I hope to be given the opportunity at ____ University to learn all I can about Psychology in your Master’s Program and to harness my 15 years of experience in the tech industry to the service of the advancement of Psychology, Counseling, and Mental Health Services. Earning my MBA and working in the business world will help me excel in Psychology, especially given that I have become adept at communication technology. My extensive independent study of the use of apps in support of mental health services has convinced me that I am on the correct path, making a career change from business to mental health will bring me great joy and the satisfaction that comes with service. __U is my first choice because I see it as the vanguard in using internet technology to advance humanistic projects.
I want to become a participant in progressive social change, and I look forward to a lifetime of collaboration with women and immigrants, the groups on which I plan to focus the bulk of my attention as a graduate student and beyond, especially single immigrant mothers with children. I want to help them fully adjust to and make the most out of America, building secure and prosperous lives for their young ones. I have been most impressed with the development of the app Headspace, and I see __U as the ideal program to guide me in the direction of developing a similar type of app that would support immigrant mothers with the many challenges that they face.
__U is my first choice because I thrive on the celebration of diversity and consider myself to be a global citizen, always at my best when surrounded by people from highly diverse backgrounds, A Taiwanese woman and myself a mother and an immigrant, my cultivation of diversity appreciation has helped me to become more empathetic, compassionate, and open-minded. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, we moved to the SF Bay Area when I was 11. I speak Taiwanese, Mandarin, and English, along with a bit of Dutch that I have learned from my Dutch husband, with whom I am raising a multilingual child. I am also a breast cancer survivor, which has inspired my career shift from business to Psychology, as I want to devote my energy now to the caring professions.
As a first-generation immigrant from Taiwan, I understand the challenges and obstacles that immigrants coming to America face. Even though I have spent several decades in the States, I still find myself caught in a crossfire between the traditional Asian values my parents instilled in me and how my American education and surroundings have also shaped me - I find this most fascinating. Growing up in Taiwan, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder in my teenage years that first exposed me to the incredible power and value of counseling. It was then that I first learned about the benefits of introspection, reflection, and self-awareness, and I came to a better understanding of the interconnectedness between my emotional and physical activity on the one hand and my thoughts and beliefs on the other. I want to help women who battle body image and self-esteem issues, in addition to the challenges of accessing health care, often exacerbated today by public health and lifestyle issues. Hence, I dream of eventually establishing a private practice focusing on immigrant women and their multicultural and multilingual children.
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Southern California. I have also completed one semester of a doctorate-level program in Clinical Psychology, earning all grades of ‘A.’ I now could not feel more confident that I am ready to hit the ground running at __U and distinguish myself as an excellent student from day 1. My interests have always revolved around people and their experiences. It fascinates me to understand how our experiences shape us as individuals and how such understanding can help us improve our destinies.
As a breast cancer survivor, I want to help other survivors to benefit from counseling as I have. The mental and physical ordeal that this disease puts people through can be soul-crushing, and I feel called to help, especially since one in eight women in the US will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. I want to help them pave the way for a better tomorrow. My husband and I also faced fertility challenges due to my battle with cancer. Hence, I seek to redeem my investment in this struggle by helping other women survive the ordeal and rebuild their lives, especially regarding motherhood. Immigrant mothers will always be my central focus, first and second-generation immigrant women who deal with cultural/linguistic hurdles and challenges /obstacles here in America. I anticipate making good use of my Mandarin as a counselor and, to a lesser extent, my Taiwanese, along with English.
In addition to Taiwan and the US, I have traveled throughout most of Europe and Asia. As an animal lover, I have volunteered at SPCA for four years. I am also a certified big sister at the local BBBS program. I’m not afraid to challenge the way things are done or the status quo, and I am a naturally curious woman. I now want to give my all to Psychology at NYU, and I have worked hard to achieve my current financial success so that I can afford to do so. Helping immigrant mothers optimize their security and happiness is my main passion. It would be my greatest honor to be accepted to study to become a mental health counselor at NYU.
Thank you for considering my application.
MA Psychology Personal Statement