CollegeLAH

Statistics with Finance Personal Statement

Chin Hua Jun is currently studying BSc in Statistics with Finance at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). This personal statement was part of his successful admission to the LSE for Statistics with Finance, Imperial College London for Mathematics with Statistics for Finance, King’s College London (KCL) for Mathematics with Management and Finance, University College London (UCL) for Statistics, Economics and Finance, and University of Warwick for Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics (MORSE).

The financial aspect of football such as transfer fees and player wages has always intrigued me as a fan. Browsing through the financial reports of clubs, I gained a greater understanding of how they operate especially with record earnings from broadcast and sponsorship deals. It was surprising to find out that player wages take up to 70% of revenue; I feel this model is unsustainable in the long run. Through my personal research, I learnt how inflation in football differs from actual inflation and how transfer fees have grown at a faster rate compared to the price rise of general goods. My interest was piqued by UEFA’s introduction of Financial Fair Play Regulations to improve the financial health of European club football. Reading into these regulations, I identified several flaws in the system such as tying expenditure to revenue which creates a widening wealth gap between smaller and globally established clubs. The techniques utilised by football clubs to adhere to these rules such as amortisation of transfer fees has also impressed me. The complex financial background of football has compelled me to gain a deeper understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of finance.

My love for statistics started by reading about counter-intuitive probability puzzles such as the Monty Hall and Birthday Problems and stories like Galton’s usage of a bean machine to show the normal distribution. This was further developed by my interest in sports where the usage of statistics is essential to modern analysis. I am enthralled by the skillful manipulation of simple data to form meaningful statistics. These data are used by a wide range of people, regardless of statistical knowledge, which showed me how simple yet versatile statistics can be. The documentary “The Joy of Stats” enlightened me about its history, application, and role in various fields ranging from astronomy to health. The use of probability theory in finance and economics has drawn my interest as it is integral in intricate processes like calculating risk or cost-benefit analysis. Quantitative representations of abstract ideas appeals to me as it provides a clear and objective view. I hope to expand my ability and interest in statistics to effectively and precisely apply it in the field of finance.

As a child, I attended Olympiad Mathematics classes weekly which sparked my interest in Mathematics from young. I furthered this interest by independently solving mathematical puzzles through creative methods; this taught me to combine logical reasoning and analytical skills to solve problems. In Economics, I enjoy studying about foreign exchange and inflation as they are seen on a global level. The interconnectivity of all the topics has trained me to think on a larger scale by considering their relationships. Physics has helped me master applying learned concepts to solve problems. In these subjects, I constantly use graphs and quantitative methods to prove my findings. Hence, I developed a curious and inquisitive mind that emphasizes understanding ideas and causes before proceeding.

As a member of St John Ambulance Malaysia, I was involved in their fundraising events for multiple years; this educated me on the finances behind NGOs and the struggles they face. Leading my division to collecting the second highest amount of funds despite having less members shows my ability to work with limited resources. In total, I have amassed around 150 hours of public duty service in which I voluntarily rendered first aid assistance at events where I had to think on my feet to treat casualties. As Vice President of my division and a qualified first aider, I devoted time to teaching my juniors first aid which has fostered my leadership and patience. Being a member of this global organisation has helped me mature into a more selfless person.

The world of finance is an exciting field of boundless possibilities and I hope to start off my journey with an education from a top university.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Biotechnology Personal Statement

This personal statement is part of this student’s successful admission to study Biotechnology at the Imperial College London, University College London (UCL), King’s College London (KCL) and University of Edinburgh.

When I was seven, I started reading Chinese martial arts novel, which was how I started to develop an interest in biology. i know it might sound strange on how those two could relate, but allow me to explain. These characters in the novels seemed able to manipulate certain aspects of their body, such as blood flow and the flow of an internal energy, simply known as “chi” to hasten the recovery of an injury site or to expel poison of sorts. This got me thinking of ways on how humans could possibly achieve such incredible feats. Were there nerves connected to the valves in their blood vessels so that they can close and open them voluntarily? These questions were frivolous but they lead me down a never-ending tunnel of scientific wonder and hunger.

Besides satisfying my curiosity about circumambience, I indulge in science studies to fulfill my desire of winning, in a marathon of education. Student stress can be overwhelming at times. Thus I took up jogging to help to revive my weary soul. However, my stamina has always been remarkably low despite my best efforts to enhance them. Thus, I secretly wished to overcome my limitations through scientific research and breakthrough, much like Dr. Abraham Erskine had done to Steve Rogers, in the movie Captain America. At first he was a frail and sick man but after being treated with the Super-Soldier Serum, the metabolism in his body has been enhanced to the zenith of human potential. The human body is truly a scientific marvel with no boundaries.

Jogging is a part of my evening routine, but I still remember there was once I could not jog due to bad haze conditions. The smoke haze from the fires in Indonesia has been brought over by monsoonal wind and enveloped our country, Malaysia. Ever since I was illuminated of the various health problems posed to us by the haze, I had become concerned about environmental issues such as global warming and had hoped to involve myself in aiding the grand cause of restoring our environment.

