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Third UCAS Personal Statement

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sabine.schaepers-cheu
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24 views2 pages

Third UCAS Personal Statement

Uploaded by

sabine.schaepers-cheu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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UCAS Personal Statement

In battling an eating disorder, I experienced first-hand how a multitude of different


biological mechanisms inside my body can run haywire and take control of every aspect of my
identity up to the highest order of cognition. My “rational thoughts” were actually dictated by the
way our species evolved to cope with hunger. In discovering this, my long existing passion for
biology strengthened. I delved into the neurobiology and physiology of anorexia. In
deconstructing its biology, I was able to reconstruct myself, overcoming my illness.
I thoroughly enjoy gradually building a model of life to understand how complex
biological processes impact us. I conducted my extended essay on the effect of stress on
severity of PMS, gaining statistical data analysis skills in the process. To take my learning to the
next level, I interned at the University of Basel Biozentrum, in which we analysed the species
and traits of phages we sampled from a river using techniques such as streaking, pipetting,
electron microscopy, and creating assays and cell cultures. I then attended an immersion
program at Novartis, a pharmaceutical company. The eye opening lectures and seminars
solidified my appreciation of the intricacies and complexities of biological systems. I find it
beautiful how all the parts come together so intelligently, yet they evolved out of atoms and
energy exposed to the laws of nature and time. I later volunteered at the Bald Head Island
Conservatory assisting efforts in marine research. There, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina,
I discovered the delicate yet adaptable strength of nature. This later led me to apply and attend
a week-long environmental symposium held by the Villars Institute. I discussed the science and
implications of climate change with other students and speakers, and learned systems thinking
from a course which supplemented the experience. This gave me foundational skills to apply my
biological knowledge to future applications.
In parallel, my fascination with neuroscience has grown. I find the brain exceptionally
compelling, since it creates consciousness while piecing together the cohesive mosaic of bodily
systems. I came into contact with a neuroscience researcher at the University of Basel by
attending open lectures, and, by expressing my interest, was able to visit his laboratory. I also
regularly listen to neuroscience podcasts, such as the Huberman Lab Podcast and Inner
Cosmos, and read books such as Behave and Thinking Fast and Slow.
I also participated in a neuroscience pre-college course over the summer at Duke
University on neural integration and sensory pathways. I learned the foundations of
neuroscience and immense insights on sensation. For example, interesting phenomena such as
saccadic masking or the motion after effect. Eventually, I used the research and
experimentation skills I learned to write a research paper on the touch and pressure pathway.
Discovering the details behind structures such as C fibres and Aδ fibres.
I was then grateful to get into a highly competitive Stanford clinical neuroscience
program. It opened my eyes to dozens of career paths and fields of expertise, such as
neurolaw, the unconscious brain, and progressions with Alzheimer's and AI technology. I
developed leadership and design thinking skills by working with a group to create a capstone
project on addressing developmental language disorders. Both of these courses built on my
ability to grasp sophisticated concepts far beyond my prior knowledge.
I was motivated to volunteer at a nursing home, conducting brain training sessions with
them. Throughout the summer I also volunteered at the Women’s Brain Foundation, a non-profit
in Switzerland, whose goal is to conduct research on brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s with a
focus on gender inequalities in the field. It was fascinating to learn about brain health and
fulfilling to make a difference in people’s lives, allowing them to hold on to their memories and
cognition for even a little longer.
In the future, I would like to apply biology to improve the lives of others suffering from
physical and mental illnesses like I did for myself. In addition to the skills I gained from my
experiences and studies, I further skills needed for this such as a profound understanding of
others. When I was younger, one of my many micro-interests was researching personality tests
such as the MBTI. It is exciting to contemplate models of the unique complexities of each of our
personas. My background allowed me to meet a vast variety of people, growing up in New York
City and later moving to Switzerland to attend an international school. I came to appreciate an
abundance of diverse perspectives while simultaneously developing my critical thinking and
interpersonal skills in clubs such as Volleyball, Red Cross, MUN, Math mentoring, and the Duke
of Edinburgh. To me the key to progressing quality of life lies within our very building blocks,
thus I would love to devote more of my life to the study of biology.

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