"education is the most powerful weapon..." United World Colleges Application Essay

Please provide a statement of not more than 300 words on a separate sheet explaining why you are interested in attending a United World College reflecting on UWC's mission and values and describing what you might contribute to the school and what you would hope to gain from the experience.

According to Nelson Mandela, "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." To me attending a United World College is my first step to improving my world. UWC has always struck me as a school perfect for a student who wishes to develop in character and learning. According to its mission statement, it is also a school which seeks to build students concerned with the world issues. I have always been of the opinion that my country, Nigeria, can be a far better place than it is right now and I would not see it becoming a better place if I did not get to work myself. Using my culture to impact people around me is something I have always longed to do and if accepted into a UWC I would spread the beauty of my culture and tradition through the way I learn and play.

You have a written a very nice response statement but it does not reply properly to the prompt. The response to this statement needs to be more about introducing your culture to the other students of the college and educating them about Nigeria. It should not be about how you learn and play as a Nigerian.

Why don't you use the Nelson Mandela quote to instead explain how you plan to effect change in Nigeria by first becoming the embodiment of the UWC mission and values during your time as a student there. Depict how you plan to take this experience with you to Nigeria so that you can work towards helping to improve your country. After all you did say that you plan to help improve the country by working. How do you plan to do this? Does it fall within the mission and values of UWC? That connection needs to be made clear in the essay.

As for what you can contribute to the school, focus on best representing the best character and traits of a Nigerian in order to help others learn about your culture and traditions in relation to your way of life. What traits as a Nigerian do you have that can help make the learning experience at UWC more than just an academic experience? Veer towards the friendships and camaraderie that can be developed. Do not talk about play time.

@vangiespen I hope this is better approach to the prompt.

To me, attending a United World College is the first step to improving my world. UWC has always struck me as a school perfect for a student who wishes to develop in character and learning.

I am of the opinion that my religion should not be a medium for hatred and terrorism but rather a means of spreading peace and harmony around the world. According to Nelson Mandela, "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." I believe that with the education I would get from UWC, I would be able to continue to change the image people around the world have of my religion. I am a Muslim girl who has been trained in the Jesuit system of learning and I believe with the training from these two different religions I would be able to impact the lives of others. Using my culture and religion to impact people around me is something I have always longed to do and I believe a United World College is the perfect place to be to have the best opportunity to do so. I would write poems and other forms of literature, to show the positive sides of Islam and also to discourage fanaticism and I would teach others through the pillars of Islam and Jesuit education combined how to tolerate people with values different from theirs.