I was the president of the robotics club back in secondary school. In 2011, our team decided to build an environmentally concerned robot which was able to detect and collect waste along the street. It was powered by solar energy and with its internal claw and various sensors, wastes were sorted accordingly for recycling. This Fully Automated Waste Disposal Robot won us the state champion and the excellence award in national level. To reduce carbon dioxide emission and save the earth, solar car is one of the most efficient solutions. I was given a chance to represent my school in a solar car competition. During the duration of the competition, my team members and I solved the overweight problem of our car by using polystyrene casing instead of wood. Our car performance had also been improved by utilizing some gear ratio and circuit theories. As a result, we won as the first runner-up in state level.

Biology fascinates me in the way that it explains all minor yet crucial processes take place in living organisms. Like a watch made up of tiny cogs and screws, every single living cell that looks rather alike is able to work together and perform a specific function. It showcases the importance of compartmentalization and gives me an insight into the necessity to maintain individuality. Nevertheless, I never neglect chemistry, physics and mathematics throughout my education because all of them are interrelated and to master biology, they are of equal importance.

I am currently doing my A levels on pure science and like the knights-errant who never hesitate to help the less fortunate in martial arts novels I used to read, I hope I am able to use my scientific knowledge to make a meaningful difference to the world. To achieve that, I wish to pursue further studies at your university and gain precious knowledge that will surely be of upmost importance for me to pursue my dreams of introducing a better life to humanity as a whole.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of what successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Psychology Personal Statement

This personal statement is part of this student’s successful admission to study Psychology in the University College London (UCL), King’s College London (KCL), University of Warwick, University of Edinburgh and University of Manchester.

A friend of mine who at the age of 15 could not do basic reading or writing although receiving similar education as others of his age was deemed dumb and branded hopeless by his teachers. They believed he would never amount to much in life. Assimilating their beliefs, he became withdrawn as he felt left out and ashamed of himself. He was later on diagnosed with dyslexia. Upon learning of his condition, his family was forced to migrate to another country to cater for his educational needs. After receiving a suitable educational approach, he defied expectations and is now an engineer.

This dawned upon me how the needs of individuals like him tend to get neglected and how intervention could help provide them with a better quality of life. It saddens me to know how individuals with learning disabilities are more often than not misconstrued as black sheep. I believe it is unfair to rob them of their self-esteem just because their learning is impaired. Further reading on dyslexia gained me the insight that people with dyslexia have a larger right-hemisphere in their brains as shown by anatomical and brain imagery studies and that may be the reason they have significant strengths in areas controlled by the right-side of the brain. This insight made me realise that limitation in literacy does not necessarily reflect cognitive limitation. With proper support, I believe they can be capable. Moreover, the lack of educational support, albeit growing, for individuals in need of special aid here in my home country spurred me to pursue Psychology to help fill in the void and to help special needs individuals realise their true potential and subsequently lead fulfilling lives.

My desire to learn more about special education compelled me to arrange for a job shadow in Early Autism Project Malaysia (EAP), an initiative providing individualized intervention treatment programmes for children on the autism spectrum. My time spent in EAP not only opened my eyes to the different needs of children with autism but also taught me patience and helped strengthen my understanding about autism and psychological theories by observing its application in the field setting. For instance, giving praise for appropriate behaviours in attempts to reduce inappropriate ones sees the application of the operant conditioning theory by B.F Skinner. On top of that, I learnt to be more perceptive, especially so to individuals with difficulty communicating their thoughts and needs.

Having been privileged to be part of a student exchange programme to Thailand during high school showed me the influence of culture on one’s thinking and its effect on personality makeup. It additionally taught me effective communication skills, despite language not being a common ground. My communication skills were further enhanced when I was elected as the Assistant Head Prefect where I had to deal and work with a myriad of people. Apart from that, I have learnt invaluable leadership skills and teamwork, grasping the importance of working as a cohesive team rather than pursuing individual goals. Representing my state in bowling has taught me the essence of discipline and grit, including the very skill of adapting to various situations especially in a match. I also learnt to handle stress when I was expected to perform under pressure during matches and to juggle long hours of training with studies. I enjoy music and arts. Despite not receiving formal music lessons, my interest drove me to self-teach guitar and my efforts granted me a position to serve in my church’s music ministry.

Given the chance, I aim to equip myself with the essential knowledge and skills in hopes of turning my passion for educational psychology into action. Having been sponsored by the Public Services Department of Malaysia, I am already halfway through achieving my goal as I would have access into the education system upon completing my higher education.

Actuarial Science/ Maths & Stats/ MORSE Personal Statement

Cedric Teoh is currently reading BSc in Actuarial Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). This personal statement was part of his successful application to the LSE and City University London (Actuarial Science), Imperial College London (Maths & Stats) and the University of Warwick (MORSE).

I enjoy analytical subjects that require me to think creatively. I like how Mathematics involves logical chains of thought and I find it exciting to use fundamental skills to solve complex questions. Applying mathematical rules, while pushing for a creative outcome, is a challenge I relish. I enjoy finding alternative routes to a solution and solving more challenging questions, such as those in the STEP papers. My enthusiasm for the subject stems from its wide range of applications, giving me the option to apply my knowledge in a myriad of fields. Statistics is the field of mathematics for which I have the greatest affinity.

