Congratulations on choosing one of the most lucrative career paths of today – Biochemistry.
Now, aim to get your admission at the best institute for building your career in the field.
Ostensibly, it would require a convincing biochemistry personal statement.
Are you confident to write it in the same way your university expects you to?
If not, don’t worry because we are bringing every piece of important information together in this blog to help you.
By reading this blog carefully, you will find:
- What is a personal statement for biochemistry?
- How to write it?
- Biochemistry personal statement examples to read for a better understanding
What is Biochemistry? What Responsibilities Do Biochemists Have?
Biochemistry is a discipline that can be called a sub of both biology and chemistry. The major focus of this discipline is analyzing the chemical processes taking place in various living organisms.
The major responsibilities that a biochemist performs include:
- Conducting research in the field of biochemistry and recording the findings from them in scholarly articles.
- Planning and executing experiments in collaboration with other departments and entering the findings on the designated databases.
- Keeping regular monitoring of the functions and compositions of various living organizations and analysing the changes and how the changes affect them.
What is a Biochemistry Personal Statement? Why Should You Write It?
A biochemistry personal statement is a document that you would write if you are looking for admission in the field of biochemistry at any of the reputed colleges or universities in your home country or abroad.
In this, you will demonstrate why you think you are a good fit for the program. The reasons behind writing a biochemical personal statement include:
- To convince the university that you are a responsible and serious student
- To prove that you really have the skills and strengths you claim to
- To assure that you will be a good addition to the institute’s student community
- To highlight your uniqueness and suitability for the program
How Long Should a Personal Statement Be?
Many students seem to be clueless when it comes to the length of their personal statements.
You can write it in about 500 words if your university hasn’t asked you to write it in any specific word count.
| Word count: | 500 |
| Character limit: | 2500 |
| No of pages: | One to two |
| Margin: | Keep a 1” margin at the top, bottom, and on both sides |
| Font size: | Set the font to 12 points |
| Font style: | Use Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial or Georgia |
Quick Tips for A Successful Biochemistry Personal Statement
- Try to use active voice as much as possible in your writing.
- Write short sentences.
- Keep the size of each paragraph to around 100 words
- Customize your personal statement to the specific career path – in this case, biochemistry
- Proofread the write-up at the end to eliminate grammar and spelling mistakes
What Topics Should I Cover in My Biochemistry Personal Statement?
When you write your biochemistry personal statement, it is necessary to cover a list of topics that your preferred university’s selection committee is looking for they are:
- Your personal story that can show how you got interested in biochemistry
- Your strong motivations for pursuing a career in biochemistry
- Your strengths and values as a student and as a human being
- Why is studying at this particular institute important to you
- Your career aspirations
How to Write a powerful Biochemistry Personal Statement?
Through your biochemistry personal statement, you need to show how you stand out from all other applications.
To do that, follow the below steps.
Start with a plan:
At first, you need to have a solid plan for your personal statement. It must give clarity regarding the points, structure, format, checklists and tone.
Gather relevant points:
Gather points that you want to talk about in your statement and prioritize them based on their relevance to biochemistry. You may skip the points that sound irrelevant.
Write the first draft:
Write the first draft without thinking too much about perfection. Once you finish the first draft, you will have the confidence to work on it further and perfect it.
Improve each sentence:
Go through your essay word by word and check if it looks logical, simple to understand, and cohesive to the rest of the sentences in that paragraph.
Read and rectify mistakes:
Be prepared to read your statement at least five times. As you read each time, focus on the overall readability, and accuracy of grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Get your essay reviewed:
Before you wind up, it is highly recommended to get your personal statement reviewed by a second person – a colleague or an expert and get their feedback.
Biochemistry Personal Statement Examples
Take a look at the below biochemistry personal statement example to widen your understanding of this academic requirement.
Check how, it starts, progresses and concludes.
Long before my professional shores attracted me to my newfound interest in biochemistry, I had resolved to make the world a better place. Particularly, when I lost my uncle as a child, who battled cancer till the last stage, curiosity peeked into my mind. I couldn’t help pondering why there wasn’t a cure for cancer when the world boasted the potentials of science. Being organized and goal-oriented, I channelized my aptitude and energy to craft a dynamic career path for me. I believe that blending my innate interests and professional avenues would craft a career for me, where I can capitalize on my opportunities. This explains why I am willing to pursue the advanced program in Biochemistry from your esteemed university at this juncture of my career.
Particularly, the chemical aspects of biology appeal the most to my intellect. The reason is, I find them contextualized to real life, and can eventually apply my practical knowledge. During my graduation, I embraced Biology and got acquainted with enzymes, genetics and physiology. Besides, I took a diploma course on data recording and analytics to leverage my industry insights and managerial skills. Apart from the chemical side of biology, I am interested to explore different processes of life in molecular forms. The value of a simple molecule is immense, such as the molecule of water. This plays a crucial role in solvents, regulating temperature and serving as a reactant molecule. Exploring biochemistry will leverage my interest in the functional and structural aspects of biological molecules.
