Applying to Loyola Marymount University - Personal Statement Example

The paper "Applying to Loyola Marymount University" is a great example of a personal statement on education. It has been every young adult’s dream to pursue higher education within one’s field of interest. There are those who even dream bigger: to be able to enroll in a prestigious university in the United States pegged as the land of milk and honey. The process of selecting a degree course, an exemplary academic institution to enroll in, as well as other options to avail in terms of pursuing the chosen field of discipline,  is evidently categorized as critical thinking.

I strongly agree with the assertion of Dr. Martin Luther King regarding the function of education as enhancing intensive and critical thinking. More importantly, I also affirm Dr. King’s acknowledgment that the goal of true education is to harness the development of mental skills and strength in character. Through diverse levels of academic pursuit, educators must be able to inculcate the value of holistic academic growth through personal and professional advancement. The ability to apply critical thinking skills is clearly manifested as I was faced with the opportunity to pursue higher education in the United States.

When I was younger, I had always been dependent on my parents to decide on relevant matters pertaining to growth and development. Decisions regarding educational concerns then were purely focused on selecting the school to enroll at the primary and secondary levels. However, consistent with the advancement in age, assumption of maturity and responsibility, as well as acknowledgment that I am the true navigator of my life, my parents gave me the option to decide on far greater endeavors pertaining to pursuing higher education.

My parents have always been firm believers in pursuing a career where our genuine interest and innate talents perfectly match. It is at this point where I am fully aware that my skills in critical thinking would be put to the test.The first factor that widened the alternatives for selecting a preferred academic institution was the opportunity provided to enroll in one of the universities in the United States. As a foreigner of Chinese-Indonesian decent, not all students of similar cultural backgrounds could pursue higher education in America.

Thus, in conjunction with my genuine interest in the field of, I evaluated different options depending on the identified state where I plan to reside. After knowing that I would be earmarking Los Angeles, California, as my residential location, I recognized that I would have to consider schools which offer the course or degree program within the local proximity. The reason for this is to streamline the choices of academic institutions and to ensure that the distance for traveling would be convenient and accessible.

Among the factors incorporated in the decision making process were: cost of tuition, our financial resources or educational budget, availability of the preferred course, credentials and qualifications required from student applicants, as well as other extra-curricular activities that I could pursue. I actually got overwhelmed with the factors to be considered prior to decision making. I immediately recognized that not only intellectual skills are needed for making the most viable choice, but also strength in character.

I strongly believe that my personality which exudes determination and persistence for personal growth, the desire to be of assistance and support to my family after graduation, as well as the social, communication, and negotiation skills that I possess would assist significantly in this endeavor. Strength in character is especially important for students like me, who would pursue higher education in a place that exemplifies an entirely new way of life – a new culture. Aside from envisioning that I would have to adapt and adjust to the new environment, I also recognize that the instructional approach could be totally different.

In addition, the language could be equally challenging since English is learned only intermittently through compulsory English classes in both primary and secondary school. I am proficient and well-versed in Mandarin and in Indonesian languages. Therefore, I expect to face language barriers and need to speed up in reviewing previous grammatical rules and communication patterns. Thus, this is another relevant facet of the decision-making process where critical and analytical skills are required.

Finally, as one has decided to pursue higher education at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), I was actually enthusiastic that critical thinking is the focal thrust for Jesuit education. I am therefore looking forward to greater opportunities to hone my cognitive skills, especially in terms of various potentials to be applied in diverse academic settings and requirements. I am sure that interaction with faculty members, students from diverse demographic and cultural backgrounds, as well as with academic support would offer more scenarios for critical thinking.

The exchange and sharing of information, per se, would be a fertile ground for developing more advanced critical thinking skills. The need to endure academic challenges would develop character and personality, in conjunction with adherence to ethical, moral, and legal standards. Hence I am looking forward to becoming part of LMU to fulfill both personal and professional growth through the development of critical thinking and strength in character.