Media Studies

Beginning of this year, I intended to pursue a degree in media studies, which could be conducted as part-time status over internet. After the conference, all of sudden I realized how powerful, effective and yet enjoyable the media business may be; therefore, I found myself in need of such knowledge in order to be able to handle clients, customers, as well as general public. Not that I no longer believe in this still is applicable, now that I am just not convinced that this curriculum is worth investment of $40,000 and duration of two whole years. Extent of my investment capacity for education somewhat limited, both in terms of time and money, opportunity costs keep on rising, and there are other areas of studies I should spend more time and acquaint myself with in order to stay within the more realistic track. Nevertheless, as I have put awful lot of time and efforts into the statement of purpose I sent over to the New School in New York, I think it is worth putting it up here for the records. I think it tells a lot about me and also confirms my vision in part, and this would even be helpful to anyone struggling to write a statement of purpose for an admission. Lastly, special thanks to Kendall Chuang for helping me revise this statement and to Prof. Robert Dick and Dean Lawrence J. Henschen for providing letters of recommendation.

I have always considered media studies a specialized subject typically not open to the general public, and pursuing a degree in media studies would seem like a total divergence from my career path at the moment. Nonetheless, learning objectives do not always lie with one's career, and it is one's own responsibility to seek new learning opportunities. Lately, I have been watching a lot of old movies, such as Star Wars, Minority Report, Metropolis, and more, many of which had made both social and technological impacts on the movie industry. Then, I started thinking about what I would like to build up in my professional career. I realized that I want to be a person who can show vision and bring changes to the world, and media is one of the most powerful and effective tool for making that impact. Studying media will extend my knowledge, enhance communication skills, therefore help me attain more proactive personality and splendid lifestyle with meaningful objectives. While I try not to add any untimely responsibilities that would interfere with my full time work schedule, enrolling part-time in the graduate program at the New School would be the perfect opportunity for me to achieve what I truly want in life.

Pursuing a degree in Media Studies would be challenging, and provide a distinct experience at the same time. After having received both my Bachelor's and my Master's degrees in Engineering, going into Media Studies will help me expand my knowledge and interests, bring up my curiosity and creativity to next dimension, and fill me with experiences in a new environment. After having gone through undergraduate and graduate programs at University of Illinois and Northwestern University, respectively, I have experienced two distinct lifestyles, one at a large state university in rural area and urban life at a private school. The New School would add another variation to the existing two, as a specialized institution in Arts and Music. Although I plan on completing my degree abroad, I am still excited about opportunity for interaction with a variety of people from different fields during the course of my studies.

I found the New School's curriculum very attractive because it provides a distinct experience from underlying theories to hands-on production courses. Under the curriculum, I would like to concentrate on my field of interests, and find out what it actually feels like to work in media related professions. Since switching to a different field would seem like fairly risky move, production experience will help me become familiar with tasks that would seem new to me. For the production area of concentration, I plan on putting emphasis in digital design for many reasons. First, I have always had interest in general design and graphics; after studying and working in engineering field for years, I found the opportunity cost for entering design school rather high both time-wise and financially. Going through this curriculum at the New School will not only free myself from this time constraint, but also allow me to study at my own pace and stay dedicated to my current employment status. Also, after taking design and production courses, I can build upon my course work and apply them for my family business, which I plan on expanding over time, as well as my personal interests. Recently, I opened up my personal website that I feel has the potential to grow exponentially, and often I feel the need for stronger skills in terms of sense of design, user interaction, advertisement and video production. Therefore, I have a strong desire to acquire these skills through the media studies program, and cannot wait to get started.

Along with many of the short-term outcomes, the media studies program will also help me as a person in many other ways. Whenever I stood before a crowd to speak, I always hoped to improve my communication skills, and I believe this is the one thing I need no matter where my career leads me. Through study of media communication and application of acquired theories, I would learn how to catch an audience's attention and communicate effectively. I have long been dreaming of becoming a successful entrepreneur, and in recent years my role model Steve Jobs' active role in music market, has shown that presentation skills and public showmanship are now prerequisites for executives. Not only that, media is also a great marketing and advertising tool. Media has became such a powerful tool such that it plays a crucial role in influencing people's views, lifestyles, and it can shape how person will change to be. With the spread of the Internet, communication takes a larger and larger role in our daily lives. This effect is more pronounced in South Korea, where most households have broadband Internet access and use it daily. I believe knowledge in media studies is necessary in order to acquire control over communications in general.

I have become enthusiastic about media studies due to its great impact on many people’s lives, and my strong desire to become such an influential being. The Master of the Arts curriculum at the New School will provide me not just with studies on media theories and history, but also with interaction with professionals from a wide range of fields and a variety of hands-on production experience. Moreover, I will also get to learn a wide range of other areas, including design, marketing and communication. Finally, as this is a new category of studies for me, the New School’s curriculum in media studies will be an opportunity for a unique experience that will enrich my skills in many different aspects, and enhance my value in society.

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