Knowledge is power and can help in healing. And I’ve always believed that there is no limit to what we can learn. The only limits are what we set for ourselves. Yet, in my field of study, knowledge must be paired with compassion. In delving in the psychology of people, one must be open to the myriad of emotions and be able to penetrate the defensive walls that people place around feelings, while keeping aware of academic knowledge. I believe that I have this capacity, and I am looking forward to developing my skills and knowledge through graduate education.
I am a native of the Philippines and my family moved to the United States just ten years ago. This change was overwhelming at first, but the similarities in our cultures helped me quickly adjust. I adapted to the way of life and was able to graduate with honors at the University of _____, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.
I returned to the Philippines and became a Human Resources manager for a big telecommunications company. The position carried with it huge responsibilities; however, I found my work immensely enjoyable and appreciated the interactions I had with a diverse group of professionals. After a few months though I realized that corporate work wasn’t for me and how I longed to do clinical Psychology work.
I went back to America to pursue my Master’s in Education. I thought this would be good grounding towards family counseling work that I intended to do. My graduate studies in Education gave me a better understanding of the many factors that affect a child’s development. Again, I worked in Human Resources to support myself through my studies.
In time, I was able to focus on Psychological Counseling. I again took up graduate studies in the field and was able to graduate with a Highest Distinction award from the Psychology Department. I then worked as an intern at the ____ College. I was student counselor and then research assistant, which gave me invaluable knowledge on the subjective and the objective. My hands-on counseling allowed me to know and help individuals with their struggles; while statistical research work gave me insight on commonalities and trends in the field.
As I delved deeper into Psychological counseling work, I began to focus on my key interests. I am particularly concerned about helping the immigrant community address its psychological issues. I currently volunteer with the local outreach program that extends counseling help to Asians
Ultimately, I want to work as both researcher and practitioner. The field of psychology is continually evolving and yet there is so much left to do in terms of changing societal attitudes towards mental illness. I intend to do research on preventive treatments for mental illnesses. Doctoral studies will me attain my goals, as well as improve my service to others.
Photo Credit : Rich Anderson
PhD in Psychology Graduate admission essay sample
Descartes once said that the only thing which we have power over is our own thoughts. According to him, because of this power, we can be architects of our destinies. This may be true to the majority but for people with mental illness this is the exact opposite of reality. With mental illness, instead of controlling our own thoughts, we imprison thoughts and emotions.
Mental illness has often been misunderstood, arising to bias against those with the disease. Following this, society has also somehow neglected sufferers and has rather chosen apathy and fear. I know this first hand since I was a child. My parents taunted me as a daydreamer. My teachers thought I was dumb, an airhead. When in fact, a few months later, I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). From the years of scorn, my condition finally had a name, and I felt thankful and confident for once. Only then did I get the medication I needed to recover. In later years, I would be diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), for which I was also given medication. Unlike ADHD, my OCD was visible to others. I began to watch how people reacted to me and the manifestations of my disease. Here, I realized the bias that lacked understanding, and how this stigma adds to the sufferer’s burden.
Surprisingly, through my personal struggle, I was still able to excel in my academics. I was consistently on the Dean’s List, and held memberships in honor societies. It was ironic that it was because of the social stigma that I suffered which allowed me so much time to study.
On top of this, I qualified into the teams of two research projects. I am now a Research Assistant on a project that seeks to explore identity development in young adults. The study will focus on how gender, race and class identity affects mental health and academic performance. Likewise, I am also doing research work for a professor, wherein we study the influences of internal maturational factors and socio-cultural experiences to cognitive learning.
At this time, my mental illness has ceased to be a matter of shame and is now steering my ambitions to learn more. The more I read and understand the studies that have been made about mental illness, the more I intuit about my personal struggles with the disease. I can often draw from my personal experiences to get the bigger picture, whenever I encounter similar cases. In a way, my struggles have given me the extra pieces that can help solve the puzzles of psychology.
My ultimate goal is to be able to focus on early diagnoses and preventive therapy. I believe that as we expand studies in behavioral sciences, we can decrease psychological problems dramatically.
Photo Credit : Phing.
