College Admission Essay Sample

One of the most insightful people I have ever met once told me that if you choose a career you have a passion for, you will never work a day in your life. This is a philosophy that I have carried with me and sought to find for myself. I discovered my true passion lies playing a essential role in the growth of at-risk youth’s career, social, and personal development.

Being a former Family Support Worker and Visitation Specialist, my interactions with youth and their families from diverse backgrounds left an indelible responsibility to continue making a difference in our youth. The objectives and mission of the Master of Arts Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Westminster College can best help my goal of becoming an effective counselor and leader who is an agent of change to youth and service the mental and emotional well-being of the younger generation.

I earned a B.S in Child Adult and Family Services at Iowa State University, while also being a student-athlete on the Women’s DI Volleyball Team. After graduating in December 2017, I jumped right into the human resources field, and I have held two jobs, which in some way or another level have helped to lay the experiential foundations for becoming a licensed professional counselor.

For the past seven months, I have worked as a Family Support/Visitation Specialist, and a Child Support Enforcement Specialist in the state of Nebraska, where I assist various groups such as the parenting, women’s empowerment, anger management, breaking barriers, and the development of social skills.

I also dealt with and maintained great repore with angry, aggressive and abusive youth and their families. I have helped youth and their families overcome obstacles in their lives and provided community resources to parents in helping them work toward completing short term goals with their youth. I find working with youth and their families to be especially rewarding when they make a conscience decision to reform their lives. My passion I have will always be with youth and the crucial need for parental support, helping their children with the challenges that have been traumatic to youth.

My future professional career would to be a youth counselor for at-risk youth. Being able to make a difference in children’s lives every day and providing comprehensive services to at-risk youth and their families, is the reason why I am pursing graduate studies at Westminster College. My motivation is to better the lives and prospects of at-risk youth and families. My motivation is all about change and that is what Westminster legacy is based from, change.

At the end of my graduate study in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, I will be ready to change the world, especially in at-risk youth. Westminster works hard to have individualized attention with their faculty and students, just as if I were to give my individualized attention to my clients being a Licensed Professional Counselor. I have gained some beneficial insights from my past experiences that have fed my passion to progress and develop ongoing strategies to achieve my full potential. I feel that I am a great candidate for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. I would be honored to represent Westminster College and continue the legacy of change and the community it embodies. Thank you for your consideration.

I am unlike most applicants in that I can say that I am a Big 12 athlete. I have spent the past four years bleeding cardinal and gold as I represented Iowa State University in women’s volleyball. Being a student-athlete has taught me how to balance my academic work with the demands of my athletics. This will make it less complicated for me to adjust to the demands of graduate school. I have faced success, failure and adversity my four years at Iowa State University.

I initially pursued a degree in Animal Science because my fascination with animals and wanting to become a canine and feline Veterinarian. After my first semester at Iowa State, being a student-athlete was very overwhelming, trying to balance both lives really took a toll on me, so I made the decision to switch out to open option. I remember feeling defeated, and unaccomplished. Why didn’t I try harder? I asked myself. I remember talking with my athletic academic advisor about my next career path and interest, and this decision solidified my passion for understanding child welfare, youth behavior, and family dynamics.

Although I enjoyed Animal Science, I quickly realized that I was more interested in studying family dynamics of at-risk youth. This in turn led me to graduating with a B.S in Child Adult and Family Services with an emphasis in child and youth. When I declared child adult and family services as my major, I knew what I would continue with graduate studies in this field. I am excited to pursue a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, specializing in trauma and crisis intervention, and I am enthusiastic about the prospect of completing my graduate studies at Westminster College.

I am also excited to attend Westminster College because I have recently accepted the offer to be the Athletic Assistant for the Women’s Volleyball team. Pursuing my graduate studies and being associated with volleyball again is such an honor. In addition, I am seeking an environment where I will be intellectually challenged and encouraged to pursue my professional knowledge and skills, through theory and research.

Becoming a Youth Counselor for at-risk youth means accomplishing my heart’s desire, satisfying my intellectual curiosity and rebuild my profession on a new level all at the same time. My determination to pursue Clinical Mental Health Counseling on a professional level dates from when I interned for Department of Human Services (DHS) in Iowa, where I shadowed a variety of Social Workers. I got the opportunity to see two different counties, Polk County in Des Moines, and Story County in Ames.

My principal responsibilities were to co-design and implement care plans, which are also known as safety plans, for youth and their families, observing clinical interviews, to assess and record daily functioning status, offering a range of solutions, based on the needs of the clients, which may include physical and psychological therapies, and supervised activities. I also helped assist various groups such as parenting, anger management, breaking barriers, women’s empowerment and the development of social skills. This experience gave me an insight into the broad variety of family dynamics that are an essential part of facing up to mental health challenges.

I consider myself as a solid candidate due to my personal and professional experiences. I believe those experiences prepared me well for the next step in my pursuit of a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I am highly motivated and persistent. I believe I have gained a good idea of the challenges and rewards that the field offers and my suitability to pursue it. I am excited about my academic endeavors and my future growth as a researcher and clinician. I hope to have the opportunity to pursue my passion, develop new skills, and continue to grow and learn in Clinical Mental Health program at Westminster College and go Titans! Thank you for your consideration.