sample admission essay

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Essay Outline

I.  Introduction to my perception of architecture and my background
a.  Architecture is reflected in our lives
b.  How growing up in Taiping helped me appreciate architecture as shelter
c.  Biography
i.  Being from a middle class family forged in me a sense of responsibility and work ethic
ii.  The importance of education

II.  Schooling and my dream to study in the U.K.
a.  From primary to tertiary education
i.  From primary to secondary schooling, I dreamed of studying in the U.K. to gain a better education and help my family
ii.  I followed my aspiration to become an architect, acquiring my degree
iii.   How my understanding and appreciation for architecture continued to develop and mature as I developed and matured
b.  Heritage Study travels
i.  Exploring architecture in the context of timelessness and greatness
ii.  Making the connection between a structural foundation and my foundation of family, education, culture, etc.

III.  Taj Mahal and Frank Gehry’s quote: “Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.”
a.  Getting a deeper understanding of the concept of architecture and shelter
i.  How culture, context, history, society, and all other factors of life affect and are reflected in architecture
ii.  Giving back to society
b.  Culminating Eastern and Western education, training, and experience
c.  Understanding my own time and place to strengthen my foundation and create timeless architecture

IV.  Returning to Malaysia and moving forward
a.  Becoming a member of the work force
i.  Putting my education to use
ii.  Gaining more practical experience
b.  Going green
i.  Architecture firm specializing in environment-friendly architecture
ii.  Realizing that green architecture speaks of my time and place, as well as the time and place of all people and inhabitants of the earth
iii.  Connecting the idea of green architecture with my original concept of architecture as shelter and Gehry’s concept of architecture
c.  My intentions with the university
i.  I want to attend this university to gain a better understanding of architecture by enriching my education and experience of Eastern architecture with the university’s education in contemporary, Western architecture.
ii.  Taking up a graduate course in environmental architecture will help me pursue my dreams and aspirations in life.
iii.  How my strong foundation can help me give back to my family, the school, and society as a whole through architecture.

Sample Essay

How My Love for Architecture Influenced My Academic Pursuit

Throughout my life, I have come to the realization that architecture is truly something that permeates all aspects of life.   The philosophy, symbolism, and idea of architecture are echoed in the smallest details and the grandest events of our lives and the world around us.  Growing up in Taiping, Malaysia has made me appreciate one of the most basic and intrinsic human needs that architecture strives to provide: shelter.  In a town where the rainfall is twice the average of the rest of the peninsula, you begin to realize just how important shelter is, especially to those who cannot afford proper housing.  It was this realization that forged in me the desire to become an architect to help design, develop, and build structures that will provide shelter for others.

As my journey through life continued, my understanding of and outlook on architecture was enriched, and these began to take on even deeper meaning.  Coming from a middle-class family, my parents would always emphasize the importance of education and how it was a golden ticket out of the poverty that surrounded us.  My brother and I both studied hard while taking up part-time jobs to help out with the expenses around the house.  This helped to forge in me a strong work ethic that was not only driven by circumstance, but also by a sense of responsibility toward my family.

After primary school, my parents had plans of sending me abroad to study in the United Kingdom, but financial woes kept the plans from pushing through.  I kept my hopes up throughout secondary school (and even to this day) that I would be able to study in the United Kingdom.  Not only did I want to make a good means of livelihood to help my family, but I also wanted to gain a better understanding of the world, its people, and how to use architecture to benefit those around us.  A great misfortune was dealt to our family, though, when my mother was diagnosed with cancer.  Although she continued to encourage me to study and follow my dreams, I knew it was imperative for me to stay near home so I could help out with all of the financial, emotional, and physical stress that my mom and the rest of the family had to endure.

The circumstances of my life at that point got me thinking about time.  Questions began to fill my mind about when I would become an architect, when I would get to study in the U.K., and — most importantly — how much longer my mother had to live.  I decided to continue in pursuing my dreams of becoming an architect, taking up three years of study to complete my B. SC. Architectural Studies degree.  Throughout those years, my appreciation, understanding, and love for architecture continued to grow.  Amongst my favorite architectural concepts were site context, building orientation, spatial design, and climate factors.  I would see reflections of these concepts in the different aspects of the Asian, Islamic, and colonial architecture that lined the streets of Taiping and the rest of Malaysia.  Art tells detailed stories of people’s lives and living conditions, and this is even more apparent in the art and science of architecture.

One of the most reflective and eye-opening experiences of my life came when the school gave our Heritage Study class the opportunity to visit Agra, India.  It was amongst the age-old, awe-inspiring architecture of India that I would really start to comprehend the importance of architecture.  From Agra Fort and Jamma Mosque to the magnificent Taj Mahal and the city of Fatehpur Sikri, I got to experience firsthand what it felt to be a part of timeless architecture.  My time in India made me realize the importance of building a strong foundation in life — a fundamental principle of architecture.  Part of building a strong foundation is broadening your knowledge and understanding of people, life, and one’s self through experiencing and interacting with different people.  I believe that it is only in enriching one’s self that a sturdy foundation can be established to build upon.

Standing in the open spaces of the Taj Mahal, I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Frank Gehry: “Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.”  It brought me back to my original desire to become an architect: the idea of giving back to society by designing and building the places that will shelter the people in the society.  Gehry, however, expressed a sentiment far deeper than my own.  The idea of timeless architecture that spoke both of its time and its place made me realize that the architect, himself, must have a good grasp of time, space, history, culture, and place in order to make architecture that truly captured the essence of “sheltering”.  One of the reasons why I want to take up graduate school in the United Kingdom is to gain an education that focused more on Western learning and culture.  My aim is to enrich what I have already learned and experienced from the East with the contemporary culture and education of the West.  In doing so, I would be able to strengthen my foundation, my understanding of contemporary architecture, and my experience with different places and cultures.

When I returned to Malaysia from India, I decided to gain some experience as part of my foundation-building strategy by going into the working field.  I have been working for two and a half years now with an architectural firm that has taught me a lot about putting my education, experience, and training into practice.  The firm, which specializes in sustainable architecture, has also imbibed in me a sense of responsibility toward our environment.  Architecture should not only be thought of with regard to the project at hand, but the context and environment within which the architecture will stand is also of equal importance.  Green architecture can be challenging at times, but it is this challenge that makes me want to pursue the field further by taking up a graduate course in this university.  Furthermore, eco-friendly architecture has made me realize that part of making timeless architecture is to understand the concepts of “time” and “place” as they relate to our existence here on earth.

I feel that this is the right university for me, not only because of its excellence in the field of environmental architecture, but also because I strongly believe that this university can properly equip me to pursue my ultimate goal of giving back to the society through architecture.  By hoping to build living spaces that are environment friendly and ecologically sustainable, I aim to make people feel a strong connection with their homes, their environment, and the world that we live in.  The culmination of my education from Malaysia and the education that I receive from this university will build the strong foundation that I need to give back to society and to build architecture that is not only timeless, but contributes to lengthening our own time here on earth.