Personal Statement: prospective Asian Studies major

"Why East Asian Studies?"

"Cindy, do you listen to Green Day?" asked my classmate.

"No," I replied.

"Do you listen to Panic At the Disco?" she continued to ask. I shake my head. She continued to bombard me with strange names, like My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, and Queen. I have only heard of Queen, but that is only because I watched a Japanese drama called Pride; its opening theme song is "I Was Born To Love You" by Queen. She was flabbergasted, mad even when I continued to shake my head. She asked me what I listened to. I excitedly ranted on and on about Big Bang, GEM Tang, and EXO.

Coming from a small charter school located near Chinatown, I grew up in schools with a majority of the students being Asian. Asian music has always been a niche, but living in an Asian bubble sheltered me from this fact. Like me, many of my friends also love Asian music. Coming to Oakland Tech was like bursting my bubble, forcing me to finally make contact with the real world. I always thought I was no different compared to my peers at Tech, but our differences soon became apparent. We did not listen to the same music. While I drank milk tea, they drank Blue Bottle, which sells what seems like three sips of luxury caffeine for the very low price of five dollars. My friends bought Nikes while my classmates bought Birkenstocks, which my friends mocked and nicknamed "Jesus slippers."

Desperate to fit in, I went home that day and bought Netflix, Spotify, and Blue Bottle. I viewed Netflix and Spotify as my How To Fit In 101 and Blue Bottle as a magical elixir that will transform me into a true Tech student. I rejected what I loved thinking this new culture was superior.

However, though Parks and Recreation is very entertaining and Green Day has some good music, I felt myself itching to return to Boys Over Flowers and BTS. Though Nirvana's music is pretty good, I would much rather be watching Nirvana In Fire. I realized that despite listening to the same music and drinking the same coffee as my peers, I will never become them. I also learned that changing myself to assimilate into another culture will not bring me happiness.

I stopped forcing myself to listen to the Billboard Top 100 or watch the Office, but I did learn that pop punk is pretty good, and Blue Bottle has since become my main source of coffee. Instead of rejecting my unique interests or rejecting the new culture, I learned to embrace both. I am still obsessed with dramas but I occasionally watch some Netflix, and I am a proud owner of "Jesus slippers."

I carried this mentality with me all throughout high school. When it came time for me to choose a major, I chose East Asian Studies. Just like how my peers at school react when I tell them I love Asian dramas and music, everyone around me reacts to my ideal major with raised eyebrows and a face of doubt. They question the relevance of my major and whether I will be able to get a job. Once again, I find myself not fitting in with those around me. People often ask me, "Why East Asian Studies?" Just like how I would reply to those who question my choice in music, I reply with a simple, "Because I like it."

Cindy would you by any chance have the full prompt for your personal statement? I'd love to read about it if you can post it and I will also try to come back and give more concrete advice regarding your current essay. I really need the topic for discussion in this essay because it doesn't represent itself as a normal personal statement. A regular personal statement shows the development of your interest in Asian Studies. While you do mention this at the end of the essay, I am not sure if the earlier part falls within the expected discussion requirements of the personal statement prompt. The essay clearly shows how you have managed to successfully tread both worlds but it doesn't explain why you have an interest in Asian studies. Simply saying "Because i like it" doesn't really cut it in an application essay. You have to be specific in your response. Something that I can help you develop if you can tell me what the actual question you are being asked to respond to is. This essay doesn't seem to effectively explain the development of of your interest because it is too focused on how you tried to fit in rather than how you became a unique person because of the merged cultures that explain your interest in Asian Studies.