My Intent to Succeed as a Chartered Civil Engineer

My interest in Civil Engineering started early on in life when I first moved to the United Kingdom. I came from Africa when I was 13 and during that time the most awe-inspiring engineering marvel I had witnessed was limited to a few buildings (Embassies) and bridges, so when I moved here, and my parents took me and my siblings to visit architectural landmarks I became starstruck with those great minds that overcome the odds and built these wonderous structures. Each a testament to humanities accomplishments and each surpassed by the next. I always desired to create something great that benefitted humanity and defied logic, something that would inspire the next generation of engineers. I soon realised that civil engineering was the path to choose because I was good at both maths and physics and I enjoyed solving creative problems and turning and idea into a reality.

Additionally, I believe that my skills and interests give me a strong foundation for a career in Civil Engineering. In University, I learned to be more organised and to not only lead others but to work with them. I was the Vice student representative during my first years and during my graduating year I became the student representative. I was also attempting to organise a charity event at the school before I graduated. These interests in both the community and the environment come from my longing to bring about change - that same longing underpins my interest in Civil Engineering.

My achieving a 1st Class at bachelor’s degree level is a testament to my dedication. After a structural design project during my final year I was keen on the design aspect and therefore I am applying for the master’s with integrated design.

My work experience is limited to college and university site visits and because of this I decided to apply to the part-time course so that I may work and receive adequate experience by the time I graduate.

Studying at UCL will provide me with necessary tools to further my pursuit of success. The choice of the four optional modules will allow me to strengthen the fields I have least knowledge about and diversify my knowledge.

As for my extracurricular activities, I am quite active as I am into fitness and martial arts which I picked up during my time at college. I also play football and basketball though my basketball skills are rather appalling and need more polishing. I enjoy sports because of the difficulties that you can overcome as a team. All these activities have taught me that there is a difference between loosing and failing. As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”. I do enjoy competition and adversity because it feeds my desire to overcome difficulties and win.

For these reasons, I believe I have the materials necessary to succeed in Civil Engineering. Therefore, to build the road upon which I shall traverse to success and the tower which I shall use to climb to new heights, I welcome the opportunity for the support and foundation that a university education in the UK can provide.

Currently I am registered with the Institution of Civil engineers (ICE) as a student member, however when I finish my master’s degree I would be further down my path to becoming a Chartered Civil Engineer (CEng).