Sunday, September 13, 2009

Personal Statement

In junior college, I was not interested in Chemistry. I always dozed off in Chemistry lectures and tutorials. Expectedly, I failed my mid terms. However, my teacher did not give up on me and gave me remedial lessons and tried his best to make them as interesting as possible. My love for Chemistry grew and I managed to get a good grade for A levels.

Throughout my days in NUS, I picked up various analytical methods in laboratory work such as the usage of UV-VIS and IR spectroscopy, HPLC and LC-MS. Other than chemical knowledge, working in the laboratory has taught me how to think on my feet. Things can go wrong in an experiment and it is important to think of solutions quickly.

During my school holidays, I took up jobs in different fields. As an accounting assistant, I categorized and sorted out documents, which helped to hone my organization ability. In addition, my experience as a sale associate developed my communication and interpersonal skills through constant interaction with customers and colleagues.

I also helped in organising the NUS Science Club's charity run From the event, I learnt how to work in a dynamic team comprising of people from various backgrounds and to resolve conflicts. In addition, I was part of the marketing and publicity team in my hall's concert and Dinner and Dance respectively. I have learnt the importance of good communication skills from all my school activities and I believe that they will be useful for a career as a laboratory officer.

5 comments:

  1. Dear jiamin,

    It was good that you listed out some of the analytical methods pertaining to lab experiences but you should also explain how these can actually affect you in your studies and your chemical knowledge. Your article is very concise and fluent. Well done! Your grammar usage and sentence structure is also very good.

    Shinye

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  2. Hello Jiamin =)

    I like the first paragraph as it adds a personal touch to your personal statement.

    Your statement is well supported by examples. However, I feel that more emphasis should be given on your thoughts and values. It would be good if you can add in a paragraph dedicated to one important core value of your life.

    Thanks for sharing! =)

    Rebecca

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  3. This is a clear, concise and well-organized statement, Jiamin. In the various paragraphs, you develop ideas that present different areas indicative of your strengths, and they are all well connected.

    At the same time, a few minor language problems could be improved:

    a) in Chemistry > in chemistry (word initial caps are only used for proper nouns)

    b) Throughout my days in NUS, I picked up various analytical methods > Throughout my study of chemistry in NUS, I have picked up various analytical methods

    c) organization ability > organizational ability

    Thank you for this fine effort!

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  4. Hi Jiamin,

    You post is really structured. The flow is really good. First, your started off with your interest in chemistry. Next, you highlighted the knowledge relevant to the career from your learning experience. After that, you mentioned about the skills you have acquired from part time jobs and activities. Finally, you concluded by saying how your skills would aid your career as a laboratory officer.

    However, just like what Rebecca has commented, I feel that maybe you want to include one value or belief which you value the most. It may be from your parents or the activities your are involved in. I think this may add a personal touch to your personal statement.

    Thank you for sharing!

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  5. Hi Jiamin!

    In your 3rd paragraph, it is good that you mentioned the skills and qualities you have learnt during your part-time jobs. Perhaps you can elaborate more on the experience and give us more details on your job duties? For example, you may want to specify which company were you working as a sales associate for and what items were you required to sell. =).

    Thanks for sharing!

    Hazel

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