Admission Essay: Advanced Molecular Chemistry at Tohoku University

Chemistry never stops developing and giving impact. Compared to when chemistry was not yet understood and identified as magic back then, our society has taken the advantage of developing chemistry to improve our lives and even save lives. One example was the invention of aerogel that makes capturing space dust possible. Unfortunately, aside from how beneficial chemistry is, chemical-related problems still happen often in Indonesia, one of them being the facilities damage due to the lack of materials quality. This bothersome condition motivates me to pursue Advanced Molecular Chemistry at Tohoku University for my further study.

The idea of how chemistry not only develops but also pushes the development of other disciplines awes me; it makes me believe that the development of chemistry is a never-ending process. To broaden and test my knowledge in chemistry, I decided to join a chemistry olympiad class in my sophomore year and took GCE A-Level Chemistry, in which I got an A. Furthermore, I won several chemistry competitions including an Honorable Mention in International STEM Olympiad Online 2021.

Among chemistry’s widespread disciplines, materials science attracts me the most, especially in the area of medical materials. I learned that people with implanted medical devices might have to consume medicine for the rest of their lives to suppress the immune reaction to foreign materials. This troublesome condition grew my eagerness to develop more suitable materials so that survivors’ quality of life could be better, and materials-related issues would not happen in someone's body or even threaten someone’s life.

I have always loved to explore my comprehension of chemistry by connecting the dots between chemistry and real-world problems; this passion and capability of mine contributed to my decision to choose Advanced Molecular Chemistry at Tohoku University. The reason why I think Tohoku University is the most suitable university is that it gives strong support for students’ development with its social environment and notable research activity such as the measurement of bond strength in thin coatings.

Other than that, Tohoku University's FGL program (which is conducted in English) will allow me to expand my social network by interacting and collaborating with brilliant students from all around the world. Even though Japanese language proficiency is not mandatory in this program, I believe that understanding other cultures and languages can boost collaboration in many ways. Therefore, I will not hesitate to learn Japanese culture and language.