Application essay - Umass Dartmouth Transfer

For over 10 years I have been in a rut in my life where I would just live paycheck to paycheck. Taking a step forward meant I would soon be falling 2 steps behind. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to get on par with anything. I felt like I was shackled in chains and being lead down this dark road by a demon. 
 

My parents instilled in me that a well paying job was one of the most important things in life. But what about the things in between like satisfaction in doing what you do? What about the things that I really wanted? I remember telling them that I was going to be lawyer because it was a job that would pay well and it would please them. This attitude is what started me down that path. 
 

I had graduated high school and started working because I really hadn't decided what to take in college. I even applied to BCC  but just let that go by the wayside. I started getting into a little debt and promised myself that i would work for a year, clear that debt and all the while, find out what I wanted to go to college for. I have artistic and culinary skills that come naturally to me but I didn't want to chance becoming that starving artist. Although the culinary field wouldn't leave me starving, it wasn't as fulfilling. Pun intended. Well, needless to say, none of that ever happened. 
 

There had to be something more to life than this. Thirteen years later at the ripe young age of 32, I joined the National Guard. The military was always something that lingered in the back of my mind: I would serve my country, it would pay for my education, and offer benefits. To be a part of something bigger than myself. That was something noble but I didn't want to be the average soldier either. How can I help my battle buddies as much as possible by more than just putting lead down range with an M4 rifle. I want to be there for the troops that defended our country. Perhaps I could help soldiers who just came back from a deployment, deal with what they saw out in the war zone.

What makes people do what they do has always fascinated me. A very good friend in the field of psychology once told me that most people who enter his field, try to diagnose themselves. Was he right? Was I on a quest to discover more about myself? Am I doing this for the wrong reasons? No. I wanted to turn my questions into answers. I wanted to help those that felt lost, confused, or hopeless. I want to be that beacon of light through the fog of life that everyone gets caught in. Especially for my fellow soldiers.

With a good education, I can help people who need it most. Using psychology as a catalyst, I would fight the war on a different front. Helping soldiers recover from the damage that terrorism has wreaked on their minds would be my mission. With an education as my shield and the military as my sword I face our demons...prepared.

Post write: I think I did a good job on the essay. I feel like I described some of myself in a nutshell pretty well in paragraphs 1 and 2. I feel like a look over this will help with a better 2^nd draft. Did you need more information about who I am as a person? Was the information about me relevant to the essay and what I was trying to accomplish?

Animal Instincts (This I Believe draft 2)

I firmly believe that pets are an important part of our lives. Those of us lucky enough to live with one know what I'm talking about. In my case, I have a Pekingese, a small dog, that will always greet me at the door with a wagging tail and an excited smile. The long day at the job just seems to melt away, if even for a while. I'll take a spot on the rug to do some homework and he'll just sit right beside me, until he realizes that he doesn't have ALL of my attention. At that point he decides to sit front and center. Right on top of my books. Can you believe that?! So I take a few minutes and toss a toy down the hall. The game of fetch doesn't last very long and now it's Tug of War. Gizmo's lighthearted personality is something I think everyone needs in their lives.

The effects of animals are almost magical. For years, dogs and cats have have been brought into hospitals to raise the spirits of people all around them. They put smiles on the faces of frightened children who battle their sickness everyday. Stroking the soft coat of the animal wipes away the periods of harsh, but lifesaving, treatments they have endured. Spending a few moments in the room, they melt away the worries of the ill by just sitting there. As if it was just another day, they make it look easy.

In nursing homes, they bring happiness and companionship into the lives of our elderly. Nostalgia sets in and the rekindling of cherished memories form. Loved ones. A pet from their youth perhaps. Smiles appear on the faces of people and laughter can be heard throughout the halls. Unaware of the shift in morale, they go from room to room brightening the days of people whose lives they have touched. The result is almost therapeutic.

Numerous studies have been made about the effects of people and pets. Its has been shown that happier people are ill less often. Inviting a pet into your life could reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Taking a walk with your dog will get you out of the house and make you healthier for it. Especially so for individuals who have suffered from cardiac arrest. The daily activities required in keeping a pet, such as grooming, will help increase blood circulation and slows the loss of bone tissue. That is how dramatic an effect pets can have on people.

Picture this..a dog walks through the park with it's owner on a beautiful fall afternoon. A man and his son see them coming down the path. At first, the child seems apprehensive about this small animal and wraps his arms around his father's leg. The small dog draws closer, slightly tugging a female along. The child buries his face in a knee, but curiosity allows him to just take a small peak. The dog is just at arms reach from the pair as the father assures his son that it's okay. The boy becomes adventurous and decides to pet the smiling dog, like his father demonstrated. The father looks down and sees his son smiling from ear to ear, giggling away. They can ease the uncertainty out of a young child or warm the heart or a lonely grandmother. Do they really know what they offer is priceless?

Post Write: After seeing some the chosen examples read in class I felt like I had missed the mark. The paper is well written, in my opinion, but seemed almost robotic while stating facts like in paragraph four. What remains to be done always comes down to editing process After reading it through,. I moved some stuff around but another set of eyes is always helpful. Do readers feel like there is too many metaphors and not enough personal expierences in the essay? Did you enjoy reading it? Was it robotic at times; not as personal?

Sources: http://www.bhg.com/health-family/pets/care/how-pets-help-people/

This I Believe

This I Believe

A dog walks through the park with it's owner on a beautiful fall afternoon. A man and his son see them coming down the path. At first, the child seems apprehensive about this small animal and wraps his arms around his father's leg. The small dog draws closer, slightly tugging a female along. The child buries his face in a knee, but curiosity allows him to just take a small peak. The dog is just at arms reach from the pair as the father assures his son that it's okay. The boy becomes adventurous and decides to pet the smiling dog, like his father demonstrated. The father looks down and sees his son smiling from ear to ear, giggling away.

