Biological Sciences Personal Statement Example 9

From a micro-scale to the global population, the disciplines of biology have endless applications that I have familiarised myself with during my time in academia.

The emerging field of quantum biology is something that has piqued my interest greatly and unified aspects of maths and chemistry to an astounding level, how ATP-consuming kinesins rely on Brownian motion to move, and how light can function as both a particle and a wave in biological systems. For any confounding phenomenon there is a yet undiscovered tenet to the life science.

Having been brought up in Romania and moving to the UK at an early age gave me an appreciation for the universality of science, with some terminology being identical. It also led to me enjoy languages as a pastime, alongside fluent Romanian I have continued to learn French to a conversational level. Acquiring languages not only enhances cognitive abilities and allows us to learn jargon faster, but also allows us to connect with people from various cultures and nationalities.

I spent a week volunteering at a local care home learning about the most prevalent diseases affecting the elderly such as Alzheimers, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and subdural haematomas, as well as the medications used to treat common ails. Most beneficially, I was shown how to measure blood glucose levels, replace and fit gastrostomy tubes and monitor residents’ co-morbidities.

The whole experience shone a very compassionate light on the biomedical aspect of studying biology. Also present as a “runner” during a day-long flu-jab session at a family practice, guiding people around, asking about any allergies and making them feel at ease. I was grateful to speak to a GP, who gave insight on the daily duties and responsibilities of a medic.

Afterwards I took on an online medical shadowing course from Brighton university with numerous modules ranging from paediatrics to geriatrics, I learnt about the methods used in diagnosing patients and managing a healthcare system, as well as the hands-on approach when looking at an illness, to consolidate what I had learnt so far from my previous work experiences.

I wrote my Pre-U global perspectives essay on the ethics of pre-natal genome editing, and the implications of using CRISPR technology in the future to treat inherited disorders screened in the womb. I went on to read more into different subject matters of biology, such as Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene and Living on the Edge by Al-Khalili and McFadden.

I also read numerous scholastic articles on course-related topics such as G-protein activity in cancer cells to delve deeper into oncological applications, as well the Evolutionary Stable Strategy concept mentioned by Dawkins, which is multipurpose in game-theory and biological maths.

I recently began an online coding course from HarvardEdx, amassing an interest in its many uses regarding bioinformatics, how it can compile and simplify large data sets such as population genomes, critical in the time of a global pandemic. I am looking forward to starting bio-oriented languages such as BioPerl or BioPython.

Tutoring a small class of 15 students in GCSE Chemistry fine-tuned my public speaking skills and ability to explain tricky concepts, I also led a group of 4 during a GCSE maths revision day on trigonometry.

Outside of school I regularly jog and swim, having played for the school football team and a local basketball team developed great teamwork and motivation skills, I’m also very fond of both fiction and non-fiction literature, expanding my knowledge and making me more adept at debating and consolidating ideas.

With every passing day bringing flight to new charged theories on biological mechanisms and population genomics, it’s heartening to revere the planetary magnum opus made 4 billion years ago from colliding amino acids. I look forward to contributing arduous work in a field that has amazed me perpetually, ever since I peered through a microscope.