Motorsport Engineering Personal Statement Example 2

For many years growing up I was unsure as to what I wanted a career in, but at the start of secondary school I was asked, “What have you always loved?”, and my response was “cars”.

At first it was all about the statistics and how fast they were, but growing up I became more interested in how things worked under the bonnet, this lead to me researching mechanics and formula 1 precision engines. Throughout this I became a big F1 enthusiast and I found that the way the teams pushed the boundaries of down force and precision incredibly interesting, especially as they are always pushing further into the unknown.

This love for cars and engines soon developed into an interest in motorcycles, and to improve my overall knowledge I started to read about the difference between motorcycle engines, car engines and how they act differently as 2 strokes, 4 strokes, carburettors set ups or fuel injected set ups.

When choosing my college course I had to the option of either an A-level or BTEC route. I chose BTEC because I believed it would give me not only the knowledge needed, as a foundation, for your degree but also the practical skills and experiential learning which I may not have experienced as an A-level student.

In my first year I was introduced to CAD in 2D and 3D alongside Inventor in order to gain knowledge on design and the importance of communication between manufacturer, designer and customer.

Furthermore, the course has also shown me the aspects of both mechanical and electrical engineering to allow me to get an idea of what type of engineering I wish to go into. To show this I took units such as, fabrication in the workshop and electronic principles which involved a lot of physics.

In the second year I had to choose a project and this determined if I did mechanical or electrical units for the curriculum. Due to the fact that I enjoyed the units and got distinctions and merits in the units I chose electrical. Some of this year’s assignments include the use of Picaxe, Multisim and Ultiboard.

In addition, I believe to make it in any section of the engineering industry in this economic climate you not only need to be competent in theory and practical skills but business skills as well and to fill this void one of my units is commercial aspects where I have learnt in more depth about the financial crisis and how to keep a business a float.

In year 10 I worked at a company called Alto Handlings Mitsubishi Forklifts for my 2 weeks of work experience, my time there consisted of going on call outs for faults and servicing. After leaving school and turning 16 I looked for a job immediately, applying for everything from call centres to McDonalds.

Unsurprisingly I had no such luck so I decided to volunteer at a local Barnardos branch to get some type of experience, after a couple of months I got an interview at McDonalds and I have worked there since, it has produced some pressured experiences and at times I have run a kitchen of up to 7 people. It has definitely improved my organisational skills which has helped me out with college work and organising my time more efficiently.

I also believe that I have made a transition from school where I did not take much responsibility for my own learning to post 16 learning where I play an active part and take personal responsibility for my own learning and study.

My spare time comprises of a variety of activities, the main one being judo. I attend sessions 2-3 times a week and have been training for 10 years. The sport has kept my fitness in check and developed my willingness to keep at something even when times are tough which obviously helps when I have large amounts of coursework with short deadlines.

I trust that after the completion of my BTEC course I will have a solid foundation of engineering knowledge for a degree at your university and hope that it will propel me into industry.