Computer science and mathematics degree personal statement example (1c) UCL offer

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Computers let us harness the power of mathematics and have given us the best problem solving tool ever known. The study and refinement of computer techniques is the core of computer science and is the perfect combination for me; computers and mathematics. What draws me to computer science is that the youth of the discipline means that innovation is at its greatest, and just a few people can revolutionise the world.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Studying Computing AS-Level gave me a broad overview of the field, as well as allowing me to research some topics in greater detail. I particularly enjoyed a research task about the internet, with the ‘HowStuffWorks’ website article capturing my interest, and an article on Microsoft’s ‘TechNet’ giving a thorough technical explanation of the TCP/IP stack. The latter in particular was a great source of inspiration, as it is a complex but elegantly designed system. I was also the leader of a programming team throughout the year, which allowed me to develop my leadership skills as well as my programming in Pascal.

Studying A-Levels in mathematics, further mathematics and physics greatly strengthened my logical thinking and problem solving skills. Mathematical topics such as matrix transformations were of particular interest, as they lend themselves to computers perfectly, and they let complex graphical transformations to be carried out with just a few calculations. Iteration and numerical methods also made me consider different approaches of computation, and made me appreciate the power which computers allow us.

The UKMT maths challenges encouraged me to think differently about problems, as they force you to devise optimal or radical solutions to succeed, and I have thrice achieved ‘Gold’ in these, as well as winning the regional team maths challenge. I loved undertaking these, as the questions presented unique challenges. One such question was very similar to the classic ‘travelling salesman problem’, and it got me thinking about heuristic approaches to it and also about the massive resources that would be required to ‘brute force’ the ‘best’ answer. I also realised that devising optimal algorithms is critical to computer science, as it can not only save time and money, but also allow previously unfeasible technologies to be used, such as exploiting multi-core processing by writing parallelisable code.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Hardware is one of my interests, and I have helped several friends select components and build their own PCs. I extended my knowledge by reading in-depth reviews of the new CPU and GPU architectures on the ‘AnandTech’ website. This allowed me to understand which interesting features have been implemented and how performance has been maximised. I also program in my free time, having created a prime number generator in Java and C++ based initially off of the sieve of Eratosthenes. Optimising this algorithm in successive revisions was enjoyable, as it was satisfying to see the program execute faster. I tried a variety of methods for different conditions to see which one would complete the quickest.

Programming an AI in a game using ‘Lua’, to automate tasks based on the current state and position of the robot, allowed me to get a better understanding of how computers can utilise available inputs by ‘understanding’ the situation and then take the appropriate action. This also let me appreciate some of the complexities of modern AI.

I lead an active role in the school community, having been a prefect, member of the school council, and a part of a counselling group for younger children. Playing hockey for the school team taught me discipline and perseverance, regardless of the conditions. I enjoy problem solving, and take a logical approach to everything I do. I want to be on the forefront of computer science. To devise the technologies and algorithms to create wonders, and I believe I have what it takes to do this.

Universities applied to:

• Cambridge CS
• Imperial CS MEng G401
• UCL CS MEng G402
• Bath 4 year CS G403
• Birmingham CS/Software Engg GG46

Grades achieved:

• Maths A2 - A* (95%)
• Physics AS - A (92%)
• Computing AS - A (89%)
• Further Maths - to be taken

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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