May 30, 2022
Class of English 301
University of British Columbia
2329 West Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Dear Class of English 301,
My name is Ethan Fung, and I am an undergraduate science student at UBC undergoing a combined honours in biochemistry and chemistry degree. I write this letter of application to join a team of writers in English 301.
My professional interests lie in the field of pharmaceutical organic chemistry. To gain experience in the field I have participated in two research labs and one research competition. Currently, I hold the NSERC USRA research award and work as a research assistant in the chemistry lab of David Perrin. In the lab, I help synthesize candidate peptides for cancer therapy. In addition, I was a work learn student in the Calvin Yip biochemistry lab throughout the winter term of 2021 and during the winter term of 2020, I participated in the Indicium research competition where my team won first place. Throughout my experience in research, I have written many reports, papers, and proposals. This allowed me to pick up writing/editing skills that can help my English 301 writing team during this semester.
Outside of academia I work as a private basketball trainer and have volunteered at many athletic events as a scorekeeper or referee. Athletics and academia have allowed me to hone skills such as leadership, punctuality, accountability, and grit. All these skills can prove advantageous in a team setting. In terms of writing, I excel in organization, brainstorming, and editing. However, sometimes I lack the ability to communicate my thoughts in a clear and concise manner. Another one of my weaknesses is that I can get distracted easily at times.
I believe learning happens most effectively from experience. Mistakes are always a part of the learning process and I embrace them. Whenever I make a mistake, I immediately try to learn from it. This ingrains the lesson that I learned into my head, so I don’t make the same mistake twice. Since this is my learning philosophy, I will always strive to provide constructive criticism during peer review whenever I see a mistake. I wish to find a writing group that complements both my strengths and my weaknesses so that we can grow as a team. Please message or email me if you think that we would make a good team.
Sincerely,
Ethan Fung
Student of English 301
Email: ethanfung5080@gmail.com