How Are You a Change Maker - Admission/Application Essay Example

Topic: Writing Sample –How are you a change maker? I graduated on January 8, 2012. My undergraduate Major was in English Translation—I used to practice translating texts from English to Arabic and vice versa. To master communication skills has always been my strong ambition. My understanding has been for getting proficiency in that language I need to master grammar first. One day, I meet a gentleman in a party, whose style of communication in English is impressive. His English is flowery and I think he is a master in grammar to own such a refined expression. At an opportune moment, I reach out to him and ask, “Sir, excuse me, I think you must be a top journalist or an author. You speak excellent English. What is the secret behind this expertise? Which grammar book shall I begin with for getting command over the language?” “Grammar books? I haven’t looked into one so far. To begin the study of English language or any language for that matter, to attempt to learn grammar first is a faulty procedure. Grammar rules and mastery on language are poles apart. Most of the children are perfect in the pronunciation in their mother tongue by the age of 3—4. Does anyone teach them grammar? What is the conclusion derived? To get expertise in communications skills, one need not know grammar! I do not know even the elementary rules of grammar, forget expertise. Ask me what the difference is as for ‘past participle and future perfect tense,’ I do not know. That is the day of my enlightenment, and my efforts to master communication skills in English language attain new dimensions. Now I have realized that the goal of my education, learning English language included, is part of the process of man making process. In this the broad goal in which all other subsidiary goals are integrated. The high percentage of marks alone will not mold an individual into a responsible citizen and generate abilities in the area of work ethic, physical and mental health, social skills and appreciation of the arts and literature. Academic success is not the index of success in life. For me, education is an instrument of social change and after completing my Masters in Humanities, I wish to do something tangible for the welfare of the society. The materialistic civilization and technological innovations have drastically altered the lifestyles of people in social, economic and cultural aspects. Women opt for fulltime jobs in a big way and with less or no time at their disposal to devote to family, the other alternative that molds the life of the students is educational environment in schools, colleges and universities. With the impact of materialistic civilization and with the advent of internet revolution, educational system is poised for change in a number of areas. Basic academic skills and knowledge are imparted through novel procedures, the ability of critical thinking and problem solving exercises are encouraged with the students. Art and literature is gaining popularity. Social skills and work ethic go hand in hand. Citizenship and community responsibility is viewed in a new dimension. Along with physical health the importance of emotional health is appreciated by those in charge of administering the country. I think, though emotional health is listed last, it is of utmost importance, for if it is imbalanced or loses the equilibrium, the results of all other outcomes will be badly affected. As for providing incentives, the real incentive to improve the lot of people has to sprout from within. Other incentives, like paying monetary compensation, may work well in the initial stages, but soon they will turn out to be bargaining and trade union issues. The process of inner change may sound spiritual, but I have no hesitation to put it on record, creating noble individuals through spirituality is the only solution for all types of ills in the educational system. I am not canvassing for any particular religion, as religion and spirituality are entirely different domains. In the current system of education, moral and spiritual values are undermined. I again emphasize, noble individuals, not alone noble projects are more important. Implementation of the projects is supreme than the contents of the projects. Unfortunately, in the present set-up in all the areas, including education, the container is given more importance than the contents. Countering one argument with another argument will lead us nowhere and will not give fructifying results. In the multicultural and multiracial society of America, educational institutions are like the intellectual battlegrounds. The set of goals needs to be more expansive for the public schools as you are dealing with impressionable minds of the combustible younger generation at the formative stage of development of their personality. The leadership in each segment of the society has different expectations about the products (students emerging from educational institutions) from the educational system of America. At one stage, when the Founders addressed this issue, their main aim was political, to enable the citizens to make wise political decisions. Politics was the dominating issue then. They were also aware of the importance of teaching history to enable the students to learn appropriate lessons from the history, mistakes committed and reasons for success. Higher human values like compassion, integrity and honesty were sought to be achieved through the syllabus followed in educational institutions. This was a miscalculation then, and even now. The process of developing the inner world of an individual is entirely different and the emotional health is entirely different from the physical health. The training ground for molding complete individuals is educational institutions. Many question me, why I choose the subject of Humanities, when alternative courses with better financial possibilities, are available. My submission to them is I like the subject of Humanities. Giving importance to a particular subject means treating other subjects as less important. In the ultimate analysis, one has to decide which subject is good for him, and what are his career goals. Education is like the octopus; it has many faces, many values and each one of them is important. Moral purity and passion for truth needs to be the cornerstones of any educational system, and the issue is how to integrate these qualities in the prevailing set up in the educational institutions. So, the question is about leading a purposeful and happy life. Happiness is possible by trying to lead a perfect life from my standpoint. But I reiterate my conviction that fulfillment of the material objectives will not lead to the disappearance of the problems. A huge mansion and some millions of dollars of bank balance have never lead one to the altar of happiness. I am not the one cut out to achieve such goals. Life is often compared to the ocean, and the waves to the recurring difficulties one has to encounter in life. But one thing is certain. Nobody has ever taken the bath in the sea when there are no waves. The waves are the very nature of the ocean and so are the difficulties in life. I have always wanting to help people; at my home country I get the chance to participate in charity and social work and other volunteer work, which is such an enlightening experience and emotionally rewarding. For quite some time, I work for a non-profit organization and I can never forget the feeling that I carried that I am contributing towards making a change in society in the lives of the people. When those changes bring happiness to the participants and when that happens right in front of your eyes, you feel happy. At every level, political, social, cultural, economic and spiritual, people talk about the necessity to bring social change. Changes are also needed in the areas of health (providing medical facilities), legal rights, right to education etc. For an individual of my temperament, there is nothing more rewarding that to apply skills to societal interests. After completing my post-graduation in Humanities, my aim is to establish my own non-profit organization to work for the poor communities, the physically and visually challenged. I want to build it as an ideal community organization and I take inspiration from Patrick Lencioni, who in his book, “The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive,” writes, “A healthy organization is one that has less politics and confusion, higher morale and productivity...” (140) I wish to train youngsters in to honest and highly motivated citizens to carry out the responsibilities in their chosen fields. It is certain that I will not be able to come to terms with a white-collar job and work with a boss who is mostly not the nicest person in the world. But I also know that running a non-profit organization is a difficult challenge, in the initial stages, as no one will line up to donate money, howsoever noble may be the cause. I realize that life is going to be hard. I remember Shakespeare’s quote, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” Having opted for the tough option, I do not expect life to be easy. Living the life of one’s choice is the best thing that can happen to an individual, and I want the best in my life. I will not choose the routine, beaten path and walk up to the grave. I would prefer to run on the royal highway and by conducting regular counseling lessons in my NGO I will strive for societal changes, to make life beautiful for the people. We, the combustible younger generation of the present era have the responsibility to work for that cause. The wise saying goes, you need to have a cause for the sacrifice, the heart for the sacrifice, the grit, determination for the sacrifice and finally to receive the rewards or punishment for the sacrifice with a balanced mental attitude. Firstly, I wish take control of myself and then try to change the other people. In fine, my firm conviction is-- it is better to deserve without receiving than to receive without deserving! Works Cited Lencioni, Patrick. The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2006, Print. Read More