牛津 化学PS 赏析

牛津大学（生物化学）、卡迪夫大学（生物化学-生物医学路线）、伦敦帝国理工学院（生物化学-法语）、诺丁汉大学（生物化学）和巴斯大学（生物化学）

你为什么想学习这个课程或学科？

在科学领域，每个答案都会带来新的问题。这个领域充满无限可能，这也是我最被吸引的地方。研究生物化学能让我详细理解生命的复杂性以及其中不同系统如何相互作用。对我来说，它解释了生命的美丽，如何分解为各种化学反应，通过研究不同生物分子的化学成分和结构，我希望能对生命有更连贯的理解。

我很幸运能安排到威康信托人类遗传学中心实习。我能够观察并参与实际操作，比如运行PCR，并学习到细致实验设计和数据分析的重要性。我被鼓励向实验室的研究人员提问：他们的投入和患者的决心具有感染力。随后我去了牛津大学的化学实验室，确认了这正是我想从事的工作。

我天生好奇，当化学老师提到人体中的氨基酸只属于左手时，我决定去了解原因。经过大量研究，我很高兴地发现这个问题至今尚未得到明确的答案。我特别感兴趣的是，左撇子身份挑战了进化论，并感到有必要进一步探索。我对无生命起源的模糊性感到惊讶：我发现得越多，发现的问题也越多未解之谜。通过反思，我学到了提出好问题的激动人心的后果——它引出了另一个问题。

你的资质和学习如何帮助你准备这门课程或科目？

这次经历（以及《科学美国人》杂志上的一篇文章）激励我与一群朋友设计了一个实验，为学校科学展做实验，探讨幻觉如何以及为何不同程度影响不同的人，以及这些差异是归因于人的基因构成还是环境所致。这让我接触到了马特·里德利的《通过教养的天性》，这本书对这一主题提供了极大启示，也让我认识到天性和教养不是对立因素，而是相互作用的。它解释了诸如替代剪接等概念，揭示了同一基因如何编码多种蛋白质，从而解释生命的复杂性。我觉得这个想法需要进一步探讨，并更深入地研究这些相互作用的机制。我对这可能带来对人格本质更好理解感到兴奋，进而帮助我们理解和治疗其障碍。

我也很享受数学的挑战，尤其是抽象推理和逻辑问题解决的难度，这两者对我在化学领域的工作中都很重要。我坚信分享想法对进步至关重要，因此希望通过在叙利亚的间隔年学习阿拉伯语，以及参加一年制的开放大学普通话课程，来巩固我的语言基础。此外，多年来学习钢琴和长笛无疑需要自律、耐心和毅力。参与学校的同伴支持项目极大地提升了我的人际交往能力和自信，尤其帮助我提升了表达清晰度。

你在教育之外还做了哪些准备工作？这些经历为什么有用？

生物化学结合了我在所学不同学科中发现最具挑战性和回报的部分。我确信这是我想专攻的方向，也相信我的好奇心和决心会帮助我实现目标。

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

In the sciences, every answer raises a new question. The field is one of infinite possibility and this is what most attracts me to it. Studying biochemistry would allow me to understand in detail the complexity of life and how different systems within it interact. To me, it explains the beauty of life, how it can be broken down into various chemical reactions and by studying the chemical composition and structure of separate biological molecules, I hope to gain a more cohesive understanding of life.

I was fortunate to arrange work experience at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics. I was able to observe and take part in practical tasks such as running a PCR and to learn the importance of meticulous experimental design and analysis of data. I was encouraged to ask questions of the researchers in the laboratory: their commitment and patient determination were infectious. A subsequent visit to a chemistry lab at the University of Oxford confirmed for me that this is the kind of work that I want to be doing.

Being naturally inquisitive, when my chemistry teacher mentioned that amino acids in the body are exclusively left-handed, I set out to learn why. After extensive research I was excited to discover that it has not yet been definitively answered. I was particularly interested to learn that the left-handedness challenges evolutionary theory and felt compelled to explore further. I was surprised by the ambiguity surrounding abiogenesis: the more I discovered, the more unanswered questions I found. By reflecting on this I learnt the exciting consequence of asking a good question -- it leads to another.

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

This experience (and an article in Scientific American magazine) inspired me to design an experiment with a group of friends for the school science fair in which we found out how and why illusions affect different people to varying degrees and whether those variations are attributable to a person’s genetic makeup or to their environment. This led me to Matt Ridley’s ‘Nature via Nurture,’ which shed much light on the subject, and introduced me to the idea that nature and nurture are not opposing factors but, rather, interactive. It explained concepts such as alternative splicing, revealing how the same genes can encode multiple proteins and so can account for life’s complexity. I feel that the idea needs to be explored further, and the mechanisms of the interactions studied more closely. I am excited by the possibility that this could lead to a better understanding of the nature of personality, which in turn may help us to understand and treat its disorders.

I have also enjoyed the challenge of mathematics, particularly the difficulty of abstract reasoning and logical problem-solving, both relevant for much of my work in chemistry. I strongly believe in the importance of sharing ideas to progress, so aspire to build upon my language base by spending my gap year in Syria learning Arabic as well as taking one year Open University course in Mandarin Chinese. Furthermore, studying piano and flute for many years has undoubtedly required self-discipline, patience and perseverance. Participating in the Peer Support program at school has contributed a lot to my interpersonal skills and confidence, particularly helping me improve my clarity of expression.

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

Biochemistry combines the best of what I have found most challenging and rewarding in the different subjects I have studied. I am certain that it is what I want to specialise in and am confident that my curiosity and determination will help me do so.