Hello everyone, so this is my second essays for my application. This is the prompt from the admission.
Architecture Ph.D. and Master of Science applicants should structure their Statement of Purpose as follows:
Part 1: Goals (500 words). A statement describing your general academic and career goals, the field(s) in which you would like to study, and why you wish to attend UC Berkeley in particular (you may want to refer to specific classes, faculty, or research projects that interest you). Your ideas should be clear, specific and persuasive.
Please help me to review my writings. Structure, grammar, content anything you find can help to develop my essay. Thank you very much.
GOAL
At the first time I studied about architecture, there was only one perceptible definition that architecture is a physical matter. I learn the technical aspects; how the building can be built, how we manage our project in time, how much the cost of the building. I never know that there is also social aspect of the building or the real situation or how participatory approaches can happen. I believe that architecture not only a subject that is being discussed nor an object that can be seen and touched. Since then, I always tried to contribute into an architectural activism both practically and theoretically outside of classroom to find an alternative views and approaches in architecture.
I was introduced to the term "Beyond Architecture" when I was volunteering for Arkom Jogja, a non-governmental organization whose work focuses on design collaboration with local communities. In this project we have to facilitate communities to return secure their land and to reconstruct their houses. At the first part of the project we try to redefine that architecture is aimed for humanities. Thus, this project emphasize that architecture belong to communities. How we raise the sense of belonging among them is to involve them to create and design their own place. In this point, architect's conventional thinking to see a project from the stakeholder has to be reversed 180 degrees.
My curiosity to understand beyond architecture didn't stop there. I wander what else I can explore from architecture. I conduct several discussion outside and inside of my academics, with and without practitioner and academician, cross and multi disciplinary with architecture as the major and minor themes. I join several exhibitions which are enriching the way I see things over a space.
Looking back through my past experience, it's such a contrary to compare with my current working environment. Working on projects for upper-middle class clients with emphasis on profitable land development and marketable real life three dimensional image renderings didn't excite me as much as the work I did for the community. This is not the type of architecture I want to do. But contradiction brings out sincere part of me, growing the ability to see the world just as it is. Since my point of view changed I started to develop a genuine admiration towards architectural criticism. Those are several major things that I've learn among many other things that I've experienced. Architecture is a life which always evolves as long as civilization and human still exist. The comprehensive understanding of architecture will remain critical to create, to develop and to make a better future.
These experiences have led me to the decision of pursuing a higher formal education. When I decided to pursue higher educational level I wanted to choose a school that could teach me not just how to be a pack of human labor with a complete skill to make a work, but a school that could teach me to become part of the society that will develop over time to make a better life and to remind to humanizing a human.
UC Berkeley's History, Theory and Society program's approach to Social and Cultural Processes in Architecture and Urban Design suits my learning objectives and provide opportunities to grow. As I found that Professor Nezar Alsayyad had a prospective background to support my research interest, I believe with his interdisciplinary area of research and his direct supervision, I will gain insightful perspectives.
Architecture Ph.D. and Master of Science applicants should structure their Statement of Purpose as follows:
Part 1: Goals (500 words). A statement describing your general academic and career goals, the field(s) in which you would like to study, and why you wish to attend UC Berkeley in particular (you may want to refer to specific classes, faculty, or research projects that interest you). Your ideas should be clear, specific and persuasive.
Please help me to review my writings. Structure, grammar, content anything you find can help to develop my essay. Thank you very much.
GOAL
At the first time I studied about architecture, there was only one perceptible definition that architecture is a physical matter. I learn the technical aspects; how the building can be built, how we manage our project in time, how much the cost of the building. I never know that there is also social aspect of the building or the real situation or how participatory approaches can happen. I believe that architecture not only a subject that is being discussed nor an object that can be seen and touched. Since then, I always tried to contribute into an architectural activism both practically and theoretically outside of classroom to find an alternative views and approaches in architecture.
I was introduced to the term "Beyond Architecture" when I was volunteering for Arkom Jogja, a non-governmental organization whose work focuses on design collaboration with local communities. In this project we have to facilitate communities to return secure their land and to reconstruct their houses. At the first part of the project we try to redefine that architecture is aimed for humanities. Thus, this project emphasize that architecture belong to communities. How we raise the sense of belonging among them is to involve them to create and design their own place. In this point, architect's conventional thinking to see a project from the stakeholder has to be reversed 180 degrees.
My curiosity to understand beyond architecture didn't stop there. I wander what else I can explore from architecture. I conduct several discussion outside and inside of my academics, with and without practitioner and academician, cross and multi disciplinary with architecture as the major and minor themes. I join several exhibitions which are enriching the way I see things over a space.
Looking back through my past experience, it's such a contrary to compare with my current working environment. Working on projects for upper-middle class clients with emphasis on profitable land development and marketable real life three dimensional image renderings didn't excite me as much as the work I did for the community. This is not the type of architecture I want to do. But contradiction brings out sincere part of me, growing the ability to see the world just as it is. Since my point of view changed I started to develop a genuine admiration towards architectural criticism. Those are several major things that I've learn among many other things that I've experienced. Architecture is a life which always evolves as long as civilization and human still exist. The comprehensive understanding of architecture will remain critical to create, to develop and to make a better future.
These experiences have led me to the decision of pursuing a higher formal education. When I decided to pursue higher educational level I wanted to choose a school that could teach me not just how to be a pack of human labor with a complete skill to make a work, but a school that could teach me to become part of the society that will develop over time to make a better life and to remind to humanizing a human.
UC Berkeley's History, Theory and Society program's approach to Social and Cultural Processes in Architecture and Urban Design suits my learning objectives and provide opportunities to grow. As I found that Professor Nezar Alsayyad had a prospective background to support my research interest, I believe with his interdisciplinary area of research and his direct supervision, I will gain insightful perspectives.