I firmly believe that pets are an important part of our lives. Those of us lucky enough to live with one know what I'm talking about. In my case, I have a Pekingese, a small dog, that will always greet me at the door with a wagging tail and an excited smile. The long day at the job just seems to melt away, if even for a while. I'll take a spot on the rug to do some homework and he'll just sit right beside me, until he realizes that he doesn't have ALL of my attention. At that point he decides to sit front and center. Right on top of my books. Can you believe that?! So I take a few minutes and toss a toy down the hall. The game of fetch doesn't last very long and now it's Tug of War. Gizmo's lighthearted personality is something I think everyone needs in their lives.

The effects of animals are almost magical. For years, dogs and cats have have been brought into hospitals to raise the spirits of people all around them. They put smiles on the faces of frightened children who battle their sickness everyday. Stroking the soft coat of the animal wipes away the periods of harsh, but lifesaving, treatments they have endured. Spending a few moments in the room, they melt away the worries of the ill by just sitting there. As if it was just another day, they make it look easy.

In nursing homes, they bring happiness and companionship into the lives of our elderly. Nostalgia sets in and the rekindling of cherished memories form. Loved ones. A pet from their youth perhaps. Smiles appear on the faces of people and laughter can be heard throughout the halls. Unaware of the shift in morale, they go from room to room brightening the days of people whose lives they have touched. The result is almost therapeutic.

Numerous studies have been made about the effects of people and pets. Its has been shown that happier people are ill less often. Inviting a pet into your life could reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Taking a walk with your dog will get you out of the house and make you healthier for it. Especially so for individuals who have suffered from cardiac arrest. The daily activities required in keeping a pet, such as grooming, will help increase blood circulation and slows the loss of bone tissue. That is how pets can affect people. They can ease the uncertainty out of a young child or warm the heart or a lonely grandmother. Do they really know what they offer is priceless?

Post Write: My first idea was along the lines of how teens most teens lack responsibility among other things but that would break the preaching rule. So I decided to stay away from possibly stirring the pot and go for a lighter note. Briefly thought about chasing an idea about how a smile can change a persons attitude but that was the example given in class. Arriving at home and seeing how my dog can make me smile, it hit me. Animals can be the warm welcome anyone needs after a long day. At that point the creative juices started flowing and it all spilled over onto my desktop.

Sources: http://www.bhg.com/health-family/pets/care/how-pets-help-people/

Using Technology

The move to the digital form of books would be like, in my opinion, making a human clone. Sure it'll do the job, but does it have a soul? Perhaps that is a bit much but I am a bit more old school so I do tend to favor the hardcovers myself. An e-reader is easier to transport and the accessibility hundereds of book at your finger tips does make life smoother when your on that train ride to Boston. In the fast paced world we live in today, the digital books reign supreme and rightfully so. These digital copies can be downloaded to a laptop or something as small as your phone. Mobility is something that we, as humans, always try to improve. Much like the advancement from horse and carriage to automobiles and aircraft, are the hardcover books the next to fall to the digital titans?



There are inherent problems with going completely digital, however. The constant connection to the internet can be a viable source for distraction for not only the perpatrator but those around him. The collateral damage may not be worth the risk of going digital. In May of 1998, Dave Gelertner writes to Time Magazine "But the push to net-connect every school is an educational disaster in the making. Our schools are in crisis. As a college teacher, I see the sorry outcome: students who can't write worth a damn, who lack basic math and language skills." Dave continues on to make an excelent point, "With an Internet connection, you can gather the latest stuff from all over, but too many American high school students have never read one Mark Twain novel or Shakespeare play or Wordsworth poem, or a serious history of the U.S.; they are bad at science, useless at mathematics, hopeless at writing--but if they could only connect to the latest websites in Passaic and Peru, we'd see improvement?"



While sitting in that comforatble chair, reach over and get aquainted with a good book. It's like conversing with an old friend over a cup of coffee. There's a sense of personality; a relationship with the object you hold in your hand. Lighty caressing of the pages as you continue on wondering if "he made it out alive."The fact that the book is tangible makes all the difference in the world. It can be easy to get carried away the climactic events can be in books of high adventure but the reassuring weight of the tome will keep you safely grounded. Liz Vezina, a librarian at Cushing Acadamy was interviewed by David Abel of the Boston Globe (2009). She said “I’m going to miss them. I love books. I’ve grown up with them, and there’s something lost when they’re virtual. There’s a sensual side to them - the smell, the feel, the physicality of a book is something really special.’’ It almost sounds as if Liz was losing an old friend from her childhood.

In July 2010,A cartoonist by the name of Dave Walker posts an illustration in The Cartoon Blog. It depicts a haphazardly drawn figure of a phone/ipod/Gameboy. Multiple captions extend from the image that describe what this invention does. One section serves a healthy portion of sarcasim when he writes "Tiny buttons so that I get repetiative strain injury" and again with "Folding mechanism, so that the device has a natural place to break in two " Mr. Walker makes an obscure point in 2 other captions. "Compact and stylishdesign, which gives me a deep sense of inner wellbeing" and "Headphones, so that I can avoid contact with other human beings, and annoy them with my tiny drumbeat". With the vast amounts of information and the ability to connect with people the world over, technology can offer humanity many things but with it comes lurking diseases. Do we look to to our phones for that "sense of wellbeing" instead of our friends and family? Are we hiding behind headphones to avoid people around us instead of offering that smile and the "how are you" that goes along with it? Much like the e-readers are taking away the feel of books, is technology making us less tangible...less human?