My early encounters with statistics came from watching football. Sports analysts use statistics to reduce the occurrence of injuries and to transforms players’ traits into data, allowing comparisons to be made. Bookmakers also rely on statistical methods to set their odds. After reading Goldman Sachs’ paper on the recent FIFA World Cup, I found it interesting that through regression analysis they could convert many variables, such as home advantage, into statistical parameters. These were then used to carry out Monte-Carlo simulations to predict the outcome of matches. Their model predicting Brazil would win the trophy turned out to be wrong. I think they overplayed the advantage of being the hosts, as statistically host nations had more than a 50% win rate in the past, provided they were a top football nation. However, we can observe that host nations have not won the World Cup since 1998 and 3 of the last 4 winners were not even from the home continent.The applicability of confidence intervals appeals to me as they are widely used in various industries, accounting for natural variations in research. Actuarial science, a field I wish to explore further, uses it extensively in risk analysis. As actuarial scientists estimate the potential losses of company investments, confidence intervals are used to render the value at risk with greater certainty. This helps prevent crises, such as banks failing during the Great Depression, from happening. I am amused by how simple topics we learnt can greatly impact the financial sector.

‘The Great Mathematical Problems’ by I. Stewart introduced me to many theorems and conjectures. When reading about Goldbach’s Conjectures and Euclid’s propositions on prime numbers it seemed that this was a very theoretical area which lacked applications. So I was amazed when I discovered their significance in public-key cryptography, which is widely used in internet security. Mathematicians essentially exploited the lack of an effective algorithm in finding the prime factors of composite numbers to create a trapdoor function for cryptography. Discovering applications of theoretical mathematics makes it practical and interesting.

Mathematics competitions help stimulate my creative thinking. I won a Gold certificate in the UKMT Mathematics Challenge, ranking 2nd amongst my peers. At a local university’s Engineering Competition, the team that I was leading finished 2nd. Despite early disappointments we persisted in making a model car of the desired quality. I honed my problem solving skills as we managed to develop a way to improve the explosiveness of the nozzle which allowed our model car to move much further.

As Vice President of the Mathematics Club, I help to prepare my juniors for competitions and to develop more interesting quizzes. I have volunteered to be a personal tutor, developing my ability to communicate and to simplify technical problems. As a prefect I built my leadership skills and learnt to be dedicated, spending time mentoring my juniors. Working as a sales assistant at Apple’s premium retailer had improved my interpersonal skills greatly. I also represented my boarding house in basketball competitions.

I am excited about seizing the opportunities the Central Bank of Malaysia scholarship has given me and about learning in a stimulating environment in the UK.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

A Guide to Liberal Arts and Sciences in the Netherlands, Land of Culture, Cycling, Coffee shops and more

In a Q&A session, CollegeLAH asked Matthew about his journey to the University College Utrecht (UCU) in the Netherlands.

Tell us a little bit about yourself Matthew.

I’m a proud Penangite! However, 2 years ago, I decided to take a leap of faith and ventured to Saint Joseph’s Institution International in Singapore for my sixth form studies. Academically, my next port of call will be University College Utrecht in the Netherlands where I’ll be pursuing a Liberal Arts and Sciences course.

That’s a pretty unorthodox route you’ve elected to take. What made you choose to study in the Netherlands and more particularly at University College Utrecht (UCU)?

Choosing UCU was a pretty easy choice. I felt that the course suited my learning style with its small class sizes promoting in-depth discussions while allowing students to read broadly across a wide range of subjects of their choice. For a person who hasn’t exactly found his passion yet, I figured that this would be a great opportunity seeing as instead of “closing doors”, I‘d actively be exploring avenues where my potential passions in life lie.

Additionally, UCU is the honours college of the University of Utrecht – the largest university in the Netherlands. As a result, UCU has a diverse mix of students from different backgrounds, nationalities and interests. The ability to live on campus and be part of such a driven yet diverse community was something that really appealed to me.

Finally the generous scholarship the university awarded me was certainly an affirmation of my decision.

As to why the Netherlands, I guess that had something to do with my curiosity for adventure! However on a more practical level, many Dutch institutions are very well regarded internationally, a plethora of courses there are conducted in English, the fees are competitively priced, it’s culturally liberal and situated in the heart of Europe… I could go on all day!

That was a pretty detailed account. What was the application process to your university like and when were the deadlines?

It was pretty straightforward. There’s a process somewhat similar to UCAS called Studielink. However I recommend contacting the university’s admissions office directly as each institution might differ slightly in their admissions process or criteria.

That being said, it is highly recommended to go to an institution’s website and read carefully. Especially, look out for what they expect of a potential candidate as well as the values that they treasure and will ultimately judge you by. This applies generally irrespective of where you’re applying to or what you’re applying for.

With regards to deadlines, a safe target to aim for would be to have everything ready and submitted by the first week of January if you’re planning to enter in Fall of that year. This chiefly includes, transcripts, letters of recommendation, essays etc. It can get pretty intense as this period is when most universities have their deadlines for international students; again this might differ based on program and institution.

Was there an interview process?

Interviews actually are the exception in the Netherlands, only the more selective courses, such as the Liberal Arts and Sciences and other numerus clauses courses, tend to interview candidates. Mine was done over Skype but otherwise admission to most programmes are usually judged based on academic merit.

How did you prepare for the interview and was there anything that stood out?

It might seem counterintuitive but a handy tip would be to ready a set of well thought out questions to ask the interviewer. The questions you ask not only reflect where your interests lie but also shows that you’ve taken the initiative to research and are genuinely curious about the subject/institution.

