Who I Am at This Stage in My Life, Personal Statement Example

In sitting down to provide a valid assessment of who I am at this stage in my life, I immediately confront a stumbling block.  More exactly, who I am is so tied to the course I am on, and what I seek to be, that any definition of myself is virtually impossible to pin down.  I feel this must be true for other students as well; we are, after all, in the process of both discovering and shaping our identities.  We are partly where we have been, and we are definitely a good deal of where we intend to go.

Then again, as I consider it, this in itself says quite a lot about me.  It reveals that a guiding force in my life is ambition, and of an exciting and academic kind.  That is based on what I have so far attained, because my educational career to date has fueled in me the desire to go further.  Through a significant amount of hard work and an equal measure of actual motivation, I have been fortunate enough to be recognized as a student leader.  In the TASIS School in Switzerland, I serve as student president, having gained the position after a year as vice-president, and I was appointed to be a proctor for two years.  These processes and activities have both confirmed and enhanced the leadership drive within me.  In all honesty, this is something that developed during earlier schooling, rather than as an ambition always in place.  I began to feel, as I grew older, more confident in expressing my views; this in turn generated support I had not anticipated, and “leadership” of a kind began to happen.  As it evolved, or as I evolved in the process, I came to understand just how complex and important any leadership role is.  The ability to communicate well alone is an enormous arena unto itself, and I like to think my sense of the responsibility of it encouraged my acquiring skills in it.  I learned that communication relies as much on listening as it does on expression, as I also discovered the great advantage of my sense of humor.  I have realized that being a leader, and in any situation, requires more than the leader seeks from others.  At the same time, I absolutely believe this is a natural ability within me, and it is one I very much wish to develop further.

My main focus for study is business, which is to me just as complex and challenging as leadership.  Today’s world is providing extraordinary opportunities in business, and in ways going beyond commercial interests.  In my eyes, globalization is actually transforming what business is, because it is now so culturally infused.  There are foundations of practices and techniques I wish to acquire, certainly, and I know my commitment must be strong.  My motivation in this regard, however, gives me the confidence I will need to move forward here.  If my leadership efforts thus far have taught me anything, it is that people can accomplish whatever they choose to do, provided they truly desire to make it happen.  This is what supports my drive to study business at the university level.  I am not intimidated by the challenges ahead of me; instead, they add greater value to the study to me.  I am equally inspired to be motivated in ways I cannot yet know, as the culture of the university acts upon me.  While my focus will remain strong, I know as well the importance of maintaining an expansive outlook elsewhere, as the school environment exists to generate new interests and ambitions.

Lastly, I wish to add that I have something of an urge here to reinforce how much of an asset I will be to the university, and how my academic success thus far, as well as my personal attributes, will render my attendance desirable for all concerned.  I do believe these things are true.  Nonetheless, I am more compelled to express my interest in another way, and emphasize instead what I lack.  I am smart, I work hard, I have leadership potential, and my social skills serve me well.  All of this, however, must be developed if I am to be who I want to be.  My application, then, is ultimately about gaining the opportunity to expand what I am and know, discover and apply what is new, and create the person I want to be.