Common Application Personal Statement

                                     

 It’s not easy being a teacher. As a teacher you must know your student, what they’re learning methods are, and their true aspirations. As a teacher, you must demonstrate your passion, and allow your student to understand that you enjoy teaching them. Also as a teacher you must teach your student that the sky is the limit. My oldest brother has taught me all of the above. A teacher and an older brother share the same responsibilities.

     My older brother, Michael, has taught me life’s most important lessons. He’s taught me to speak my mind, and most importantly that I can be anything in the world, there is no such word as “limit” when dealing with your future goals. He is my greatest influence. When I get sad, or discouraged he reminds me that I’m not the only person who feels defeated at times. He has taught me that you can feel discouraged, but never wallow in self-pity. A college search is supposed to be exciting, heartfelt, and heartbreaking? I searched for colleges based on their SAT or ACT score requirements, and if they offered my major. At times it would discourage me to find that my score did not match a certain colleges SAT or ACT requirements. My older brother gave me a light while I was traveling down my dark tunnel of finding my “perfect college”. I remember my brother’s words of encouragement, he told me “scores matter, but they’re not the only thing that an admissions board will look at. Colleges want a well-rounded person not someone who just tests well or who has a 4.0 GPA.” When he told me this I began to approach a new direction in searching for my “perfect college”. I realized that I could get accepted into any school as long as I put all my heart and effort into it.

        Michael has assisted me throughout my life, from breaking the news to my parents about my first bad grade, to my first, second, and third driving ticket. I have a wonderful relationship with both of my parents. However my older brother contains a higher level of empathy. My older brother is also the one person I can count on to be on my side, even if I am wrong.  My older brother taught me that there is nothing in this world that I can’t do. For a long time, I didn’t realize the amount of potential I possessed; I’m not the average student. I think further outside the box.

    My older brothers has had a positive influence over me, I was somewhat insecure and quiet. When I would attend class, and didn’t understand my teachers lesson, I wouldn’t raise my hand, or ask questions, I would simply nod my head and pretend as if I understood exactly what was going on in class. This however only hurt me in the long run, my older brother taught me that there is nothing wrong with asking the teacher to go over a certain lesson one more time, asking a teacher for help doesn’t mean you’re stupid. He helped me understand that everyone ask questions, and its ok to say “hey I don’t understand”. Michael brought me out of the shell that I had been hiding in for so long, hiding my creativity, my passion, and who I truly was. After his influence I began to notice a difference in my personality, I was emerging into the person that I always wanted to be, myself. I participated in class more, I spoke my mind, even if it wasn’t at the right time, and I became comfortable with who I was, and who I was becoming.

        The day I revealed my college list to my older brother, was the day he made me realize he only wanted what was best for me. I, of course, had Syracuse as my first pick, and four other colleges that I didn’t contain a true desire to attend. I noticed the anger in my older brother’s eyes growing, when he asked me “besides Syracuse can you honestly picture yourself at any of these colleges. And why do you want to go to these colleges”. I responded to his somewhat harsh toned filled question by saying “I know Syracuse is my own personal “perfect college” because it contains a strong art department. I also know that Syracuse will embrace my creative mind and spirit,  and guide it into growing into something more than just a “gift”. Impressed by my answer, he showed no hesitation in asking me, what about the other colleges. It was in the midst of that moment, full of silence, tension and intimidation, that I had realized that I had to put my all into my future, because no one else would, and that I needed to create a new college list. My older brother shared words that will always ring in my mind like an alarm clock, “you have all the control over your future, you have to put the effort in because no one else can do this for you, I can’t, mom, and dad cant, and this is something you have to do on your own.  “Michael helped me understand that I am my worst enemy; I am the one that can make or break my future, and that it is time for me to take control.

    My older brother has continuously guided me to the answer, to all of my questions in a subtle way. He would never give me the full answer; he would simply show me how to find the answer on my own. It’s not easy being a teacher, but my older brother does a great job at balancing being a great teacher, mentor and best friend.

personal statement

Life is the illness, art is the medicine. Art has helped me survive life’s most harsh moments from failing

my first drivers test, to getting my first, second, and third driving ticket. When I was younger I never

understood how to express myself or to release the anger that was building inside me. When life

knocked me down, I would cry, and allowed the frustration to be bottled up. In my darkest hours art

became my outlet. I painted, drew, and took pictures of images that expressed what I was feeling. I

learned that if I needed comfort or relief, art was my permanent release. Art reminded me who I was

when I didn’t understand who I was becoming. It didn’t matter how big my problems were, art was, and

is my personal cure. Creating art for the rest of my life is my dream and, when you have a strong dream

you have no option except to chase it. Whenever I feel as if I cannot push myself any farther, or do any

better, art hears my soulful cries, and wipes away my tears. Art is forever evolving never causing

