<p>Hi! I am a transfer student from a local com. college 10 minutes away from UW and I am applying into the civil engineering department there. </p>
<p>For their personal statement they want : A brief personal statement (approx.1-2 pages) that will give the admissions committee a better understanding of my interest in the program. May wish to describe experiences, hardships and how they effected my education. (Summarized, see link below for full prompt) College</a> of Engineering Online Application</p>
<p>Would it be appropriate for me to mention that UW is an ideal school for me to go to due to location and culture diversity? From past experiences (such as attending Central Washington University), I have had trouble adjusting which led to depression and effected my grades.</p>
<p>By "trouble adjusting" I mean culture shock, acceptance by my peers (I'm Asian American), and mostly because my "support group" such as family and friends live in the Seattle area.</p>
<p>I believe you should say in the essay if their is a particular reason you need to go to UW. But I’m not sure how much detail you should go into.</p>
<p>You should go to the Transfer Center at your CC. At Seattle Central (and I imagine all the other community colleges too) they will proof your essay if you don’t wait until the last minute. Stop in and they will give you instructions and the email address to which you will send your essay. Once proofed they return it back to you, by email, with corrections and suggestions. It was very helpful for me.</p>
<p>I usually suck at writing personal statement, but I think you should talk about the cultural diversity and not the “trouble adjusting” at Central Wash. but thats just me. </p>
<p>at the transfer center at your college, there should be some sample personal statements that you can read.</p>
<p>The one piece of advice that I would add is that you don’t want your essay to come across as negative or whiny. You can mention how certain things–culture shock, diversity, lack of support group, etc–have affected you, but the overall tone of the essay should be positive. There is still a certain amount of stigma attached to depression, but this doesn’t mean you can’t mention it (I did in my entrance essay). Having someone from your CC transfer center look at your ideas and rough draft would definitely be your best bet. Good luck!</p>
<p>It seems to me that your statement needs to concentrate on why you want to enroll in the civil engineering program, why civil engineering fascinates you and how you might utilize your education in the future. Depression and difficulty adjusting to new surroundings affect many young adults as they head off to institutions of higher learning. What you learned about yourself as you coped with these feelings is what’s important. Remember that your grades are your responsibility and that you alone will be held accountable for them. Don’t make excuses, focus on your personal growth instead. If you want to discuss this in your essay, discuss how these challenges made you a better person. Discuss how these experiences solidified your moral and ethical values, how they helped you appreciate diversity and develop empathy for others. Now stop reading and start writing!! Wishing you all the best.</p>