Personal Essay
Choose an issue of importance to you - the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope - and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.
I am applying as a transfer for my Bachelors in Communications Disorders. This is my Personal Statement please help me with grammatical errors and structure.
The moment a child mutters their first word results in many parents falling from their seat with excitement. Beginning as infants, we all grow and develop to form sounds with our mouths to form words. Speaking sets us apart from any other species by allowing us to express our wants, needs, and desires. We usually take for granted the ability to speak until we know someone who has issues communicating. A simple stutter can make it very difficult for someone to indulge in a typical conversation. Helping people with communication disorders will not only open the door for many career opportunities, but can also provide people with a higher self-esteem. Communication disorders are diverse issues, and I am excited to gain more knowledge about them and apply that knowledge to my career as a Speech Language Pathologist.
My interest in obtaining a degree in Communications Disorders started with a tragic instance that occurred recently in my family. My grandpa is a family man, preacher, and a people person. Every Sunday, when I visited him, I would sit in my typical fourth row pew. I listened intently to the powerful sermons my grandpa would preach so well. Communicating was an integral part to my grandfather's life and career, but it all came to an end two years ago when my grandpa suffered a series of strokes resulting in extreme neurological damage, severely affecting his speech. He could no longer preach, tell jokes, and engage in conversations like he used to. After switching to a new doctor, we learned that he should have been visiting a Speech Pathologist for the past year. I learned speech therapy could bring my old grandpa back and I became inspired with questions filling my mind.
I began to do extensive research about Speech Pathology by talking to numerous people about the field. With every bit of information I had obtained, I became more passionate in learning more about the importance of speech therapy. The baby boomer generation are beginning to age and contribute to the senior population. Along with aging comes strokes, Alzheimer's, and neurological damages. By 2012, America's elder population will reach 100 million. In the next twenty years, 77 million baby boomers will retire. These shocking statistics, will soon lead to fewer patients receiving the help they need with post neurological damages due to strokes and head traumas.
According to the ASHA website, there are currently 126,219 certified ASHA Speech Pathologists in the United States. ASHA states that positions for Speech Pathologists will need to increase to accommodate the needs of the elderly. Speech Pathologists can improve the prognosis for stroke victims by helping improve swallowing complications caused by paralysis from strokes. This is an important step in therapy that will potentially save the patient's life. Given the limited therapeutic window due to the increase of stroke victims, this will potentially leave a grim future for the health of our loved ones.
It is heart-wrenching to think that our mothers, fathers, and grandparents may not receive the help they need in the future. Before my grandpa's strokes, I had never realized how crucial speech therapy is to save lives. Most of our parents and grandparents have helped pave the road for us to emerge in society and become successful. It is imperative we return the favor and provide them with the assistance they need to provide them with a prosperous life.
Witnessing the progress in my grandpa's speech has sparked a passion in me to purse a career as a Speech Pathologist. A quality education from a reputable university will provide me with the research I need to occupy a degree in Communications Disorders; providing me with a stepping stone to achieve a masters in Speech Pathology. I am eager to learn more about the numerous aspects of communications disorders while focusing my research on the effects of stroke victims. I will use my skills to improve communication issues in a variety of age groups, and help provide a better future for society's increasing elderly population.
My youngest son has struggled his entire life with a speech and language disabilty. I can not tell you how wonderful it was to read your essay and know that there are people out there pursuing this extremely UNDERRATED disability. People do not realize how much speech and language affects your every day, almost every moment of your life.
Your essay was wonderful and I wish you the very BEST of luck and happiness.
From: A mother of a son who struggles!
Awe your comment made my whole day! It is so true how much we take for granted something so simple as talking, but to some it is so complex. Ever since my grandpa suffered from a stroke, I have learned and become so passionate about the field. I hope everything works out, and I can soon help people just like your son! Thanks so much for the lovely comment. :)
I would kill this sentence: Beginning as infants, we all grow and develop to form sounds with our mouths to form words.
It's weighing that intro down. Too obvious and simple, and the simplicity detracts from the point you are making about the meaningfulness of communication.
Let's always trim away the excess:
My interest in obtaining a degree in Communications Disorders started with a...
The rest of this is solid... very good stuff. I think this essay has that emotional appeal that wins people over. It's so great that you have a vision for the future. :-)
Well, right here we can make a change:
...this will potentially leave result in a grim future for the health of our loved ones.
Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. I definitely took your advice, and have polished up my essay a lot. Anyone, please feel free to give me your input and advice.
The moment a child mutters their first word, results in many parents falling from their seat in excitement. Speaking sets us apart from any other species by allowing us to express our wants, needs, and desires. We usually take the ability to speak for granted until we know someone who has issues communicating. A simple stutter can make it very difficult for someone to indulge in a typical conversation. Helping people with communication disorders will not only open the door for many career opportunities, but can help provide people with more self-esteem. Communication disorders are diverse issues, and I am excited to gain more knowledge about them and apply that knowledge to my career as a Speech Language Pathologist.
My interest in communication disorders started with a tragic instance that occurred recently in my family. My grandfather is a family man, preacher, and a people person. Every Sunday, when I visited him, I would sit in my typical fourth row pew, and listened intently to the powerful sermons my grandfather would preach so well. Communication was an integral part to my grandfather's life and career. That all came to an end two years ago when my grandfather suffered a series of strokes resulting in extreme neurological damage that severely affected his speech. He could no longer preach, tell jokes, and engage in conversations like he used to. After switching to a new doctor, we learned that he should have been visiting a Speech Pathologist for the past year. I learned speech therapy could bring my old grandpa back and I became inspired with questions filling my mind.
I began to do extensive research about Speech Pathology, and talked to many people about the field. I decided to observe numerous speech pathologists at a local speech clinic, and learned more about the different aspects of communication disorders. With every bit of information I had obtained, I became more passionate in learning more about the importance of speech therapy for stroke patients. Those of the baby boomer generation are beginning to age and contribute to the senior population. Along with aging comes strokes, Alzheimer's, and neurological damages. By 2012, America's elderly population will reach 100 million, and in the next twenty years, 77 million baby boomers will retire. These shocking statistics will soon lead to fewer patients receiving the help they need with post neurological damages due to strokes and head traumas.
According to the ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) website, there are currently 126,219 certified ASHA Speech Pathologists in the United States. ASHA states that positions for Speech Pathologists will need to increase to accommodate the needs of the elderly. Speech Pathologists can also be instrumental by improving the prognosis for stroke victims by helping them improve complications in swallowing that are caused by paralysis from strokes. This is an important step in therapy that will potentially save the patient's life. Given the limited therapeutic window due to the increase of stroke victims, this will potentially result in a grim future for our loved ones.
It is heart-wrenching to think that our mothers, fathers, and grandparents may not receive the help they need in the future. Before my grandfather's stroke, I had never realized how crucial speech therapy is in improving the quality of life of those with speech disorders. Most of our parents and grandparents have helped pave the road for us to emerge in society and become successful. It is imperative we return the favor and provide them with the assistance they need to attain a prosperous life.
Witnessing the progress in my grandfather's speech has sparked a passion in me to pursue a career as a Speech Pathologist. A quality education from a reputable university will provide me with the opportunity to continue my research and obtain a Bachelor's in Communication Disorders, which would be a stepping stone to my goal of obtaining a Master's in Speech Pathology. I am eager to learn more about the numerous aspects of communication disorders while focusing my research on the effects of stroke victims. My dedication will show through my commitment to improve communication in a variety of age groups, and also providing a bright future for our elderly population.
