Undergraduate / "High tuition rates and its negative impact on students"-Personal essay for UT [NEW]

Hi everyone, this is my personal essay for UT admission and I appreciated the feedback from my Personal statement essay so I would greatly apprecitate any feedback on this one as well.

Throughout childhood and young adult life, students are preached to about getting good grades and participating in programs so they can go to college and get a good job. However, receiving good grades and participating in extracurricular activities is not always enough. Like most things in life, one obstacle stands in the way and that obstacle is cost. The students that are eligible to get into the college of their choice are often stymied by tuition costs and don't qualify for grants or financial aid because their parents earn too much or if they qualify for aid spend years in debt paying it off. If children are supposed to be our future, then how can they achieve their goals if they are unable to afford the means of achieving those goals? As a student myself, making college affordable for not only myself but for other students as well is significant for not only our generation but for future generations as well.

Tuition rate increases have increased significantly in the past year which making it increasingly difficult for students to afford attending college. According to a study by NPR, "the average increase was 7.9 percent..." To some, an eight percent might not like seem like a lot but when room and board, books, and other fees are added to the equation then the costs really add up. In my home state of California, eight percent is the actual increase in tuition according to mps.org and has made me explore other colleges outside California. This increase has made it difficult for others I know that attend college in California to be able to not only afford it but to be able to pay their debts off in a timely matter. Eight percent is only and average however and some states have increased by more. The two states that have the highest increased tuition rates according to the same study are Iowa which has increased up to forty percent and Wisconsin which is up twenty percent. The highest increases are seen in the fields nursing, engineering, and in-state students and this last increase has made me rethink going to school in my own state by looking outside California to attend college. If this doesn't change and students are unable to finish college by not being able to pay their costs, then it's not just those students that are being hurt it is our society.

Student aid is available but is not available for every student. At every school everywhere there are workshops for student aid such as grants and loans but there are stipulations on who qualifies and who doesn't. According the same study by NPR, "...the federal government has stepped in with more aid...$10 billion more in Pell Grants alone." However, the acceptance for grants is mostly based on family income. If income exceeds a certain amount then the family does not qualify and if the family income is below a certain amount and they do qualify then they still have to deal with paying the increasing cost. Student aid should not just be available for the few; it should be available for the masses. I and others in my situation only qualify for partial aid and are forced to take out loans for the rest in which it will take years to pay off. This can't continue and needs to change so everyone can receive the aid they need to obtain the education they but more importantly to receive the job they want.

When our country was first settled it was believed that every student receive an education and that remains as true then as it does today and for the future. That education should be an affordable one. Prominent jobs such as teachers, doctors, and politicians are obtained only from going to college but if this current trend of tuition increases and student aid increases continue then these jobs and others like it will become a thing of legend. College should be affordable to everyone and in a world of constant change this is one topic that doesn't just affect us students today; it affects the students of tomorrow.

Undergraduate / "History has been my obsession" - Statement of Purpose essay for UT [3]

Hello, my name is Ken Smith and I am hoping to attend the University of Texas at Austin as transfer student from California. I would appreciate any feedback that anybody has. Thank you!

History has not just been a passion of mine but an obsession. Since my sophomore world history class, I fell in love with the subject and knew that I wanted to make it my life by not only studying it but teaching it as well so I can share my obsession with others and teaching history is my ultimate goal. I was able to grasp the subject quickly and excelled in it not only through my high school years but my time in my college years as well and it was in college that I realized I wanted to teach. I've always had a desire to learn as much as I possibly can about the subject especially World War II history and military history since it intrigued me the most. Members of family have fought in Korea, Iwo Jima during World War II, and the Civil War as well. I can remember the bookshelves of historical books that occupied my grandparents' houses that are now in my possession due to their untimely passing. So not only is history my passion but it is in my blood as well. The part of history I am most fascinated about it World War II history. From the Rise of Hitler's Third Reich to the Normandy invasion and finally to the Japanese surrender aboard the United States battleship USS Missouri, I strive to know as much about the subject as I possibly can. I want to major in history but there is no better school out there than the University of Texas at Austin to help me achieve this goal and make my dream become a reality.

I am transferring from Mt. San Antonio College here in Walnut, California which I have attended since fall 2009 and prior to that I attended Citrus College in my hometown of Glendora California from the fall of 2005 to spring 2009. I transferred to Mt. San Antonio College to enroll in their Fire Technology program after I completed my EMT course at Citrus College but realized that that was not the career path I wanted to follow so I continued to pursue my passion of history. I researched schools that had an excellent history department and when I saw that UT was one of the top schools I knew I had to visit the school. I've always been a Longhorns fan since part of my family is from Texas and have always wanted to visit Texas and so last year I attended the transfer seminar that UT had put on and spent some time in the city to get a feel for not only campus life but city life in Austin as well. I fell in love with the city and especially the school. I talked to a few of the students who were currently enrolled and they had nothing but great things to say about the college and sold me on the college. Although I was born in California, I have always wanted to move out of state. I have enjoyed California since it was where I was born and my family resides but I have always felt like I was not a right fit for Southern California living. My heart will always be in California but in order to accomplish my ultimate goal of becoming a college history professor and teach World War II history I have to follow my dream. A dream that I believe UT can help me achieve. Mt. San Antonio College and Citrus College have helped mold me academically into the student I have become and I have enjoyed my time at the two institutions and California has molded me into the person I have become but I feel that UT can shape me into the not only the student I can be but the future person I can be as well.

History is a limitless subject in terms of learning because history happens every day and it is what makes the subject exciting. One such event that just occurred in mid-July 2011 was the remains of German S.S. Deputy Rudolf Hess were cremated after Neo-Nazis made a shrine out of his grave. Another event that is history in the making is the current conflict in the Middle East. Events like these are what excites me about history and inspire me to learn more about the subject and I know UT and the history department at UT can offer me the tools to do so.