Personal Statement for University Example
My mother gave me my first encyclopedia when I was in primary school. Among 36 series of the book, one page about peregrination of food inside human body always caught my attention. Imagining there is a voluntary advanced system happens inside us really intrigued me, made me wondering about other ‘magical’ things happen inside living creatures. That is where my passion for science arose.
After I finished reading Campbell’s Biology Concept and Connection, I was amazed by how unique living system is. The more I dive down into this complexity, the more I realized that people only understand a smidgen of it. Ever since I amalgamated my study and the world around me, I have craved for the latest news of science discovery. Thus, I read National Geographic magazine. I’m interested by the development of science towards solving current problems. An inherited disease like cystic fibrosis or certain cancer can be cured through genetic modification using CRISPR/Cas9. People rejoice when scientists found this frontier tool. Not only for healing diseases, but human embryo could also be modified. However, CRISPR technology permanently turns off genes by targeting genome’s source material which leads the DNA cut to mimic the natural mutation, the obstacle that scientist must consider concerning designing human embryo.
For the last one year, I have worked on a project to enhance oil recovery using microbes in Oil and Gas State Own Company. I visited rural villages in Ramba, South Sumatra where I did my laboratory work. My responsibility is to monitor the aerobe, anaerobe, and sulfate-reducing bacteria. I learned that biotechnology could be applied even in the rural area where the laboratory is modest. Witnessing the utilization of microbes in the field to generate more energy yield also convinced me that biotechnology is possible to become the solution for the energy sector. Moreover, it can provide environmental-friendly yet renewable power source. Having studied the various abilities of microbes, I am very interested in their potential to produce ethanol as biofuel through genetic modification of cellulase-producing microbe. My goal is to manufacture microbe-based biofuel in Indonesia.
Succeeding in biotechnology requires a strong background in related science. I finished my bachelor’s degree majoring Microbiology in Bandung Institute of Technology. I have completed both compulsory and option course such as Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Microbial Genetic Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Bioindustry Management, also Bioinformatics courses. My Final Project (Bachelor Thesis) graded A, as well as Seminar and Colloquium with last GPA 3.87. Some of the laboratory skills I learned are pipetting, Gram staining, Total Plate Count (aerobe and anaerobe), electrophoresis, bacterial DNA extraction, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Single Strain Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP), and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE).
I am delighted to find the opportunity to go deep into Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh. Its Biotechnology program focuses on the research and development skills to solve escalating demand for fuel and environmental sustainability. I am interested in its full range of courses either compulsory or optional. Since I am keen on specializing in biofuel, University of Edinburgh gives me a chance to take related optional courses as Enzymology and Biological Production, Gene Expression and Microbial Regulation, and Environmental Gene Mining and Metagenomics.
