This is a draft essay I wrote for the "Web Development / Interaction Design" major.
Topic: Westphal College of Media Arts & Design applicants: Relate your essay topic to your interest in your intended major.
Character limit: 500 (Essay is at 490/500)
Any improvement/critique is very much appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.
Posted this before I could thoroughly go through it because Mrs. Hurricane Sandy is probably going to knock my power out for the next 2/3 days :P
Looking back at my childhood, two common interests seemed to always be prevalent: art and computers. As one of the few boys in my class who enjoyed art during those elementary days, I found myself drawing whenever I had the time, joining school and summer art clubs, and just having fun with the craft. When it came to computers, they fascinated me. How did they "do" the things they "did", especially when it came to the Internet. However, during the years leading up to high school, my interest in both areas seemed to drop off. Turning over a new leaf as I entered into my freshman year of high school, I experimented with different subjects and arts to see which would best fit my interests. After a yearlong fascination with architectural design came to a close, I realized that it just wasn't for me. Back I turned to computers where I finally discovered my real interests: web development and media design.
Over the last three years for me, web development/design has evolved from an intermittent hobby to a personal fascination. Starting with my parent's website, I have come a long way from creating simple designs to building fully functional sites. Within this period, there have been countless hours of trial and error, refinements to the coding and design, and frustration and dissatisfaction. These hindrances, however, are the parts of the work that make it all worth it, make it satisfying once you overcome them.
As the world has turned almost completely digital, data no longer appears handwritten on pieces of paper and art has transitioned from paint to pixels. So too, have my interests from my childhood merged together, and conformed to these new world standards. This is why I found digital media and web development, in particular, so appealing: it contained the perfect combination of both the computer programming aspect and the media design in which it is accompanied by. With that said, I do not think that I could see myself pursuing any other major besides this.
Delving into my personal qualifications, I would say that I am "ahead of the game" by my own standards. Without getting too technical, over the last three years I have learned and experimented with many facets of code and design. When it comes to web coding, I have learned many languages including html, CSS, beginner's javascript, and beginner's php. Within the design portion, I have spent a lot of time working with some of the more profound design programs as well as practicing with the skills that digital art entails. With these prerequisites, however, I need to go somewhere with them, hone in the skills which they require, and learn how to put them into practical use for the future. Drexel and Westphal, as well as the Co-op program, seem like the best place that I could position myself to do just that, while at the same time allowing myself to experiment with new things.
Author: Jacob Blank
Topic: Westphal College of Media Arts & Design applicants: Relate your essay topic to your interest in your intended major.
Character limit: 500 (Essay is at 490/500)
Any improvement/critique is very much appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.
Posted this before I could thoroughly go through it because Mrs. Hurricane Sandy is probably going to knock my power out for the next 2/3 days :P
Looking back at my childhood, two common interests seemed to always be prevalent: art and computers. As one of the few boys in my class who enjoyed art during those elementary days, I found myself drawing whenever I had the time, joining school and summer art clubs, and just having fun with the craft. When it came to computers, they fascinated me. How did they "do" the things they "did", especially when it came to the Internet. However, during the years leading up to high school, my interest in both areas seemed to drop off. Turning over a new leaf as I entered into my freshman year of high school, I experimented with different subjects and arts to see which would best fit my interests. After a yearlong fascination with architectural design came to a close, I realized that it just wasn't for me. Back I turned to computers where I finally discovered my real interests: web development and media design.
Over the last three years for me, web development/design has evolved from an intermittent hobby to a personal fascination. Starting with my parent's website, I have come a long way from creating simple designs to building fully functional sites. Within this period, there have been countless hours of trial and error, refinements to the coding and design, and frustration and dissatisfaction. These hindrances, however, are the parts of the work that make it all worth it, make it satisfying once you overcome them.
As the world has turned almost completely digital, data no longer appears handwritten on pieces of paper and art has transitioned from paint to pixels. So too, have my interests from my childhood merged together, and conformed to these new world standards. This is why I found digital media and web development, in particular, so appealing: it contained the perfect combination of both the computer programming aspect and the media design in which it is accompanied by. With that said, I do not think that I could see myself pursuing any other major besides this.
Delving into my personal qualifications, I would say that I am "ahead of the game" by my own standards. Without getting too technical, over the last three years I have learned and experimented with many facets of code and design. When it comes to web coding, I have learned many languages including html, CSS, beginner's javascript, and beginner's php. Within the design portion, I have spent a lot of time working with some of the more profound design programs as well as practicing with the skills that digital art entails. With these prerequisites, however, I need to go somewhere with them, hone in the skills which they require, and learn how to put them into practical use for the future. Drexel and Westphal, as well as the Co-op program, seem like the best place that I could position myself to do just that, while at the same time allowing myself to experiment with new things.
Author: Jacob Blank
