Aerospace Engineering Personal Statement Example 29

It is fair to say that I have harboured a strong interest in planes and rockets most of my life.

It is somewhat of a family tradition; both my Grandad - who took me to my first air show when I was five years old (it was not good for my ears!) and my Dad - with whom I have enjoyed numerous late night conversations about aerofoils and turbo fan engines, studied Aeronautical Engineering at university.

I have always been curious about how planes and rockets function. I have had many opportunities to investigate this, from my Year 3 project on the lessons learnt from the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, through to my recent A-level computer science project for calculating the most fuel-efficient flight path between two airports.

I have supported this interest throughout my formal education and my A-level subjects were selected to provide me with the foundations for the university course.

Physics teaches me the fundamental concepts of natural phenomena, which I can see being important in a number of areas of the university course, for example, fluid dynamics, propulsion and structural mechanics.

Maths binds everything together and teaches me invaluable skills for modelling the many laws I've encountered in Physics. Studying Computer Science will allow me to implement these models and teaches me the skills and tools to solve real-life problems, such as my A-level Computer Science project. I see being fluent in computing as important as reading and writing.

My engineering interests have led me to the UKSDC (United Kingdom Space Design Challenge), where schools around the UK compete to overcome various engineering challenges.

I have been a part of my school team for two years where I worked on how to transport thousands of passengers at a time into low orbit and onto a spacecraft. I additionally worked on designs for an asteroid mining probe in the National finals.

This not only challenged me to think like an engineer but also taught me that communication and teamwork is invaluable. I am also looking forward to my virtual work experience with Airbus starting shortly, which I hope will provide more interesting insights into Aerospace Engineering in practise.

Outside of academic work, I enjoy many types of exercise and sport, particularly hockey. Having played for Kent at junior level for three years I now enjoy playing for the First XI at my school and also for a local club at the weekends to burn some energy and relieve stress. When you are on a hockey pitch, one-on-one with another player you are not thinking of the maths homework you need to hand in tomorrow!

In addition, I like to play video games, lately I have built my own computer in order to play the new Microsoft Flight Simulator where I enjoy messing around with the weather settings or flying into a hurricane.

I like to help people, whether it be my sister with her maths homework, volunteering to teach maths to Year 2 students at a local primary school or organising charity events for my house at school. In the future I would love to be able to contribute to innovation within Aerospace design, as was the case when winglets were first introduced on commercial aircraft.

While seemingly a minor modification, they reduce drag significantly by reducing wing-tip vortices, facilitating fuel savings which are important for both industry and our planet. A degree in Aerospace Engineering would be a great course for me to start on this journey.