I have always enjoyed the problem solving aspect of Maths and Physics and the planning and development of ideas involved in Design and Technology. It was my interest in these subjects, and their relevance to Engineering, which led me to enrol on a university run Engineering Experience Day and confirmed my interest in Engineering as a possible career. My Design Technology teacher also suggested I apply for an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, which I was successful in obtaining. This encouraged me further because it gave me confidence that I had potential for a career in Engineering.
The ability of Civil Engineers to influence people’s day to day lives, developing and maintaining the infrastructure of the environment, is what attracts me to Civil Engineering. I find the prospect of working on projects designed to benefit people’s lives, and having my designs transformed into physical reality, very exciting.
Through the Arkwright Scholarship programme, I was fortunate in obtaining a week of work experience at the London office of an international Engineering company. I really enjoyed working in a team to design a small office building. I gained experience of the design process and the relationship of Engineering disciplines involved in delivering a multidisciplinary project. I also learnt about methods of construction, choice of materials and the impact of design on the built environment. I was then able to apply what I had learnt to my A level Design Technology coursework which involved redesigning and making a scale model of a bridge.
In September, I hope to begin studying for a Civil Engineering degree at Bristol University and am really looking to experiencing the different aspects of the course. After university, I would like to work for a company producing designs and solving problems encountered in large scale engineering projects because I think this would be really interesting and rewarding.
Follow Helen’s progress in her second and third years of university.