Of Purpose, a Strategic Approach for Masters and Doctoral Candidates - Personal Statement Example

ment of purpose MENT OF PURPOSE I am privileged and glad to have this magnificent opportunity to apply to my dream program in your University. Over my lifetime, I have desired to study in the field of community development field in order to acquire adequate information that would allow me to participate confidently in community services. In addition, furthering my studies at your University will allow me to acquire relevant and sufficient skills and techniques that I would apply while serving the public and the society. I have been evaluating a number of programs offered in your University that would help me to achieve my dream of helping the community adequately. After carrying several surveys from previous alumni and research from online blogs, I received strong feedback that has helped me to settle at pursuing a Ph.D. Degree in Community Leadership at your University. I have been preparing for my future work through studying at various courses and been involved in various activities that involve giving back to the community. The developing environment in Saudi Arabia has been motivating me to participate in community work, especially at this time that Saudi Arabia is experiencing major community developments in its infrastructure. Education and academic services are the major areas of infrastructural developments in Saudi Arabia. These developments occur through activities such as the establishment of new schools, modernization of learning curriculum, acquisition of more experienced staff and training sessions with existing faculty. In the few years, community services in Saudi Arabia have been experiencing a huge boom that encourages service providers to engage in many activities involving community services. I believe that the best service that one can give to people is helping them adequately using your knowledge and skills. We all understand that the community contributes significantly to the success of our lives and our careers. However, very few of us realize the contribution and the great need to contribute back to the community. As a result, the community is experiencing several problems like high level of poverty, food insecurity, conflicts and wars, social crime, lower health care services and high level of illiteracy. Therefore, the community is in a great need of people who have experience and skills by contributing appropriately to different needs of the community. To achieve my objectives of contributing back to the community, I decided to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia that I obtained in 2010. The Bachelor’s course had a significant contribution to my skills, knowledge and understanding of some basics in a different area. For example, I leant basic concepts that in the management of the community and economic theories applied in the community service. It was also important to understand social policies that exist in the society and their effect to the community. As part of training, I gained a wide experience in community development strategies, population studies, social ethics and strategic planning application in the community. Apart from obtaining the Bachelor’s Degree, I actively participated in various, clubs and associations in the University. These organizations and associations were community oriented, focusing on contributing back to the community. Through my active participation in these organizations, clubs and association, I gained important and fundamental skills and techniques. These skills include strong team working and interpersonal skills that would be applicable in many areas, in community work. After acquiring a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, I decided to take another step of travelling abroad. Travelling abroad provided more opportunities for me to gain a wider knowledge of the community and social diversity worldwide. In addition, it provides a better opportunity to learn and understand the community needs. Traveling abroad also enhanced my skills and techniques since I would learn to socialize freely with different types of people in the society during social events like competitions, seminars and religious events. It also helps me to develop an open mind, of accommodating and serving different people from different parts of the world. The first step I took after arriving in the United States was to improve my English language skills. I believed that learning English language skills will help me to pursue any other course easily in the United States. In addition, learning English language skills will help me to improve communication skills that are necessities in proper communication. In an attempt to learn English language skills, I attended several intensive language programs in the United States. I preferred attending intensive language programs because they provided quality, detailed, reliable and comprehensive English content that enabled me to learn within a short period. Interlink Institute in North Carolina is one of the training Institutes that I attended in the United States. The English learning program offered in Interlink Institute involved learning activities like reading comprehension regularly from English books and journals. Reading, English comprehensions contributed greatly to developing my reading skills. I leant to read faster and clearer than in the past. Extensive essay writing was also important in the process of learning English language. The program involved numerous essay writing sessions that contributed to the development of proper writing skills. The learning program offered at Interlink Institute also provided verbal communication sessions. These sessions aimed at improving fluent verbal communication in learners. The English training program had a significant contribution to the development of my language skills to a level adequate for graduate studies in the United States. The next step I made is enrolling for a Master Degree in Human Development and Leadership (HDL) at Murray State University, USA. The Master Degree was important in preparation of future tasks in the management of human development activities in the community and gaining leadership skills and techniques that would be necessary for community development activities. The program also offered a comprehensive exposure in different areas. For example, the program enabled me to learn and understand a variety of laws that exist in different places of work, in the society. The knowledge of workplace laws is important in ensuring that workplace laws are followed in places where I will be responsible. The program also involved learning about ethical decision making. Knowledge in ethical decision making assisted me to have a wider scope of thinking about decision making processes in the community work. It also built confidence in making sound decisions that would have positive results to the community. The program also provided group leadership education. Learning different leadership skills and techniques of leading a group equipped my leadership skills and contributed in building self- esteem as well as confidence to lead. Another important information gained in pursuing a Master Degree is organizational change and professional development. The knowledge gained helps in determining changes in the community and ways of developing ones professional. I dedicated and committed all my efforts to the academic work during the entire program from the start to the end. As a result, I graduated from the Murray State University in 2013 with a strong standing and most important, first class GPA. The good grades provide more opportunities to study programs in higher levels of learning. To some extent, good grades in a Master Degree program show that the learner is dedicated, focused and committed to learning and improving his or her skills. A part from attaining a first class GPA, I participated actively in several extracurricular programs and professional workshops. Extracurricular programs and professional workshops added more advantage to the program since they complemented my background. In addition, these programs played a significant role in the development of a network with like-minded professionals. Networking with like-minded professionals helps a person to obtain a wider knowledge in different areas and provide more job opportunities in the future. Workshop training sessions attended were mainly about leadership skills, project management and methods of strategic management. These trainings were important in the development of adequate managerial skills and leadership techniques. All through my student life I have been participating actively in different clubs and associations. Despite being busy with academics, I was an active member and volunteer to various associations and clubs like Saudi Student Club, Saudi Student Organization, the Dimension Forum in Chicago, Human Development and Leadership Committee at MSU and other committees. My objectives of serving the community acted as a driving power towards participation in these clubs and association. To be more equipped with sufficient information and skills, I am applying for an opportunity to further my study by pursuing a Ph.D. Degree in Community Leadership at your University. I believe that pursuing a Ph.D. program in your University will enable me gain wider knowledge and skills in community work and public administration because the university is among the best known Universities that equip learners adequately for future task. I believe that I will adapt faster to the learning environment in your University and follow the learning curriculum to the maximum. References Kaplan, P. (2008). Get into graduate school: a strategic approach for masters and doctoral candidates. New York. Kaplan Pub. Retrieved from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=W3gfDobI3MUC&pg=PA77&dq=doctoral+statement+of+purpose&hl=en&sa=X&ei=n5pTU6D6OoyV0QWL_YDoAw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=doctoral%20statement%20of%20purpose&f=false Schwitzgebel, E. (2012, may 22). Applying to PhD Programs in Philosophy, Part V: Statement of Purpose. Retrieved from The Splintered Mind: http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2012/05/applying-to-phd-programs-in-philosophy.html Read More