HKU Personal Statement - Journalism

I am not sure about what I should include and what I should not. Please help me with revising this, I appreciate every comment!

Please provide information which you feel will be of interest to the Admissions Tutors and will help them know you better, e.g. your reasons for applying to HKU, the chosen curricula, extra-curricular activities, participation in voluntary work, past working experience, career aspirations and other achievements. (maximum: 6000 characters, including punctuations and space)

pursuing a career in the journalism field

Years back, my family and friends always called me the camera girl. The thought of the world around piques my curiosity, and discovering it via the lenses of my camera has always been my passion since I was little. However, the determination to pursue specific undergraduate studies did not come to my mind early.

Fortunately, the trips with *** genuinely challenged my whole perspective on life. Three weeks, seven cities, twenty-eight people, and one mission: providing free healthcare to the ones who need it. Going on this trip taught me the importance of adaptability and being open-minded. On this trip, I broke the "wall" of shyness and reached out to talk to a wide variety of people. Whether they were doctors, dentists, foreign volunteers, or my "patients", I was able to have friendly conversations with them. Listening to stories that tugged at my heartstrings, I felt the urge to write something down. Taking photos that could recall so many emotions, I felt the need to share them with everyone. That moment, it hit me: "Yes, I want to study journalism".

Looking back, I find myself to have been immersed in many activities related to writing and photography ever since the beginning of high school. Leading the media team of the Yearbook project, I acknowledge that our publications have a strong impact on shaping public perception and decide the success of our project. Therefore, I have always taken the responsibility to make sure our team can provide not only eye-catching photos of school's events but also informative and interesting articles about school life. Earlier this year, I was honored to participate in the ***, which provided me with practice in doing research for the position paper as well as debating sessions. This meeting also gave me an insight into how important a clear and concise writing is in the professional context. Eventually, when putting my interests and personal strengths together, I have ensured that journalism is my perfect fit.

The more I know about the University of Hong Kong, the more I believe it is a perfect place to spend my undergraduate education years. A journalist cannot succeed without having the solid foundation in communications and strong critical understanding, so I am fascinated to explore what the journalism program at the University of Hong Kong can offer. Writing is, of course, one of the most important skills every journalist must have, and practical writing courses will certainly provide me with a basis in journalistic writing technique to release well-written analytical articles in the future. Besides, although I have been engaging in taking photographs for quite a while, never have I ever experienced real lectures on photography. Any articles would need compelling photographs to highlight important issues, therefore I want to enhance my photography skills through taking photography courses in the journalism curriculum.

To become a business journalist is my cherished wish, and I believe that the Bachelor of Journalism program at HKU will allow me to fulfill my dream. Globalization is having major impacts on the world, and in order to embrace this opportunity, I am excited to go on an exchange to broaden my horizons through interacting with people from different cultures. As someone who loves exploring and challenges, I also look forward to studying more about international business through the opportunity to declare a second major and get valuable experience when taking internships during my course.

Just because it took me longer to realize my determination, it does not mean that I cannot do well in this journalism field. With strong motivation and passion, I truly look forward to challenging myself by studying abroad in the University of Hong Kong, where I can thrive in the global-class university environment and have the best opportunities to follow my career pursuits.

Hello, Julie!

I think your essay is very well-written and shows enthusiasm for journalism, but, maybe, when talking about your reasons for applying to HKU, you should be more specific, mentioning facilities not found in many other places.

Also, the sixth paragraph repeats the same idea of the fifth.
Good luck with your application!

Julie, your essay is indecisive and portrays a high school senior at a crossroads who has not really made up her mind about her future yet. It is one thing to be a journalist, it is another thing to be a photojournalist. Which one do you hope to be in the future? Since you keep on inserting your love for photography in the essay, you should not be focusing on developing the presentation as a potential journalist alone. I suggest that you opt to present yourself as a future photojournalist instead. That way, you can write about the stories that come with the photos that you take. The choice of profession will also make that multiple city trip with accompanying photos and interviews relevant to the presentation. This adjustment will also make the anecdote about you being called "camera girl" relevant to the overall presentation. You do not show a familiarity with the journalism program of HKU. Look into the classes in journalism and photography that you can combine into a personal photojournalism curricula. That should help you respond in a more revealing manner to the prompt requirement, as well as, inform the Admissions Tutor about the kind of curricula you will be pursuing as a student at HKU.