Alexander Richard Swift

For me, the inspiring thought about studying engineering is that it provides pathways into numerous industrial sectors in which I am able to use practical and critical thinking skills to solve a range of difficult problems and challenges. My earliest memory of anything engineering related was primary school where I was introduced to an engineer. He gave me the task of fitting my body through an A4 piece of paper without ripping it and after much trial

and error, I failed in doing so. After showing me the solution, my perspective on problem solving and engineering was completely transformed into that of a rewarding and enjoyable activity.

Engineering as a whole, consistently helps to better everyday life through solving seemingly impossible tasks with as few resources as possible; seen in many future leading fields and companies like Space X with their constant improvements and breakthroughs in space travel all thanks to the engineers who design and build the rockets. I aspire to broaden my interest and understanding of the theories and benefits behind using science to model real life structures; experiencing first hand how the principles I learn of in physics react in real world

situations and express my love for STEM subjects through my career. Involvement in a week long BAE work experience at Barrow-in-Furness gave valuable insight into what an engineering career would entail. BAE helped to develop skills they knew would be beneficial to have working for an engineering firm, pushing me to use problem solving skills as well as team work and

communication skills when giving us team projects. Making us present our projects to the rest of the groups was challenging however it strengthened the confidence I had in my work along with my presentation skills. Having experienced the responsibilities that come with working on large scale projects, especially in the nuclear sector, reinforced my decision to pursue a career in engineering as someone who works well under pressure.

My choice of Maths and Physics as A-level subjects enabled me to study the foundations of engineering at a deeper level. Physics has helped to develop my critical thinking skills due to it offering complex and varied problems, commonly requiring you to make links between

different topics and theories as well as your own knowledge to solve them. Resilience and patience also comes with studying physics as a result of its abstract ideas that take a lot of time and work to understand. Mechanics, for me, is the most rewarding topic in physics. Its use of real-life examples and problems adds meaning to the calculations; giving the ability to picture how structures and objects would behave and react in different systems. Thermal physics and gravity stand out as the most intriguing topics in mechanics, being able to

calculate the mass of our moon just by how high the tide is or how tall a waterfall is by knowing the temperature difference of the water at the top and at the bottom completely fuels my genuine interest in mechanical physics. Maths is similar in its benefits with it

reinforcing the skills I developed in physics. Graphical mathematics is a topic I particularly enjoy, as it not only allows us to map how functions and equations look but to make

predictions about data when given data is limited through trends. Moreover, they help you visually understand why some problems give the solutions they do.

I was determined to look deeper into engineering as a career, leading me to participate in an online course on aerospace engineering. This was extremely beneficial as it allowed me to understand the basics of aerodynamics like the angle of attack and how it affects the amount

of lift an aeroplane can achieve, along with the dangers of stall and how to prevent it.

Weekly, I work part time at my local butchers shop; being a small, family owned business, team work there is essential and a skill I have been developing for the past year I have been working there.

• I enjoy playing the guitar with my band
• Cycling
• Painting & Drawing
• Driving
• Going to the gym
• Playing chess
• Weekly badminton
• Cooking and baking