Statement of Academic/ Career Goals
Being fond of pharmacy and with a desire to be a pharmacist, I m currently an undergraduate student in College of Arts and Science with my majors in Chemistry. I’ve always dreamt of becoming a pharmacist while studying in USA for which I am eager to work hard and whole heartedly. I was also in Letters Dean’s list in 2007-fall semester and joined the Chemistry school department symposium in 2008. I am also a social servant and have been a lifelong volunteer in Taiwanese Social Organization that took take care of impoverished patients in persistent vegetative state (PVS) suffers in nursing home environment.
By serving there I gained experience in cost reduction and acquired leadership and managerial skills. I always wanted to achieve something high in academics due to which I have high spirits and faith in me. The reason for selecting United States among the numerous choices was the excellent learning environment found there which is the only way to fulfill my academic aspirations and for which I am ready to strive as much as possible. The way of teaching and inspiration that comes from United States attracts me the most which unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find in my country Taiwan.
The learning environment at United States positively reinforces and encourages the students to think, express and be creative whereas in other countries punishments are used to push students along with cramming studies. In the United States, I believe that EMU is the platform where I can pursue my highly spirited goals and where my skills can be enhanced and polished because of the learned science faculty available there. I’ve been enrolled at this grand institute for more than a year and through my hard work have been able to complete 50 credit hours up till now.
Even though I was faced with a lot of problems and financial constraints, I never compromised on my result and attained an overall GPA of 3. 07 and maintained an excellent GPA of 3. 4 in my major. This institute opened me to a new world of science where I saw my dreams coming to be true. This period holds strategic importance in further nurturing my interest and convincing me with the passing time that EMU is the right place for me for providing quality learning. EMU not only played a role in increasing my knowledge and skills but also made me learn other important things.
The first thing that I learnt at the place was the significance of honesty. The institute explained me new definitions of cheating and plagiarism which had been never taught before and I eventually realized their importance in building my personality once I began to study at EMU. It made me more creative, self dependent and work harder since I learnt to complete assignments and reports with the help of my own ideas and information acquired through hard work from different sources. This also helped in nurturing my grammar and composition skills which were tremendously improved.
Moreover, my interpersonal skills improved drastically in the university’s environment which was previously hidden in the Chinese culture I came from. My introvert nature disappeared and I was able to interact freely with my professors and classmates while frequently raising questions which was not so in my old country school. EMU has taught me to be individualistic and self-reliant while at the same time made me affluent and interactive. By studying at EMU, I’ve been able to acquire a professional knowledge through the courses and lectures taught by my learned professors.
I had to take a lot of science courses since I was in the pre-pharmacy program. This was the point where my interest in Chemistry developed and eventually I became fond of it. Previously, I had an impression that Chemistry is a tough subject but the professors and learning environment at EMU made everything easy for me and my interest in Chemistry was further nurtured. In the initial semesters I learned about the basic principles and laws of Chemistry while in the last semester this knowledge became more profound and in-depth.
All this knowledge and courses are adding up to my skills which will make me appropriate to pursue a career in pharmacy. Moreover, at EMU I’ve learnt to collaborate and work as a team. This skill was acquired by working in labs where I gained not only practical skills but also attained the spirit of a team. I am now experienced at handling chemical apparatus and equipments for the purpose of using them in experiments. This demanded considerable hard work because of the language barriers due to which I had to preview lab manuals and practice a lot before coming to the lab.
But since I am not afraid of hard work I did everything that it took to acquire complete knowledge. Breaking the language barriers was one of the greatest achievements for me and that built in me self confidence and strength to face challenges. This actually allowed me to help my classmates with their problems related to labs, equations and graphs. The language obstacles instead of serving as a hindrance actually motivated me to strengthen my English skills and communication power due to which I started being careful on every detail.
Besides Chemistry, I also focused on Biology and Physics which advanced my researching and citation, and measurements and calculations respectively. I also felt the warmness of American culture at EMU since my classmates understood that I came from a different cultural background and helped me in every way in understanding the language and accommodating into an American culture. Studying at EMU has changed my life, and I truly think that EMU is the right place for me to accomplish my dream of being a pharmacist.
The promising environment and the learned faculty encouraged me to take a further step towards my goal. Delving more into my career aspirations I assimilated more and more knowledge which made me more eager to learn. For all these reasons I have made my decision to complete my bachelor degree of Chemistry at EMU and then apply for pharmacy schools. I have high aspirations to pursue what I yearn for and want to live up to my dreams in order to be proud and self-satisfied. I am also aware of the fact that behind every dream there are hardships and I am ready to strive and work hard for achieving what I plan to.
My philosophy in life is the belief in hard work because this can earn me what I strive for and I look forward to develop my specific skills and competences for achieving my long-term goals. For this my bachelor degree from EMU is very important for my future. I have financial troubles but your scholarship can serve as a blessing to me and help in fulfilling my long awaited dreams. Statement of Need I am a Taiwanese student working hard to achieve a career in my field of interest.
Like all other students, I am also striving to attain the skills and knowledge for expanding my horizons of intellectual abilities. In order to accomplish this, I have decided to shift to US since it is a land of excellent education which can quench my thirst for knowledge. Though adjusting in American culture is difficult but I have tried my level best to handle all the obstacles and have been able to adjust quite well. I want to pursue career in pharmacy so that I can help people in their pain and sufferings which has always touched me.
I come from a single family since my dad passed away when I was 13 and my mom was the only person who had to work to earn a living for the whole family. She is now a 70 year old retiree and the whole family has to live on her pension plans. To date, I have completed my education from my previous savings and help from my family. Since I have a younger brother and an elder sister, I cannot use much of the savings of my family and therefore, I am left with a meager amount which is not enough to complete my under graduation. My family income is my mother’s pension plan and her whole life savings which have almost exhausted.
She has mortgaged her only house to a bank so that I continue studying in US in order to seek the dream of becoming a pharmacist. I am in a strong need for scholarship which is the only way through which I can make my future. Since I am categorized as an international student I have to pay a higher sum of money than the US residents which further worsens the problem. Moreover, the US government does not permits international students to work and regards it as illegal therefore; I don’t have any source of income at present.
My annual tuition fee is around $32000 apart from living, renting, transportation, books, eating etc. Since I am living without my family members therefore, I have no family support and have to manage all the expenses myself. The total expense of tuition and living becomes enormous and cannot be managed with the loaned amount and my mother’s pension plans. This is why I am in a dire need of your scholarship so that I can continue my education and get the degree I promised my mother and myself.
All these factors are a hindrance towards my academic progress therefore, I m writing this with great hope and faith in your scholarship program which can help in removing my worries and troubles. I need this scholarship desperately because I have exhausted my savings and family income on previous tuitions in US. My request for financial help is well intentioned and your scholarship can provide me with a relief after which I can devote my maximum attention to my dreams and aspirations of becoming a successful pharmacist.
