For me, Mechanical Engineering explores new frontiers in many areas of life. It is about innovation and technology, investigation and discovery, teamwork and management, and most importantly the capacity to analyse and resolve problems. It is a really exciting field which I am interested in and now want to study in detail.

I particularly like the diversity of Mechanical Engineering, where each project has its own unique problems and solutions, which often continue to evolve. For example, in car transport the problem started with creating faster and faster cars, and then it became about minimising a car’s impact on the environment. And the future holds further and different challenges. I am keen to use knowledge and creativity to turn ideas into something real. For this reason, I have chosen Mechanical Engineering over other branches of engineering.

To increase my knowledge, I did work experience with a Mechanical Engineer in August 2013, who is working on the Lee Tunnel project in London. This project consists in digging a tunnel under the Borough of Newham to hold sewage which for the moment overflows into the River Thames. We had to go to a factory in Germany called KSB to test a pump that will pump the sewage and to test the heat exchangers that cool its motor. Although one of the tests was not successful due to too many vibrations of the pump, this experience gave me a better understanding of how mechanics can be used on this type of project and what choices mechanical engineers have to make. For example, the heat exchangers had to be made of Linox because it is a material that resists water well. I also learnt how the shape of the pump’s wheel changes depending on many specifications such as the flow rate or the pressure that you require.

At school, Maths and Physics have always been my strongest subjects. In a national Maths Logic competition in 2013, I came first in my school and 87th in France (out of approximately 4,000 entrants). My teamwork and project skills develop with each new project. With two others, I recently completed a six month project on ‘The Influence of Genetics in Sport’ for my Travaux Personnels Encadrés (TPE – a supervised project for the French Baccalaureat). In this project, I learnt the need to consider different points of view and to reach agreement while working for the best result. Good research skills, time management and report writing were essential in this project and transfer well, I believe, to a mechanical engineering environment.

As a French school student who has lived and studied in London for two years, I am clear about wanting to go to a British University. The courses are recognised worldwide and I believe British Universities offer more specialised Engineering courses than French colleges. I am looking forward to studying in English and achieved an IELTS English level of 7.5 in early 2013 at the age of 16. I continue to expand my English both in school and outside.

My main interests outside school are sports, music and magic - all of them creative, performance or team activities. For the past two years I have played rugby for the London Wasps club. I plan to become an assistant teacher in sailing by May 2014. I play the electric guitar and enjoy performing magic – a new hobby – just for family and friends. My seven years in the Scouts also developed valuable leadership and team skills at an early age.

Finding out more about Mechanical Engineering at Open Days has strengthened my desire to study this subject. I am sure that my strong motivation and my skills will help me succeed at university and become a good mechanical engineer.