R. R. on 31/08/2011 10:47
Hi Tina,

I have a typical UCAS statement on my PC. Here it is (its not great):

Students have to write 4,000 characters (think thats about 500-600 words) about their reasons / ambitions for studying their subject. It's a "sell" of themselves.

We have just started this part of our business so it is a little difficult to say how many we would receive. We have started our Adwords & SEO campaign for it so I would reasonably expect to have approx 5-20 / week.

Thanks!

Richard
Personal Statement
Since I can remember, the desire to know how things worked has intrigued me beyond anything and generally the explanation for why the Sun shined or things fell to the ground was to be beyond my knowledge and understanding at the time, or simply gibberish. Endless hours have been spent on the Internet researching topics including Hawking Radiation or The Standard Model because of an article, lesson or conversation. My aptitude in Mathematics is part of the reasoning behind a course studying Physics due to the dependence on the former for providing exact equations governing natural phenomena. Solving complex problems in Mathematics or Physics gives me enormous satisfaction, especially when the solution tells me something about the processes involved.
During the study of Chemistry I have had to learn vast amounts of, at first, seemingly abstract information that when mastered is truly rewarding despite being challenging to achieve. The accelerated course in Mathematics A-level is exciting because of the pace, and I have learnt to work at a considerable rate as a result. I relish the challenge of learning new and harder topics all the time and, as a result, thrive in this situation. Studying Physics involves plenty of Mathematical analysis and methods, which allows me to advance in Physics without being hindered by Mathematical roadblocks.
I subscribe and listen to many podcasts about Science and Maths from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and Imperial College. I find listening to people talking about their topic in an enthusiastic environment is specially conducive to learning.
I have read an array of scientific books which have given me a great insight into the world of scientific research, also including a large amount of scientific history. These books brought new approaches to presenting the relevant concepts, but in particular I enjoyed an inspirational book by Jim Al-Khalili about Quantum Mechanics because he includes an insightful last chapter on the future of such exploits as Quantum Computing and the limits of classical computing that can be overcome if we utilise the laws of the Quantum world. Another book that I have read is The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, which explains Superstring Theory in great detail. This book and many of the others I have read tie in closely with archival episodes of In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg that I’ve listened to. Through IOT I have discovered a variety of different areas of fascinating research, including the long sought after Grand Unified Theory (GUT), some believe to be Superstring Theory, to the elusive Higgs Boson and the fruitless search for Quantum Gravity.
Over the summer of 2011 I plan on conducting some detailed research into what the real implications of Superstring Theory are, formulating my own essay concentrated on the core ideas that mark the theory out as a candidate for the Grand Unified Theory, uniting all the four fundamental forces: Gravity, strong and weak nuclear and electromagnetic.
After university, I have no immediate plans, though a career in research seems like a decent way to enter the scientific world and start probing deeper into the realms of the unknown.

R. R. on 31/08/2011 14:04
Thanks Tina,

Thank you for taking the time to have a look at the advert and provide an excellent edited paragraph.

The competition for the role has been fairly incredible. I think that your hourly rate, whilst competitive, is a little higher than a few other candidates. As a result I am going to decline your offer.

I had come across your profile when I first visited PPH and will certainly be in touch if we have a surge in personal statement reviews over the next few months.

Thank you once again.

Richard