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Interdisciplinary Studies IST Advising |
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Sample Rationale Applied Arts |
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I dropped out of college the second semester of my senior year. I even had my picture in the yearbook. I was working full-time and attending school full-time, paying my own tuition. Then I took a job with the federal government and thought I was making a little money and did not need to finish school. I was getting great jobs with important titles and really moving up with each new job but not moving on in my career. It took me a long time to realize that I cannot go any higher in my job or have a rewarding career without a degree. I realize now that I’m close to retiring I’m not happy in my job. I want a career that I can retire into. I moved back to Mobile in 1981 and had all my college credits transferred to the University of South Alabama. Since that time I have been taking a class here and there, trying to earn enough hours to graduate. I suppose I have to learn things the hard way. Fate led me to the Adult Degree Program. While registering for the summer semester, I misread my papers and wandered into the IST advisor’s office for some guidance. I found out that I had spent the fall and spring semesters taking classes I really did not need to take. Again, wasted time and money! I cannot afford to go backwards this far into the game. Now my goal is to stay in school until I obtain my college degree. I have completed over 96 hours and am currently classified as a senior. I have taken a number of the core courses necessary to obtain my degree. I feel IST is definitely heading me in the right direction to reach my ultimate goal. I am pursuing a concentration in Applied Arts, with disciplines in psychology, art, and sociology. I chose these areas of study because of my personality and life experiences. I feel that my degree will enable me to help others work through their problems. I want to help children learn to express their feelings in non-violent, creative ways. And I want to help the elderly demonstrate their skills and experiences through artistic expression in various media, thus giving them a fuller sense of accomplishment and renewed pride. I chose art because it is my first love. Art is very therapeutic and is an expression of my own individuality. When I am troubled and overwhelmed, I do not feel like talking about it. However, I find that drawing, painting, sketching, or any medium of artistic expression seems to turn gloom into joy. Art is a gentler way of persuading people to open up and talk about their innermost thoughts and troubles by exposing their feelings to strangers. Drawing a picture is storytelling without words or sounds, but it is filled with colors and emotions. Hence the old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. The studio art courses I have taken in drawing and painting have provided me with materials and techniques I can use with those I hope to help. Studying psychology will assist me in helping people of all ages to deal with and express their emotions through their creativity. Courses in human development, abnormal psychology, and personality have opened my eyes to the range of human perception, behavior and expression. I feel that this knowledge, coupled with an extensive background in art, my first love, will enable me to use art as therapeutically. I would like to work with children (ages 2 through 18) and the elderly. I’ve noticed they have difficulty expressing themselves and working through their problems and anger. Being creative would be a way of self-expression for them. Sociology will help me better understand the differences among cultures and the means of reconciling those differences through public policies and institutions. Courses like Juvenile Delinquency and Aging in Society have given me insight into the problems faced by both the young and the old in this country, as well as possible solutions to those problems. This field works well with art and psychology to expand the range of subjects to examine artistically and my understanding of the variety of forms the products of such creativity may take. I hope to find a position that will allow me to use the knowledge and skills I have gained productively. I realize that this may involve further education and am willing to undertake that, knowing that, through my degree, I possess the background that will allow me to be successful in graduate studies and a career. |
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