My Passion And Drive to Be a Successful Engineering Student

My interest in engineering lies in its ability to find the perfect common ground between maths and physics. My stay at the Cambridge Shadowing Scheme provided a prime example of this in which the lecturer took a mathematical concept, in this case vector calculus, and used it to solve problems involving fluid mechanics. It's this artistic combination of two seemingly unrelated concepts that draws me to engineering, as well as the creative reasoning that is encompassed within it. To feed my desire and prepare myself for the demands of an engineering degree, I have chosen to study the mechanics modules for my further maths A Level.

My choice of degree was affirmed through various summer schools and lectures. One lecture in particular that intrigued me was how the blades of a ship's propeller can become damaged due to something as trivial as bubbles, known as cavitation. The lecturer then explained how cavitation is being combatted, for example different materials are being used to make the blades, like glass and carbon fibre, as they're more flexible and less rigid under pressure.

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It is lectures like these that illustrate to me the breadth of disciplines within engineering and how one project can require numerous fields to ensure the end goal is met.

To further my maths ability and challenge myself, I attended LSE CHOICE where we studied calculus, specifically partial differentiation. We were introduced to the Lagrange multiplier and Hessian matrix which enabled us to locate and uncover the nature of stationary points.

We then contextualized this to profit functions to see how businesses would try to obtain maximum profit. Studying constrained optimization was a very insightful and revealing task into the field of maths that engineers employ when dealing with the efficiency of a product. It is more important in today’s world, where waste is rife, that engineers endeavor to be more conscious about material waste, whilst also not compromising on performance.

Attending the Design Triathlon gave me the opportunity to explore three different areas of engineering; Aeronautics, Mechanical and Ship Science. Our first task was to build a glider in which we were exposed to the concepts of yaw, pitch and roll in airplane stability. These concepts had to be at the focal point when designing the wings and the rudder as the shape and location of them would determine whether the glider would fail or not. This exercise gave me an appreciation of the numerous factors that engineers would have to consider when designing complex large scale aeroplanes.

Through the UNIQ Summer School, I was given the chance to experience engineering at university level. For one of our projects, we were introduced to the second moment of area and how this calculation determines the resistive ability of a shape against bending when a load is applied. We were then able to see this in action when we visited the construction site at Keble College. Here we were taken around the site to witness the immense planning and creativity that went into the whole project. For example, even before the construction site could begin, engineers had to consider the stability of the building by intensely analyzing the soil on which the site would be built on.

Working well in a team is a vital skill for an engineer and I have demonstrated this through representing my borough in hockey and cricket, as well as making a successful video for a maths competition. In addition, I have performed in a Shakespeare play enabling me to hone my team skills with my fellow actors. I also recognize that time management skills are imperative in studying a demanding degree such as this and so I have had to organize my social and academic life impeccably as I regularly play badminton on a Saturday and volunteer at my local farm on a Sunday.

I hope that you consider my application to study engineering as I believe that I have the passion and drive to be a successful engineering student.