Posts by Renoir

Renoir

Nov 26, 2011

Graduate / 'discovered computers at school' -Personal Statement for a MSC in Computing in the UK [4]

This is my second draft . Please have a look and advise :)

Thanks for your help

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I was 12 when I first discovered computers. Absolutely fascinated, I immediately wanted to know what was behind the screen. Being a good user wasn't enough for me I wanted to know how to be able to fix the computer myself. I then discovered programming which I find extremely enriching and fulfilling. By this time I was 15 and had started to teach myself the C language as a hobby, and within a few months I had programmed a Sokoban.

Desirous of raising my hobby to a professional level, I started my Bachelor of Computer Science in September 2007 at the University of Vincennes-Saint-Denis Paris VIII . I was selected from amongst my peers to participate to the Erasmus programme and spend the final year of my studies at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. There I had to adapt to a different way of assessing and also to learn Spanish and Catalan, languages in which the courses were taught. I flourished in this challenging experience, often achieving higher grades than my classmates.

I decided to come to London in September 2010 for three reasons: get experienced in the work place, improve my English and face a new challenge. I wanted to prove to myself I could succeed in country I didn't know. I got a position as an Integrations Developer in a Canary Wharf based company. My work consists of building a link between my company's system and a remote client. I'm in charge of the whole French market; my reliability, my efficiency and my rapidity of execution makes me a key member of the team. My role has been extended and I am now supervising and training a developer. The role mainly involves programming and excellent communication skills. I analyze the clients' requirements, plan the development and coordinate my activity with remote developers. My work has been recognised and rewarded with a 15% pay raise.

I find myself ready for the next challenge from which to advance my career and I believe a Masters is the key to fulfilling my goals. I have a new goal : to become an expert in software architecture. While taking the degree course I became interested in Multithreading and Distributed architecture courses. We had to program a public bicycle hire simulation and I found this extremely interesting. My feeling was that I was discovering a new dimension of Computing. I have a new growing interest in swarm intelligence and I'm currently programming an ant foraging simulation as a hobby. This Masters will provide me with an essential knowledge in Distributed and Parallel systems and in the design of complex architectures. The training gained through practical programming will develop my project skills and enable me to undertake substantive projects.

I believe both my professional and academic experiences make me an ideal candidate for your program .
My long term goal is to start an IT Consulting Company in specialized in Distributed and Parallel Systems a field in which I think there is a lot of opportunities.

Renoir

Nov 26, 2011

Writing Feedback / Advantages & disadvantage of studying abroad. Brilliant future? [4]

Hello,

I feel like you are not totally answering the topic :

- The topic already presents studying abroad as something positive -> "Going overseas for university study is an exciting prospect for many people"

- The question is "But while it may offer some advantages, it is probably better to stay at home because of the difficulties a student inevitably encounters living and studying in a different culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?"

I think you are expected to insist on "difference between cultures" part of the topic, I would probably re-word the topic like this: "What are the disadvantages and benefits of having to adapt to a new culture (from a student's perspective)?"

Let me know what you think of that :)

Renoir

Nov 25, 2011

Graduate / 'discovered computers at school' -Personal Statement for a MSC in Computing in the UK [4]

Thanks Tiffany !

That's a very good comment! I'm going to rewrite it taking into account your suggestions.

Thanks again

Renoir

Nov 24, 2011

Writing Feedback / My essay about Mass media have great influence in shaping people's ideas [3]

Hello,

Nice essay, but I think you can improve it a bit.
If I had to write on the subject I would talk a bit more about the fact that because we are large societies, we need a link to the news ( because infos aren't local anymore/the important ones aren't local) to make decisions in life. In a perfect world medias would be the exact reflect of reality, unfortunately the people who run the medias and fund them have interests in manipulating the information to -as you said- control people and manipulate them sometimes. We can see that the danger is the medias reflecting an unrealistic reflect of the world, it can lead to wars by desinformation. It comes then that the problem are not the medias but who owns/funds theses; they are just a support like an other, exactly like computers can be in good or evil hands.

Also because of the non-interactivity of the relation we have with them, we become passive consumers of 'official truth' instead of investigating like consciencious citizens would do. Because of that the Internet is an extremely interesting media.

There is a proverb that says "Printing allowed the masses how to read, the Internet is allowing them to write"

Mehdi :)

Renoir

Nov 24, 2011

Graduate / 'discovered computers at school' -Personal Statement for a MSC in Computing in the UK [4]

Hello :)

I am frenchman applying for masters in computing within the UK. I have to write a personal statement as a support for my applications. Please find it below and please be as tough as possible :) I don't have specific instructions.

Thanks very much for your help !

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I discovered computers at school at the age of 12. Absolutely fascinated, I immediately wanted to know what was behind the screen. Being a good user wasn't enough for me I wanted to know how to be able to fix the computer myself. I then discovered programming which I find extremely enriching and fulfilling. I've started teaching myself the C language as a hobby at the age of 15, after few months I was able to program a Sokoban.

Desirous of raising my hobby to a professional level, I started my Bachelor of Computer Science in September 2007 at the University of Vincennes-Saint-Denis Paris VIII . I was selected from amongst my peers to participate to the Erasmus programme and spend the final year of my studies at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. There I had to adapt to a different way of assessing and also to learn Spanish and Catalan, languages in which the courses were taught. I flourished in this challenging experience, often achieving higher grades than my classmates.

I decided to come to London in September 2010 for three reasons: get experienced in the work place, improve my English and face a new challenge. I wanted to prove to myself I could succeed in country I didn't know. I got a position as an Integrations Developer in a Canary Wharf based company. My work consists of building a link between my company's system and a remote client. I'm in charge of the whole French market; my reliability, my efficiency and my rapidity of execution makes me a key member of the team. My role has been extended and I am now supervising and training a developer. The role mainly involves programming and excellent communication skills. I analyze the clients' requirements, plan the development and coordinate my activity with remote developers. My work has been recognised and rewarded with a 15% pay raise.

I am now feeling the need to get to the next level and I think the [MASTER] is the key for achieving it. I have new goals : to become an expert in software architecture. While taking the degree course I became interested in Multithreading and Distributed architecture courses. We had to program a public bicycle hire simulation and I found this extremely interesting. My feeling was that I was discovering a new dimension of Computing. I have a new growing interest in swarm intelligence and I'm currently programming an ant foraging simulation as a hobby. This Masters will provide me with an essential knowledge in Distributed and Parallel systems and in the design of complex architectures. The training gained through practical programming will develop my project skills and enable me to undertake substantive projects.

I believe both my professional and academic experiences make an ideal candidate for your program .
Computing is a demanding activity that requires many skills. I practised various martial arts, Savate, Kickboxing and Brazilian Jujistu, from which I acquired discipline, resilience and an increased capacity to tackle down problems. I believe that Martial Arts and Computer Science are very similar, they both teach techniques an theories that are used to help solve problems, yet they both require an analytical mind and creativity.