Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Personal Statement Example

The use of mathematics and mechanics to create complex machines from simplistic theories is a wondrous art form, and something I have been passionate about since I was a child.

My discovery and eventual love of engineering came when I would help my dad with the construction of the car garage in our garden.

I was taught how to measure and cut lengths of wood from which I learned the importance of precision and the satisfying pay off from hard work.

This interest quickly grew when I received a K'nex building set for Christmas. I would spend hours every day making toys for my brother and when I had built everything from the instruction booklet I moved on to drawing up and then creating my own constructions.

My flair for technology followed me through school. I would alternate between going to science and computing at break times, trying my hand at program design, animation and presentation, as well as studying the mechanical and electrical sides of physics. By third year I was competent with Newtonian mechanics.

I had created various programs ranging from simpler programs that would take results from acceleration experiments and perform the necessary calculations, to file decompression and editing in number systems such as hexadecimal.

Having done the ground-work for mechanics I was able to invest more time into the more intricate and exciting areas of physics.

I quickly became enamoured by many concepts not included in higher physics, such as the use of electromagnetic force, induction and resonance in tesla coils, how gyroscopic precession and countertorque affects helicopter flight control, and how pascal's principle can be used to create the hydraulic press in a car's brake pad.

When I am not trying to describe the world with maths, I take the time to teach my friends and family about the things I have learned. Particularly with supporting my brother who is now doing his higher exams. I regularly discuss with him any areas of difficulty he has and in the process try to prepare him for more advanced material.

On top of this I often get students coming to me with their maths problems, which has lead to me spending at least a few hours every week helping, and hopefully inspiring, people in their mathematical pursuits.

In my final two years of high school I was a prefect, this entailed making sure students went to their next classes in an orderly fashion and helping lost student find their way around.

Growing up I went to a lot of folk festivals where I became interested in playing violin, with this hobby came a fascination with the mechanics of sound.

Taking the idea of vibrating particles and applying it to learn the concept of pressure waves took me to the marvel of acoustic levitation. I was enamoured by the idea that the maxima points of interference could create a pressure with enough force to make small objects appear as if they are floating.

Outside of school I have a variety of interests, though in particular I enjoy playing my violin in the local orchestra, aptly named Fiddlesticks, filled with people of all age groups and skill levels. Through it I have had the chance to meet a huge spectrum of people.

As I continue my studies through university, it will be my goal to develop my understanding of physics and mathematics so that I can contribute my own ideas to new experimental technologies such as self-driving cars, robotic limbs and autonomous quad-rotor helicopters. On top of this I look forward to prospect of self studying.