By:
Subject: East Asian Studies
It s not often that a kid growing up in small-town
passion for Chinese civilization. Nevertheless, my interest in different
cultures flourished during my childhood and adolescence1 in
beauty and breathtakingly scenic3 landscape of this state is enriched with
the pronounced cultural diversity brought about by
nations and a large Hispanicpopulation that represents close to 50% of
state. When I was in kindergarten I attended a bilingual school in
Lemitar, a small town in southern
school were Hispanic. This allowed me at a very early age to experience a
language and culture different from mine. My father has always had a keen
interest in people from other countries and cultural backgrounds. As a
librarian, my father has always encouraged me to read not only Western
Philosophy, but Eastern Philosophy as well. In addition, he inspired me to
see life from a different perspective.
To a large extent, and by most definitions, I have always been a
non-traditional and unconventional student. I went to a high school with a
curriculum that was as challenging for me as any course I have taken in
college. This high school was unique because we studied everything from
the origin of Western Civilization to modern-day Western thought. Another
unique feature of this school was that at the end of our senior year we had
to give an oral presentation in front of a host of panelists from St.
John s College in
my ability to think critically and present a cogent5 thesis. It forced me
to grow not only as a student, but more importantly, as an individual.
When I graduated from high school I rebelled against traditional education
and decided6 not to apply to college. This decision was to the great dismay
of my parents, who had entered college immediately after high school. With
much resistance, I enrolled7 at
to satisfy my parents wishes, and I spent only one semester there.
Although I wanted to study and continue to learn, I yearned8 to reach out to
people and find a different mode of study -- one which would allow me to
understand myself better so that I could relate better to the world around
me.
With this goal, I decided to attend the New Mexico Academy of Massage9 and
Advanced Healing Arts. The school provided me with a unique mind/body
balance that has helped me become a more well-rounded person. I studied
subjects that ranged from Anatomy10 and Physiology11 to Yoga and Tai Chi.
After graduating, I got a job at the Santa Fe Sport Medicine Institute as a
Physical Therapy Assistant. I used Massage techniques to help people who
were injured in auto12 accidents or sporting events. This type of work
allowed me to directly help people -- the people I massaged13 told me that
the pain they experienced prior to the massage had subsided14. Relieving the
pains of these people nurtured15 in me a sense of purpose. In addition, it
increased my interest in Eastern Philosophy, making me want to learn more
about
I began to read many classical Chinese texts to further my knowledge about
Chinese Philosophy. Soon I developed a profound interest in learning how
to read and speak the Chinese language. The opportunities for studying
Chinese were very limited, however. At 22,I had saved up some money and
now decided to go live in
and to learn how to speak Mandarin16 Chinese. My desire to go to
spawned17 by a genuine interest in reconciling differences I found between
Eastern and Western cultures. Similarly, I wanted to pursue this
experience because it would provide me with a unique opportunity to broaden
the perspective I had on the world as a whole. This is how I ended living
in
I remember getting off the airplane and hearing everyone speaking Chinese.
Everything I saw and heard was unfamiliar18 to me. Seeing a different world
made a huge impact on me; I can still recall how exotic my environment was.
In
Slowly I began to feel more comfortable living there, as I learned to
communicate with people in Chinese. I was invited to teach English at a
private school for children, but I told the school that I had no teaching
experience. The school informed me that if I took a short teaching
training class, I would be ready to teach. And they even offered to pay me
for the training classes. However, I refused to be paid for the training.
The school was so impressed by this that after I completed the training,
they appointed me director of the English Language program. I was
astounded20 by the generosity21 and honesty that I received from the people in
Taiwan.
This was a truly remarkable22 experience. In Taiwan, I lived with a Chinese
family. This allowed me to assimilate my culture with the customs and
habits of this particular Chinese family. We had long conversations about
fundamental aspects of Chinese culture and philosophy. The family also
brought me to all the Chinese festivals and celebrations. It was in Taiwan
that I realized I must return to college in the United States, and earn a
degree in East Asian Studies. After spending a year in Taiwan, I returned
to the United States to complete my degree. My time Taiwan taught me so
much about myself, and it gave me the perspective to see things from both a
Western and Eastern point of view.
