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Ronald Robertson

Aaronn Avit Ajeng, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Emailaaronnavit@um.edu.my
  • Phone+60 (14) 970 5384
  • ExpertiseBiology and Biochemistry
  • AffiliationUniversiti Malaya (UM)

My UCAS Personal statement.

Hi readers, life has been a rough journey for each of us. Same thing goes for me.
When the recent UPU(Malaysian University Acceptance system) result was announced, I was shocked that i was given a course that I did not apply. What a waste to my money buying the pin number to fill in the application. I made my decision, i took a year gap and I did not go for the course.
Few weeks back, I thought of applying to study abroad. I just felt like it. Without thinking of how expensive it will be to study outside of Malaysia since our Ringgit has dropped a lot lately.
When it comes to studying abroad, Europe is on the top list. Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, McGill, UBC and so much more came to mind. I decided to go with studying in United Kingdom.
So i applied through a system similiar to Malaysia's UPU which is UCAS. I have used all of the 5 choices given and it costed me around RM250+ (thats a lot) . Since i am a Malaysian Matriculation graduate, there are some universities in the UK accept this certification. I applied to Uni. Of Manchester, Uni. Of Birmingham, Uni. Of Nottingham, Queen's University Belfast and Exeter College Oxford. All the first four universities recognize Matrikulasi Malaysia except for Exeter College Oxford.
In this UCAS application, the applicants will be needed to write a personal statement describing why they want to study the course and what have they done during their time in high school and their achievement. I did write mine which i am about to share.
But for your information, copying another person's UCAS personal statement could be a case of plagiarism. You do not want your application to be withdrawn because of copying another people's personal statement. So please stay original. Changing the phrases and words used are okay but you are not allowed to copycat :)
So here's mine:
"How life works has always amazed me. People fall ill, and people recover. From an early age of five, I have been diagnosed with asthma. Living with asthma was not a choice, it took me 4 years to medicate and slowly recover from the chronic disease. When it comes to health, I am amazed by how far our health system had improved and saved lives. Health scientists are doing their best in providing better healthcare for people. They find solutions to cure any type of diseases, what causes them to happen and they study life processes in molecular and cellular to really understand what happens inside the living things. These things motivated me to be one of the future health scientists as I love to solve problem, do research, find the cure and lastly make most of my qualification to provide people towards better healthcare.
I am looking forward to studying Biochemistry or any field related to Biology and Chemistry, with some Mathematics and Physics skills applied. Since Biochemistry is also a career at the crossroads between Biology and Medicine, I will be able to make most of my degree to serve in healthcare services. My fascination to study these subjects started when I was in high school because they are very practical and theoretical which make them easy to be understood.
In 2013, I received an award of recognition from Curtin University, branched in Malaysia for being the one of the top students in high school. It was not easy to be selected for such award and I was glad that I performed well in every examination. After finishing high school, I went to Matriculation and I took Foundation in Science. I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics as my subjects. I learned a lot of complex biological processes which I found very interesting. The foundation had provided a strong base which will be needed during my studies in university for chosen field.
To further my insight into studying the course, I participated in a program held by one of the nation universities which was aimed to give participants a quick look into university life. We were taken into each faculty and my favourite was Health and Sciences Faculty. I learned some useful input about the course that I would like to pursue. We visited Biology and chemistry laboratories, and we made a round in the simulation ward. We also had the chance to enter Anatomy Museum which was filled with the smell of formalin. I was glad to be able to participate in the program as I had a clear explanation about the job prospect of other professions such as doctor, nurse, pharmacist and their importance in providing better healthcare to people.
During my time in college, I volunteered in a charity program. We went to an orphanage home. We made some donations to the house. We also had fun together with the orphans where we organised some games and rewarded the kids with prizes. It was heart-breaking to hear some of them were left by their own parents and it made me more appreciate for what I have. I find volunteering at the orphanage home is very rewarding. It allows me to use my personal qualities to help the community and to contribute to the world. It also provides me the opportunity to learn new skills and gain more experience, hence increasing self-confidence. It was a great experience working with children and I hope I would have the chance to work with them.
I worked in a shoe shop as a sales promoter. I learned how handle the unsatisfied customers, multitask, and most importantly the time management. Working as a sales promoter has also aided to my communication skills and ability to follow orders and rules. In addition, the work experience had showed me the importance of working together as a team. It will be needed when I am employed in the future.
It is an honour beyond anything to be able to study in the United Kingdom. I am eager to extending my knowledge and developing my analytical and research skills in the university. I believe with the right dedication
aided by skills,experiences and attributes, I will be able to adapt to university life and excel in the course chosen."
I made it. I sent my application later after spending days of writing my personal statement. I had looked up for some examples for the personal statements, which i did change some phrases used at the end of the statement. ONLY THE END!
What surprised me, I received an offer from University of Manchester for Biochemistry and Queen's University Belfast for Biomedical Sciences. But sadly, Exeter College Oxford withdrawn my application(as expected) because i did not fulfill the condition. There are still two universities left with unknown decision.
I am planning to go with University of Manchester for the course but I will have to rob a bank for that! Ha ha. I am waiting for the right scholarships and if everything goes well, then Manchester it is. :)
Thats all from me, thanks!

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