal Statement
I had a highly dramatic introduction to the importance of environmental health through my involvement in my father’s business. When I was younger his catering company received a visit from an environmental health officer, who identified a series of lapses in the business’s compliance with environmental health legislation. I was present when the potentially devastating health implications of these breaches was made clear and the case for continual vigilance and rigorous safeguards was presented to my father.
It was an experience that completely changed the way I thought about the world around me. It is easy to take public health for granted when living in the developed world, as we seldom see the consequences of it on a day-to-day basis unless, of course, you are a specialist in the field. However, the public’s continued wellbeing and safety from environmental health threats is, I have come to realise, largely due to the existence of experts who are empowered through their scientific knowledge and legislation to make sure that businesses comply with very high environmental health standards, thus protecting the public from illness and exposure to harmful materials. I have always wanted to follow a profession that makes use of my potential for scientific and technical expertise to help society, and since that day my goal has been to pursue this ambition through working in environmental health.
I have taken a very proactive approach to fulfilling this ambition in the form of completing various environmental health courses. To date I have completed the Level 2 Award for Food Safety in Catering and the Level 3 Awards in Supervising Health Safety in Catering and in Supervising Health and Safety in the workplace. Through completing these courses I have developed an excellent foundational grounding in the key issues surrounding methods for safeguarding public health through best environmental practices. I have learnt about the ways in which infections or diseases can be transmitted and the underlying principles behind environmental health legislation. However, I recognise that these certificates do not constitute true expertise in the area of environmental health, something which I am eager to attain through completing postgraduate study.
The MSc in Environmental Health at Middlesex University seems to offer an unparalleled level of thoroughness in its approach to this field. As a discipline environmental health is very much an interdisciplinary field of studies, with environmental health professionals needing both a theoretical and scientific knowledge of health issues and expertise in practical issues of policy implementation and legal matters, amongst others. I believe that the course would be the ideal starting point from which I can then go on to pursue a career as an environmental health practitioner, whether in the public or private sector.
I believe that my previous and current work and study experiences demonstrate my ability to succeed in both postgraduate studies and a career in environmental health. My current studies in Mathematics and Statistics have helped me to develop a highly analytical, logical and methodical mind that is perfectly suited to the demands of appraising complex information, a skill that is essential for environmental health practitioners. I have also held a variety of professional roles that have helped me to develop into an able communicator, manager and problem solver. I have been working since 2008 as an interpreter at the South Korean Embassy in London. In addition to carrying out interpreting work on the behalf of Korean nationals in need of the Embassy’s services, I have also been involved with visits from important statespeople from Canada, the UN and South Korea. This role demands excellent communication skills to make sure both parties involved in the conversation fully understand what the other party is trying to convey, just as it is important for environmental health inspectors to be able to communicate vital information to business owners. I also have considerable managerial experience through both running my own business for a year and being responsible for the event management of the South Korean Olympic team this summer, a role that involved liaising with hotel owners, transport companies and other stakeholders.
I have also had the chance in recent years to make use of my spare time to learn more about environmental health questions. For example, I recently completed a Japanese cookery course while I was on holiday in South Korea. The extensive use of seafood and rice in Japanese cuisine means that this style of cooking requires the utmost respect for and a great understanding of health issues, and for this reason the course was an excellent way of gaining a better practical understanding of environmental health in the workplace. I have also recently completed a month of voluntary work in rural South Korea. Working in an underdeveloped region as it faces the environmental challenges of modernisation and economic growth placed my interest in environmental health into a much broader context, making me realise that environmental health issues often go beyond the confines of individual businesses. I believe that the MSc in Environmental Health will be the perfect opportunity to learn more about these matters before I proceed to a career in this most important of professional sectors.
We hope this Environmental Health Personal Statement has been useful to you.