Fit for chemical engineering | John, Notre Dame
At Wellington, we provide our pupils with a personalised, strategic and effective university and career guidance programme. As early as year 9, we work with them to identify their skills and interests. We teach them how to cultivate the attributes that universities and employers value. With help from our University Guidance Team, our pupils learn to think strategically when choosing their coursework and preparing for their admissions exams. Whether conducting mock admissions interviews or coaching on how to write an effective personal statement, we are with our pupils every step of the way. And every year, our pupils make us proud with offers from some of the world’s most respected institutions of higher learning.
This week, we talk with John, Class of 2022. John intends to study chemical engineering at Notre Dame, one of the most competitive schools for the sciences in the US. Way to go, John!
Here John shares some of his insights on the university applications process and the challenges he met and overcame along the way.
Initially, I was planning on applying to medical schools and pre-med, so I chose science-related subjects. However, I realized that a doctor’s lifestyle was not something I wanted for myself. Nonetheless, I still had an interest in these subjects, so I continued to study them and applied for biochemistry (in the UK) and chemical engineering (in the US). These areas of study both stemmed from my interests, but also the fact that I decided to focus on my strong suits, biology and chemistry. Biochemistry to me was just that combined. Chemical engineering would be a lot more math and physics heavy, but I enjoy those subjects as well.
I was debating between Notre Dame and Georgia Tech for chemical engineering. However, I finally settled on Notre Dame because I thought I would grow more as a person if I attended there. I do have thoughts on fusing my current major with computer science, which made this choice harder as Georgia Tech would be one of the best universities to do this at, but Notre Dame would build my soft skills, and its alumni network would help me in the future.
They helped me a lot throughout application season. Mr Tippen, Mr Beard and Ms Huang all went through multiple drafts of my essays before submitting them. They also helped me with interview preparations for Oxford and with my US college interviews. The most challenging part that the team helped me with was writing my personal statement for the UK. Although US essays were also quite difficult, my first UK personal statement was disappointing. Mr Tippen was extremely helpful as he went through almost eight drafts for my personal statement.
How much of a gamble all of it really is. For the US at least, they are trying to find a well-balanced class in which the pupils complement each other and each individual can stand out. That means that even if you have perfect scores, amazing extracurriculars and stunning letters of recommendation, they might reject you for someone less impressive than you because they have something the school wants, like a cello player for the orchestra.
Start early. I remember writing a lot of drafts during the summer, only to scratch all of them for a completely new essay two days before the deadline. The earlier you start, the more room you have for the unexpected, and the better you can show yourself to your admissions officers.
A Wellington Welcome
Wellington is taking rolling applications for the 2021-22 academic year and inviting future Wellingtonians to join us for virtual campus tours for 2022 entry.
Children and young adults applying for our Senior School (years 9 through 13) and Academic Scholarship programmes are encouraged.
For those interested, please complete a registration form by scanning below QR code.
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