I would like to study Pharmacology at university as I am fascinated to learn about and discover new ways to treat illnesses, and gain a deeper understanding of how different medicines and drugs interact with the body and their effects on human metabolism. Also, I believe a degree in Pharmacology would allow me to use my scientific knowledge and skills to help greatly improve the lives of others and benefit society by offering new ideas and information throughout the process of developing and testing new medicines and drugs.

I first became interested in the physiological processes of the body and actions of medications a number of years ago when one of my family members became ill with cancer and was asked to participate in clinical trials to help test the effectiveness of new treatments and contribute to the research and development of a cure for cancer, along with improving treatment for future patients. This lead me to want to find out more about how new drugs or combinations of drugs are discovered and how new ways of giving treatment and new types of treatment are developed.

In the Summer I worked in a medical surgery alongside nurses, doctors and pharmacists. During my time there, I got the opportunity to observe medical consultations and follow the process from referral to discharge through scanning correspondence. This enabled me to see the processes of disease and disease management and whilst beneficial, served to identify my desire to pursue a career in researching and developing new medication. Also, I was able to listen to representatives from drug companies which helped me appreciate the value of research and how data can be used to emphasise the unique selling point of a drug. From this experience I feel I have gained a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between illness, medication and patient expectation.

When I start the course, I am particularly enthusiastic to learn about how drugs interfere with neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and the side effects these drugs can have on humans including the possible effect of genetic factors on reactions to these drugs, as I know that research is still taking place into modifying neurotransmitter activity in the hope of discovering new treatments for central nervous system disorders. I am also excited to learn all of the practical skills and techniques the course has to offer, as gaining this breadth of knowledge and skill will be useful to me in the future when conducting my own research.

My A level subjects have helped me to develop a wide range of skills which I feel would be useful to me on this course. During my Biology course so far, topics such as the immune system and disease have particularly interested me, enabling me to gain a stronger understanding of how vaccines are used to provide protection against disease and the use of monoclonal antibodies in targeting medication at particular cell types. Learning new information like this has inspired me to want to gain more knowledge about the use of medicines to combat disease. Studying Maths has enabled me to develop analytical skills and gain knowledge of how such skills can be applied to the world around me. Psychology has taught me many transferable skills such as different methods of analysing data and results, which will be useful to me in my further studies when assessing different types of information.