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Derek Siu

[Important] Need help with writing a Personal Statement

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Hi everyone. :help: :help: :help:

I have 1 more year until i get into university... and im thinking of taking an Aeronautical Engineering degree. :rolleyes:

any goods or bads about it? :drinks:

 

 

Lets get to the main point, other than good grades, i need a good personal statement, which is a huge advantage for getting in a good uni. :yahoo:

due to the limited space available for the application. so i have to get it perfect, with getting the important points in it :help:

 

 

~Is there anything important / needed , should be in it, other than who i am, etc?

~Any advises and suggestions? , Do speak it out!!! :rolleyes:

~If you do know which uni is good for aeronautic @ UK, please give me a few names [ im thinking of Bristol as my 1st choice :rofl: ]

 

Welcome to any informations, helps and comment related :clapping:

 

 

:help: Please give me a hand :drinks: I m keen on getting in a good Uni :yahoo:

 

 

Many Thanks :drinks:

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HAHA!!

I did my homework before I depart on Jan'08

 

Aeronautical and manufacturing engineering

 

Entry Standards Overall Score

1 Cambridge 100.0

2 Imperial College 484 93.8

3 Bath 415 93.5

4 Southampton 423 88.3

5 Nottingham 404 87.3

6 Newcastle 86.7

7 Bristol 425 85.3

8 Loughborough 392 84.3

9 Birmingham 83.8

10 Liverpool 299 82.9

11 Heriot-Watt 393 82.4

12 Manchester 377 79.4

13 Leeds 302 78.7

14 Sheffield 382 77.6

15 Queens, Belfast 357 75.9

16 Surrey 339 74.6

17 Aston 276 73.3

18 Brunel 341 72.6

19 Strathclyde 387 72.1

20 Glasgow 387 71.4

 

I'm aiming for Loughborough after graduated from St.Andrews :rolleyes:

Btw, I'm still curious about one thing.

What's the range of job for an aeronautical engineer? Not really clear with it..

Well, it's still far far to go..SPM first :pardon:

Edited by Min Chun

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HAHA!!

I did my homework before I depart on Jan'08

I'm aiming for Loughborough after graduated from St.Andrews :rolleyes:

Btw, I'm still curious about one thing.

What's the range of job for an aeronautical engineer? Not really clear with it..

Well, it's still far far to go..SPM first :pardon:

 

 

:drinks: A big thanks Min!, is that the most update information u've found for the rank of the uni?

 

me either, not too clear with the range of job for aeronautical engineer. :sorry: The range of jobs could be "" Maintenance, aircraft design, etc"" related. :drinks:

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Isn't a personal statement supposed to be just that... "personal"...i.e you should do it yourself? :pardon:

 

We're not going to Uni for you mate... :blink:

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For the personal statement, I guess you have to just sit down and figure out why you want to study and expand on the reasons a little bit further.

 

There are examples of personal statement you can find on the internet. Just briefly introduce yourself, your background and your achievement thus far. Expand on why you have landed your interests in your chosen field of study. Most common mistake is that people tended to tell the university what they think the field of study is within the personal statement, and remember DON'T TELL THEM what you think that field of study is, because they have much better idea than you do.

 

Also, it shouldn't be a thesis, but just purely a statement stating why you want to do it and how you think the education from university will prepare you for your future career and most importantly why you want to join them - could look at their current research focus, background and the directions they are heading and etc.

 

It should be something easy to read. Like Imran said, it is best to come out with your own statement, rather than asking others to throw you with some ideas, because at the end of the day Universities requires you to invest on self-thinking rather than asking your friends for ideas. Universities wants to make sure that you have the abilities to get through their courses and looking at talent that will make them even more famous during your career life. Therefore they want to know what your interests and focus are within your personal statements. For this reason, don't overkill your personal statement. My 2 cents ;)

Edited by S V Choong

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Btw , isn't Aeronautical under Mechanical Engineering ...

Your studies will cover alot of Fluid Mechanics ( which is a real killer to me :( ) , material science ... Manufacturing principles ... all sorts lah along that line . If I'm not mistaken , Idham is doing that in UTM Skudai , but cannot confirm on that .

 

Don't worry about the ' best ' uni to go to or what .

 

You go to a great uni , and don't study , you still end up doing nothing . Its a two way thing ..

 

Any uni will be fine , just be prepared to work very hard if you're interested into taking up an Engineering Degree .

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I'm applying for Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona Campus. I'm applying for Aeronautical Science degree.

 

I want to get the end of 2008 intake since I will finish my Diploma at MMU by that time.

