Mechanical Engineering Personal Statement

Personal Statement - My love of mechanics and engineering has had a very significant influence on my education, playing an important role in my choice of subjects. I am currently studying mathematics and physics. I never fail to be fascinated by the way in which these two subjects can be used to explain or solve real life problems. Indeed, I relish opportunities to apply the problem-solving skills that my knowledge of mathematics and physics has given me to real-life situations and phenomena. Although I am of course strongly interested in the more theoretical sides of these two subjects and the general principles that underpin them, what interests me most of all is their practical applications. This interest has manifested itself in the form of me immersing myself in all things mechanical, a habit that I have had for several years now. My interest in all things mechanical began at the age of four, when I developed the habit of dismantling faulty household goods in an attempt to understand how their internal mechanisms worked. Of course, my young brain lacked the skills and knowledge to make any real sense of their internal workings, but nevertheless a lifetime passion for mechanics had been started. I have never lost the sense of wonderment that I experienced when I took those items apart for the first time. When I was thirteen I became involved with repairing faulty mini motorbikes. I relished the challenge of stripping down their main components before repairing the machines, which I then resold for a profit. I eventually became bored with the simplicity of these bikes, and so began to seek out more complicated mechanical challenges. Inspired by my interest in remote controlled cars, I have been designing and building a large-scale, remote-controlled quad bike with a 49cc engine. The project has proved to be a complex and highly rewarding challenge, and has vastly improved my understanding of mechanical engineering. Through making use of CAD software, the project also allowed me to develop my practical design and engineering skills. So far the only real complication I have encountered has been a lack of resources required to finish the project, but I look forward to bringing it to completion in the near future.

In more recent years this hands-on interest in mechanical engineering has matured into a desire to study the subject at university. Reading books such as ‘Invention by Design: How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing’ and ‘The New Science of Strong Materials: Or Why You Don't Fall Through the Floor’ has given me an insight into the challenges faced by engineers when they design everyday objects, and made me realize that I would find it very rewarding to acquire the expertise of a professional engineer. I am now committed to completing a degree in mechanical engineering and subsequently following a career in engineering.

I believe that I am an enterprising, resourceful person who relishes a challenge, and these aspects of my character have not only come to the fore through my involvement in mechanical engineering. In the last couple of years I have been developing my own part-time online business, which sells CCTV cameras for both businesses and wildlife watchers. The challenge of running a business has certainly enhanced my personal skills. Having supplied many businesses as well as universities, schools and government institutions, I have gained the ability to deal with problems and work efficiently and independently. I am currently working on re-launching my business’s website to allow me to better showcase my expanded product range, which includes my custom-designed remote controlled flying platforms for aerial photography and filming.

Outside of my enthusiasm for mechanics and running my business, I also enjoy designing and programming remote controlled models, trips abroad to go open-water scuba-diving, mountain-biking, and flying 3D aerobatics with a model helicopter, which I will soon be entering in an international tournament.