Chemistry

Pasiūlymai studijuoti: UCL, Edinburgh, Manchester
Kvietimai į interviu: Oxford

The thing that fascinates me the most about Chemistry is that I can be in charge of processes significant at the molecular level, even for a short period of time. Chemistry and Materials science attract me because these subjects explore substances and materials at the very basic level. This field is highly practical, and at the same time – theoretical and innovative, thus, it will be possible for me to be in the centre of scientific improvement. What intrigues me in this particular area is the pace of change and the always increasing vastness of the field. I realise that science classes that I am taking now scratch only the surface, and the wish for new discoveries drives me to dig deeper.

I discovered my interest in Chemistry when I was preparing for one of the national Geography Olympiads. One of the sections of the Olympiad is geology, and while I was preparing for the section, I stumbled upon the fact that a lot of rocks share the same chemical composition, but at the crystal level they are different due to effects of heat and pressure. The new-found curiosity that was and still is driving me to study Chemistry also encouraged me to do my first independent research project on water batteries and their construction while I was studying for the school year 2015-2016 in the United States. Even though my battery was not working well, I was interested in explaining why it should work at all at the molecular level. Now due to my interest in properties of materials I am currently writing my Extended Essay on the hypothetical Mpemba effect on time it takes for hot and cold water to freeze. Apart from Geography Olympiads, Chemistry Olympiads were also a stimulus for my enthusiasm. Since I was in 8th grade, I tried myself out in the Chemistry Olympiads to various degrees of success both at local and national levels. These Olympiads were intellectually challenging, but the feeling that I could take on their tasks and crack them was and is one of the driving forces.

The experience that I think has provided me with lots of food for thought, was my year spent in the US while being an ASSIST scholar at a private school. Applying and getting the ASSIST scholarship helped me to understand the need of being a risk-taker. During the time spent in America, I realised the need of being open-minded, as it helped me to tackle academic, such as Advanced Placement classes, and daily challenges of trying to integrate into society. Had I not put any effort into overcoming my fear of failing, I would have never joined the school musical. While we rehearsed, I would relax mentally and in result, I performed better academically. What is more, being a communicative person helps me as well, especially during the classes, as I often need to understand the mechanism behind the topic well, and that usually makes me to begin related discussion with my teacher. This is one of the skills that I would have not acquired if not for debating. Debating is one of my pursuits. While debating, my team and I were one of the semi-finalists in Lithuania. And now I try to pass down my ardour to others by teaching newcomers how to debate.

I have been an involved member of my high school community and tried to advance it. For 4 years I have been a part of the student government, and I help to organise events such as first graders’ orientation camp, where they get adjusted to the school life. While doing CAS I began teaching other students Mathematics and Chemistry. By teaching others I realised my passion for these disciplines as I had the chance to dig into known concepts and their intricacies even more.

To sum up, I am feeling that this course will help me to ease my intellectual cravings, as well it would help to develop myself as a personality who is a risk-taker and an inquirer. I believe, that the balance of extracurricular activities and academics offered by your university will help me to achieve it all as well to meaningfully contribute both scholarly and socially.