New layout. Feedback appreciated.
I sent off my app and the appropriate documents for the College of Creative Studies today. My letter of intent follows, since I don't feel like doing a real entry. I have to send in a few "realistic fiction" pieces, and I think any given entry on this diary counts so if anyone has any favorite entries that are particularly well-written or touching, I'll send happy thoughts your way if you point them out to me. Actually, I'll send you a postcard -- I have a bunch saved up that I want to dispose of, but in a good way. Certainly that's worth you taking a few minutes to make a suggestion? You don't even have to link the entry, just one that sticks out in your memory...perhaps...I'm looking at you, kid. (P.S., how's the new job? Update, dammit!)
7 February 2005
Dear Provost:
I first began my upper education at UCSB in fall of 2001. I was seventeen years old and had enough college units to declare myself a first-year sophomore. I was ahead of myself in terms of scholastic goals, but I had avoided developing social skills in high school. I decided to change that when I came to college and made a point of integrating myself with a group of friends that, upon reflection, were ultimately detrimental to my experience as a first-year student. After a certain point, it became clear that I desired a different lifestyle than that of my friends. I wanted to be more independent, both socially and academically, and it was apparent that UCSB was not a suitable environment to mature in either arena. I decided to take a leave of absence in order to determine why I wanted and needed to be in school and to better focus myself to determine my long-term goals.
Almost four years later, as many of the people from college with whom I kept in touch are graduating, I�ve worked all the types of jobs that one can work without a college degree. I worked my way up in the banking world, sold clothes, and answered phones � all jobs I�m determined never to return to. After I moved from Santa Barbara to Seattle to San Francisco, I began attending classes again at the City College of San Francisco. With a renewed interest in education, I looked forward to my classes and began appreciating the professors and their material. My three quarters at UCSB were passed impatiently as I viewed school to be a phase that I was simply expected to complete as quickly as possible. After taking time off to reevaluate my past and present choices, it�s become clear that rather than suffering through the next few years to earn my undergraduate degree, I can enjoy this period of my life.
There was one teacher in particular who helped me to narrow my focus in school and led me to declare myself an English major. He taught me to turn a life-long passion for literature into an academic enterprise. I began viewing teachers less as authority figures who required appeasement and more as equals who can benefit from their students as much as their students benefit from them. He gave me the skills required to properly analyze and deconstruct a text without distilling the essence of the work. He gave me the first C I�ve ever received on an essay, but worked with me after class to better my analytical skills. He taught me to draw from personal experiences and other works of literature to interpret the meanings behind various short stories and novels. For the first time since middle school, I looked forward to receiving feedback on papers and enjoyed knowing I had earned the A.
It was during this time period that I clarified my career goal: to work in the editing vein of publishing. Though I had been writing fiction and nonfiction for years, I discovered that I am much more adept in helping others express themselves that I am in expressing myself. Through the CCS literature program, I would like to expand on this passion and develop the necessary skills to appreciate classic and contemporary literature without the more tedious aspects of the typical college English courses. After researching the CCS course offerings and getting feedback from various CCS students, I�ve come to the conclusion that CCS will make my second turn at UCSB much more enjoyable and beneficial. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Mom