Apart from that I think it’s good to keep in mind that this is as much a chance for you to shine as it is for them to gauge whether you’re the right fit for their institution instead of some interrogation session. I was pleasantly surprised by how casual it all seemed especially despite our obvious differences in background we were able to converse frankly and freely on intellectually stimulating topics. Perhaps I was lucky that I got a nice interviewer, who knows?

What did you include in your personal statement/essay(s)? Maybe you could also elaborate on how you wrote the essay?

Funny you should mention it, I actually wrote my essay while on holiday somewhere in Vietnam very close to the deadline. Although the limited internet connectivity probably did help sustain my focus while writing, nonetheless I would not advise anyone to repeat that. So if you can, do start writing early!

What to include is pretty subjective, it really depends on the essay questioned posed. From my experience they tend to be short, roughly 500 words, and directed; bear in mind that this is a chance for the admissions team to get to know how you think and who you are as person. So make the best use of your words to express your ideas, it might take a couple drafts and time to proof, but that’s just part of the process.

What do you think contributed to your success of your application? What were some of the past experiences/ ECA/ work attachment/ academic achievements that you included in your essay?

Honestly, I can’t say for certain. Nonetheless, in answering the latter question, I tried to incorporate past experiences that highlighted the values that I genuinely share with the institution.

It’s not enough to say that I’ve been the president of XYZ society, or I raised XXX amount of money for charity. Personally, I think what differentiates a good candidate is how they explicitly relate their circumstance and subtly weave it into the narrative of the case that they are trying to make. In my situation, I wrote about how I adapted to leaving home for a new place to study and more specifically what I took away from the experience that might aid me in future.

One big lesson I learnt, “how you present something is often of equal importance as to what you’re presenting”.

What advice would you give to future applicants? What are some of the useful resources you used?

Sounds like a dating website but bachelorsportal.eu is a very good way of narrowing things down if you’re interested in studying in Europe. Scholars4dev.com is also another worthwhile site to visit if you’re looking for scholarships.

As for advice, following the theme of previous CollegeLAH contributors, START PLANNING EARLY! It’s OK to not know what you want, that’s NORMAL. As a French philosopher so aptly phrased it “I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of”.

Insofar as your search continues, speak to people, dream and make a plan with realistic goals toward the direction of your choosing. At the same time be open to new possibilities which might alter those dreams; when the opportunity arises dare to sometimes take the road less travelled, life might just surprise you!

A believer in “passing it forward”, Matthew Tan encourages more to share their university application experiences with others especially on sites like CollegeLAH. He is currently pursuing a Liberal Arts and Sciences course in University College Utrecht in the Netherlands.

A Coffee Enthusiast’s Application to Oxford for Physics

Applying to Oxford for Physics (Not my Dad’s)

If you’re reading this, you just might possibly be considering the thought of maybe perhaps APPLYING FOR PHYSICS at Oxford.

Do it.

My dad (whose physics application advice is also on this website) and I are the only Malaysian physicists here and we’d love for you all to join the *cough* fun.

Brian’s Journey to Oxford (Part 1)

Brian’s Journey to Oxford (Part 2)

No. He’s not my real dad.

I’ll have more information concerning my interview than anything else, because that’s the most memorable part, and dad’s article sums up all the good tips for everything else already.

Here we go!

FIRSTLY, THE PAT

I honestly cannot remember much from my sitting of the PAT. Nevertheless, my checklist for preparing for it was along the lines of:

[] Read through the PAT Syllabus ( https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/study-here/undergraduates/applications/physics-aptitude-test-pat/pat-syllabus ) and note down any topics which your Sixth Form course has not covered

[] Read through AS-level and IGCSE physics

[] Brief research of eclipses and astronomy (which my A-level studies did not cover)

[] ALL the past year PAT papers from http://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/pat/ . This here website is your new best friend. Don’t forget to check with its model answers

[] A few servings BPho (British Physics Olympiad, not the Vietnamese noodle soup) from http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/olympiad/PastPapers.html#BPhOP1 . Again, these have marking schemes and, as dad said, they do in fact resemble the PAT questions

When it gets to the PAT, keep calm and just show them what you know! Very few people can complete every single question with confidence. I remember blanking out for a few math concepts I had not used for months but give everything a good shot and cross your fingers for…

THE INTERVIEW

Hehe. I remember getting my interview email in the middle of Lumut’s jungles covered in soil and sweat on my teacher’s iPad. I was in the middle of KTJ’s Outward Bound School trip for Sixth-Form students and frustrated that books were forbidden during the course. Good times…

I had two interviews over Skype: the first with Oriel and the second with Pembroke (obviously, the Pembrokian tutors who interviewed me and are now tutoring me are nicer 🙂 )

The link to the interview questions and solutions are at the end of this paragraph. I urge you to not look at the answers and instead give the questions a worthy go before checking your attempt with my answers.

JX Physics Interview and Solutions

Preparing for the interview

Do lots of Fermi Problems
Do lots of Puzzles
Chill
Drink coffee
Read and practice from the following list

Book recommendations: These are just some books that I read or read excerpts from that were very interesting or helpful to the interview.

