‘In reading the rocks, we read the story of our restless planet. We come to understand the complex patterns of interaction and the nature of change over deep geological time.’ Seeing this inscribed on a wall at the Natural History Museum made me realise, in the simplest words possible, why I want to study Geology. Rocks are the storylines that began when no one was there to watch and will only end when nothing else remains. How could I not find them the most intriguing things on this planet?

My love for rocks and the processes surrounding them first arose from my GCSE physical Geography lessons and a holiday to Iceland, visiting the boundary between the Eurasian tectonic plate and the North American plate. The idea left me in awe, wondering, not for the first time, how this planet we live on works and how could I learn more? Years later, I would look at my bookshelf heaving with geological and scientific tomes and realise that geology was the subject I wanted to dedicate my life to.

Geology as an ever evolving topic of social discussion is also just as interesting as the science itself. For example, the provoking topic of fracking is still making the news today and makes for a very interesting discussion. In order to see both sides of the argument – new energy source vs environmental damage and pollution, I took an online course called ‘Fracking – the Science and Politics’ taught by Nottingham University. It was extremely interesting to learn the science behind how energy companies use geologists to find economically viable sites and extract the gas from the very dense shale.

Fieldwork is such an important part of geological work and I love being outside and seeing geological formations up close in an effort to understand them better. This is proved by the fact I have completed two three week Outward Bound Classic Courses, gaining their coveted badge both times. The tough hikes pushed my physical and mental limits and proved I could still be a team leader when morale was low and the pressure to succeed was high. This experience has made me certain that I will enjoy and thrive at the fieldwork side of Geology.

I work part-time as a gardener and also volunteer at my local hospital’s cafe. These experiences taught me teamwork, communication and leadership skills, along with how to manage my time equally between school, social and work life – skills that are also applicable to succeeding at university.

I fully anticipate being involved with university sport; I have trained as a kickboxer for four years and expect to become a black belt this spring. Also, until recently, I was part of my club’s Instructor Development Program, where I assisted in teaching 6-11 year olds, giving me confidence to speak publically and lead large groups. I also enjoy running and I have run multiple 10km races including the Bupa 10K to raise money for charity.

I feel that my A-level choices have given me a strong foundation of knowledge useful to a Geology degree. But as none of them focuses purely on Geology, I will be undertaking an Extended Project answering the question ‘How did the Burgess Shale form and how important is it to modern paleontology?’ From this I hope to hone my independent research skills and gain understanding of what to expect from the new areas of my Geology course. Although books on this topic are rather limited, I enjoyed reading ‘Wonderful Life – The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History’ by S.J. Gould. This book taught me about the science of paleontology, such as the process of constructing feasible 3D models from hard to decipher 2D. However, I felt that Gould used his book to promote his very contentious theory that the path of evolution would be different every time if you could ‘rewind the tape’, rather than focusing purely on the scientific importance and beauty of the Burgess fossils. Through my studies, I hope that I could create a scientifically sound counter argument for this.