Physics Personal Statement Example

(International Student)
Some people believe there is no universal key to the mysteries of the world, but I am convinced
otherwise. Since early childhood when my parents, both physicists by training, patiently answered all my
why-questions and encouraged me in my fascination with astronomy, I have been thinking of Physics as
the perfect science that can unveil all the secrets that fascinate humanity.

I like physics because it is capable of operating on different scales, it also constantly widens our
perspective on what could be its object of research while consistently perfecting the equipment that it
uses to handle the task set that also incidentally benefits the humankind. I hope that one day I will be
theoretically and practically equipped enough to make my contribution.

Since some of the subjects of the A-Level are not covered in Russian high schools, I had to take extra-
curricular classes to cover AS and A2 in Physics, Geography and Mathematics and to do so in much less
time. I was captivated by some of the topics, especially by particle physics and the nature of light.

The existence of antimatter and the fact that you can create new particles by colliding them intrigued me
and so did the wave-particle duality. I also chose to study geography because I always loved it and was
successful in studying this subject in my Russian school as well as in physics.

At my Russian school I did some basic experiments like determination of "g" and determination of the
"spring constant", which inspired me to do more practical work. I searched for the place where to do it and
was finally lucky to have a chance to conduct a series of experiments under the supervision of a
professor from the Physics department of the Moscow State University.

The first one dealt with the determination of the work function of the electron, and the subsequent ones
will involve obtaining and investigating polarized light and studying the interference phenomena.

In my spare time I enjoy expanding my knowledge of physics by reading such books like "Universe in a
Nutshell" by Stephen Hawking, but my interests spread beyond the world of science. I love travelling and
studying languages. I am a self-taught student of Japanese, which fascinated me after my trip to Japan. I
am planning to continue studying and practicing it as a student.

I intend to study Arabic later. My interest in languages and sign systems prompted me to create my own
language, with its own grammar and writing system that has been learned by some of my close friends. I
also write song lyrics and currently am working on a novel.

I am a certified diver and I have spent four years mastering freestyle wrestling and chess and was rather
successful at both. Once I won a bronze medal in an arching competition at a British summer school.
Finally, I am interested in the school social life as well: I served two terms as the prefect of my class and
was the class representative in the student council.

I have always wanted to study in a British university. I feel that I would benefit immensely both personally
and professionally from its multicultural experience, being able to work in well-equipped labs under the
guidance of top specialists in physics. I am not a stranger to the British culture and have studied in Britain
before.

In the last 5 years I have spent a total of six months in the UK, 21 weeks of which I studied English and
other subjects in English language at the St Edmund's Summer school and at the Kings Oxford during the
preparation for my IELTS examination.
In the future, as a postgraduate student I am considering studying particle physics to research further the
standard model and beyond, which seems to be extremely prospective as the recent discovery of Higgs
boson has confirmed it.

However, shall I during my studies find a research field where I will make use of my geography
knowledge I would be more than happy to contribute to solving such global problems as global warming
and energy insecurity.