A synergy between the sciences and creativity is how I would describe chemistry.

Chemistry is often
described as the central science that explains how products that are vital to our everyday life come
together. This unique blend of characteristics drives my desire to pursue this degree.

I’m particularly interested in organic chemistry, specifically alcohols and the use of biofuels. I began
reading articles and discovered that there are many types of biofuels such as Cellulosic ethanol and
use of things such as algae, cooking grease and water-waste sludge. However, despite their
enormous potential the methods in extracting and creating the biofuels are currently inefficient. I
was fascinated to read a short research paper about how genetically modified algae could be used to
increase the efficiency. This topic really excites me as it could be key to adapting energy sources to
be more affordable and sustainable. I also conducted my own personal research project on: ‘Which
renewable energy method would be the most effective to implement in Africa.’ This allowed me to
explore different aspects of the topic, including things such as the economic and social aspect of
different renewable energy resources through studying graphs and reading the IEA energy outlooks
across the years. It has shown me that the implementation of renewable energy has many hurdles
such as; the financial costs particularly in lower income countries, and providing reliable access to
this energy source in rural areas.

On my online UNIQ course for chemistry we discussed Enantiomers and Chiral chemistry, inspiring
me to learn more about Enantiomers and the drug Thalidomide; by watching videos which further
explained the chemistry and the reason behind its tragic use in the 1960s. Until that point I always
assumed that Enantiomers would interact in the same way in the human body, as they had the same
molecular formula and almost identical structural formula, however I learnt that the two
enantiomers of Thalidomide caused two very different effects; Thalidomide’s R-enantiomer
displayed the desired sedative effects that would help ease morning sickness while the S-enantiomer
was teratogenic, pregnant women who took Thalidomide to ease morning sickness ended up having
babies with deformed limbs, and this was as a result of taking the S-enantiomer of Thalidomide and
not the correct R-enantiomer of Thalidomide. Reading ‘Molecular Gastronomy’ by Herve This, I
enjoyed learning the important part chemistry plays in food and the art of cooking. For example, salt
can improve the texture of the meal but also affects the fragrance by increasing the ionic strength of
aqueous solutions, therefore allowing the odour molecules to be better separated.

I am very passionate about issues concerning social equity and throughout my school career I have
taken part and planned events to bring these matters to light and start creating important
conversation on this matter within my school. For example, for the past 2 years I have helped create
and run a women’s festival that takes place on international women’s day which helps highlight to
important work women have done in many fields but also highlight the need for more effort to be
put in by society to ignite change and move closer to gender equality.

I have also endeavoured in starting to create my own perfumes from scratch, through this process I
am able to see the links between the chemical reactions and properties of things I have learnt in my
chemistry a-level lessons, allowing me to see some small-scale applications of the things I have
learnt and express my innate creativity in a scientific manner. This hobby of mine is a huge
motivation to study chemistry as just from seeing the small scale application of my knowledge of
chemistry and maths I am excited to see the large-scale applications of the knowledge I will gain
from studying this exciting, broad and fast developing degree.
The importance of management and legal structures in accounting was first introduced to me
through an LSE Management Masterclass. This sparked my interest in a career in accounting,
recognising the Big 4 for creating efficiency and success in the largest FTSE 100 companies. I’ve
explored further by undertaking interactive audit activities involving stock counts and sales testing
at a PwC Insight Week, which taught me the importance of effective risk identification, mitigation,
and management for supporting decision makers across an organisation. My experiences gave me
an appreciation for the importance of uncertainty and managing risks within companies both
internal and external, such as default on loans and losses from investment.

To deepen my knowledge, I shadowed an LSE student at a lecture on Principles of Finance. I was

introduced to the concept of capital markets and the contentious efficient market
hypothesis (EMH.) For the layman investor, I would tend to subscribe to the EMH, though I believe
a** Buffet to consistently outperform the market. To learn more about the history of accounting
and finance, I have researched two significant events that demonstrate the potential for
institutions or markets to fail without proper governance or regulation. The 2001 Enron
scandal highlights the importance of having more independent boards of directors in preventing
financial malpractice. The 2007 financial crisis demonstrates how markets can fail when
regulatory frameworks don’t adequately monitor and shape firms’ behaviour. Accountants,
working with regulators have an important role to play in ensuring firms behave in an ethical and
sustainable manner.

