ucas personal statement

The clothing designer Vera Wang is quoted as saying that her designs are not to be thought of as clothes, but as art one can wear.If that is the case, then architecture is much more: It is art one can live in, work in, play in, or even utilise for housing art and artists. Architecture, to me, is the ultimate art.

I grew up in an economically depressed and rather rundown neighbourhood in London; beauty was not the main purpose of the buildings on my block. In London, however, one cannot long escape architecture. A short drive (traffic permitting) takes one by some of the world’s most beautiful structures. Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul’s Cathedral are all housed in the city where I was born and raised.

How could I have avoided a love of architecture? My background in art first attracted me to these and other fabulous structures in and around London; then, gradually, I began to learn about, and develop and admiration for, beautiful structures around the world.

As an accomplished sketch artist, I was constantly looking for something interesting to draw. The lines and shadows and light were so fascinating as I traced them with my pencil that, one day, I decided to draw a structure from my imagination.

I drew a bridge somewhat similar to the Suspension Bridge in New York, and my art teacher loved it. She insisted it be displayed in the local gallery. She was excited enough to suggest I go to art school, but I knew I had found a truer calling. If it was a thrill to draw a structure I thought up myself, how much more fascinating would it be to see that structure built? So it is my desire to have a career in architecture with the vision of myself as an artist. I have a practical side also, that draws me to this and not another art form.

The artist in me is drawn to the beauty of structure, but I also have leadership skills. As captain of my school’s debate team for two years, I became adept at managing a group and taking an administrative role. With this in mind, there is a certain possibility that I may someday want to be some sort of civic leader or government official. Either of these paths would benefit from an architectural background.The expertise that an architectural student acquires is relevant to all aspects of a society’s constructed environment, from planning new buildings to preserving older ones. Knowing how to maintain the buildings of a community goes a long way towards knowing the community itself.It is also with an eye toward the future that I am choosing this course of study. I am an inquisitive person, and would like to be informed about whatever is up-and-coming. This may mean new kinds of energy-efficient structures, or it may mean finding a way to turn a castle into condos. Whether business or politics, I want to be on the ground floor of what’s going on.

As an architect I would have the knowledge to shape the environments in which people live and work; or, I would at least have the knowledge to understand what’s being done and why.Architectural education is one of the broadest areas of study. It equips students with the talents to enter a broad range of careers. I can be a businessman, a politician, or an artist. Or, I can be all three rolled into one. If I am an architect, I have accomplished the groundwork to be a vital part of my community and the world around me.