Jearl Walker – The Flying Circus of Physics

This book, although incredibly elusive, is a treasure trove of physics brainteasers with awesome explanations.

Conservation of Momentum blog

https://conversationofmomentum.wordpress.com/

Lots of physics interview questions and puzzles.

Richard Feynman – QED ; 6 easy pieces ; Tips on Physics ; Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman

Great look at an unconventional perspective of physics. The last book isn’t really about physics but it’s the only biography I have ever enjoyed reading.

George Gamow – Mr Tompkins in Paperback

A pretty fun exploration of physics you should be interested in. You can find these (legally) free online.

Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality – Manjit Kumar

A nice historical overview of modern physics.

All in all, I hope you have a great time applying for and studying Physics (if you’re here not for the physics, good luck with whatever you’re doing anyway!). I hope the advice here helps. I know it’s short, but it’s so that you have more time to practice which is what will really matter.

All the best! Hi Mum and dad (Oxford and in real life)!

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Jiaxen Lau, full time physicist, coffee connoisseur, photographer, videographer, fashionista, poet, cryptoanalyst, is currently reading Physics in Pembroke College, Oxford University. Indeed, he may have forgotten lunch but he will never forget about coffee. Make no mistake, this man is not a Victorian dandy but, with certainty, a Victorian gentleman who, as rumour has it, seems to have a girlfriend. Shame on him if that’s true, he’s supposed to love physics and coffee and only physics and coffee.

Economics Personal Statement 4

Suah Jing Lian is currently reading BSc in Economics at The London School of Economics and Political Science (2015-2018). This personal statement was part of his successful application to The LSE, University College London, University of Warwick and Bristol University.

My interest in economics stems from growing up in Malaysia. Living in Kuala Lumpur, the financial capital, it surprised me that the most expensive real estate is mostly inhabited by the Chinese while the Indians and Malays dominate the less developed suburbs. I wondered how such racially polarised, economic disparity exists in my country, even with affirmative action such as low-interest business loans and race-specific quotas for shareholding in place to correct it. I believe that economics holds the key to unraveling developmental questions for countries like mine. With a scholarship from the Central Bank of Malaysia, I hope that studying economics at a UK university will give me a broader, better-informed, understanding.

I was interested by Partha Dasgupta’s “Economics: A Very Short Introduction”, which offered a more detailed perspective on situations like that of Malaysia. Dasgupta illustrates multifaceted economic problems such as differing market opportunities for individuals due to their socio-economic status. For instance, underdeveloped healthcare, low literacy and high fertility rate make it difficult for individuals from poorer countries to progress out of communal or subsistence economies, trapping them in a vicious cycle of poverty. This made me think that it might be more effective if humanitarian or developmental aid were targeted at improving healthcare and education infrastructure in less developed countries, instead of targeting individuals alone.

This interest in the differing developmental levels and market opportunities of communities within nations led me to read Acemoglu and Robinson’s “Why Nations Fail”, which places the dichotomy of extractive and inclusive economic institutions at the heart of phenomena such as growth and developmental disparity in populations. This seems very similar to slow developing, impoverished present day nations such as Togo and Laos, whose economic institutions are extractive. This raised a key question for me regarding Malaysia: can economic institutions be extractive or inclusive exclusively to different social groups within the same country?

While studying for my A levels, I took up competitive British Parliamentary Debating, which offered a platform both to learn and apply economic issues and concepts. Competing frequently against university debaters, I was a 5-time national open quarterfinalist as well as the president of my school’s debating union. Topics ranging from the relevance of trade unions in developing nations, to more contemporary ones such as the 2008 Eurozone Sovereign Debt Crisis, further emphasised the depth and breadth of economics as a subject. For one, I proposed that while trade unions may hinder crucial growth for developing nations, they protect the welfare and security of wage earners, leading to a more inclusive and sustainable growth rather than one that reflects vast wealth disparity.

Studying in the sixth form showed me that mathematics is used frequently when learning economics, such as in modelling consumer behaviour and the effects of monetary policies. I am convinced that my strong mathematical background will be useful at university. Studying the Game Theory in Further Maths showed me the applicability of mathematics to the social sciences, highlighting its versatility in economics. In addition to completing A-level Maths in my first year of study, I was also a silver medalist in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge.

I am a member of Mensa and also a school prefect, responsible for encouraging good behaviour amongst students, organising school campaigns and contributing to school policies such as pre-examination regulations, which I succeeded in amending. I was also, at my previous school, part of the Board of Directors, where I learned how to run and manage societies.

I am very much looking forward to studying Economics at a UK university, where I hope to find diverse culture and broader, more global perspectives.

Cambridge Interview: Natural Sciences (Churchill College)

Churchill College

Image Source

So you wanna make it to Cambridge? Well listen up, fellow knowledge-seeker, for this path is not for the faint-hearted. The journey to Cambridge is difficult and for the most part a lot of luck. I will recount to you my experience being interviewed in Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Do not however, expect a guarantee that you will get into Cambridge. I only seek to explain to you my own understanding of what Cambridge wants from a prospective student, and this will differ between courses and colleges. For the most part though, please enjoy my story. Oh and honestly, I don’t fully recall the questions or my answers but I hope this article helps you in whatever way possible.

