My Interest in the Subject, Personal Statement Example

Prompt: What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field — such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities — and what you have gained from your involvement.

My life experiences have convinced me that communication skills not only help build trust but also make it easier to positively influence others. I hope to further improve my skills through formal education in the communication field.

During my time with the Taiwanese Army, I led the financial department of a supply-based military camp in Kinmen, a Taiwanese island. Being a Corporal, I acted as a liaison between the soldiers and the lieutenants. I quickly learnt that by explaining the rationale behind my orders, I could significantly raise my subordinates’ morale and commitment to the assigned responsibilities. Higher rank officers expected me to efficiently manage the daily routines while my subordinates desired less work and more informal work environment. My communication skills including the willingness to listen to my subordinates allowed me to effectively manage conflicting expectations from the superiors and the subordinates.

My subordinates knew I cared about them which also made it easier for me to fulfill the demands of my own job. I would also regularly praise their contributions which would make them feel valuable members of the army and further inspired them. The distance from home as well as the work commitments started taking heavy toll on some of the soldiers. Some became depressed due to broken romantic relationships while others had poor social skills and found it difficult to stay away from home for extended periods of time. Similarly, some soldiers had difficult working relationships with their colleagues, leading to tensed environment. All these factors started contributing towards high suicide rate among the soldiers. I helped bring down the suicide rate by being a willing listener to their personal and professional issues and encouraged them not to give up. My subordinates started sharing their personal issues with me and the mutual trust and bond among us also motivated them to never give up.

Strong skills will help me become a successful entrepreneur and a transformative leader in the future. Currently, I am the President of the International Students Club (ISC) of DVC. My responsibilities include motivating officers to tackle the challenges with passion. Being the public face of the club, I handle all correspondence with external entities including the college newspaper. During the biggest annual event which is IEW, I negotiate with the student government to secure more funds for the club and also assign marketing responsibilities to club officers. My strong communication and leadership skills have helped me create productive work environment within the club.

All of these experiences demonstrate that communication skills are essential in leadership because they enable you to avoid misunderstandings and build consensus. Effective leaders do not only rely on formal powers but inspire followers through mutual trust and personal examples. This is why I want to pursue a major in communications because success depends not only on our own potential but also on our ability to unite others behind common goals. A formal education in communications will help me further improve my communication skills as well as help others realize their true potential.