boredom within its expanding boundaries. Life can bruise our innocent souls, and knock us down just in

the midst of our breakthroughs, but art is there to nurture us back to life’s battle field. Art truly is the

medicine to our diseased filled lives. Art gives us the chance to express what we suppress; the moment

of justice is met with art. Before the introduction of this new found medication, called art, I was

somewhat of a quitter. Everything in my life that I began, I quit, when things became challenging, or

didnt captivate my imagination long enough I would quit the task at hand. I have always been very

athletic, Ive dabbled in several different athletic activities. When I was younger I was truly destined to

be a basketball player, so I thought, I was only eight years old when I discovered I could dribble all my

frustrations away. The older I grew the more intense the sport became, the players became more

serious, and more aggressive. I knew all the basic skills to basketball, yet basketball simply wasn’t able

to confine me. Next I fell in love with Tae Kwon Do, which is the most popular form of martial arts in

Japan. I was superb in Tae Kwon Do, I advanced to the next colored belt one after another. As soon as

I earned my half red and black belt the feeling of boredom began to creep upon me once again. Tae

Kwon Do was no longer exotic or different, it was now repetitive. I quit Tae Kwon Do before I became a

black belt, and the only reason I had for quitting was illogical, I was becoming bored. What I didn’t

understand at the time was, even though things become boring, or difficult, it should never give me the

right to quit, because there will be things that I don’t want to do, but I will have to do. I’ve quit several

things however the only thing I have never given up on, is art, and I never will. My hunger for art will not

be fed, nor satisfied with any other college, it would only amount to its fullest potential at Columbia

College Chicago. I believe, everyone reaches a certain stage in their life, when they understand its

time for them to change, it’s time for them to begin something new. The college search is an imperative

moment. The college that a prospective student of higher learning chooses to attend says a lot about

who they are, and who they will become. I, for one, searched long and hard, before finding the school I

truly knew I wanted to attend. After reading the history and majors Columbia offered, I know Columbia is

where I belong. No other school will adhere to my creative side like Columbia will. Columbia is my new

beginning. It is for this reason, and having a strong passion that I know I would be the best asset for

Columbia College Chicago. Several colleges question the student as to what they can bring to their

particular college, and I know I can bring a positive attitude, an even wider range of creativity along with

my drive and focused personality.

internet

     The information that we as people have access to is unlimited, for the imperative fact that the internet gives us every access, and opportunity to receive an answer easily. The internet is used for several different reasons, good and bad, the internet has allowed us as a people, and society to have easy access to the things that use to take hours, and hours among research papers, and books to discover a simple answer to. No longer do we need to use the dictionary, to look up words, or run to the store, and get our film developed, everything is controlled by a click of a button, so is this good or bad?

         The advancement of technology has brought us very far, however have we honestly gone far, or are we regressing? The computer has allowed us to socialize, and date through internet social networks and dating services, but this isn’t always a good thing. This is only a disadvantage, because if people spend their time socializing on a computer through the internet, they begin lose their people skills.  Eventually they will lose the ability to carry on a conversation with someone face to face, because they are no longer exposing themselves to this sort of imperative interaction. I believe that if you are someone who spends an abundance of time on the computer, dealing with social networks you may not have had the chance to fully develop social skills.  As I asked before, has the advancement of technology, upon the internet brought us far as a society, or have we regressed, the answer is simple. We as a society have begun to regress, several years ago around 100 B.C., people didn’t speak proper English, because they were cavemen, not to say that we as a people were inferior, but we were not exposed to proper English. However what is our excuse now? We are past our caveman days, and it is now 2010, our downfall was when we began to plan our schedules out around our hourly involvement with the internet. If people would look up from the computer screen, that has hypnotize them, they would realize that there is a world outside the computer screen, it is called life.

      People who use the computer most likely feel differently about my previous statements above. People who use the internet repetitively, don’t comprehend the effects that they are receiving from using the computer too much. They don’t realize that using the internet affects their social skills. If every individual who excessively used the computer, would minimize their involvement with the computer, and entering a virtual, and hypnotizing world, they give themselves a chance to develop the social skill that they most likely lack, and understand how to interact with people.   

paradise

Walking on the soft brown sand, allowing the wild aggressive winds to caress my skin, and push my hair back gracefully. Being here looking out towards the endless horizon face to face with the open ocean, taking pictures of its beauty, gives me sense of tranquility. I brought my Nikon camera along with me to help captivate, and remember every bit of this scenery, however I don’t think I will need a camera to help me remember the beauty that this place posses. There is no place I’d rather be, the sun is gently wrapping me up in its warmth, and all I hear are the crashing waves against the coffee brown rocks. When I was younger I had dreams about vacationing and visiting a beautiful place like this and now I’m here and I never want to leave. The blue sky and fluffy clouds are beautiful, they pass by elegantly, and they stop for nothing, when they come across another cloud they intertwine with the other cloud, moving on a one big fluffy marshmallow.  This place is a mixture between what I picture as my utopia and heaven.  As soon as I stepped foot on the smooth sand, the oceans graceful ,and serene glow begin to illuminate my soul. I swam in the deep blue ocean allowing the careless water to cleanse my mind, nourish my body, and uplift my soul. Looking up at the sky scraping palm trees, examining every grass green leaf that the tree posses, I begin to wonder if there is another place as peaceful as this one. This is what I have always pictured when I thought of my ultimate paradise.

obesity

Obesity is not only an issue with your physical health, but also your mental health. It is hard enough to battle with your health, but to deal with your mental health is even harder.

