Gerontology Personal Statement

First and foremost, I thank you for this opportunity to be able to express my experience and outlook of the Marylhurst’s Human Studies department. For me to do so, I will need to start from the beginning. Before coming to Marylhurst, I had only taken a few courses from PCC. Not quite sure on what my calling was. During this time, I worked up at Portland VA Medical Center on a neurology general medicine floor. It was through my experience working in geriatrics, I found my passion or more that my passion found me. My passion is Gerontology, a vastly growing field remaining undiscovered. My inquiry into Gerontology is what drove me to Marylhurst University. It is at Marylhurst, where I found my calling. The Human Studies program offered a scholarship of integrated
disciplines, from psychology, sociology, and anthropology to gerontology. An exploration of the theoretical frameworks and methodologies used for researching human studies. An in-depth curriculum to focus on the philosophy and history of the human sciences. A human studies department committed to working with the student body. An evolving department invested in the students and faculty. There was no question or doubt; I would sacrifice everything, to have the chance to earn my degree at MU. I excitedly enrolled in 2013 in the Human Studies program with a concentration in Gerontology. It was an honor to be at Marylhurst. A school that has a reputation of values and a history of academic excellence. I soon realized my life invested here was not mutual.
The Human Studies department was and is supposed to guide, advise and support me through my experience at Marylhurst. A department devoted to the students. Professors who equally care about the learning and future of their students. The handling of Human Studies program has been passed around, changed more times I can count. I have not received clear, honest communication regarding my degree path into my future career. A promotional sell that MU advertises to its adult learners. My expectations of MU and the Human Studies department are high. I have not yet seen or experienced deliberate actions to helping me graduate. I am left scrambling hoping to be able to use my degree in the real world. This will be my last year at MU; I expect an advisor and team specialized in the field of gerontology who can prepare me for my future and career outside of Marylhurst. A department that communicates and listens to the students. Courses tailored for the professions we will be entering. I want a curriculum to prepare me for the reality and expectations of working with a Bachelors of Human Studies degree. I expect the Human Studies department to invest in
me. There was a reason I chose Marylhurst instead of the other Universities. I am sad to say; I question that reason every day. It is with constant fear and anxiety that I will leave MU with a lifetime of debt and nowhere to go. People often say it doesn’t matter what your degree is in just as long as you have that piece of paper. I can not relate, for my education is every part of me. It is the reason I get out of bed in the morning and the reason I don’t go to bed until 2 am. It is my life, passion, and purpose. It is my calling. A call and expectation Marylhurst have not answered or met.