So here're are the prompts for both schools:
UB: Why I want to study at UB; My Dreams and Goals
I wrote just one essay for both of them. I'm sending it in to UB tomorrow so any last minute suggestions? For Plattsburgh, I hought of just changing the school name and sending it in after New Year at the latest.
Tell me what you think.
Four pairs of eyes stared at me as I braced myself for the yells and screams I would soon hear. Why? Because I had just announced to my whole family that I was going to take an English major at an American university. Almost a split second later, my mother stood up and started yelling at me while my father tried to calm her down. My two younger siblings just watched everything helplessly. I watched my parents and understood how they were both feeling.
Like most parents in my country, they had believed that I would finish high school, attend the University of Medicine and become a doctor. But their dream never turned into reality when my matriculation results came out a week before. I had missed the required marks for the University of Medicine by four mere marks. And this was how I had crushed their dream by accident. And now, instead of apologizing, I had announced another news that would crush their dreams further.
I always knew from the beginning that becoming a doctor was never meant for me. But sadly, my parents did not see it that way. My father, a mariner, was at sea for six months a year. He never knew much about the education system and all; he always agreed to what my mother decided. A retired assistant lecturer, my mother was the one who made all the decisions for my future. She had missed the University of Medicine by a single mark. It still breaks her heart to this day and that's probably why she wants me to become a doctor so badly.
Unlike her, I was taught five subjects out of ten in English during my high school years. In order to be prepared for that, every parent taught their child English at a young age and I was no exception. After learning English however, I became more interested in the language. Reading became my passion while writing, my hobby. I grew attached to the language to the point where sometimes, I would know the name of something in English but not in Myanmar, my native language.
I read novels whenever I was free and started writing my own short stories in middle school. At first it was a hobby, something I did during my free time. But later on, it became something essential. I could no longer go through a day without reading a book or writing a line. I also started to notice that my desire to write was stronger. But my dream was yet to be realized. Some time after I started writing short stories, I also helped edit other people with theirs. I saw this as an opportunity to learn new styles of thinking and writing. The continuous feedback between me and the other authors helped me learn how different people think when they write. I used this information to perfect my writing as well. And this was how I noticed that writing wasn't my ideal dream; editing was.
Becoming an editor at a publishing company was the whole thing I could see myself doing in the future. And that was why I decided to tell my parents about my dream. I knew they were scared. I was too. It had all come crashing down; the fact that I was thinking out of the box and taking a daring chance. Luckily, after a few months and more fights, they gave in and agreed to support my education in America. As soon as I had the green light from them, I started my school search. I had to keep in mind that the tuition fees had to be low as well since my father was the only one supporting our family of five.
And that was when I stumbled upon UB. Being an international student, I could not ask for a campus visit or an alumni interview. All I had was the available resources online and I made use of those. Through these resources, I learnt about the location of the school, the diverse student body, the supportive faculty, the vibrant student life, the well-rounded education and most importantly, the well-stocked libraries. These were all I needed to decide that UB was the university for me. And that is why I am now applying to UB in order to turn my dream of becoming an editor into reality.
3. Briefly describe your family and your home. How many siblings do you have? Who lives in your house?
4. What do your parents do for a living?
What kind of weird questions are these? They seem strange...
And now, instead of apologizing, I had announced another
piece of news that would crush their dreams further.
Like most parents in my country, they had believed that I would finish high school, attend the University of Medicine and become a doctor.----> you have not named the country yet at the point of writing this sentence! You should clue us in. Could it really be true that most parents in the country believe that their child will become a physician?
Becoming an editor at a publishing company was the whole thing I could see myself doing in the future. -----> I hope you will also learn about search engine optimization and internet marketing. The internet is changing the world of publishing. Learn about the internet as much as possible!!
Well, thanks for the suggestions. I mailed the essay the other day.
And yes, most parents don't just believe, but they also pressure their children so that they will become doctors.
And I will keep your advice in mind. :)
