Undergraduate / Born into a conservative Indian family of engineers and doctors; SCAD Statement of Purpose [4]

Hello from India! I'm applying to SCAD and I'm not too sure about my statement of purpose. First of all, is a title required? Secondly, if anybody can have a look at my SoP and point me towards anything which seems a bit thin or off.

Born into a conservative Indian family of engineers and doctors, the world of art was not the most probable location for my passions to settle in. My father dreamt of me following in his footsteps to become an engineer and I spent the latter part of my high school life challenging his vision. The disparity between what he and I desired for my future left me confused and unfocused.

By the time I graduated from high school, the confusion and lack of focus had taken its toll on my grades. The fact that India is not a conducive environment for a career in art made me feel isolated and insecure. Though I'd won competitions in creative writing and music at inter school and district levels, my academic performance was below par.

I sought work after high school. Not knowing where my future lay convinced me to forego offers of admissions from law schools in order to work as a studio musician in Pune. In addition, I free-lanced as a digital content writer in order to make myself financially independent.

While working as a studio musician, I was involved in projects such as advertisement jingles, regional Marathi television soundtracks, devotional music or producing music for independent artists. My primary strength was my skill as a musician, however, my experience with computer programming and my adeptness in creative writing allowed me to pick up the basics of DAW programs such as Pro Tools and Cubase and allowed me to constructively help the creative process of writing songs and music for independent artists.

During my time at the studio, I worked closely with sound engineers and discovered my calling in the field of sound production and design. I was fascinated by the infinite possibilities of sound engineering that modern technology provides us.

The decision to apply to college was motivated by the fact that I wanted professional instruction in the field of sound design and felt that I was incomplete as a person without a college education. When I told my father of my desire to study sound design, he was supportive as he felt that such a field had opportunities for professional and creative careers, an amalgamation of art and science.

Art, according to me, is an abstraction of life. It is only art if it is relevant to life. It is the same logic I applied when I began looking for a suitable college. Savannah College of Art and Design calls itself the University for Creative Careers, and it resonated with what I wanted from a college. SCAD Sound Design students are given the opportunity to exploit the diverse student diaspora and departments to contribute to original films and video games. This could be the perfect environment for me to develop my skill as a composer and a script writer. Having worked in a studio, I have understood the importance of being professionally certified in Pro Tools. SCAD provides for such professional certification and allows students to pursue certifications in ICON mixing and Sibelius as well.

Studying at SCAD will let me learn from people such as David Stone, Cecelia Hall and Peter Damski, professionals who have won awards for excellence in their field and yet devote time to impart their knowledge to future generations of professionals.

At Savannah College of Art and Design, I can apply the basic knowledge that I have internalized through my work experience and broaden my understanding of sound as a phenomenon. I can learn to become a qualified professional who, with the right application, can succeed in an extremely competitive field. I also believe that I can become a more holistic individual through the education that I will receive there and build connections and bonds that will allow me to grow into a complete human being.