COMMON APP PROMPT-Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
With a racing heart and a nervous smile, I finally made the confession. I had been contemplating ways to do it and all of a sudden, it just happened.
I still get a strange rush of emotion when I remember that moment. The day was about to end and I could sense an unsettling air hovering around the place. My parents were quietly enjoying the solitude of dusk, drinking tea, but upon hearing me, their expressions turned hopeless.
My father calmly, but with a bit of an annoyance retorted, "Why do you keep changing your mind? You are very hard working; you will definitely crack your medical entrance exam." My mother, on the other hand, let out a long breath.
This was enough for me to realise that my decision to leave the traditional route after high school was going to bring upon many challenges.
Growing up, society and a little bit of naivety on my part, convinced me to think that when I grow up I could either become a doctor, engineer, banker or a teacher. Among these set professions, I chose to be a doctor because which little child would not want to wear that white coat?
Everywhere I went, I would proudly announce my ultimate goal. I was happy to have a coveted answer to the society's signature question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I already had a sense of accomplishment for setting a goal that was widely accepted in the society. After all, I had the approval of everyone around me and in a society where I've been raised, that is all you need.
Things, however, took a turn once I began to observe things beyond assignments and marks. I was part of a club my teacher had initiated in school. We had to survey students, find out problems they faced, discover solutions to it and make presentations. I gradually began to enjoy the process of interacting and finding solutions to social issues. This is when I learnt I was truly interested in problem solving and in depth analysis of social issues. It gave me a sense of true satisfaction, one learning about the human body and scientific formulas did not.
I was gradually convinced that dissecting frogs, performing titration and finding out the magnetic fields were not for me but I still struggled to convince my parents. Every time, the faint subject about it came up, there were eyebrows raised and hesitations shown. Throughout high school, I felt like I was in a perpetual state of confusion and societal compliance.
My parents were skeptical about subjects other than science but they always encouraged gaining experiences outside academics and textbooks. This is how I got a short term exposure to the world of writing, reporting and simply put, having enough self-confidence to project myself.
The basic principle of journalism is freedom and getting involved with it gave me the much needed push to be assertive about my decision. The liberation I felt from writing and being around seniors who overcame the stereotype of a typical Nepal society, encouraged me to take a stand and be direct with my approach.
I overcame the skepticism I had over my decision and learnt to communicate directly about my opinions and plans to my parents. I am still confused whether my parents fully approve of my faded inclination with science but they are definitely convinced by the surety I have shown in not choosing the traditional path.
The club I was involved in at school made me realize what I actually wanted in life and getting into writing ignited the fire in me to embrace my individuality and not submit to the stereotypical beliefs of the society.
Now when I am confronted by my relatives about my future plans, I no longer show any apprehension about my decision or get flustered by their judgments. I simply put forth my reasons, smile back and say, "I want to bring change in the society but just not in a way the society wants me to."
With a racing heart and a nervous smile, I finally made the confession. I had been contemplating ways to do it and all of a sudden, it just happened.
I still get a strange rush of emotion when I remember that moment. The day was about to end and I could sense an unsettling air hovering around the place. My parents were quietly enjoying the solitude of dusk, drinking tea, but upon hearing me, their expressions turned hopeless.
My father calmly, but with a bit of an annoyance retorted, "Why do you keep changing your mind? You are very hard working; you will definitely crack your medical entrance exam." My mother, on the other hand, let out a long breath.
This was enough for me to realise that my decision to leave the traditional route after high school was going to bring upon many challenges.
Growing up, society and a little bit of naivety on my part, convinced me to think that when I grow up I could either become a doctor, engineer, banker or a teacher. Among these set professions, I chose to be a doctor because which little child would not want to wear that white coat?
Everywhere I went, I would proudly announce my ultimate goal. I was happy to have a coveted answer to the society's signature question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I already had a sense of accomplishment for setting a goal that was widely accepted in the society. After all, I had the approval of everyone around me and in a society where I've been raised, that is all you need.
Things, however, took a turn once I began to observe things beyond assignments and marks. I was part of a club my teacher had initiated in school. We had to survey students, find out problems they faced, discover solutions to it and make presentations. I gradually began to enjoy the process of interacting and finding solutions to social issues. This is when I learnt I was truly interested in problem solving and in depth analysis of social issues. It gave me a sense of true satisfaction, one learning about the human body and scientific formulas did not.
I was gradually convinced that dissecting frogs, performing titration and finding out the magnetic fields were not for me but I still struggled to convince my parents. Every time, the faint subject about it came up, there were eyebrows raised and hesitations shown. Throughout high school, I felt like I was in a perpetual state of confusion and societal compliance.
My parents were skeptical about subjects other than science but they always encouraged gaining experiences outside academics and textbooks. This is how I got a short term exposure to the world of writing, reporting and simply put, having enough self-confidence to project myself.
The basic principle of journalism is freedom and getting involved with it gave me the much needed push to be assertive about my decision. The liberation I felt from writing and being around seniors who overcame the stereotype of a typical Nepal society, encouraged me to take a stand and be direct with my approach.
I overcame the skepticism I had over my decision and learnt to communicate directly about my opinions and plans to my parents. I am still confused whether my parents fully approve of my faded inclination with science but they are definitely convinced by the surety I have shown in not choosing the traditional path.
The club I was involved in at school made me realize what I actually wanted in life and getting into writing ignited the fire in me to embrace my individuality and not submit to the stereotypical beliefs of the society.
Now when I am confronted by my relatives about my future plans, I no longer show any apprehension about my decision or get flustered by their judgments. I simply put forth my reasons, smile back and say, "I want to bring change in the society but just not in a way the society wants me to."