The catalyst of my desire to study Real Estate stems from a young age: when walking around the cobbled streets of Moray Place in Edinburgh's New Town, I was left with a simple question: "why was this street so different to the rest of the New Town?". A few years later, an answer appeared on a BBC programme 'The Secret History of Our Streets': it explained the social change in Edinburgh at the time and that the upper-middle classes wanted to move away from the highly polluted Old Town to the modern and cleaner New Town. The Earl of Moray decided to create the largest Georgian Terrace in Europe, Moray Place. For me, learning that there was so much more to this one street really stirred up a personal interest in the world of Property and Real Estate.

Following on from that, I started looking at property prices around Edinburgh by using Rightmove and subscribing to The Property Hub, receiving three issues a year since early 2016. This was not enough, however, and I wanted to see how a real estate agency operates away from my local city. I was lucky enough to secure a week of work experience at Wetherell's and Carter Jonas in Mayfair, London. In this week, I was taken aback by the complexity of it all, learning legal processes, seeing how changing political climates affect property, and more. During my time at Wetherell's, I was shown a legal process called 'Know Your Customer', which must be used before the purchasing of any property in the UK. This process is used to firstly identify the customer's legitimacy, to avoid money laundering schemes, and to make sure there has been no suspicious behaviour in the past. This Real Estate Law is a part of the course that I find particularly interesting. During my time in London, I independently organised a session with a real estate agent at Knight Frank. I had done some research prior to the session and asked if I could be given an introduction to LonRes, the property data network used by some of the most established real estate companies in the United Kingdom. I was shown how to use the data network, and even helped gather data for a client on the average price per square foot in the area where she was wishing to purchase property. I also learned that the sales process is often a collaborative process, and that many agencies in London and across the UK work together and share data to assist one another.

Taking Geography and Politics for A Level has given me a firm base to study my chosen degree: I have studied housing deprivation and the need for more housing development projects in deprived areas of the UK in Geography coursework, whilst in Government and Politics I have strengthened my knowledge on both the political framework and current political climate in the United Kingdom. Classical Civilisation has given me essential essay writing skills which will be invaluable at university. Outside of school, I had two part-time jobs over the summer: picking 'wild oats' on a farm and working in an engineering factory. Both jobs required good time keeping, enthusiasm and the ability to work in a team. I believe these skills are some of the qualities needed to be successful at university, and would certainly be applicable to my chosen career path. This academic year, I was appointed to the role of School Prefect, giving me responsibilities in supervising and guiding younger members of the school. I am also the anti-bullying representative for my house, a role which requires patience and pastoral skills. I am a keen sportsman and have represented the school at rugby and cricket. This has taught me to communicate well and work with a wide range of personalities.

I see this degree course as the start of a career that I have wished to pursue for a long time. I am ready for this next step in my education in Real Estate and university will help me enhance my knowledge of a subject I have a great passion for.