    Someone diagnosed as obese has a lot to deal with physically and mentally, especially if they are under the age of twenty one.  It is especially difficult on those who are younger, because it becomes unavoidable when children tease them, or pick them lastly to participate in physical activities, when they attend school. Several people fail to realize being obese is not a selected lifestyle, meaning people who are obese do not choose to be obese, nor do they enjoy being obese.

  Society also looks down on those who are overweight in general. People who look down on overweight or obese people have the same common assumptions about that person which is, they are lazy and pathetic. I do not feel as if anyone even if they are skinny, short, tall overweight, nice, or mean, have any right to look down on anyone. It is not anyone’s place in society to judge someone based off of their, physical appearance. Obese men, and women have to deal with society installed list of stereotypes about the way they look on a daily basis. They have to deal with the awkward silences that they are greeted with when they enter a room, or the dirty stares they receive while walking down the street. Dealing with this on a daily basis is extremely difficult, and it can begin to take a toll on someone’s self esteem.

       I believe that obese men and women receive a certain amount of discrimination. Obese people get teased about their physical appearance, whether it’s behind their back, or to their faces. Also certain jobs will discriminate against an obese person simply because he or she doesn’t fit into society’s image of health, and beauty. I feel that being obese is challenging, but if obese people felt like they had a support group, or didn’t have society there to beat them down every day, they wouldn’t battle with  low self esteem, they would feel encouraged to lose the weight, or at least be comfortable with who they are.

Friends

Most people when placed in a new environment or an unfamiliar place, they are drawn to people that look or demonstrate similar qualities that they themselves posses. This is one way to meet friends, but sometimes we should make the effort and step outside of our comfort zones and meet someone outside of our classification of “the norm”.

  People often make friends that share the same racial background, financial background, sense of humor and music interest. Sometimes when people make friends who don’t share the same qualities as them, the friendship and connection can be stronger, and people from different backgrounds, who don’t share similar qualities, can teach each other things. When you’re exposed to something other than your standards, and common experiences you allow yourself to become more open and become aware of things you didn’t pay attention to before. However you cannot meet anyone who doesn’t share your same interest or background, if you’re not open to do so, you also must be open to change.

  People who don’t share the same interest or background, can become friends, because they could share similar outlooks on life, and sense of humor. I feel that when you become friends with someone who isn’t like you, or who may be your complete opposite, your friendship is stronger and last longer.  I feel typically these relationship last longer because, you have to take more time in understanding the other person, because you guys don’t share common interest or backgrounds. People can learn so much about other cultural backgrounds, and they become more aware of things that are outside of their comfort zones when they befriend someone who isn’t like them.

outdoors

The beauty of being outdoors isn’t fully appreciated by those who are not exposed to nature. Spending time outdoors truly allows a person to spiritually become centered and appreciate nature. I feel that becoming one with nature helps you become one with yourself.

     People, who live in urban cities, miss out on life’s innocent beauty. The untouched beauty that is held outside of the city, which we know as nature, isn’t appreciated by people who live in large cities. People who live close to nature wake up from the long lasting bird songs and the whistling of the wild winds. However when you live in urban areas, deep within the city, you wake up to honking noises, from angry people in cars during the everlasting traffic jams, trains and buses coming and going, and garbage trucks ruining a working persons last five minutes of sleep.  When someone glances outside of their windows in the city, they are greeted with blue, green, red, brown, white, and black cars that pollute the blue skies, and turn them into gray skies. Unfortunately during the night hour in the city, you will almost never be graced with the beauty of the midnight skies, and the forever glowing stars.

       Nature has a distinct smell. The smell is warm, and embracing it somewhat smells like fresh air filled with curiosity and innocence, blooming flowers, and wildly growing grass. A great experience is achieved when one truly makes a connection with nature. As a kid I use to go camping with my family and friends. When I was outdoors camping, sleeping under the midnight sky and looking up at all the stars illuminating the sky like diamond on a newly engaged woman’s finger, I felt nothing but peace. However it was hard to sleep inside the tent because the ground was so hard, but when I arose to meet with nature once again in the morning, the hard nights were worth it.