To gain practical experience in accounting and finance, I acquired a CFI accounting license
in Accounting Fundamentals, and I undertook an InvestIN Young Investment Banker Internship.
Through the internship, I was able to experience a trading simulation that taught me the
difference between debt vs. equity bond markets as well as trading floor roles and bid and offer in
investment banking. As part of the ongoing EY Smart Futures programme, I have completed a
week paid internship involving employability skills training. This helped me in acquiring a
Chartered Management Institute level 2 accredited qualification, mentoring, and a broadened
understanding of different career pathways in EY departments in Audit, tax and Consulting. With
this crisis impacting the Big 4 firms, not only will partners be taking pay cuts, but this will affect
auditors’ work when auditing companies without going to the client site, which could reduce their
revenue.

To develop my experience of university life I attended a number of summer schools. Through

attending the (UNIQ) Summer School at Oxford University, I engaged in a debate that proposed
the use of a windfall wealth tax to pay for the cost of the current pandemic. I believe the
distributions of wealth would lead to lesser global inequality and improve economic growth. At
the LSE CHOICE Summer School, we considered market failure of labour market discrimination
from race and gender pay gap inequality. By attending ongoing LSE Saturday Masterclasses, I
gained insights of macroeconomic fiscal policy to manipulate taxation. In my spare time I have
played in my after-school basketball club and enjoyed playing basketball on the weekends.
Alongside, through the NCS program, I’ve completed a team working Social Action Project with a
charity organisation, Action plus Foundation. This consisted of a Volunteering Day, Fundraising
Day and Campaign Day helping the community with the aid of social media promoting awareness
of serious illnesses.

Despite having diverse interests, I have fully immersed myself in accounting and my passion has
only grown. Now my overarching goal is to be offered a place in university to study this area
further.
After visiting Iceland as one of my first trips abroad in Year 10, I was instantly amazed by the world
beyond where I live. Taking this opportunity to experience some extraordinary human and physical
geography in outstanding locations, one of my favourites being Skogafoss Waterfall, really opened
my eyes to how little I really knew about the world around me, which sparked my interest to
investigate more.

When asked to take part in a ‘World Beyond my Window’ project focusing on place perception, my
trip stood out as the perfect thing to write about due to the emotional attachment I had developed. I
researched the physical and urban characteristics near Skogafoss Waterfall, using books such as the
Bradt Iceland Guide by Michael Palin, and a range of articles on tourism and the more traditional
built environment in the area to inform my writing. I formulated a piece that encompasses the
emotional, digital and physical attachment we have to ‘place’ and then continued on to discuss the
physical and human processes that are present in the area. I produced an ESRI story map applying
skills I had developed such as using ARCGIS to create interactive maps. This way of presenting my
research through creating maps with different layers of information was challenging for me,
however discovering the different features and how to include extra detail, such as the height and
width of the Waterfall on a 3D map, allowed me to develop new geographical mapping skills.

After watching a news report on migration in the UK, I was interested to find out more about what
influenced patterns of migration on both inter-regional and intra-regional scales. I followed this up
by doing a Future Learn course called ‘Migration and cities.’ I enjoyed learning about different types
of migration, key issues facing migrants and the migration policy. One particular study that
interested me was how past connections and migration have influenced Manchester. From this
course I also developed a much better understanding of the complexity of global migration through
reading articles about the opportunity and inequalities created for both the host and origin
countries. One fact that struck me was that 1 in 5 migrants live in the world’s top 20 global cities,
clearly highlighting the effect globalisation and time space compression has had in making the world
and people more interconnected than ever before. This course helped me to develop practical skills
such as how to manage time when studying independently and how to take concise notes so I can
use the information for future assignments and essays, a key skill that will be beneficial at university.

Being a creative person growing up, the design of things and places has always been of interest to
me. I have always been innovative in finding more effective solutions to problems that I identify in
an area, and human interaction with space is a key aspect of this. To expand my knowledge of the
‘Changing Spaces, Making Places’ unit in my A level further, beyond the standard features that make
up ‘place,’ I decided to take part in an Urban Planning workshop with Croydon Council. The
workshop focused on the housing crisis in London and in teams we had to come up with potential
solutions for the borough of Croydon redevelopments that would be suitable for the increasing
housing demand. The main thing I learnt from this experience was the vast number of factors that
make up ‘place’ and that one development can influence social, economic and environmental
characteristics of an area such as heritage, retail, and transport to name a few. This event developed
my ability to problem solve and come up with new, innovative solutions to a rapidly developing area,
which will be applicable to studying geography at university.

The experiences and opportunities I have immersed myself in have prepared me for studying
geography at university and I am eager to expand my knowledge on our ever changing world further
in my studies.
I am fascinated by medicine as an ever-evolving field. I am captivated by the interactive application
of scientific knowledge combined with diagnosis to achieve the best patient outcome, instilling in me
the ambition to study medicine.

