Graduate / personal statement (Chemistry majored, I am a little worried with the structure) [2]

I am currently a chemistry student in college, where I have prepared myself for advanced studies in this field, and I hope to keep pursuing it by obtaining a Master's degree in the USA.

My fascination in chemistry stems from my curiosity of the unknown to the creation of new things. I found great deal of joy from doing experiments in the laboratory and operating all kinds of advanced equipments. This interest in chemistry culminated in my decision to join the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at OUC, where I gained in-depth knowledge in this field. In addition, I acquired additional practical experience from working at my father's chemical plant.

At the university, I found myself more attracted to conducting research in the field of chemistry. In a short semester course, I did a series of experiments to test the quality of waste liquor from maize fermentation, with the aim of finding ways to use it. My main task was to test its basic performance when serving as a snow melt agent; however, my curiosity led me to conduct further experiments. Based on my knowledge of the liquor composition and after consulting the literature, I decided to test its ability to reduce the erosion of metal. My experimental results confirmed my hypothesis, although its capability was not as strong as I anticipated. I had the opportunity to include my results in a thesis and a presentation in my class, and I intend to use these findings in future exploration. From this experience, I realized my passion for discovery and independent work, and I developed a genuine interest in pursuing advanced studies in chemistry.

Also I am fascinated by the contribution of advanced instruments to solving the problems in our daily activities. For instance, our success as a band was mainly due to those technical skills that I acquired from music computer instrumentation. Moreover, without modern chemical instruments, it would be impossible for me to determine the composition of the waste liquor in my experiments. In addition, I was very fortunate to receive the assistance internship in Water and Wastewater Monitoring Center of Jinan, where I gained expertise using advanced chemical instruments, such as GC, GCMS, ICP, and AAS. During my work in that center, I learned to operate those instruments in my spare time. This experience furthered the knowledge that I acquired at school, especially that I had limited accessibility to those expensive machines as a student. At this stage in my training, I am confident in my ability to learn and use advanced equipments.

In addition, since my father is a main shareholder of a small company, I had a great deal of intellectual freedom to help the factory in their department of product development. This experience allowed me put in practice what I have learned in theory: I can often correlate the newly acquired knowledge in the university with what I have seen in my father's chemical plant. For example, the knowledge that I gained in Structure Chemistry informed me with the basic mechanism of Fluorescence White Agent (FWA), which is a main product of my father's factory. At the same time, this experience gave me a deeper understanding of my theoretical knowledge and I am confident in using it to make better products in the future.

In addition to the rich curriculum at the university, I had the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities: I served as a co-chairman in our Student Union and lead the group to ever best by my excellent social skill. My airbrush skills that allowed me to create better paintings and postings for student activities also made a great contribution. In addition, I am a keyboard player and founded my own band. In less than half a year, I acquired the skills of a music producer by using MIDI technology and production software, such as SONAR. This allowed our band to write, record, refine and even publish our own songs. Moreover, by combining my skills with the simple amplifier and console, I am able to make a professional concert effect. From this experience I learned the importance of creative thinking and team work and I can imagine doing the same in my graduate studies.

I expect to learn additional knowledge in organic chemistry and it will allow me to participate in the development of economical and environmental friendly chemical products. I chose the <school name> for my graduate studies because of its high teaching and research standards. Being trained in your institution will prepare me for a successful career as a scientist and a mentor in the field of chemistry.