University admissions essay writing and personal statement development

Personal Statement

My country of origin is Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a poor nation. It is very difficult for people who have lived all their lives in the developed world to conceive of the types of challenges most Bangladeshi citizens face every day. For example, many students in America struggle with standardized tests. But when I took my TOEFL exam there was no electricity in the building when I first arrived: I had to wait for hours to take this test, for which I had prepared for years.

This type of small crisis is typical of daily life in Bangladesh -- things that are taken for granted everywhere else, like reliable electricity; clean and running water; full supermarket shelves, and easily accessible transportation are unheard of. It is not unusual to be left in the dark without power, to see contaminated drinking water, and one can never expect that certain foods will be available, even if a family does have enough money for foodstuffs.

Despite the trying circumstances of taking the TOEFL, because of my high marks on the standardized exam, I was able to obtain admission to the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in fall 2008 as a civil engineering major. The costs of applying to school were prohibitively expensive, so I only selected one American university, with the little knowledge I had. I primarily-based my decision upon my standardized test scores and grades.

The culture shock was overwhelming. I found myself studying side-by-side with people who had only the foggiest notion of where my country was located on the map. The wealth and abundance my classmates had grown up with was astonishing to me. Not only were they accustomed to having the basics of everyday life readily available, but what I regarded as unfathomable luxuries, like owning a car, eating meat on a daily basis, and having a closet full of fancy, name-brand clothing, seemed like necessities in their eyes.

The English language was also a barrier for me. Most of my teachers spoke English as a second language. My accent was difficult for my professors and fellow students to comprehend. Most of my classmates had a different accent than the English I learned in my homeland. In Bangladesh, there is also a strong emphasis on learning English as a second language as a written language. I had trouble translating my thoughts spontaneously into English in the classroom or in conversations with my fellow students. Learning a highly technical subject like civil engineering was difficult in a foreign language, despite my grade on the TOFEL and my grammatical competency in English. I found myself constantly switching back from English to my native language in my mind, trying to first understand the concept, and then rewording it into English. I realize this is not the most effective way to deal with learning in a foreign language, but it was the only way I knew how to cope.

I sought some assistance, but most of the tutors were accustomed to helping ESL students who were dealing with problems related to the difficulties of transitioning from a Spanish language environment to an English language environment, and had no experience with persons from my culture. I felt lost and alone, with few support structures. There were no student associations with many Bangladeshi students. And worst of all, I had lost the abiding help and strength of my grandmother. She was living in my homeland, and I had little contact with her. She had always been my bedrock of support in school, urging me to look beyond the poverty of my surroundings, and to dream bigger and apply to an American school. Without her I lacked a great deal of the confidence I had previously possessed. (Quite recently, she recently passed away, and the loss has been devastating to me and my family. To give tribute to her memory, I continue to press on in my work, and hope that my eventual degree will be a lasting credit to her memory).

The method of teaching in America was very different than what I had experienced in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, students listen and take notes, and accept what the teacher says as the gospel truth. In America, students are encouraged to argue and debate with the professor, and if they do not they are regarded as less engaged with the material. In my eyes, the attitudes of my American colleagues seemed startling and challenging.

A far higher level of personal independence was expected in America than in Bangladesh. Students were encouraged to select their classes with relatively little assistance. Because of the large nature of UTA, there is little support for the student in selecting a reasonable workload, finding academic assistance, and in seeking counseling for a future career. My grades suffered as a result.

As I grew more accustomed to the freewheeling nature of the American school system at UTA, my grades improved during my second and third semesters. I tried to rely more upon TAs and my fellow students for assistance and communal studying for my classes. I went out to social gatherings, met more people, and began to 'loosen up' which resulted not only in higher marks but also a happier and more positive outlook on life. However, I still felt frustrated at times because my grades were not as strong as the excellent marks I had received while a student in my native country, and I still held myself to those standards. My self-esteem was still quite fragile, and when I took a more challenging class in the spring semester of my sophomore year, I became overwhelmed once again and failed the class. The challenges which would have perhaps been mere difficulties for a more confident student completely shattered my sense of well-being. I decided to pick myself up from the dust, however, and repeat the class taking it with a teacher with whom I felt a greater affinity, and now I am doing much better.