Analysis of My Intended Major - Personal Statement Example

?Prompt What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the developed and describe any experience you have had in the field — such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities — and what you have gained from your involvement. Being an only child, I have been privileged to be educated in the finest schools in China. I made my parents proud by always making it to the top. In my junior year in high school, I was part of the honors class, ranking the 60th best student out of nearly 1,000 students at that level. In my senior year, I was the top 300th best student out of nearly 20,000 students in the whole city at that level. In my class, I am one of the best in Physics, Math, and Chemistry. Apart from my academics, my teachers also acknowledged my leadership skills, so the chairman of instructors chose me to be the class monitor for three years. This position is an important one since I was in charge of helping other students manage their academic life. This may be equivalent to a student senator in US schools. Armed with a stellar academic background and being very interested in the sciences, I intend to pursue a major in Electrical Engineering from the University of California (UCLA or UCB). My interest in Engineering pushes me to read books on this subject. I can say I have invested much of my time and savings in buying books or borrowing science-related books from the library. Since I was very young, my dream was to be a scientist because of my interest in machines. The first time I experienced flying on an airplane, I was amazed at the gigantic aircraft that could bring me to various places. I wondered how it worked and at that time, I knew I fell in love with engineering! This passion for engineering was fueled by my early experiences in tinkering with machines in my father’s business. He built some of the machines himself and as early as the fifth grade, he exposed me to the construction of the machines. I enjoyed watching and learning from him, more so when he asked me to help him fix some of the machines. I was able to apply the scientific concepts I had learned in school, while I worked on the machines. I intend to achieve my dream of becoming an engineer and being an expert in machinery. In order to do so, I need to acquire expertise from a superb university which will equip me with the necessary knowledge and skills I will need in my future career. Hence, I chose the University of California. I want to learn more about machines so I can work hands-on in our family business when I take over someday. I could study in a good university in China so I can continue working for my father’s business while I do so, but I felt I needed something more. The educational system in China, sad to say, is just bent on making students learn things to pass tests. It emphasizes theoretical knowledge but lacks practical training. I know that I will get both in the best American university. My family and educational background have aptly prepared me in the pursuit of my dream to become a future engineer. With my practical, hands-on experience with machines and my avid interest in the sciences, I believe I have the tools to learn more, and the potential to be a successful graduate that the University of California will be proud to produce. Prompt #2. Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are? I am proud of the way my parents supported and raised me to be a responsible person who is always on the lookout for new things to learn. Although China is known for authoritarian child-rearing, my parents have always respected me as a person and encouraged my interests. They allowed me the freedom to discover things on my own and did not reprimand me for making mistakes. Hence, I developed a love for learning, which I believe will be a lifelong quality I will cherish about myself. My accomplishments in school may show that I am a good student, but more than that, I am an eager learner. I have been raised to go beyond possibilities, so I enjoy thinking outside the box and exploring alternative explanations to things I am curious about. My friends and I established a club we called the Asian Engineering Club. We invite other Asian students to join in order to help them cope with the challenges in living in the USA. We understand that due to some language barriers, they isolate themselves and so, they deprive themselves of the necessary experience to adjust well, and of course, of meeting new friends. What we do in the club is studying together with these Asian students and in doing so, we make them feel more comfortable and productive in their schooling. We organize events with some UC students so we develop a connection to others who belong to other cultures. My experience as a class monitor in high school comes in handy in how I facilitate activities for this club. Our club is also into volunteerism. We have been to homeless centers to cater to the people there, cheering them up and caring for them. We have also been to some farms to help farmers in caring for their crops and animals. We have also been involved in caring for young disabled children. I have enjoyed teaching them to play games and sports, such as baseball and basketball, despite their handicaps. We have taken the children to the zoo and helped them feed animals. All of these learning experiences we provide to them are very fulfilling for me. I find it rewarding to help others and share my love for learning with them. It is my way to reach out and make a difference in their lives. My experience in volunteering made me know myself better. I know that I am capable of giving much to others not only in terms of helping them learn but also empowering them to be better people. I realized that I have the tendency to see a person’s potential and encourage him or her to optimize it. I am willing to stand by and help him or her through it. Someday, this quality will be very useful to me as a future leader. I will be the kind of leader that will inspire and empower my followers to be leaders themselves in their own right. Additional Comments: Describe anything else that you have not had an opportunity to include elsewhere in your application I am Chinese and it is my first time to be away from home. Although I am an only child, I consider myself independent, having been trained to help out my father’s business when I was younger, and to travel to other cities on business. My father believed that I could follow his footsteps, and entrusted me with some tasks in his business. In my junior year in high school, he sent me on a business trip to Guangzhou to represent him. Perhaps it was his test to see if I could manage the task on my own, and I proved him right. Although it was my first time to be away from home, I succeeded in my mission, bringing home profits to his business. I knew by then that I was destined to carry on the tradition of excellence that my father started. Now that I am in college, I cannot help but miss my family since we are very close. Being in an American university entails being away from them for a prolonged period of time. I manage by making friends with other students and chasing our homesickness away together. English is a foreign language to me, although in school, learned it adequately. I believe that Engineering has its own language, and being more of a science-minded person, I understand it well. I am ready for the challenges university life brings. It may be more difficult for me to fare as an international student, but I do believe I have what it takes to be on par with my peers who are better adjusted in this country than I am. Read More