Mathematics, Accounting and Finance Personal Statement Example

Real life applications of Mathematics have always fascinated me, whether that be the statistical analysis of data or the calculation of insurance risk. Accounting and Finance are prime examples of how Mathematics is used in everyday life; it plays an essential role in these two subject areas which is why I am keen to study this course. This course is a gateway into acquiring the necessary skills required to succeed in the financial world.

I have had a keen interest in Mathematics from a young age. I remember solving mathematical puzzles as a child with my grandfather and being set pages of sums to complete. While some children may have considered this a burden, I enjoyed it and I have continued to enjoy this subject throughout my school life. I find that when I am faced with challenging problems, regardless of how difficult, I have to solve them in order to feel satisfied. During my A-levels, I faced different types of challenges. I was introduced to ideas such as calculus and reintroduced to different aspects of trigonometry which widened my perspective. I have been inspired to take Mathematics at degree level after attending a series of lectures presented by speakers such as Hugh Hunt and Hannah Fry. The¬¬¬se lectures showed me how versatile a subject Mathematics can be and how it has applications in the real world and isn’t just theoretical. These lectures covered a range of topics and one that drew my attention was the Magnus effect. After these lectures, I did some further research and watched a documentary by Hugh Hunt on bouncing bombs and how they used the Magnus effect in WWII to destroy dams. Football is a sport I have enjoyed for most of my life and discovering that Mathematics played a huge part in it was fascinating. We see the Magnus effect in play again when we watch a free-kick being curved into the goal.

This summer I attended a voluntary service, leadership and culture programme held in Kenya. Whilst on this programme, we participated on service projects. Here I worked with school children and teachers to help renovate their IT-lab and also made their library operational by removing lizards, book worms and a hornet’s nest! Through serving in a voluntary capacity, I discovered volunteering is equally rewarding for the volunteer as beneficial for the charity. I also realised the importance of putting the needs of the people you’re serving at the centre of what you are trying to achieve. During this course, I also took part in a leadership summit. This required research into a different subject area and the collection of data for a final presentation. In my presentation entitled ‘What challenges do students face when learning outside of school?’ I had to use my communication skills along with data analysis techniques.

During my GCSEs, I was a senior Mathematics prefect. In this role I supported students, in years seven to nine, with topics in which they were struggling. I was able to facilitate their learning which also helped reinforce key Mathematic principles for myself.

This summer, I discovered a love for travel and photography whilst on safari in East Africa. Football is a sport I have enjoyed playing from a young age. To me football is more than just a sport. It’s an opportunity to create meaningful bonds with other people. I feel that to succeed on the football pitch it is important to work as a team and through the years it has developed and enhanced my social confidence along with team working skills. Every Saturday, I volunteer by teaching children aged eight and nine. This is a big responsibility as I have been given the opportunity to help shape their future. This role requires good time management skills as I have to create lesson plans during a busy school week.

Over the years I have obtained skills that have set me up to study a degree in Mathematics. I am excited by this degree and I am looking forward to the opportunities it will create for me upon completion.