Now, some background is probably necessary. I was studying A-Levels at KYUEM, taking the accelerated course (1 and a half years). I took Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. In my COPA and UCAS application, I wrote my predicted grades were 4A*s. So, in my opinion, your grades are super duper important. They won’t even offer you an interview without substantial grades.

Furthermore, another important facet about my interview is that I wasn’t offered an interview in Malaysia. Honestly, it felt like a slap in the face. At first. But, beggars can’t be choosers and I’m very grateful I was offered a place to study there. It’s also very likely that my interview differs greatly from those interviewed in Malaysia. With this article, I hope to help all those students given the “honour” (how you interpret this is up to you) to be interviewed in Cambridge.

On another note, something I feel is quite important is the pattern of questioning. For the most part, each question started off with the interviewer checking how well we grasp a certain topic. They do this by asking easy questions then hard questions about the topic. Then, the really important part comes. They’ll ask something related to the topic but out of the syllabus. Some advanced reading beforehand may be helpful but it is unnecessary. In fact, you can get by with just your syllabus knowledge. If you get stuck, then you can just say you’re not sure. The interviewer will give tips to guide you to the answer. What they really want to see is your critical thinking skills; how well you use the info given and what you’ve learnt before to find a possible solution to their question.

The First Interview

I arrived at Churchill College at around 8am (even though my interview was at 9, you know nerves and all) on the day of the interview. I met many other candidates there, all nervous wrecks like me. Some stayed at the college for the night before while others just made it this morning. Some of them even had to take some tests along with their interviews (Math people watch out, this means you). I was brought to my Interview Room by a first-year Churchill student, where I waited outside for a very long 15 minutes before my interview started.

At 9.00am, I knocked on the door and meekly stepped into the room, greeting my assessors. There were two of them inside. I saw straight through their friendly smiles. What I really saw was a determination to gauge my level of understanding and critical thinking (more like “Let’s see what this bub is made of”). Hands shaking, I nervously shook their hands and asked if I could have a seat. They complied and I felt my bum shaking the chair itself (I have a rather big bum unfortunately).

The first thing they mentioned after all that was, “This interview is going to be an academic one. We will ask you questions based on the A-Level syllabus you’ve already covered. If you haven’t learned a topic yet, please tell us. Also, if you are unsure about our questions, you may ask us to repeat ourselves. Is that clear?” I nodded and mumbled a rather silent “yes”. And so, it begins!

For the first question, my interviewer asked me to write down what compounds does hydrogen form with all the elements in Period 2. Relatively easy, as we’ve already learnt about the compounds formed by hydrogen with Period 3 elements. These were LiH, BeH2, BH3 or B2H6, CH4, NH3, H20 and HF. I might have mumbled quite a bit (the interviewer kept asking me to repeat myself) but at least I made logical arguments (which is important).

Second, what were the difference in electronegativities between the 2 elements of these hydrogen compounds? I just remembered how the Period 3 hydrogen compounds worked and found myself facing this question rather comfortably.

Next, they asked me to explain which of these compounds were covalent and which were ionic. This was simply an extension of the previous question. As you should know, the difference in electronegativities play an important role in determining the covalent and ionic characteristics. Also, the relative polarities and polarising power of the elements had to be considered.

For my next question, they asked me to compare and discuss the boiling points of CH4, NH3, H20 and HF. They wanted me to explain why H20’s boiling point is the highest among these compounds. I kind of flapped at this question because I forgot to mention the key point they were looking for. That made me worried.

For the next question, they asked me about benzene. I talked about its delocalized system of electrons and the bond lengths of C-C, comparing those in benzene with C-C single and double bonds. Man, was I thankful this came out in class before.

And then comes the tough one. By relating the knowledge of benzene’s structure and the properties of boron and nitrogen, I was asked to predict the characteristics of a boron nitride compound which had the same shape as benzene. They asked me to compare this compound to that of benzene; such as its relative electronegativity and bond length. I think I managed to answer this one, but with quite a lot of help from the interviewers.

Figure 1: Boron Nitride (same shape as benzene)

My interview ended at 9.30 and what a relief that was. I felt I could’ve done better, could’ve been more logical, and could’ve been more confident in answering my questions. But what’s done is done so I said thank you to the interviewers and quickly stepped out of the room.

The Second Interview

After that gruelling first session, I made my way back to the main hall. There, I was once again escorted to my second interview room at 9.45 am. After the terror and anxiety of my first interview, I felt more relaxed and confident for my second. I thought to myself, “Meh, there’s nothing to lose. So I’ll just be less reserved and more outspoken!” With this renewed sense of self-belief, I entered the room at 10.00am and greeted my interviewers with a big smile.

Their first question was about NMR spectroscopy. I told them that I hadn’t learned about it yet, so they gave me some basic information about reading NMR graphs. Personally, I think I did really well in this section of my interview because I thought it would’ve been difficult due to my lack of prior knowledge. I was given some 3D models of organic structures (which were isotopes of each other) and some NMR graphs. They then asked me to match the models to the graphs. I managed to do this successfully, getting all of them correct.

Then, I was asked to suggest a chemical formula for the structures and figure out the structural isomers. Then they asked me to predict the composition of an unknown substance based on those isomers and the NMR graph provided. It wasn’t too hard as I saw the pattern to reading these graphs after the earlier introduction they gave me.

