THIS IS MY STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR POLYMER ENGINEERING. I NEED HELP FINALIZING THE ESSAY.
Thank you for your help in advance! and I will try my best to help your essay in return.
Best wishes and Happy New Year!
Statement of Purpose
My interests in chemical sciences originated from high school. I was amazed when I learned how different things can be made of the same stuff, but have completely different properties based only on structures. Styrofoam, steel, wood, and even diamonds are made at least partially with carbon, however, these things are completely different from each other. Since then, carbon became my favorite element due to its extremely rich and diverse chemistry. With this particular interest, I have studied some of the college-level organic chemistry courses by myself when attending high school. My interests in chemistry and engineering led me to be fascinated with the entire field related to material science and engineering during my undergraduate study at Penn State University.
My motivation to learn new things has made courses an entertaining experience. I have always tried to understand a concept rather than memorizing it. For example, when I took organic chemistry course, I learned many organic reactions by classifying the mechanisms and movement of electrons rather than simply memorizing the reactions. To do so, I read the textbook thoroughly with supplemental information from lecture notes and library. As a result of my hard work, I was selected into Schreyer Honors College and awarded scholarships on annually basis.
To supplement my classroom experience, I sought research opportunities to broaden my perspective of the real world and learn what PhD-level researchers do in their daily work.
During summer of my sophomore year, Dr. Guodong Yin introduced me to his lab at Sino Oil King Shine Chemical Co., LTD in Langfang, China. As a laboratory assistant, I performed the synthesis of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymer and poly(octadecyl acrylate) (PA-18) as pre-production test for diesel pour point depressant. The reaction time for this process is about ten hours. At the beginning, the research was not successful. The FT-IR spectrum of the synthesized polymer showed an excess of unreacted monomers. For this reason, I spent a whole week searching the materials in library as well as doing further experiments. At first, I was somehow frustrated by this time-consuming task. Yet after the experimental parameter has been carefully examined, the problem is solved by using a weaker acid for monomer synthesis. When I got the correct spectrum at the end, research became a thrill for me. The result polymer structure was studied extensively using 2D-NMR spectroscopy. In general, this research not only gave me a handful of experience, but also strengthened my passion in polymer sciences.
At Penn State, I was fascinated by a new class of polymers that can be used to store electric energy. With proper processing method, this type of fluoropolymer can possess large energy densities with quick charging and discharging rate. I have since devoted my seventh semester at Strategic Polymer Sciences (SPS), Inc. to work as an internship student. Under supervision of Dr. Shihai Zhang, I actively involved in the research and development of electro active polymers for high energy density film capacitors. During the internship, I developed a study to determine the mechanical and electrical properties of P(VDF-HFP) copolymer and P(VDF-TrFE-HFP) terpolymer by tensile property, dielectric and voltage breakdown measurements. My experiment also examined the effect of curing temperature and amount of cross-linkers on the properties of fluoroelastomer films. Out of this training I have gained experience in film processing, DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry), DTA (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis) and dielectric tests. This internship experience has helped me improve my communication skills and brought me with an enthusiasm to work as a team, which has served to build my confidence going forward in my research career.
With a solid background in the knowledge in basic science and polymer engineering from my undergraduate courses, I have earned a strong foundation to proceed to graduate studies at the ___University. My strong aspiration for research and excellent academic performance has given me the opportunity to join Professor Qing Wang's group. As part of my thesis work, I conducted a study on synthesis of ionic liquid based polymer electrolytes and investigated the effect of polymer structure on the ionic conductivity of polymerized ionic liquid. The preparation involves stepwise synthesis of monomers and polymers using variety of living polymerization mechanisms. The resulting polymers were characterized extensively by NMR, DSC and TGA (Thermal Gravimetric Analysis) to determine their structures and properties. While being involved in this research, the energy application of polymer has become my most desired research field.
The years of undergraduate education have been an inspiring experience. By continuously doing researches and experiment, I am eager to expand the useful application of polymers to human needs. And I am determined to take up Material Science and Engineering as my lifelong pursuit. My degree objective is a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering and to pursue a career in research and development while experiencing the fulfillment of being at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field. I think my unique perspective of education in both China and in the US will help me to achieve important goals in research and work with a variety of team members in graduate school.
University___is my top choice for graduate school. For a given opportunity to join__, I would like to work in the research areas of polymeric materials. My interests included in the following topics:
1. Processing and characterization of polymer for optical, electronic or energy applications.
2. Rheology and polymer fluid dynamics
3. Novel polymer synthesis and characterizations
I would, therefore, be a privilege to be able to secure admission to pursue graduate studies at University__. With your generous support, I am confident that I will meet the high standards of your university.
I do not think it is wise enough to write a one size fit all essay.(If you love that university, do some research)
I think this essay is a well crafted one, but it may not impress AO a lot.
First,they may know what Chemical engineering is but you mention too much, cut a little
Delete some cliche like "broaden my perspective of the real world" will help.