To gain more knowledge about what a medical career entails, I have completed an online medical
work experience programme by Brighton and Sussex University. This gave me a first-person view of
the role of a doctor in a clinical environment. In particular, I was interested by the sections on
palliative care. This links to my interest in enzyme inhibition, and research I have completed into
cholinesterase inhibitors and its use in treating Alzheimer's disease. By looking at the article
'Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors: Pharmacology and Toxicology' on the PMC, I learned that donepezil,
rivastigmine and galantamine, prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, increasing its concentration
which leads to improved communication between nerve cells, reducing symptoms of Alzheimer's.
The different approach of palliative medicine; managing symptoms of terminal diseases rather than
curing disease, has shown me the extent of how medicine can help people. The programme has also
further increased my interest in medical ethics, a compelling topic which I had first come across in
the King's College London medicine lecture series. To follow up on this, I read 'Medical Ethics' by
Tony Hope, further exposing me to the different types of challenges faced by medics, and especially
the complications regarding the four pillars of medical ethics.

Working for a year at my local care home has revealed to me to the significance of communication
and empathy when having the responsibility of a patient-centred role. When interacting with
residents, I reflected upon how adapting to speaking slowly and clearly, while also maintaining eye
contact and smiling made them feel comfortable. The majority of the residents were battling against
dementia; intrigued, I looked into the 2017 Lancet Commission on dementia prevention,
intervention, and care. Although the leading risk factor for dementia is old age, it was interesting to
see that new research has linked factors like depression and social isolation to the cause of
dementia, highlighting the importance of my interactions with residents. It was difficult being
exposed to the different types of challenges the elderly were facing. Still, I was delighted by the
impact that I appeared to make by listening and empathising with residents who have no social
support, really showing me how rewarding and stimulating a patient-centred role can also be.
Additionally, tutoring younger children from my school has strengthened my ability to communicate
with a range of people from different backgrounds and ages.

Volunteering for Victim support has further developed my listening skills and helped me become
more compassionate. When dealing with victims, I observed the need for sensitivity, trust and a
holistic approach, especially as most of the victims were involved in upsetting cases. I was also given
the opportunity to lead an awareness project for the charity, allowing me to utilise my teamwork
and leadership skills, which I have refined through prior volunteering at a hospice charity shop and
partaking in sports, helping me and fellow project members to work efficiently together to make a
difference in the community.

Other than playing basketball and listening to music, I particularly enjoy Muay Thai and represent my
club in competitions. I have found to appreciate my hobbies much more as they make me feel
relaxed and refreshed, which I have found helpful when feeling stressed or tired, allowing me to
effectively balancing study and leisure time.

My experiences have increased my desire to study medicine, and I look forward to the prospect of a
vocation which will allow me to genuinely contribute to one's well-being in an ever-evolving field.
My passion to study medicine was solidified during my work experience in an A&E, where I observed
both the physical and emotional impact the doctors had on the patients. Medicine combines my love
for human biology and patient care. I love the diagnostic aspect, where you are presented with
symptoms and you must use your knowledge come up with a diagnosis, and plan treatment
accordingly. Medicine is always evolving as research provides new insights, which appeals to me as
I'll constantly be learning.

I shadowed a consultant in the A&E department, gaining valuable insight into the reality of being a
doctor. I observed how they interacted with patients, their daily routine, and the challenges they
face throughout the day, such as long hours worked and sacrifices made, and how they dealt with
them. It became apparent how important teamwork is in the optimal treatment of patients. They
would communicate every anticipated step with the other healthcare professionals, showing how
beneficial working in a multi-disciplinary team is as everyone has their own role and speciality.
Furthermore, I saw how the doctor was able to confidently make decisions about treatment under
high pressure, remaining composed even while the patient was deteriorating. I also observed a few
difficult conversations between the doctor, the patients and their relatives. They had to break bad
news and I saw how the doctor was straightforward, making sure they understood him but also
remaining compassionate, empathic and comforting.

