Transfer application for University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Essay Example for Free

Transfer application for University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Essay My high school years demonstrate a strong history of community involvement and social work that gave me a chance to develop my communication skills, translate leadership potential into real actions and let me help other people in meaningful and effective ways. The combination of various activities and burden of multiple responsibilities also proved a challenge to my academic achievements. Thus, I must admit that being involved in volunteering work a few hours a week, working as President of the Snowboarding club and church leader and Vice-President in my Korean church, I spent less time and effort on studies than other students. With this said, the broad variety of activities did develop my personality and increase my potential to add to diversity on Urbana Champaign campus. Working as President of the Snowboarding club, I learned a lot about this sport and organization of different sports events. Throughout my community involvement, such as work in the asylum and in the institution for physically handicapped people, I gained knowledge about life that is very different from our usual patterns. As baby-sitter in the orphanage, I got to know many disadvantaged kids whose perspective was different from mine. Learning to help these people, I realized that humans are very diverse and at the same time united by common feelings of love, hate, trust, hope and sympathy. Besides, being of Korean origin, I can bring to the campus an understanding and appreciation of our rich culture and customs. During my life in the US, I have retained my ethnic culture through involvement in the initiative in my Korean church that was aimed at helping new people fit into the US environment. I hope to bring this experience in helping new people to University of Illinois, making my experience at transition work for other people. International studies have long captured my interest and hold it to this point. A foreign national, I am most interested in international trade and development, and specifically the interconnection between these two phenomena. My experience in changing the national environment proved a trigger causing my interest in the field and motivating me to pursue it as a profession. Coming from Korea, I became interested in national political and economic system and their reflection in people’s contemporary experience. Korea had a rather painful history, being to this point divided into two parts. The striking difference in life standards between North and South Korea intrigued me because not so long ago we were one nation. As I grew up, I realized the importance of a choice of a political and economic system the nation makes. Reading a lot about different economic theories and practices, I developed an interest in how to help poor nations develop better. I come from a relatively prosperous background and feel obliged to help countries with a very low income level to overcome dire poverty and provide their people with basic benefits. Developing international trade, I believe, can be the answer to many of their problems. Working for one month in 2006 in Essen Tech Co – The Department of Trade, I gained further insights into the nature of international trade. There I mingled with professionals in the field who shared with me their expert knowledge and opinions formed on the basis of relevant information, which was very interesting for a novice. At this point, I have some theoretical and practical background in the chosen field. Now I need more substantial knowledge to let me use my potential to the fullest. With deep interest in the field, I believe I can make my involvement into an important contribution.