Personal statement writing guide

¶ … intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field -- such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities -- and what you have gained from your involvement.

Until I volunteered at the MRI center with my sister, where she works as a technician, I never thought I would ever be enthusiastic about any academic subject. Having always done fairly well in school, I simply understood how to study and get by on exams. Yet nothing made me thrilled, or made me want to stay up all night reading just for pleasure. I kept waiting for the right subject to hit me on the head and then, suddenly it happened. When I was looking at images of bones in the MRI lab, a synapse flew in my brain. That synapse connected that magnetic resonance image of a bone with the photos of the bones we were studying in my anthropology class. It hit me then: I am interested in paleoanthropology.

This is not to say that the entire field of anthropology does not interest me. In fact, I intend to major in anthropology because it is the most potentially limitless field of study for me. Taking my first anthropology class opened up a whole new world for me: one filled with a greater understanding of who we are, where we came from, and where we as human beings are going. From our deepest roots as primates, human beings have evolved into the most powerful and creative creatures on the planet. We have the potential to make destructive weapons and use those weapons against our brethren and ourselves. We also have the potential to expand our minds like Buddhist monks, or build fantastic machines that sail through water and fly through the air. My knowledge of other cultures and societies expands every day now, because I have been inspired to read books not just for school but in my leisure time. Most of the books I have chosen to read include those like The Last Human, The Fossil Chronicles, and The First Humans.

About once per month I visit the Los Angeles zoo. It is one of my personal sanctuaries. I go to escape the world, and be among my non-human friends. Most of all, I visit to spend time with the primates and observe their behavior. Being at the zoo is like a field project for me, and especially now that I have some intellectual basis for my observations the visits are more meaningful than ever before. When I watch the primates, I see vestiges of human nature. I see caring behaviors, complex social hierarchies, and even behaviors that denote feelings humans are familiar with such as anger and jealousy. Studying anthropology gives me the tools with which to understand human societies and how they change and adapt to their surroundings and environmental stressors such as invasions. I cannot wait to learn more about anthropology, to synthesize my knowledge, and later on in graduate school, apply that knowledge to an in-depth investigation in paleoanthropology.

2. Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

When I was a high school student, I was lazy. I will not lie: I did all my work at the last minute and I even occasionally cheated on my exams. It is only because I was uninspired that I did not develop the internal drive and motivation that would encourage me to accomplish goals. Without passion, I feel dead inside like nothing really matters. I was not alone in my lack of energy or enthusiasm; I knew several other students who lacked drive. Now that I have discovered passion, I feel like I will never lose it. Passion is for me the most important personal quality, and the one that will most ensure my future success.

My parents had to send me to a private school due to the fact that they were new immigrants and I was not yet an American citizen. The tuition to the private school was enormous: over $20,000 per year. Of course, at the time I took for granted that my parents did this because they wanted me to succeed. Their hearts were broken when I went to a local community college after I graduated. After all the money they invested in my education, I let them down by not showing any focus or drive. They did not know how to motivate me. No one could have anticipated that I needed to have a revelation about my true calling in life.

Moreover, no one could have predicted that revelation would ironically come in a community college classroom. Everything happens for a reason. Simply signing up for the anthropology course changed my life. From day one, I sat at the front of the room. I checked out books from the library and studied in the school library until they shut down for the night. When I came home from classes, I could not stop talking about what I learned that day. It got to the point where my parents became bored hearing me talk so much about anthropology. Then one day my mom said, "It is really nice to see you finally happy."