First Post of 2009, First Personal Statement

Wow, it has been a while. Here is to my first post of 2009!

While it won't be long, I at least wanted to say I updated. I am long due for a post! In the past month, I've been pretty busy. I started my internship and final school year, along with continiung to research and apply for journalism grad schools. It seems my search began just as quickly as it is ending-- I guess that is what you get if you want to attend school this fall.

The schools I am applying to are as follows: Ball State, Ohio University, and Kent State. I may jst submit an app. to IU just for the heck of it, even though I don't think I am as interested in that program as the I am in the others. It doesn't hurt to see what happens, though!

Since OU's application for financial assistance is due Feb. 1, I decided to finally write my first personal statement tonight (stating why you want to go to grad school, what you can contribute to the school, etc). Here it is:

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When I first entered college at Northern Kentucky University in the fall of 2004, I wasn’t exactly sure what field of study I wanted to pursue. It suddenly dawned on me-- or so I thought. I wanted to study Marketing. The job opportunities were endless since many companies will always need some type of marketing position; it was a safe bet.

Throughout the next two years of college, I successfully took the required marketing and business administration classes. I was doing very well in them, earning A’s in some of my favorite classes including Organizational Behavior and Consumer Behavior. I even was admitted into the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society and decided to join the Marketing Club.

However, whenever I walked into a business classroom, something didn’t quite feel right. Learning about operations management and marketing principles didn’t excite me, didn’t motivate me. Something was missing, and I was just going through the motions thinking I’d find it.

In the spring of 2006, it finally dawned on me-- and this time, I knew it was for good. I wanted to study journalism. I finally found what was missing throughout my beginning years of college: writing. I have always loved writing, but didn’t know how much I did until I was away from it for a couple of years.

When I began taking journalism classes, I felt like I had a purpose in the world; I felt like I could effect change. While I didn’t earn A’s in my first couple of journalism classes, I learned a lot that I would later appreciate. After taking a news II and feature writing class, I quickly realized why I was led to the field of journalism-- I was highly successful both of them. More importantly, I loved these types of writing. I had a passion for it-- especially for feature writing.

Feature writing allowed me to express my creativity in a variety of ways-- something I didn’t do as much in marketing classes. Out of four articles we wrote during the semester, I plan to get at least two published as recommended by my teacher.

Even while taking News II, my teacher saw what I saw in myself-- passion and determination to write. He, too, congratulated me on my motivation to write a thorough, compelling piece.

Despite journalists’ bleak job outlook, I remained determined to study journalism. The job opportunities weren’t endless. It wasn’t a safe bet. Even with all of the negatives pointing my way, I remained determined to succeed in my journalism classes – and I did. So many people go through college without ever finding their true passion, their true purpose; so many take the easy, safe route. That wasn’t good enough for me. Whenever I walk into a journalism classroom, I know I am in the right place.

I can bring this same motivation, determination, and passion to the student body at Ohio University, all while contributing to a successful journalism program.

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Hopefully this does the trick somehow, along with my rec. letters I have to collect. Here's to hoping!