Below is my personal statement for admission at the University of Oxford for undergraduate general engineering science.
Engineering is at the heart of change and is pivotal to the development of society. I am inspired by the works of many engineers such as Elon Musk who promises to produce an interactive Iron Man like computer interface that uses gestures. In my mind, his works represent and symbolise the prodigious nature of engineering, revealing the influence and infinite potential of man’s intellect which inspires me to hopefully conduct my own future work in engineering.
An engineering seminar at Imperial College introduced me to the exciting future of engineering. Working alongside many students collaboratively to design streamlined cars, calculating the drag coefficient of each design, developed my communication skills and demonstrated to me the importance of teamwork. I was particularly interested in learning about a methodical process used within engineering projects focusing on diagnosing the problem, applying mathematics, approximating, characterising the system of the problem and designing new technology to solve it. This logical approach can be used to solve contemporary issues such as designing new waste management systems to deal with the plethora of new kinds of waste. Learning about the appealing multidisciplinary nature of engineering showed me that we can use engineering to improve society in all areas whether it be controlling the growing obesity epidemic or addressing the environmental issues associated with planned obsolescence. I look forward to completing work experience at Sky in broadcast engineering next month where I can have the chance to manage systems and services that maintain broadcasting to Sky’s huge audience.
My interest and aptitude in Maths has led me to complete my A2 in one year and is a solid basis for my study of further maths this year. Achieving the best in my school in the UK maths challenge and bronze in the chemistry Olympiad reflects my strong scientific and mathematical skills, so significant in engineering. I thoroughly enjoy attending extracurricular workshops in mathematics which introduced me to areas of algebraic and arithmetic combinatorics. I learnt the application of Pascal’s triangle in probability problems which complemented my study of S1 with knowledge beyond the syllabus. Attending many public lectures from Friends of Imperial such as ‘’Matter from Light’’ and ‘’Random Universe” has challenged me to understand the properties of dark energy encouraging me to integrate my knowledge of chemistry and physics. Alongside this, completing the online Futurelearn course “Cracking Mechanics” taught me how to employ calculus to solve real life problems which aided my study of M1 in maths. From this, I was inspired to attend an engineering Masterclass at Oxford which gave me a greater understanding of what engineering at university would involve. Visiting the Osney Thermofluids laboratory gave me a fantastic opportunity to observe the process of testing heat transfer and cooling in gas turbines for ultra-high inlet temperatures. Furthermore, a lecture on understanding imagery for autonomous systems and its application for robotic cameras captivated me and provided me with a great insight into the exciting world of engineering.
I am a seeded semi-professional tennis player competing in national tournaments, representing Wembley and Sudbury tennis club in the national league for the men’s first team and am head coach to many juniors. As a Young Leader in the Scout network, actively working to expand the 3rd Wembley Scout group, and Deputy Head boy at school, I have achieved the Chief Scout Gold and Jack Petchey awards. These roles of responsibility have allowed me to develop a foundation in leadership skills and project management skills essential for engineering.
My academic interest, attendance to courses and many extracurricular activities have all encouraged me to believe that an engineering degree is ideally suited to me.
Danial Farooq's blog 