Given that I have completed my graduation, this would be the ideal time for me to delve deeper into the area of my interest. Particularly, I love to deploy the techniques and principles of chemistry while interpreting the basic logic and processes in biology, or living things. Both the practical and theoretical aspects of biochemistry look inviting to me. This very facade of the discipline motives me to explore the deeper intricacies with determination and commitment. In the coming years, I look forward to explore the modules on neurology, pharmacology and genetics. These fields excite me more than anything else. In this context, I would like to point out my familiarity with neurotransmitters and protein synthesis, which I studied at my graduate level.
Now, that I have completed my graduation, I feel an urge to explore the subject deeper. Often, I find myself standing at a point where teachers and professors cannot answer questions anymore. Thus, I opened my scope for research. During my leisure hours, I ponder over unsatisfactory answers obtained to my questions. Well, I feel the necessity to get back to the classroom at a higher level and strive to resolve the complex questions. This defines why I want to pursue the Master’s program in Biochemistry at this stage of my life.
Meanwhile, I capitalized on the opportunities that came down my way to leverage my industry knowledge. Last year, I volunteered at the Red Cross Society, collaborating with medical teams. This opened up an opportunity for me to gain fresh skills and strengthen my expertise. It was a gratifying experience for me to contribute to worthy causes of the world. Besides, I interned at AIIMS, one of the largest medical institutes in India. Here, I got to explore the functioning of different departments, such as imaging, hematology and pathology. Particularly, I gained hands-on experience in executing Statistical analysis and taking measurements and learned a lot through observation. I also worked in the nuclear imaging department, where I learned how to diagnose disease by deploying advanced methods. In the coming years, I look forward to channelize these skills in addressing the needs of the larger community.
Outside my academics, I love bowling, mountain biking and spending my time with computer games. I also love listening to music and hitting the gym occasionally. At other times, I find myself absorbed in medical journals and magazines, or simply browse through science websites and blogs to stay abreast with the industry. Productive activities appeal to me, rather than hobbies that have little connection with the area of my interest.
Pursuing the advanced program in biochemistry from your revered institution will leverage my career. After acquiring adequate knowledge in the mentioned modules, I would like to explore forensics. The practical knowledge that I would be gaining from the meticulous coursework would complement my efforts significantly. Through my research, I have come to know about the comprehensive coursework and advanced modules that your university has been offering. Pursuing the Master’s program in Biochemistry from your esteemed institution would significantly leverage my understanding and industry knowledge. As always, I remain a fervent learner, and would like to be a part of the progressive academic environment at your university.
If you want to download the biochemistry personal statement sample PDF, click the below button. It will save a copy of the sample on your device for later reference.
What to Learn from Samples?
Going through a personal statement example is helpful in many ways.
- It helps you brainstorm and gather relevant points for your writing
- It helps you familiarize yourself with the writing tone and the structure
- Samples are a great source of reference to understand how to come up with a personal story
- You can learn about text formatting and paragraph structuring from the samples
Five Mistakes That Should Never Show Up in Your Personal Statement
When you write a biochemistry PhD personal statement, you can’t let it be strewn with mistakes.
Knowing some of the common mistakes will help you minimize their presence to zero level as you finalize your write-up.
Incorrect formatting:
Don’t use fancy fonts, colour text etc. Also, avoid using the font and font size with inconsistency in your personal statementRepetitions:
Avoid speaking about too obvious points such as GPA as admission officers can already find them in other documentsSpelling and grammar mistakes:
Proofread and eliminate all spelling and grammar mistakes. Also, check your sentence construction and punctuation.Genericness:
Your personal statement should be specific and focused. It should not be left with a generic tone.Lack of customization:
Try to provide your university admission panel with what they are looking for. For this, you have to customize your writing as per their requirements.Top 10 Universities to Study Biochemistry in 2022
- University of Copenhagen
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
- University of Pennsylvania
- Harvard University
- Stanford University
- University of Cambridge
- University of Oxford
- University of Toronto
- University College London
- University of California–Los Angeles
Careers After Biochemistry
There are numerous career paths to hop on after completing your graduation or post-graduation in biochemistry.
Here is a list of the top ten jobs you can apply for with a biochemistry degree.
- Biochemist.
- Biochemical engineer.
- Chemical engineer.
- Food researcher
- Laboratory scientist.
- Agricultural scientist.
- Biochemistry professor.
- Cosmetics developer.
- Fermentation scientist.
- Laboratory technician.
To Sum Up…
Biochemistry is an amazing subject to study and a lucrative career path to choose at this point.
The tips and guidelines shared in this blog should help you write a powerful biochemistry personal statement and apply at your favourite university.
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