For the last section of this interview, I was asked about Mathematics. They wanted me to determine the distance of a line/magnitude of a vector. They asked for the formula and I provided it. Then, I was asked to determine the shape I would obtain if I plotted in an x-y graph, all points that corresponded to magnitude = 1. This was the formula (which isn’t really necessary):

Figure 2: Formula for Magnitude in 2D

I concluded that the shape had to be a square and the interviewers told me I was right.

Next, they asked me to determine what shape I would obtain if I did the same thing but in a 3D graph. This was slightly tricky, but I managed to figure it out when I patiently thought about it. This formula was also provided:

Figure 3: Formula for Magnitude in 3D

I can’t quite remember it now, but I think I answered a sphere, which was wrong. Then, they asked me to rethink and I think I managed to draw out the right shape, but I forgot what it was called. So, the interviewer told me what shape it was and I was like “Ohhhh, right right. It was on the tip of my tongue. Thank you!” Then he concluded our interview and I was thanking them and walked out the room satisfied.

Conclusion

Overall, I think I did rather well, at least for my second interview. The first one was an amalgamation of nerves and mumbles hahahaha. One thing I do suggest for all hopeful applicants is to always be inquisitive. Start early with out of syllabus reading and research. Always maintain a curiosity to learn new things and attempt creative problems. These will definitely help you in facing interviews like these. So good luck to all you aspiring to go to Cambridge and remember, don’t let failure keep you down. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal” – Winston Churchill

amzar

Amzar Muzani is aspiring to be a scientist. Studying Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge under Yayasan Khazanah Scholarship, he hopes to bring to life the love for science in the nation’s youth. He is often found to be quiet but really enjoys spending time with his close friends.

Economics Personal Statement 3

Ronald Yiap is currently reading BSc in Economics at The London School of Economics and Political Science (2015-2018). This personal statement was part of his successful application to The LSE, University College London, University of Warwick for Economics and King’s College London for Politics.

Despite living in a suburban boarding school, I closely followed the recent financial crises originating in the West, including the US and Eurozone debt crises and the Global Financial Crisis. This latter crisis created such a strong economic force that it was felt in Malaysia and other eastern nations, confirming the adage, ‘when America sneezes the whole world catches a cold’. Realizing how globalised our world is, I have been regularly reading both The Financial Times and The Economist magazine to keep myself informed with global economic affairs whilst also expanding my knowledge of economic concepts and ideas. Aside from my readings, I regularly engage in debates with my peers outside class, one particularly fascinating example being, “Are impulsive decisions rational?” I would argue that, so long as some cost benefit analysis takes place, an impulsive decision can be considered rational.

Reading “Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea” by Mark Blyth, I was fascinated with a different idea of austerity to the anti-Keynesian idea that it is necessary to reduce debt for future growth prospects. On the one hand, Blyth’s argument on the negative effects of austerity is very true with the widening of income inequality and increased unemployment (Ireland hitting levels of 14.8% unemployment in 2012), especially in the short run. On the other hand, the recent economic recovery of Ireland, which just exited the Troika Bailout (allowing itself to save up to $500 million dollars a year) and is experiencing strong positive GDP growth, seems to support the anti-Keynesian idea that austerity does work in the long run. Overall, my view is that although austerity may have severe initial repercussions, namely lower public spending and higher taxation squeezing the poor, once debt levels have stabilised an economy can expect strong GDP growth.

Blyth’s idea of a widening inequality as a result of austerity intrigued me and I read more about the idea of inequality and its roots in “Capital in the Twenty-First Century”, by Thomas Picketty. He argues that wealth grows faster than economic output and formulates his claim in the expression r is greater than g (where the rate of return of wealth is greater than economic growth). Both authors ultimately agree that to bridge the inequality gap, higher tax on the rich is essential. Blyth states that raising the average income tax for the top income percentiles should work. Picketty argues, however, that a progressive tax on capital, in other words a tax on wealth instead of income, is more effective and should be implemented. As the expression r is greater than g suggests, due to the rapid growth of capital (in which only the rich can afford to invest) and economic growth (the sum of the economy), a progressive tax on capital would be more effective to reduce wealth inequality. Personally, I believe that to be able to get politicians to agree to any such reforms would be highly improbable due to the nature of our current political system. It is essential that we introduce the right incentives for policy makers to act given their relationship with financial institutions.

Having self-studied Decision Mathematics, I was introduced to Game Theory which studies strategic interactions between economic agents. Specifically, I was intrigued by the Ultimatum game and the Prisoner’s Dilemma. The Ultimatum game conventionally induces a Nash Equilibrium whereby the splitter will offer the smallest possible sum to achieve co-operation from the other player. This contrasts with actual experimental outcomes due to the element of fairness that triumphs over the rational idea of economic gain. In Economics, my study of oligopolies links closely with Game Theory, in particular how firms choose prices, quantities and make their market entry decisions.

My fascination with the ever expanding breadth of Economics makes the prospect of reading for a degree in it very exciting.

UK Dentistry Application

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Hello to all the teeth lovers! I’m here to help you through the dental application. Here’s some of my advice.

