SCAD Statement of Purpose for B.F.A. Visual Effects

Really Need help with this. Not sure if my personal experience portion (highlighted in blue) is appropriate. Really need to get into this school. Goals in Red and Preparation for SCAD in Green.

personal experience, goals, and preparation for SCAD

All my life, I have been the under privileged, unpopular kid. I knew that my peers would go off to any college they wanted without worry of paying for school and they could go to any college they wanted. I never thought I could do either of those things. That mindset affected me throughout my schooling and to add insult to injury, my peers bullied me all through school. Even a few of my teachers treated me as if I was an idiot. I began to believe them and eventually I gave up. I accepted my horrible grades, believing that I could not do better. I became introverted, drawing,writing or painting to be left alone.Eventually my self-esteem issues leaked over into my artwork, causing me to give up on it because I believed it too was awful.

When I graduated, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was stuck living at home, working a minimum wage job, with nothing to show for it. At 22, I decided I wanted to do Visual Effects, I always loved movies. An article online said you only needed a Graphic Design Degree. I enrolled in Itt Technical Institute, excited because I was doing something more with my life. Not realizing the school was for-profit, my credits wouldn't transfer and my "Associates Degree" was worth less than the paper it was printed on. Also, no company would hire a student from Itt Tech, for their field of study.

In March 2016, I lost my step-son to a distracted driver, he was 15. That loss sent me into a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts. It shook my foundations and made me realize that I needed to do something to improve my life.While sitting home on a Sunday, searching for answers. I found SCAD and I noticed they had a B.F.A. in Visual Effects. It was the degree I really needed and wanted in the first place.

In preparation for admission to SCAD, I began updating my portfolio, brushed up my art skills, polished my resume, downloaded Maya, got a book on the program and began teaching myself the basics. I knew it would be an uphill battle for me, my life always has been. But I was willing to do whatever it took to get into SCAD, exceed their expectations and my own.

My goals for my education are to maintain a 4.0 for all four years, hold the award of highest honors for all four years and graduate with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Visual Effects. After graduation my goal is to not only obtain a position at a prominent Visual Effects company, where I will be a Technical Director but to become one of the top ten Visual Effects Artists in the field. After which I will go back to school and get my MFA in Visual Effects.

For the personal experience portion, I would try to focus more on how you overcame obstacles rather than the hardships themselves.

Christina, I understand that you are starting from the very beginning at this point in your education. However, your presentation is not the kind that will attract and hold the interest of the reviewer. A statement of purpose for college entrance requires less whining and more purpose in its presentation. That said, you must focus the essay more on the personal development of your interest in this field and talk less about the bullying and death of your stepson. Those are personal matters that do not have a direct bearing on your preparations for this course. From the discussion of the development of your personal interest, move on to the discussion of how you were conned by that university. That you can discuss in detail because it shows a clear interest in your part to become successful in this field. As for your preparations as of now, you really failed to present any usable information in this part. If you did self study for most of the prerequisite courses, then indicate that you did self study and enumerate the programs you are sufficient in. If you have your work online somewhere, say so and give the link. That way the reviewer can tell if you are really prepared for the demands of this course or not. As for your future plans, Don't be so hyperbolic in your dreams. Keep it based on what you can actually achieve within 5 years of your career after graduation , discuss ambitions that will lead to your masters classes. As for your studies, tell them that you aim to maintain a 4 GPA. Nothing more. The rest of that part of the essay makes you sound too cocky. Be simple. Keep it simple and try to reflect more of who you are are a person instead of who you think the reviewer wants to read about. Remember, this is a preliminary written interview and being yourself gives the paper a more honest tone.

Hi Christina, I agree with Holt. You are gonna have to start all over again. This is a statement of purpose and not a personal interview about your life. Focus your essay more on what you plan to pursue 'visual design' and what you plan to do with that degree and if you have plans to get a masters, write about that in just a few words. Direct your essay more on getting the knowledge to develop as a visual artist doing a valued work rather than just getting a degree to get a comfortable job.

I look forward to reading your revised portion.