Personal Statement

Aya EL JAHIRI

UCAS ID: 1434433602

MSA is the right school for me, not only because it is ranked among the top 10 schools worldwide, but because it would be a platform for my personal and academic progress. The fact that MSA works in collaboration with companies both in Manchester as well as beyond represents a promising opportunity for a student like me. Being concerned with providing every future architect with the necessary tools to introduce his or her work for employers, MSA leverages the student’s horizons to thrive both academically and career-wise.

My love for architecture has stemmed from a keen desire to express myself since I commenced the art of dance at the age of 7. I believe that architecture and music are two existential ingredients which have always allowed humans to express their deeply rooted love for eternity.  I have started to develop my desire for the study of architecture when I first discovered, alongside my love for music, the inspiring works of Zaha Hadid. Hadid is the female architect who broke the Arabic rule that the domain of architecture is exclusively reserved to men in the Arab world. And this, among other variables, encouraged me to apply for the discipline first and your school second.

We humans, I believe, are good at being creative. Zaha Hadid once said, ““There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?” Hadid’s concepts of fluidity and kinesics have inspired me. London Aquatic Centre is an epitome of these two intertwined elements which give the building movement and flexibility beyond space. When I first visited the building, I was mesmerized by the fact that freedom can trigger originality and love for more giving and sharing. I assume that the life of an architect knows no jadedness, so to speak. So, whenever I have the opportunity to experience a work of architecture, the ingredients I shall take into consideration are: to preserve dynamicity and maintain novelty while staying simple.

Simplicity has always been most admired. I believe that old Moroccan architecture was indicative of how people were able to establish a balanced rapport with nature; something which they long for now. As a future architect, I will be able to learn a lot from such simplicity and at the same time have recourse to the state-of-the-art technologies to promote all possible architectural horizons while observing natural equipoise.

I love change and I am never scared of new solutions to challenges. I am aware that the world has always things to teach me and I am ready and have an insatiable thirst to learn more. Architecture will always be the source to quench my thirst for knowledge. My application for MSA is the result of much thought and consideration and stems from my hope to pursue my studies in an environment of diversity and internationalism.