To prepare me for medical school, I've attended summer schools at Bristol, St Andrews and Exeter.
During my time there, I took part in a clinical skills workshop where I learnt basic life support,
suturing and the ABCDE approach to examining patients. I was able to gain several skills that will
benefit me in university such as study techniques as well as maintaining a good work-life balance
and recognising burnout. I have been involved in outreach for medicine schemes such as MedView
at King's College and attended a series of 10 Medicine in Action lectures to listen to the journey of a
variety of doctors where I learnt about the different pathways in medicine. I listened to a consultant
oncologist who was involved in clinical trials of new drugs which I found fascinating. This led me to
read a book called Fundamentals Of Clinical Trials by Lawrence Friedman and David DeMets. I was
interested by all the methods and aspects you would consider when starting a clinical trial. The book
contained real life cases and sparked an interest in researching recent clinical trials. I often read
articles about advancements in medicine and developments in treatments and drugs from sites like
the BBC and British medical journal. I started my own medical society in Sixth Form for other aspiring
medics where I lead a few sessions on healthcare related research I found, and inspired others to
also research something to present.

I regularly volunteer and organised a gathering at Sanctuary Housing for care home residents that
were experiencing loneliness. On the day, I spoke to residents and they were very happy and
grateful that there was someone there to listen to them. During lockdown I volunteered to help with
the training of staff who would work in the Nightingale Hospital. During this, I lead a group of
healthcare workers to different training sessions, which helped me with leadership and
communication, as I informed my group about the structure of the day and the training faculty if
there were any changes to a group. I gained confidence in speaking to a group of individuals who I
haven't met before. All these skills are vital to doctors.

I am not oblivious to the fact that medicine is a difficult and strenuous course, however I am willing
and able to push through in order to pursue a career in medicine. I am excited by the possibility of
working in a field where there is constant learning and where I can use my knowledge to help those
in need.
Having been surrounded by animals my whole life, the human-animal bond has always fascinated
me. From owning my own cats, dogs and exotic pets, to gaining hands-on experience working in a
veterinary practice, I have developed a keen interest in veterinary medicine. My dream of becoming
a veterinary surgeon evolved from seeing how vets acted with precision, speed, and compassion to
save my cat who had been runover. Experiencing how a vet's work can impact a family made me
realise that I want to help others in the same way.

After showing true commitment and passion during 2 weeks' work experience at a small animal
practice, I was offered a job, and have now been working there part-time for 2 years, developing
many skills and enhancing qualities such as patience and empathy. During this time, I have seen the
daily reality of life as a vet, from comforting owners who have had their beloved pet euthanised, to
the rewarding feeling of seeing a recovered pet returned to their concerned "parents". I have
observed many intriguing surgeries including a splenectomy, cruciate ligament repair and the
removal of an eyelid tumour. The latter sparked my curiosity about cancer and motivated me to read
'The Epigenetics Revolution' by Nessa Carey, which talks in detail about the epigenetics of cancer
and the mutation of malignant cells. In addition, I researched the Canine Melanoma Vaccine (CMV),
to investigate whether there could be a more effective treatment or even a cure for certain cancers
in the veterinary profession. Observing other operations, from routine spays, castrations and
dentistry, to the precise work of the orthopaedic surgeon and ophthalmologist, has inspired me
further to become a vet.

Inspired by my interest in the veterinary field and participation in the Biology Olympiad, I read
"Forces of Nature", "The Selfish Gene", and "Genome". These books interconnected with my prior
research into pioneering veterinary medical advances, such as stem cell treatment and Professor
Noel Fitzpatrick's work in bionics. Completing a MOOC on animal welfare and behaviour and starting
an EPQ on how selective breeding can cause detrimental health issues, have broadened my
knowledge of a wide range of scientific advancements, allowing me to view the veterinary
profession from many different perspectives. During the pandemic-induced lockdown, I have
enhanced my knowledge through virtual resources, including a COVID-19 webinar exploring how the
zoonotic disease relates to the animal population. This not only looked at the small number of
animals who have contracted the virus, but also at the psychological impact on pets of their owners
returning to work after previously spending every day at home with them. I also watched a simple
canine skeletal anatomy class and an online class that showed many variations of canine heart
murmurs and how to identify them, as well as viewing many videos from VETtalks. Once I returned
to work at the practice, this newfound knowledge allowed me to better understand the
conversations taking place between vets and to ask vital questions using correct terminology.

I have further developed key qualities through extra-curricular activities. Being head boy at both my
secondary school and sixth form has enabled me to develop my public speaking skills. This has given
me confidence when interacting with the public and allowed me to show professionalism when
talking to clients at the veterinary practice. Leadership, commitment, and resilience have been built
up through karate, swimming, bronze, and silver DofE awards. Having achieved my black belt in
karate, been crowned National Champion and an International Bronze medalist, and been part of
the England Squad, I know the importance of hard work and dedication.

Studying veterinary medicine at university would mean that I can fulfil my aspiration to help both
people and animals, whilst striving to achieve my ambition of becoming a veterinary surgeon.