College Admissions Essay Topics: Agency Vs. Structure
The topic of Agency V.S. Structure is a very common topic when it comes to how we got to where we are sitting in this moment in time. Is it because of the way we grew up? , did our own personal interests influence us? , did we follow the social norms? Etc. By definition, agency is the personal reasons as to why you as an individual got where you are today and structure being the social norms/ social forces that one was exposed to while growing up that impacted our decisions throughout are lives ultimately making us who we are today. Both of these ideas lead me into the field of Mechanical Engineering at none other than the school Manhattan College. For myself in particular both agency and structure impacted my decisions I have made throughout
…show more content…
my life in order to make me into the man I am today. However, Agency was arguably one of the most influential factors in my life. The reason for this was mainly when I was a kid I was diagnosed with a mild form of Autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. People with Asperger’s struggle socially and excel academically so for people like myself making friends was very difficult but doing very well in school wasn’t. The reason my condition made me into the person I am today is because not only has it been with me my entire life but it has allowed me to do well in school. My household also played a key role in where I currently stand today because my mom was and still is a teacher. So growing up she would always make sure I did my homework before anything else and if I didn’t she would be very disappointed in me and give me hell about it until it was done.
This made me develop a very strong work ethic at an early age.
Which in turn would allow me to succeed in whatever field of study I wished to pursue. For me my favorite topics in school were math and science. Whenever I would do homework for these classes I got a sense of satisfaction while doing it. Not only this but I loved the feeling of taking on a challenge and succeeding. This is one of the main reasons I chose the major that I am currently studying today, Mechanical Engineering which is not only challenging according to many but it is has a particular focus in the math and science fields. My reasoning for going to school at Manhattan College is a lot simpler than that of my choice to be involved in the field of Mechanical engineering. First off I wanted to go to a school not too far from home so I wouldn’t be as homesick when I first went away. Also I wanted a school I knew was going to have a great Mechanical Engineering program and after a little bit of research I found that Manhattan Colleges Engineering Program was ranked 15th in the country by an extremely reputable magazine distributor. For me this was my best option because the school had been around for a while and most importantly its engineering program had been well established which I knew would make finding a job through the school easier and ensure that my education was top
notch.
As for the reason why structure put me where I am currently today, College was made a very big deal starting in 10th grade and by the time I graduated practically everyone in my graduating class went to college. This was a social force that most certainly impacted my decision to choose to go to college because it was heavily emphasized that in order to get a good job you need to go to college. Also when I was in high school it was made very clear to me that math and science were two topics that were you were most likely to obtain a well-paying job in. Also the fields that a lot of people from my high school graduating class were going into involved mostly math and science. So in that sense I followed a social norm due to the fact that I personally enjoyed math and science. Not only does engineering pay well but nowadays there is a huge demand for engineers now more than ever with the increasingly rapid development of new cutting edge technologies every single day. This also influenced my chosen field of study because knowing that once you get out of school there are going to be jobs out there for you gives you a very big sense of security. Which is very important especially today with the economy and job market being so unstable.
When it comes down to it every single decision we make is influenced either by our own personal reasons (agency) and or the social norms/forces we are exposed to growing up (structure). This topic of Agency V.S. Structure is a very diverse topic depending on your own personal living situation when you were growing up every individuals life is different in one way or another making every case unique in its own way. The time period you grew up makes this topic very diverse as well because with every new generation of people comes a new set of challenges and a whole lot of individuals trying to discover their rightful place in this world.
my life in order to make me into the man I am today. However, Agency was arguably one of the most influential factors in my life. The reason for this was mainly when I was a kid I was diagnosed with a mild form of Autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. People with Asperger’s struggle socially and excel academically so for people like myself making friends was very difficult but doing very well in school wasn’t. The reason my condition made me into the person I am today is because not only has it been with me my entire life but it has allowed me to do well in school. My household also played a key role in where I currently stand today because my mom was and still is a teacher. So growing up she would always make sure I did my homework before anything else and if I didn’t she would be very disappointed in me and give me hell about it until it was done.
This made me develop a very strong work ethic at an early age.
Which in turn would allow me to succeed in whatever field of study I wished to pursue. For me my favorite topics in school were math and science. Whenever I would do homework for these classes I got a sense of satisfaction while doing it. Not only this but I loved the feeling of taking on a challenge and succeeding. This is one of the main reasons I chose the major that I am currently studying today, Mechanical Engineering which is not only challenging according to many but it is has a particular focus in the math and science fields. My reasoning for going to school at Manhattan College is a lot simpler than that of my choice to be involved in the field of Mechanical engineering. First off I wanted to go to a school not too far from home so I wouldn’t be as homesick when I first went away. Also I wanted a school I knew was going to have a great Mechanical Engineering program and after a little bit of research I found that Manhattan Colleges Engineering Program was ranked 15th in the country by an extremely reputable magazine distributor. For me this was my best option because the school had been around for a while and most importantly its engineering program had been well established which I knew would make finding a job through the school easier and ensure that my education was top
notch.
As for the reason why structure put me where I am currently today, College was made a very big deal starting in 10th grade and by the time I graduated practically everyone in my graduating class went to college. This was a social force that most certainly impacted my decision to choose to go to college because it was heavily emphasized that in order to get a good job you need to go to college. Also when I was in high school it was made very clear to me that math and science were two topics that were you were most likely to obtain a well-paying job in. Also the fields that a lot of people from my high school graduating class were going into involved mostly math and science. So in that sense I followed a social norm due to the fact that I personally enjoyed math and science. Not only does engineering pay well but nowadays there is a huge demand for engineers now more than ever with the increasingly rapid development of new cutting edge technologies every single day. This also influenced my chosen field of study because knowing that once you get out of school there are going to be jobs out there for you gives you a very big sense of security. Which is very important especially today with the economy and job market being so unstable.
When it comes down to it every single decision we make is influenced either by our own personal reasons (agency) and or the social norms/forces we are exposed to growing up (structure). This topic of Agency V.S. Structure is a very diverse topic depending on your own personal living situation when you were growing up every individuals life is different in one way or another making every case unique in its own way. The time period you grew up makes this topic very diverse as well because with every new generation of people comes a new set of challenges and a whole lot of individuals trying to discover their rightful place in this world.