Hello! I ended up rewriting my entire personal statement at the last minute. I'm worried if it answered the prompt or not, I think I focused too much on "Who are you as a person?" than on "What are you trying to say using interactive media?". Please let me know if there are things I should expand on / remove to better answer the prompts.
Prompt: The Cinematic Arts personal statement is an opportunity to express your ideas about and interest in Interactive Entertainment, help us to understand your background and creative potential, and explain why you would like to study interactive media production at the School of Cinematic Arts. This statement will be read by the Interactive Media Admission Committee as a measure of creativity, self-awareness and vision. Your statement should give the committee a sense of your long-term goals and artistic ambitions. It should answer the questions: "Who are you as a person? What are you trying to say, using interactive media? Why do you want to attend the Interactive Entertainment Program? What are your career/professional/artistic goals?" We are looking for a sense of you as a unique individual and how your distinctive experiences, identities, values, and/or views of the world have shaped who you are.
Throughout my life, there have been these "sparks" in the flickering background. Little did I know, it was peppered in everything that I do, like colorful sprinkles on a blank cake. In my middle school science class, I drew a short slice-of-life comic about living with glaucoma. For English, I made an animated book trailer for "Bamboo People", a Burmese coming-of-age survival story. In my health science course, instead of a slideshow, I illustrated and edited an animatic infomercial about an eating disorder. No matter the assignment, I always found an excuse to integrate art and storytelling into my daily life.
As I grew into my college years and a predetermined pre-medical route, I found it harder to attend to the spark. Doodles of original characters were gradually replaced by diagrams of chemical mechanisms. I wanted to keep building the inner world I'd always carried in my head, but I was still learning the balance between academics and passion. During my sophomore year at UT Austin, I sat on the bus playing a goofy mobile game called "Battle Cats". While playing, a thought had just occurred to me: "Games... have art. Who made game art?" A simple Google search led me to learn the game dev process, which led me to download Unity, which led me to yell in satisfaction when my PlayerMovement script worked, which led me to find more game dev programs, which somehow led to me hyperventilating at my transfer acceptance email to USC. That was when I realized the impact creative passion has on every decision I make. In a matter of months, the flickering sparks became a full-blown explosion that drove me to cross state borders. Though I continued biology to meet expectations, I had a sneaky secret mission - I wanted to explore the entertainment arts.
In my first year at USC, I began taking animation courses I loved until COVID-19 interrupted the year. During my leave of absence, I wanted to stay connected with the SCA program by volunteering in my first Advanced Game Project (AGP), "[REDACTED 1]". Simultaneously, I was also working as a medical assistant at a local clinic (yes, in the midst of a global pandemic). I was burning out from working in a stressed healthcare system, but despite the isolation and uncertainty, the collaborative creative process of game development tended to me.
Once life transitioned into normalcy, I returned to campus to finish my undergrad. I focused on maximizing my time in USC's Game Animation minor. I joined another AGP, "[REDACTED 2]", and this time, experienced the full vibrancy of USC Games. I was thrust into the roles of UX/UI Design and Art Lead. Being surrounded by highly driven and talented peers inspired me to keep up their pace, encouraging me to grow as a visual designer and a leader. The cross-disciplinary nature of game development, the collaborative environment, and the knowledgeable veteran faculty were everything I could ask for in a creative program. Despite my attention being divided between critiquing art deliverables and studying endocrinology, I happily led an art team and contributed to making a fun mobile game the team was proud of.
Before I knew it, graduation day came and it was time to go home to attend to family business matters. Despite being no longer present in LA, I was fortunate to continue collaborating with my classmates on their new AGPs - "[REDACTED 3]" and "[REDACTED] 4" - as an interface designer. For the next two years, I continued to tend my spark through conferences, game jams, and side projects, yet something was still missing. What I missed most was physically sharing space with other inspiring creators. Bouncing ideas together, freaking out over beta presentations together, and celebrating our final product together in real time were all the joys of game development, and I would love to be back in that space.
With personal matters now settled, I am ready to return to USC with my full, undivided attention to interactive media. At USC, I am eager to dive deeper into the resources IMGD has to offer, such as labs, facilities, and career/internship advising. I also want to take that Motion Capture class that I never had time to take! Most of all, I want to elevate and deepen my personal storytelling skills, with a focus on cultural intersections and mental health.
My career vision is to work as a UX/UI Designer in an indie studio, crafting fun yet heartfelt narratives in a stylized world. Interactive media doesn't just allow me to learn-it compels me to explore new roles, viewpoints, and technical skills that continually breathe new life into my spark. I'm ready to bring everything I've learned into the next phase of my life, where I hope to merge the vibrant spirit of USC with my own vision for interactive storytelling.
