I am willing to join the UGRAD program by Fulbright and I have to make 3 essays. Please give any feedback, you don't have to give feedback to all essays if you don't have the chance to read them all. Thank you.
ESSAY 1: Personal Statement-350 - 500 words, typed.
Please describe yourself and write a clear and detailed description of your academic objectives and the reasons why you wish to pursue them in the USA. Discuss your goals both in terms of your field of study and your own personal development. Describe the type of program you wish to pursue in the USA and how it relates to your academic background and interests and your objectives for the future. The essay is an essential part of the selection process and of your application for placement into an appropriate program. Be sure to include any details that highlight your personality and individuality.
In my life, I always try to figure the main reason I was born because I do believe that every mankind has a reason in various fields for being born. At a point in my life, I found myself burdened by social problems that happen around my environment and I think this could be the reason I was born. Until the moment of writing this essay, I still feel that I have an obligation to make myself useful in solving those social problems and feel that I have to create a better environment by making a change at least in my neighborhood. On a greater scale, I even desire to make a change in my country.
As my first step to make a change, I began to consider about social problems that occur in Indonesia. Some of social problems that still go on in Indonesia are poverty, unemployment, low education level that affects the quality of mental, etc. I wondered what causes these problems and why some other countries could overcome those problems. As my temporary supposition, corruption causes these problems. If there is no corruption, the money will be able to be allocated to the civilians to improve their education. By the having a better education, the unemployment will decrease and the other social problems will slowly overcome. Therefore, I am here at the accounting major because accounting could help me in understanding the ins and outs of a financial statement so that I could figure out which accounts contains any frauds or susceptible to corruption. Furthermore, in the accounting major, I also learn the technique to process data into ready-to-use information, including how to maintain the reliability of the data and the information produced.
Through the UGRAD program, I am willing to learn how to create a good management control system which prevents corruption. Moreover, since I believe that the future of the nations is in the palm of the young generation, I also want to know the character education in America, especially for kids. America become the right destination for me since she has a low corruption level (America achieve 19th rank on cleanest country according to Corruption Perception Index 2012.)
I do realize that big dreams never come in easy and have to be achieved step by step. Therefore, I plan to design a change in a small scope first, specifically in my university. I want to create an anti-corruption culture through building a control management system so that when the students enter the work field, they keep up the value they got during their university period. If it is possible, I hope that the system could be applied to all the education institutions in Indonesia or even to the government system.
By having strong determination, hard working personality, persistence and faith within me, I really hope that I could start making a change. At least I could bring a new breakthrough in my university before I left off. I plan to write the result of my findings and study in America as my final essay in my university study period and hope that the findings would be applicable.
ESSAY 2: Exchange Preparedness-250 - 350 words, typed.
What have you experienced in the past that has prepared you to live/study in the United States for one semester or one academic year?
I have no idea what I am supposed to write because I have no experience in going abroad. Any idea? Even the idea of joining UGRAD program is a sudden idea.
ESSAY 3: Please select and answer one of the three questions below - 250 - 350 words, typed.
a. What can contribute to this program, university life in the United States, and your community after you return?
b. In your opinion what is the greatest challenge that your generation will face? What ideas do you have for dealing with this issue? -> THIS IS THE TOPIC I CHOOSE
c. How do you think community service benefits local communities? Please describe any experience you have volunteering.
Recently, technology has evolved rapidly beyond our imagination. On one hand, technology has spoiled nowadays generation. It offers so much easiness for life; practical in getting information, communicating, shopping, trading, etc. In fact, today's technology could be personalized for each user, i.e. Google alert which helps users in getting information updates related to the topics chosen by the user. Technology also creates lots of new jobs which never been thought before, such as online shop. The companies also benefitted by the existence of technology. They could build a relationship with their customer much cheaper than before by using free social media. Nevertheless, without being noticed, technology also has changed nowadays generation's lifestyle.
Since the presence of technology, people are busier with their gadgets and lost their concern for their community. Before technology became popular, people always make an eye contact when they communicate; on the contrary, people currently communicate without looking at the interlocutor's eyes because they get too busy with their gadgets. People often forget the time when they are dealing with their gadgets and being apathetic towards their surroundings. Further, people also lost their concentration in doing their tasks because they get over entertained by gadgets.
The freedom that the technology offered is frequently used irresponsibly by the users. As the result of this freedom misuses are moral degradation, the entrance of foreign cultures which are not in accordance with the local cultures, cybercrime, etc. Indeed, technology is the greatest challenge that the generation is facing.
Related to those problems caused by the technology, therefore, we-as the generation of the nations- must be able to control the usage of the technology lest things happen conversely. The main control is on every individual's self-awareness. Every individual should make a limitation on how they are going to use the technology so that they can use it wisely. Do not let the technology juxtaposes things that were unreachable, but alienates us from things in our surroundings. Moreover, give a time limitation in having fun with the technology so that we do not get overjoyed and forget that we have a real life aside from the cyberspace.
In addition, parents' supervision of their children is really needed, especially for kids and teens that still having an unstable emotion and a great curiosity. Parents should make sure that their children would not access any information that does not suit their age. There are so many new technologies that help parents in supervising and limiting their children's activities on the cyberspace, such as keylogger program which record every typing activities so that parents could know what their children type while surfing on the internet. Besides that, it is important for parents not to introduce technologies too soon to their children. This will make children addicted to the technologies.
Another control should come from the education institutions. They should organize more physical activities for the young generations. Activities like outbound, scout and other social activity will distract them from the technology while helping them in developing themselves.