Work Attachment / Job Shadowing

Work attachment is of utmost importance, not only because it can be one of the university’s requirements, but also because the valuable experience that you gain from it can help you to decide if you really like dentistry. Unfortunately, it could be pretty hard to find work attachment opportunities, especially in government hospitals. Instead, you can try to contact private clinics or even volunteer in the dental department. It would be best to do a two-week work attachment as some universities make it a must. During the work attachment, make use of this opportunity to the fullest to observe and LEARN!

Bring a small notebook and jot down the interesting things that you have observed.
Try asking the dentists some questions if you want, for instance, about dental stuff, their work experience, etc. But of course, this must be done when there is no patient.
Try talking to the dental nurses during break as they are the ones who work closely with the dentists. From there, you will realise the importance of good teamwork.

Personal Statement

Writing personal statement could be tedious because if you want to stand out from thousands of applicants; it’s no easy task.

Some might tend to use all those very bombastic words to make it impressive. I would advise you to keep it simple and show yourself clearly in your personal statement. Let the admission tutors feel your passion and picture you.
Avoid redundancy as the admission tutors might get bored as they read your personal statement.
Avoid letting too many people to check your personal statement. Too many opinions will definitely distort the originality of your personal statement.
Avoid faking experience or achievement. You can’t really fake it when it comes to the real interview.
Be yourself.

UKCAT

This admission test is all about timing, I would say. Practise your speed! You can buy books, get some practice online for free or buy the online practice.

Verbal reasoning – Practise speed-reading as it would be of great help because the time provided is very limited. Get the gist of the questions and then answer them.
Quantitative reasoning – Practise your speed again! Get used to the PC calculator as provided during the test. Always make use of the UKCAT mock exams as the format is entirely the same. Let me remind you that you can actually use keyboards to key in numbers and for me, it is way faster. Do mental calculations if possible to save time. To be honest, the real exam questions are rather straightforward compared to what you find in some UKCAT books such as the 600 UKCAT Questions book. So don’t worry if you score very low for this section during practice.
Abstract reasoning – Do as much practice as you can. You will figure out the common patterns (number of edges, vertices, etc.) after a lot of practice. During the real test, if you get stuck at one question, skip the question and flag it. The clock is ticking. Get back to the question after you’ve completed all the other questions. You can just randomly choose one answer first, in case you don’t have time to get back to this question later.
Decision Analysis – Read the code carefully and there shouldn’t be any problem as the time provided for this section is quite ample. Nonetheless, don’t take it lightly. Link the codes and think carefully.
Situational Judgement Test – There’s not much practice for this new section. Just do your best!

Overall, focus and don’t panic.

Choosing universities

There are UKCAT and non-UKCAT universities. You can make your decision based on your UKCAT score. Try to check out on how each university uses UKCAT score in the selection process. The weightage might vary between universities. All in all, you must choose the universities that you like as you’re going to spend five years there.

Interview

Once you’ve gotten an interview offer, congratulations, you’re almost there to step into your dream university. Please note that some universities hold their interviews in UK so you have to fly over to UK for your interview. If you have more than one interview in UK, you can contact the universities and try to reschedule your interviews. Make all the interviews in one trip as travelling to UK would be quite exhausting and expensive. Normally, the interviews start from November up to April. Some interview preparation tips are as below:

Have a look at normal interview questions (“Why dentistry?”, “Tell me about your work attachment”, etc.) as you can expect these questions in most interviews.
Read up on dental ethics. You will be given a scenario and asked what you should do in this case and why. Remember to discuss it from different perspectives.
BASIC dental knowledge. I couldn’t stress more that it is BASIC dental stuff that you should know unless you’ve stated some other dental stuff in your personal statement.
Have a glance at the dental care system in UK and your home country. Sometimes, you might be asked to compare them.
Revise your personal statement and know them inside-out. Some interviewers will ask you questions solely based on your personal statement. So again, don’t try to fake any experience or achievement. It would be very obvious during the interview.
Do some research on the university before interview. You might get asked “Why this university?”. Before interview, try to walk around the campus to have a look at the environment and maybe talk to the current dental students there. It is your only chance to get to know the university better.
During the interview, be confident and just be yourself!
Keep in mind that your interview performance is very important. For some universities, it is the sole determinant to decide if you can actually get the offer. So rest well on the day before your interview.

Post-interview

Waiting for the universities’ reply can be very torturing. Nevertheless, honestly there’s nothing much that you can do at this moment. Focus on your studies now and go all-out for your A-levels! If you got an offer, congratulations! What you need to do now is to meet the conditions offered by the university. Study hard! If you got rejected, don’t give up! You can always take a gap year and reapply next year if you’re really into dentistry. Utilise the gap year to the fullest by volunteering, doing more work attachment and so on.

Useful links

UKCAT

https://ukcat.medify.co.uk/50-top-ukcat-tips

http://www.getintomedicine.co.uk/ukcat-practice-questions.php

Interview

http://www.studential.com/interviews/dentistry-questions

http://multipleminiinterview.com/

http://www.dentalethics.org/ethicaldilemmas.htm

http://www.dentalprotection.org/dpl/australia/students/yourfuture/a_dozen_steps

http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx

http://www.bda.org/

To sum up, the whole dental application is not easy but it is not “mission impossible” either. Don’t feel intimidated by the limited international places. If dentistry is really what you want, go for it and you will have no regret! All the best in your application! ☺

Chong Xue Mei is currently a second year Dentistry student at the King’s College London School of Dentistry and Medicine.