Prompt: The Cinematic Arts personal statement is an opportunity to express your ideas about and interest in Interactive Entertainment, help us to understand your background and creative potential, and explain why you would like to study interactive media production at the School of Cinematic Arts. This statement will be read by the Interactive Media Admission Committee as a measure of creativity, self-awareness and vision. Your statement should give the committee a sense of your long-term goals and artistic ambitions. It should answer the questions: "Who are you as a person? What are you trying to say, using interactive media? Why do you want to attend the Interactive Entertainment Program? What are your career/professional/artistic goals?" We are looking for a sense of you as a unique individual and how your distinctive experiences, identities, values, and/or views of the world have shaped who you are.
Throughout my life, there have been these "sparks" in the flickering background. Little did I know, it was peppered in everything that I do, like colorful sprinkles on a blank cake. In my middle school science class, I drew a short slice-of-life comic about living with glaucoma. For English, I made an animated book trailer for "Bamboo People", a Burmese coming-of-age survival story. In my health science course, instead of a slideshow, I illustrated and edited an animatic infomercial about an eating disorder. No matter the assignment, I always found an excuse to integrate art and storytelling into my daily life.
As I grew into my college years and a predetermined pre-medical route, I found it harder to attend to the spark. Doodles of original characters were gradually replaced by diagrams of chemical mechanisms. I wanted to keep building the inner world I'd always carried in my head, but I was still learning the balance between academics and passion. During my sophomore year at UT Austin, I sat on the bus playing a goofy mobile game called "Battle Cats". While playing, a thought had just occurred to me: "Games... have art. Who made game art?" A simple Google search led me to learn the game dev process, which led me to download Unity, which led me to yell in satisfaction when my PlayerMovement script worked, which led me to find more game dev programs, which somehow led to me hyperventilating at my transfer acceptance email to USC. That was when I realized the impact creative passion has on every decision I make. In a matter of months, the flickering sparks became a full-blown explosion that drove me to cross state borders. Though I continued biology to meet expectations, I had a sneaky secret mission - I wanted to explore the entertainment arts.
In my first year at USC, I began taking animation courses I loved until COVID-19 interrupted the year. During my leave of absence, I wanted to stay connected with the SCA program by volunteering in my first Advanced Game Project (AGP), "[REDACTED 1]". Simultaneously, I was also working as a medical assistant at a local clinic (yes, in the midst of a global pandemic). I was burning out from working in a stressed healthcare system, but despite the isolation and uncertainty, the collaborative creative process of game development tended to me.
Once life transitioned into normalcy, I returned to campus to finish my undergrad. I focused on maximizing my time in USC's Game Animation minor. I joined another AGP, "[REDACTED 2]", and this time, experienced the full vibrancy of USC Games. I was thrust into the roles of UX/UI Design and Art Lead. Being surrounded by highly driven and talented peers inspired me to keep up their pace, encouraging me to grow as a visual designer and a leader. The cross-disciplinary nature of game development, the collaborative environment, and the knowledgeable veteran faculty were everything I could ask for in a creative program. Despite my attention being divided between critiquing art deliverables and studying endocrinology, I happily led an art team and contributed to making a fun mobile game the team was proud of.
Before I knew it, graduation day came and it was time to go home to attend to family business matters. Despite being no longer present in LA, I was fortunate to continue collaborating with my classmates on their new AGPs - "[REDACTED 3]" and "[REDACTED] 4" - as an interface designer. For the next two years, I continued to tend my spark through conferences, game jams, and side projects, yet something was still missing. What I missed most was physically sharing space with other inspiring creators. Bouncing ideas together, freaking out over beta presentations together, and celebrating our final product together in real time were all the joys of game development, and I would love to be back in that space.
With personal matters now settled, I am ready to return to USC with my full, undivided attention to interactive media. At USC, I am eager to dive deeper into the resources IMGD has to offer, such as labs, facilities, and career/internship advising. I also want to take that Motion Capture class that I never had time to take! Most of all, I want to elevate and deepen my personal storytelling skills, with a focus on cultural intersections and mental health.
My career vision is to work as a UX/UI Designer in an indie studio, crafting fun yet heartfelt narratives in a stylized world. Interactive media doesn't just allow me to learn-it compels me to explore new roles, viewpoints, and technical skills that continually breathe new life into my spark. I'm ready to bring everything I've learned into the next phase of my life, where I hope to merge the vibrant spirit of USC with my own vision for interactive storytelling.
