Personal Statement for NIU Engineering Admission

I am in my senior year, and my GPA grades have been constant between 3.0 to 3.5. By the end of the year, I am aiming to attain a 4.0. As an Indian-American student, I have gone through difficult academic challenges. When I moved to the United States, I witnessed a different environment than that from home. I had to adapt to various aspects of the surrounding such as the new education system where English is mandatory. Learning English was a difficult task since I had to use the language all the time both in school and outside. I took my lessons seriously and set personal goals to attain by the end of every week. Systematically, my performance in English and other subjects began to improve. The challenge I had experienced while learning English enabled me to overcome difficulties in other disciplines. My excellent performance over the years made me realize that I am a good learner who is keen to details. One of my strength in academics is that I always yearn for new knowledge and diversify in gaining skills. The eagerness to learn enabled me to attain first class honors in middle school and high school.

Moving to the United States was a new life experience that required a lot of learning. After settling in and attending classes, I realized a needed a part-time job to cater for some of my bills. I received my part-time job at Taco Bell. Juggling between work and school was a difficult task, as sometimes I would go to class feeling tired and unable to concentrate due to the lack of sleep. I designed a timetable and prioritized my daily needs. This way I was able to focus on work and deliver my best in school. I removed the distractions in my life and used the time to sleep for some few hours and regenerate my energy. From experience, I learned that I am a good learner who constantly evaluates my behavior and surrounding. Self-evaluation enabled me to understand my weakness and organize myself efficiently, and initially, it increased my productivity in school and at work.

One of my significant goals is to select a higher institution of learning that will enable me to develop my career and other relevant life skills. NIU was my best choice among other learning institutions. I plan is to acquire a higher education certificate from NIU, land a successful engineering job, work for a few years while saving and drafting business ideas, and begin my entrepreneurship journey to personal and financial freedom. NIU will significantly help me to meet my goals. Firstly, after visiting the campus, I realized how equipped their labs are and the detailed and simple to understand course programs and outlines. I noticed that they not only focus on academics, but they also emphasize on extracurricular activities. The department of engineering and sports section provided me the guarantee that NIU will assist me in meeting my personal goals.

Equally important, I have managed to work in two places, Taco Bell and Starbucks. At Taco Bell, I started out as a team trainer. I displayed my leadership skills by supporting and guiding the trainees to sharpen their work skills. Being a team leader prompted me to motivate my colleagues to be productive in their jobs. One of my trainees confessed that he has improved in his job because I motivate him to work harder on a daily basis. Juggling between work and studies has enabled me to organize my finances efficiently, a fact that helped me to buy a car. I also engage in cross-country running. I run every morning to burn calories and rejuvenate my body. I convinced some of my neighbors to join my training, and they gladly accepted stating that my commitment lured them to become healthy and fit.

As an Indian-American, I have diverse life experiences such as learning in different schools in India and shifting to the United States where I had to learn a new language. Being a part of the NIU community will provide me the chance to share my life experiences as an English second language learner, mainly from India. Moreover, I will give insight to my friends and other students about the significance of understanding and accepting ones culture for personal improvement.