Since my return to the United States, my life has seen some exciting
changes. I got married about a year after I returned from Taiwan. My wife
is originally from Venezuela, and she has introduced a new host of cultural
norms that I am learning about. During my free time I teach my
mother-in-law English. She, of course, insists that I need to attain24
fluency25 in both Spanish and Chinese. And that is exactly what I am doing.
My wife and I are both students at Rutgers University, and we share our
ambitions, hopes and expectation of attending graduate school. Currently I
am a senior, majoring in East Asian Studies with a minor26 in Political
Science.
The growing importance of Asia as a determining factor in global economy
and the increasing interaction and commerce of the U. S. with China,
suggests to me that pursing a career in law would be pertinent27 and
appealing. My knowledge of Chinese culture and mastery of the Chinese
language would be a very strong asset, and it would let me make a
significant contribution to the political, commercial and cultural exchange
between the U. S. and Asia.
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Essay Number: 1055 - Posted on: Mar23 31, 1999 Expires on: May 1, 2005 CollegeGate LLC * CollegeGate LLC *
By: Graduate School Candidate14
Subject: UMass. Amherst Anthropology28
As a double major in Anthropology and Psychology29 at the University of Rhode Island, I have gained a strong background in both fields. My background is especially strong in physical anthropology, my primary field of interest. Physical anthropology consumes my life; I do not study it because I find it somewhat interesting but because I am devoted30 to it; I want to make it my life. In addition to maintaining a high GPA throughout my college career, and making the Dean’s list several times, I have also worked hard as a supervisor31 at Brooks32 Pharmacy33 for the past five years. Working my own way through college not only demonstrates my determination to gaining a high quality education and the seriousness with which I treat academics, but also attests34 to my leadership ability, maturity35, and responsibility, both as a supervisor and as a student at the University of Rhode Island.
My primary goal in applying to your graduate program is to prepare myself for a career in forensic36 anthropology. Interested in furthering the current body of research and in improving techniques used in the identification of human remains37, I am very committed to pursuing forensic anthropology and believe your graduate program in anthropology will provide me with an excellent foundation in the area of physical and forensic anthropology. With a Masters and Ph.D., I will be well prepared to lead a very promising38 career. While I have no doubt the program will push me to my limits, I am confident that I can face the rigorous challenges posed by graduate study and thrive under the demanding environment that advanced studies entail39. From my transcripts40, you will see that not only am I a well-balanced student, I actually thrive in rigorous, upper level courses, courses akin2 to graduate-level courses. Armed with the confidence that I can excel at difficult courses, I believe I can achieve the highest level of success and satisfaction by taking the most demanding graduate program available.
In addition to my ability to excel in the classroom, I have demonstrated a proficiency41 in all aspects of conducting research. Research has become a fundamental part of my college career, and I hope it will become the primary component42 of my future. As a sophomore43 at the University of Rhode Island, I designed a research project entitled "Grooming44 and Affiliative45 Behavior in Three Species of Non-Human Primates46" under the guidance of Dr. Su Boatright-Horowitz in the Psychology Department at URI. My research proposal gained approval from the Institutional Care and Use Committee at URI and at the Roger William Park and Zoo where the three species of non-human primates included in my study are kept. In addition to writing a successful research proposal, I also wrote and received a small funds grant from the University of Rhode Island in order to conduct my research. By being intimately involved in every aspect of research, from proposal and grant writing to data collection and analysis, I have learned what it takes to be a researcher, but more than that, I have learned how fulfilling and interesting research can be.
In the spring of 2005,I will be presenting my results at a poster presentation at the University of Rhode Island, and am planning to eventually publish my findings. Not only has this experience shown me that I am capable of excelling in conducting research, but it has also allowed me to develop a love for the hands on learning that is so crucial to successful research. In my final semester at URI, I will be participating in an ongoing48 research project concerning brain function and attention span under the direction of Dr. Dominic Valentino, a professor in the psychology department at URI. This project will undoubtedly49 further advance my academic skills and reinforce my passion for research.
Physical anthropology is more than just my primary area of education; it has also become my hobby and lifestyle. The questions posed and answered via the study of physical anthropology have fascinated me for a very long time and have stimulated50 me to ask and seek to answer further questions. With my mind set on the very specific goal of preparing myself as excellently as possible for a future in the field of forensic anthropology, I am fully51 confident that, with the ability to pursue my education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I will not only be able to fulfill47 my dream, but to contribute substantially to the university as well.
