<p>“We honor the many different forms of diversity in our community. Your perspective is valuable because it comes from your life experiences, family background, and culture. Please tell us about yourself, how you plan to share your perspective with the Colgate community, and what you hope to learn from other members of the community.”</p>
<p>Born into the family of an armed forces officer, that too in the diverse land of India, life has always been change itself. From the jubilant, exciting and passionate culture in Chandigarh, or the glitz of the reckless urbane life in Pune, or the tranquil, reserved and curiously evocative atmosphere of Bhopal, it has been a fun ride of being posted all over the country; of consistently adapting to the people, the city, the culture, the atmosphere itself.
These recurrent sagas of making a new house feel like home, of making new friends and of changing schools makes one want to have a concrete identity. Occasionally, I used to envy the natives – they didn’t have to change schools, make new friends, or adapt to the language and customs. They had someplace they “belonged” to; a communal identity, if nothing else. It was after my tenth grade, when I went to Kota in the state of Rajasthan, not living in a military station or among those with my lifestyle that I realized how much it mattered. But there, I also came to comprehend myself further; my identity, and that of my friends, was different from the usual notion of identity. When all life has been change, I realized that even unconsciously, I had a constant personality. If everything else can change, I realized, you learn to value the few precious gems that don’t. My family and my own personality were the two things in life that did not change with every new place I came to. While I can learn to dance the way the natives do, mimic their accent and adapt in general, I recognized that I had a personal code, a definition of who I am and what my limits are that I would never willingly give up.
Coming to Colgate, to the United States itself, has been a dream for many reasons. I believe that after living through all that I did, I will bring an intricate package of cultures to the college. Having lived all over India for intermittent phases, there can hardly be a more suited representative of this country to which I belong. I wish to share my experiences, my values, and for those willing to listen, the importance of having an even, firm personality at the very core of their being.
Constantly learning new ways of life, seeing the very same morals under various perceptions and views, I have come to understand life a little. And one of the most critical things I understood is that I still have a long way to go, a whole world to learn and explore. Having seen languages and cultures change over a measly fifty miles, I wonder how much of a change it will be, going to Colgate. An entire new nation, with all that ensues; I hope to improve my understanding of life itself, to develop and mature as a person, to learn new ways to help everyone. Knowledge can be acquired; I wish to be able to use it, and for that, I need to learn the how and why of it. I believe that I am ready, for though there is a lot that I don’t know, I also know that I will learn much more at Colgate. For isn’t life but a pursuit of meaning in itself?</p>
<p>Please do give some advice on any way to improve it/ anything wrong with it.
P.s. No word limit on this one, for now.</p>