 

Azuddin

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For the personal statement, I guess you have to just sit down and figure out why you want to study and expand on the reasons a little bit further.There are examples of personal statement you can find on the internet. Just briefly introduce yourself, your background and your achievement thus far. Expand on why you have landed your interests in your chosen field of study. Most common mistake is that people tended to tell the university what they think the field of study is within the personal statement, and remember DON'T TELL THEM what you think that field of study is, because they have much better idea than you do. Also, it shouldn't be a thesis, but just purely a statement stating why you want to do it and how you think the education from <the name> university will prepare you for your future career and most importantly why you want to join them - could look at their current research focus, background and the directions they are heading and etc.It should be something easy to read. Like Imran said, it is best to come out with your own statement, rather than asking others to throw you with some ideas, because at the end of the day Universities requires you to invest on self-thinking rather than asking your friends for ideas. Universities wants to make sure that you have the abilities to get through their courses and looking at talent that will make them even more famous during your career life. Therefore they want to know what your interests and focus are within your personal statements. For this reason, don't overkill your personal statement. My 2 cents ;)
Choong :drinks: Thanks so much! it keeps alot on what i should and shouldnt write :drinks:
Btw , isn't Aeronautical under Mechanical Engineering ...Your studies will cover alot of Fluid Mechanics ( which is a real killer to me :( ) , material science ... Manufacturing principles ... all sorts lah along that line . If I'm not mistaken , Idham is doing that in UTM Skudai , but cannot confirm on that .Don't worry about the ' best ' uni to go to or what .You go to a great uni , and don't study , you still end up doing nothing . Its a two way thing ..Any uni will be fine , just be prepared to work very hard if you're interested into taking up an Engineering Degree .
Gav, very good point of the 2 way thing~! I will keep that in my head :drinks:
Welcome.Hope these help :)Good University Guide rankings for 2008http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.phpTop Universities 2007 League Tablehttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,102571,00.htmlI wonder which one to look at.. :pardon:
Thanks Min for those such an useful websites!
Isn't a personal statement supposed to be just that... "personal"...i.e you should do it yourself? :pardon: We're not going to Uni for you mate... :blink:
Imran, i know its personal. thats why i m gonna type it out myself :rofl: haha

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Gavin is also right about not worrying about getting into the 'best' university. There are quite a lot of factors and sacrifice to take into consideration before entering a university. So just apply for a university as long as they are not the lower band uni. I have a friend who had successfully completed his PhD at Cambridge Uni of the UK and he is a Sabahan and it doesn't mean he has a guaranteed success. He had to sacrifice a lot of things, including quality time with friends, family and etc. Not to mention he is still single! :o

 

O/T not sure why Malaysians tended to think UK has all the best universities. I have been reading some reports about universities and most of the best seems to be pointing at the USA. Aeronautical would be a huge thing at the USA too. So I don't know why Malaysians are flocking to the UK for education.....? :pardon: Even UNSW and University of Melbourne at Australia are still very good by international standards.

 

All the best with your application!

Edited by S V Choong

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UNDW does have aeronautical but Melbourne U has only Aerospace if mistaken :D

 

Agent could be one of the reasonw hy M'sians are flocking to UK for education :D

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..... Most common mistake is that people tended to tell the university what they think the field of study is within the personal statement, and remember DON'T TELL THEM what you think that field of study is, because they have much better idea than you do .....
Just shows how much planet earth has moved on since my study days era :) As part of our pre-admission screening, I remember having to come up with an essay in situ as to what we perceive our intending profession entails (not just what the course of study involves)Actually, I personally still try apply this approach when screening job applicants - gives a reliable indication as to how far one is willing to stretch oneself in accomplishing a task.

 

Don't worry about the ' best ' uni to go to or what .You go to a great uni , and don't study , you still end up doing nothing . Its a two way thing ...
Hope you don't mind if I expand on that.Go to the best uni, study like dog for years, get first class honours plus dean's award or something - then have to make adjustment to real life (ie find a job !)Unless you decide on a career in academia that is ! Edited by BC Tam

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Hope you don't mind if I expand on that.Go to the best uni, study like dog for years, get first class honours plus dean's award or something - then have to make adjustment to real life (ie find a job !)Unless you decide on a career in academia that is !

 

Not trying to condone about getting into a good university, but often there are many factors that can derail you from doing so, be it financial, location and etc. Or it could be your entry mark or portfolio that let you down for a bit.

 

I actually wanted to study my Masters at UNSW or University of Melbourne, but the tuition there is AUD$18,000 versus NZD$5,500 if I do it at Auckland University. Obviously I will opt for the latter and the latter is actually one of the band 1 institution in New Zealand, so I wouldn't mind ;)

 

Thing to bear in mind is that if you have a higher grade of honours, it actually increases the chances of getting a job!

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O/T not sure why Malaysians tended to think UK has all the best universities. I have been reading some reports about universities and most of the best seems to be pointing at the USA. Aeronautical would be a huge thing at the USA too. So I don't know why Malaysians are flocking to the UK for education.....? :pardon: Even UNSW and University of Melbourne at Australia are still very good by international standards.

