Grad School Personal Statement

I struggled with writing this. I have never been verbose in my writing – totally weird right? I am much more of a verbal storyteller or oral historian.

The most difficult part of applying for graduate school was writing a personal statement, 300-500 words, about WHY I want to attend University of Florida and its Masters in Social Media program. When I tweeted about this a friend responded along the lines of “Shouldn’t that be only 180 characters instead?”.   Bah-dump-bump.

So here is the final essay that I submitted.

I see myself as a storyteller who is trying to capture our stories in the written word. I have fallen in love with blogging and social media in its various forms.

I have a personal blog (My Life, Such as it is…) and am active on Facebook plus Twitter. I started blogging when our son was born. It is an easy way to keep in touch with far flung friends, family and Charlie’s birth mother. Social media, not just blogging, is a way to chronicle our stories, leaving a legacy for future generations.

I established my son’s elementary school’s website (www.LanternLanePTO.com), Facebook page and Twitter account because I realized the importance of using multiple methods of social media in reaching our parents. As PTO President, I felt that expanding the way we connected with our school’s families is important.

The same thing applies to our Cub Scout Pack website (www.cubscoutpack1003.com) and Facebook group. I established these forums when I became Cub Master in 2012. The Internet and social media are becoming more and more integral parts of society. Many adults and parents are just as familiar with social media formats as their children are.

Over time I discovered I want to learn more about how companies and brands use social media and the Internet to interact with their customers, the public and bloggers. For the past 3 years I have attended the annual BlogHer conferences. I have learned so much about blogging and social media from events like these and other Internet communities. I know I have much more to learn. I want to learn more.

One evening I saw an advertisement on TV for a Masters or Bachelor’s degree in social media and thought “I would love to do that!” I started researching and happily found University of Florida’s website and Master’s program.

My goal is to either transfer to the social media department at my current employer or find a different company to work for in that area. I am a widow and a single mother. While I enjoy my current job it could not be considered a career. I want to provide for our son in a way that I cannot do so currently. I would love to continue my education and pursue a degree that will allow me to provide for our future as well as a career in a field I enjoy and love. A Masters in Social Media from the University of Florida would allow me to do that.

The acceptance committee is meeting this week. I am not sure how long it takes to get an answer back though. I will say that Britney, my  enrollment specialist, is 100% AWESOME at her job. Her encouragement and nudging were exactly what I needed to push me past my fears and submit everything required. Now all I have to do is freak out over whether or not I get accepted into the program.