Writing your UCAS Personal Statement...how can my application stand out from the crowd? (part 2)

I have been confronted with the power of autoimmune diseases first handed. I witnessed the vulnerability in my family, as they faced these conditions, desperately hoping for a cure that is yet to be discovered. This experience motivated me to seek a career in the direction of chemistry and pharmacy, as this field would allow me to understand these epidemics and grant me the opportunity to research new medicaments as well as to improve already existing treatments to help those in need. My interests lie primarily in the composition of medicines and their regulation in the body to spark effectivity. Through the medical encounters of my family, I realised that contemporary medicaments are unable to secure an evident solution to every existing disease, not to mention that they often only assuage the condition instead of curing it. Thus, my greatest incentive in this field would be to save as many people as possible from having to endure the agonising feeling of vulnerability and despair that I had to suffer through alongside my family.To solidify my interest in the pharmaceutical field, I take advanced courses in biology as well as extracurricular classes in chemistry to further my knowledge in these departments. During my studies, I encountered the “The Consumer’s Good Chemical Guide “by John Emsley, which enabled me to investigate the ways chemistry appears in our everyday lives, as well as explore how the author combated the negative associations that our society has regarding chemicals. The book provided an overview of the measures by which our life is influenced by chemistry, not only from the perspective of nutrition but also from the aspect of commercially available medicine and motivated me to conduct further research in this area, such as analysing the composition of non-prescription painkillers as part of my annual chemistry project-work in school. This project thrived me to seek a work placement in the Dr Rose Hospital in 2017, during which I got to observe and aid pharmaceutical research, and confer with multiple physicians and medics. This placement secured my initial instinct that my scholarly ambitions applied principally to the rectification of diseases on a medical base.Alongside my extended studies in chemistry, I found it essential to further my academic horizon outside of my school as well, which inspired me to join the Model United Nations (MUN) program. Through this opportunity, I had the chance to develop my public speaking abilities and further my knowledge of present-day politics. I was also honoured to get selected to attend an international conference in Berlin to represent my own country, Hungary, allowing me to embody my cultural heritage. Being an elected leader of my school’s student council for years gave me the chance to give back to my community and utilise the abilities that I acquired through MUN, such as working in a group, organising events and publicly representing the interest of my community. Growing up in a multilingual and cultural household, with my father being German and my mother being Hungarian, I grasped the importance of cultural and national correlation, which motivated me to study foreign languages such as English, French and Spanish. Later on, these foreign language courses allowed me to participate in numerous exchange programs, for instance to France and Spain, centred around perfecting my language skills, however, they served a much more significant role in my personal growth. Through these experiences, I learned to be open-minded and culturally relativistic, while I was also able to experience what it is like to live abroad. Studying in the UK would allow me to continue broadening my cultural horizon while enabling me to progress towards my goal of helping people through my passion for chemistry, and eventually proceed to work in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK.