My experience, background, and passion for the field of communication make me a

perfect fit for The University of California – San Diego.

The ultimate question lingering in my mind is, “why is this significant?” This question
was constantly repeated during my sophomore year by my cross-cultural communication
professor. I would later learn that this statement carried implications reaching far beyond
the bounds of the classroom. After working in marketing for seven months, I was
boredlost interest because I could not find significance in my woWhen I looked back to
the times I was happiest, when my life held the most meaning, it was when I was
teaching, studying and conducting research for my communication classes at Indiana
University.

I want to pursue a career that allows me to capitalize on my love of teaching and

research. Ever since high school, I have taught a wide array of skills and subjects in a
multitude of settings. My experience as a camp counselor laid the groundwork for
leading a large group in structured activities. I successfully transitioned my counseling
leadership role the leadership role I held as a counselor to an academic setting at Indiana
University. While teaching a freshmen interest group at Indiana University, I gained
experience constructing and implementing lesson plans, creating take-home assignments,
and building classroom solidarity.

Next, I was offered a tutoring position because I was one of the top students in a
communication class. Next,My my two year tenure as the communication tutor
reinforced mydemonstrates a proclivity interest towards both teaching and the subject of
communication. I was initially offered the tutoring position because I was one of the top
students in CMCL-C122 (omit the course number?), a Communication class. After a
year of successfully helping others succeed in one class in the same way I had, I was
offered given the opportunity to tutor for its companionanother class,. After graduation, I
ha’ve continued to teach ing different capacities in the communication field after
graduation because it gives me a sense of fulfillment.. When my students improve, The
feeling of satisfaction I receive great satisfactionwhen my students improve is invaluable.

As a communication and culture major at Indiana, I was fortunate to have been able to
accumulate some research experience. As a student in Interpersonal Communication,
mFirst, I conducted a series of ethnographies that examined the construction of gender in
informal gatherings. Next, I looked at the variation between the “ends” of
communication at a poker game occurring within an informal setting versus a formal one
(a, structured tournament). Finally, I carried out a critical analysis of book store culture1.
After making meticulous observations, I concluded that large chain bookstores create a
particular type of consumer. In doing this, chain bookstores unite American culture. My
grade point average increased rose each year because I found communication
courseworkstudies engaging and intriguing. TheMy final 3.7 GPA in Communication, I
finished with along with and recommendations from faculty, led to an award during my
senior year: the Macdowell Gilliam Communication and Culture Scholarship.

1
I submitted this analysis as my writing sample.
I have the drive to succeed as an academic. I feel my research, contemplation, and
articulation of an issue can help society understand itself. Discovering the larger picture
to my research made countless hours of erudite research and composition worthwhile. . I
have the drive to succeed as an academic because my research, contemplation, and
articulation of an issue can help society understand itself. When people within a culture
become aware of whathe motivation behind their actions, perhaps their heightened
consciousness will produce a sense of higher purpose. The benefit I receive from
research is identical to that of teaching: both give me a sense of contentment. I open up
doors concealing limitless possibilities to my students in the same way I plan on
revealing fresh ideaoptions to society as a communication researcher. I, like many of the
scholars at San Diego, am driven by a desire for social change.

The graduate CCommunication program at the University of California – San Diego is

the ideal place for me to develop as a university professor.

One of the reasons I am drawn to be a Ccommunication student at UCSD is because it

has many strengths that align with my own intellectual passions.] First, I am fascinated
with cultural analysis. This interest has grown from engaging in the Ccommunication
curriculum at Indiana. Their program is aptly titled, “Communication and Culture”,
because Cculture is intertwined with Ccommunication. In fact, everymy research
projects I mentioned earlier were a form of cultural analysis. I strove to understand the
role culture plays on common practices and environments.

I have a diverse background in communication research, and could potentially study a

multitude of topics. For instance, I am also well qualified to pursue questions in
performance studies. However, my strongest interests are highlighted. I am content to
specialize on new media, new technology, built environments and spaces. In addition, I
could also encompass cultural studies or at least integrate culture with my work.

Next, I want to attend San Diego’s CCommunication program because of its strong
emphasis on media and technology. My passion with new media and technology has
developed over the course of my work in new media marketing. Countless hours of
applying this technology have raised questions in my mind. How is the line between
business and pleasure becoming crossed with new media? Does the purpose of using
new media vary across cultures? What are the implications of new media’s
amalgamation of work and social life?

Barry Brown would be the perfect person to help me answer these queries because he
examines new media and technology in relation to leisure. In fact, he recently
contributed to a project that dovetails with this line of thought; he studied the way
microblogging transformed from a status sharing tool to a vehicle for building social
relationships. I fervently identify with this project because it indicatesreflects aa trend
that I have noticed fromwhile working with Twitter, the world’s most popular
microblogging platform.
Next, CCommunication at UCSD can be distinguished by its concentration on built
environments, spaces, and artifacts. There isare many researchers in the department
thatwho have done research in this niche. After examining the built environment of
Barnes and Noble, I became fascinated with this topic. after examining the built
environment of Barnes and Noble (as mentioned earlier). How do spaces help
individuals differentiate between the multiple roles they perform? How are environments
fashioned to reflect culture? How do environments influence actions?

Chandra Mukerji, the researcher with the most extensive experience in this field, would
be the ideal professor to help me answer these types of inquiries. There is actually a
question that both Professor Brown and Professor Mukerji could help me pursue: what is
the impact of integrating new media and technology into our environment and what are
its implications?

UCSD is also a perfect fit for me because many of its professors incorporate a cultural
approach into their work, even those who do not explicitly focus on cultural studies. For
instance, Barry Brown recently helped lead a workshop in Mexico to teach residents and
researchers how new technology is impacting their life. Brian Goldfarb is another
example. When I observed his class, we discussed the ways in which key aspects of our
culture can be visually represented with concordance software. Even the professors who
study an ostensibly unrelated topic, like technology or media, do so within a cultural
context.

Finally, I am interested in applying the research methodology emphasized at UCSD.

With the notable exception of Professor Hallin, the majority of the department
concentrates on qualitative methodology, like ethnographic, interpretive, and comparative
methods. As indicated by my research, I have the most experience with culturally
centered ethnographies. I have always been attracted to ethnographical research because
its techniques, like participant observation, bring my research to life and give it
relevance. I am able to truly comprehend the nuances of a topic when I experience it
firsthand. As I mentioned earlierMy experiences inspire me to I create positive, social
change. Therefore, I woul’d like to transcend the conventional ethnographic approach I
developed at Indiana, and branch out to a more critical one at San Diego. Instead of
simply describing culture, I want to change it.

After drawing a conclusion and explicating explaining its significance, I willant to

suggest how the situation can be ameliorated. TheseMy suggestions will develop by
comparing similar phenomenon. For instance, I could do a comparative analysis of two
groups. One group that is exceptionally successful, proficient, or productive, versus
another group that is not. How does the successful group’s use of technology and
environment contribute to its success? Next, how is the use of technology and space
contributing to the other group’s failure? Finally, what technology does the less
successful group need to employ and how can they reconstruct their space to attain the
same level of accomplishment? If the scope became too large, I could always focus on
either technology or the environment. instead of both.
As a graduate student at San Diego, I will be able to continue my quest for significance in
life. The CCommunication Department at University of California – San Diego is well
equipped to answer my inquiriesquestions and help me developexplore new ideaones.
After receiving my Ph.D at UCSD, I am confident that I will be a strong candidate for a
position at a Reasearch1 university.