Civil Engineering Personal Statement Example 19

Civil engineers have the ability to design, convey and build what their mind envisions, there is little boundary to what they can achieve.

They are expected to overcome challenges in any context, be it environmentally sustainable buildings, structures required to withstand earthquakes and over 800 metres in height.

Projects like these have shaped the world we live in today and provide the building blocks to grow countries for a sustainable future. This expanse of opportunity and ability to achieve almost anything is what has made me follow this path to ultimately lead to degree level.

The modern world is a constant reminder to just how important civil engineering is in everyday life. It surrounds everything we do, from the construction of the building I have my lessons in, to the bridge I cross on my way into college. So much in this subject has heavily used mathematics to work out formulas resulting in structurally sound buildings.

The presence of maths has further fuelled my ambition to undertake this degree. I have a keen interest in the subject which has only increased as I have studied it.

The subject is both challenging and rewarding when you complete a complex question and find you have it correct.

This has driven me to further my understanding of maths and how it is applied. Another relatable aspect of one of my subjects is geography where I have learnt about the destructive world such as earthquakes. It is this that has led me to aim to come up with solutions to create resistant structures.

During the Easter Holidays of 2015, I completed a week of work experience with Transport for London. This included shadowing civil engineers in many aspects of the business including visits to sites such as the Northern Line of the London Underground and numerous bridges over the Thames.

I also assisted in analysing the work as well as using software to plan proposed work on the Cycle Superhighways. I was given the opportunity to contribute and help develop ideas on improving the Bank Road intersection.

This combined with touring London with recent graduates sharing their knowledge of the profession and technicalities of the construction of bridges such as combatting the issues of tension and compression across the structure.

This gave me an insight into what it was like to be an engineer, demonstrating to me how a team of engineers come together as a team to develop solutions to complex problems.

To gain experience of working in a business, I worked in a local off-license over the summer of 2015. This provided me with invaluable experience in dealing with customers on a face-to-face basis and working as part of a small team.

Giving me individual jobs to complete as well as enhancing other aspects of the business and demonstrating how important punctuality is.

I have been fortunate enough to take part in the National Citizen Service, a project that brings together young people in a community to address issues in their local area, developing their team building, communication and problem solving skills.

It included a week long course at an out-of-bounds centre, this consisted of group activities such as raft building.

Fully immersing myself with everyone, I grew in confidence as a person enabling me to exercise my skills to work in a team to overcome issues that arose.

Being a part of this also allowed me to assist in the renovation of a safe house of a charity that helped domestic violence victims. This allowed me to experience the pressure of working to tight deadlines.

Civil engineering involves many different skills besides mathematical. I genuinely feel that my past experiences in the work place and out of college have provided me a strong basis for this degree.

I've had a long interest in this area of work which has now become part of my everyday interests. It is where I want to go in life and hope that I can be a part of this ever developing and rewarding aspect of the modern world.