Mathematical Physics Personal Statement Example

Pure mathematics has been a passion of mine for a very long time, having been exposed to higher level maths from an early age through my mother's university notes and books. Due to my love for science fiction, I have also had a particular interest in physics for a long time, as it explains the ideas behind many of their plots. What interests me most about both of these subjects is the idea that no matter how many discoveries are made, there will always be more questions to be answered hence why I have decided to apply for this course. It combines the two subjects that I love, giving me a good foundation for a future career as a theoretical physicist.

As my studies have continued through to A-level, the ideas in mathematics have continually gotten more complicated and have made stronger links with other subjects such as physics and chemistry. My maths abilities have allowed me to support my peers, both in and out of the classroom. This has boosted my self-confidence, my communication skills and also encouraged me to study further maths too.
By studying further maths, I have discovered just how diverse maths is and how it can be applied in many different situations. Pure mathematics is personally my favourite topic because it focuses on problem solving techniques. These transferable problem solving skills have been of a great advantage especially in my study of physics at A-level.

My fascination for physics has deepened as I have continued to study the subject, especially as we have covered topics such as particles; now one of my favourite areas in physics. In my study of chemistry, I have been able to understand how particles interact with each other in much more depth. My interest in particles escalated as I got the chance to visit Large Hadron Collider in CERN, Switzerland. It was an amazing experience that has fuelled my passion for the subject further. I have also gained the Physicist of the Year Award for my college and have completed a Nuffield Science Placement in the University of Liverpool's physics department, which enables me to apply for a Gold CREST Award.

As well as my achievements in physics I have also gained two Silver certificates for the Individual UKMT Challenge and will be signing up for the Team Challenge this year, as I have partaken in the same competition for four years running in my high school and have thoroughly enjoyed these events.
During my time at college I attended the International Lasers and Accelerators Symposium, where I was lucky enough to have met Professor Brian Cox. The talks themselves were very inspiring and of a particular interest to me as they were focused on particle accelerators. I have also started my Silver DofE award, which I will have completed by the end of next year.

Over the summer of 2014 I took part in a program called NCS. This involved two residential trips with a group of people, most of whom I had never met before, and two weeks of volunteering and other charity work with the same group. Around the same time, I also joined my local Explorer Scout group. Both activities have given me the opportunity to develop skills such as team work and help build more confidence.

My love for Maths and Science extends to my life outside of college as I have read some non-fiction science books including "Smashing Physics" by Jon Butterworth, who I met when I attended an event that was part of the Liverpool Science Festival, and "Fermat's Last Theorem" by Simon Singh. I enjoy reading, specifically science-fiction novels and comics and have even attempted to write my own stories and I currently have a first draft for my own comic book. I have also just started reading the Necroscope series which deals with a lot of maths ideas such as the "Mobius Continuum".

I really enjoy the challenge of A-level Maths and Physics and would love the opportunity to gain a much deeper understanding of the subject at degree level and hope to go even further in studies by gaining a PhD