I am a bright and capable student with a serious focus on my career ambitions. However, I recognise that an essential prerequisite for a successful career is an excellent education. Through devoting my efforts to the educational opportunities that I have had and also actively participating in a wide range of work experience and extracurricular activities, I have developed a strong set of personal qualities and aptitudes which I believe will help me to fulfil my career ambitions. Nevertheless, before entering the professional world I want to acquire specialist skills through completing a postgraduate degree. I have always recognized the salutary effects of a high-quality education as both a path to personal and intellectual fulfilment and as a method of preparing oneself for a future career. At the moment I am in the final year of a BEng in Mechanical Engineering at Cardiff University. Studying for this course has been an exceptionally enriching experience for a wide range of reasons. I have enjoyed acquiring real expertise in engineering processes and the theoretical science that lies behind mechanics. Having the opportunity to apply these to compelling subjects such as my final-year project on smart manufacturing has been greatly rewarding. I have also gained aptitudes in a wide range of transferable abilities, including critical thinking and advanced quantitative skills. Even as I enter the final stretch of this degree, such has been my enjoyment of academia that I am eager to immerse myself in further study that stretches me to the limits of my abilities.

However, I have not limited my studies over the last three years just to my undergraduate degree. I am keen to one day pursue a career that combines my engineering expertise with the business world, and to help prepare myself for this future role I have also been studying for a Foundation course in Business from the Confucius Institute in Cardiff. I also participated in an intensive five-day course organized by the Welsh Assembly for future business leaders. With the course being led by successful entrepreneurs, it was a pleasure to receive the benefit of their professional wisdom; I am looking forward to a similar experience through carrying out master's-level study.

Over the last few years I have had a taste of professional life through being involved in two different work experience placements.In 2009 I completed an internship at a steel company in India. My position was linked to quality control procedures, and it was a fascinating introduction to the production processes involved in heavy industry. Earlier this year I spent a month working as an intern at the production unit of Aston Martin, JLR and Ford in Coventry. The internship was a truly eye-opening experience that allowed me to learn about the operations and production processes of a large company, and it also inspired me to be involved in a high-level managerial role in the future. In particular I l discovered a great deal about how complex, multi-team projects are planned and implemented, both with regards to their long-term planning and their day-to-day execution.

Both of these placements have motivated me to seek to be at the very top of the professional field down which my career path will ultimately lead me. I believe that to achieve the lofty ambitions that I hold for myself, it is essential that I complete a postgraduate course that allows me to maximize my professional skills, knowledge base and expertise.

However, I feel that it has been through my extracurricular activities that I have demonstrated my true pedigree and calibre. 'I have sought whenever possible to play an active role in the life of my university, with the goal of putting my skills to use for the benefit of my peers and the improvement of the university. During the previous academic year I held a number of important committee positions, such as being an academic representative, a course representative and a member of the university's Engineering, Health and Safety and Environmental committees. My membership of these committees was a continuation of the positions of responsibility that I held at secondary school, which included the roles of Prefect and House Captain. Being involved in these bodies has boosted my communication skills and my ability to work with others towards a common goal, and has helped me to appreciate the leadership qualities that I possess. During my second year of university I ran in the election for Student Chair of Cardiff University Students' union. Although I narrowly lost the election by just one hundred votes, the experience was far from disheartening. In fact, I greatly valued the opportunities that running for office gave me to manage a campaign, formulate an assertive message within the electoral discourse and present my ideas to the world.

I have a wide range of personal and intellectual interests that I like to pursue in my leisure time. I am an avid reader of fiction, and also enjoy other cultural activities such as the theatre. I enjoy current affairs and like to keep myself up-to-date with international developments through reading a wide variety of publications. I am also a sports and outdoor enthusiast; in India I was a member of my school's Adventure Club, and I also represented my country at the Inter Public School Tennis Competition.

I have greatly enjoyed my time studying mechanical engineering at university, and have my sights firmly set on a career in the mechanical engineering sector, and more specifically a role which can combine my interest in business and management with the expertise required of engineers. For this reason, I would like to build on the knowledge that I have gained over the last three years whilst at Cardiff University through studying for a master's in Mechanical Engineering. This past year of study has particularly motivated me to carry out further study in this area; through the project that I am currently carrying out in the field of smart manufacturing, I have been enthused by the different practical applications of cutting-edge mechanical engineering developments. I would feel privileged to be more closely involved in these through completing a master's.

Are you thinking of applying for Mechanical Engineering postgraduate? This Mechanical Engineering Postgraduate personal statement sample could help.