Yeah ... I was wondering the same. Even all the teachers in my school also think it this way ... (that all the best universities are in UK). Lack of reading i guess :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

Most of the top universities are all in USA. Not UK as many thought/heard. If you manage to get into one of the top universities in USA, you will have no problem finding a job. Multi-billion companies will come looking for you.

 

By the way S V Choong, most of the Malaysians studying in UK mostly are taking Law, Medicine etc. They are still many Malaysians go to USA to study business & some science related field such as Biotech.

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Most of the top universities are all in USA. Not UK as many thought/heard. If you manage to get into one of the top universities in USA, you will have no problem finding a job. Multi-billion companies will come looking for you.

 

It comes down to what you are studying and which uni you have attended. If you attended Yale, Harvard and all those in the Ivy league, may be thats the case. As you know the USA has some of the best university and at the same time some of the worst ones too. Quite a wide range actually.

 

The research funding at a US university is also much better than other parts of the world from what I have read. Corporates are willing to invest into University for R&D. All in all, it makes people flocking over there for research.

Edited by S V Choong

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guys, i know this could be the wrong place to leave this Msg

 

"im fly back to uk (school) tonight, so i wont have as much time to spend on this warm forum.

 

its also depends on , would my school block this website or not (forum might get block )

 

Time to say a Big thanks for everyone who have helped me~! thanks so much!!!!

 

good bye, and if i have the chance and time, i will pop in n out sometime!!!

 

if u have any more comments, DO post it in~!, coz i will try my best to check n reply~!

 

 

Good bye

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Ah, didn't realise Derek is a Hong Konger? Good luck bro! ;)

 

Im indeed.

 

One more thing for everyone~!, I will get this personal Statement done, i will do my best~! :drinks:

i have a great time here during my summer holiday many thanks to you all :yahoo: (already miss you ppl :sorry: )

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I'm applying for Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona Campus. I'm applying for Aeronautical Science degree.

 

I want to get the end of 2008 intake since I will finish my Diploma at MMU by that time.

 

Azuddin

 

 

Woohoo... Embry Riddle! They sent me invitation to apply several years ago from my SAT scores and questionnaire answer... Looked very nice... Azuddin, all the best! :good:

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It comes down to what you are studying and which uni you have attended. If you attended Yale, Harvard and all those in the Ivy league, may be thats the case. As you know the USA has some of the best university and at the same time some of the worst ones too. Quite a wide range actually.

True. But you don't necessarily have to make it into an Ive League. There are still many top non-Ivy League schools. Such as :

- Stanford University

- Massachusetts Institute of Technology

- University of California, Berkeley

- University of Texas, Austin

- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

- Northwestern University

- Boston College

and many more !!!!

 

And also Indiana University, Bloomington. Indiana University, Bloomington is famous for its business and music. A popular choice among Malaysian students.

 

Be careful when you come to choosing the universities you intend to apply as many of the universities in USA have similar names. For example, there are a total of NINE University of Texas in the sate of Texas.

- University of Texas, Arlington

- University of Texas, Austin

- University of Texas, Brownsville

- University of Texas, Dallas

- University of Texas, El Paso

- University of Texas of Permian Basin

- University of Texas, Pan American

- University of Texas, San Antonio

- University of Texas, Tyler

All are lousy schools (some even unranked as they are illegible) except University of Texas, Austin. Univsersity of Austin is one of the top Business school in the world.

Edited by Isaac

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i'm flying back to the UK on monday as well :( :( :(

 

haha , wishing to take up mechanical engineering :)

 

but as a reminder .. remember to look at which university diploma your country recognizes. I got an offer from imperial... but i think i'll hv to decline since it isnt accredited in iMechE :angry:

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i'm flying back to the UK on monday as well :( :( :(

 

haha , wishing to take up mechanical engineering :)

 

but as a reminder .. remember to look at which university diploma your country recognizes. I got an offer from imperial... but i think i'll hv to decline since it isnt accredited in iMechE :angry:

 

 

Really? coz i thought Imperial is good, and im planning to apply for that as well :sorry:

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- Stanford University

- Massachusetts Institute of Technology

- University of California, Berkeley

 

Isaac, if you can get into any of the above uni, it will be sweet~~~!

 

The Ivy league comprised of 8 universities, see below ;) Now I just realised my Chinese American cousin is currently studying at Brown University at Rhode Island. His sister is doing Mechanical Engineering at University of California, Berkeley and father (who is originally a Chinese Malaysian) is working at the Silicon Valley near San Jose too....

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_League

 

Go Isaac ;) On the contrary, I prefer the universities in Australia for some reason ;)

Edited by S V Choong

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