PS

To: Respected Admission committee,

Ever since I was young, I had a profound interest in art and design. I vividly remember scribbling in my books and drawing objects that I observed from my environment.  My parents took notice of this and were quick to nurture my talent. They bought drawing and painting tools for me on my birthday. I have always seen my future path heading towards Art. My interest in art developed into a passion.

When I joined high school, I continued to paint and draw and I must admit that my skill significantly developed. I participated in designing many of the events that were held in high school. Additionally, I displayed some of my favorite paintings in the local galleries. Despite being good in art, I also excelled in math and solving problems. As a result, I was conflicted on the specialty I should pursue going forth since I enjoyed both Math and Art subjects. However, my uncertainty on the same quickly became clear when I found that architecture provided the best of both worlds. It compliments mathematical concepts with the elements of Art and Design. It became apparent to me that the career I am most drawn to was architecture.

Despite having this conviction early on, I faced several setbacks. I graduated from high school in 2012 with a GPA of 4.86/5. After graduation, I planned to study abroad. However, English was my second language and as such, made the decision to stay home for one year to improve on it, at the same time, I still took courses in the Canadian Creative Center.  

I faced several barriers in gaining admissions to various universities following stringent requirements for non-Saudi citizens.  That said, however, I have finally got accepted to Dar Alhekma University because of my high TOFEL score. Further, I secured a full scholarship in one of the top universities in the country as a result of my high GPAs results. Unfortunately, the scholarship was not given on the course I wanted. With lack of suitable alternatives, I settled for the Management Information System (MIS) scholarship.

All through my first year, I felt that I did not belong. This was evident because I lacked the same passion I had for architecture. Despite this, I took pleasure in partaking in other extra-curricular activities such as community services inside and outside university. Currently, I am a serving member of the marketing club. The club holds various events across many cultures to earn profit. These funds collected enable us to take international trips for all the member s. Furthermore, I am a member of the toastmaster club which has significantly helped me improve my negotiation and public speaking skills. In spite of all these, I made the hard decision to discontinue my MIS studies and look for a university outside Saudi Arabia that will be a better fit for me. 

I have a clear vision in my life now, and I know the path to follow. I find Architecture very fascinating, something that I cannot speak confidently on, about other courses. Whenever I look out of the window of a car, the elements that quickly get my attention and focus most are the buildings. I am clinical about their details and structure. I always want to know the initial thought process of the person who designed the buildings, how much time it took for it to be built, and most importantly how their design came together. In some instances, I cannot help but to deconstruct the building’s design in my head and sometimes on paper. I still have sketches of some of this at home.

My personality and skill set seem to be a perfect match to the requirements of Architecture as major.  It requires a detail oriented individual, an aspect that describes me. When I work on any of my art projects, I am very passionate about it. I strive to do my utmost best to complete it in the standards and quality that I initially envisioned. This comes easy for me, since it is something that I already enjoy doing. I do not struggle, strain or stress like many of my colleagues do, which I believe will be beneficial in future if I granted the opportunity to pursue this course. If wanting a career in architecture was not clear to me before, it is now.

I hope to realize my goals in the next few years and in the process that makes my parents who were the first to support and nature my talent very proud. I have always believed in challenging myself; as such do not want to settle for anything less. I hope to join Westminster University because I believe it offers me a great challenge in acquiring skills and knowledge to make me the professional person that I aspire to be. I also hope to shape and polish my skills by interacting with top academic experts in the industry who hold a wealth of knowledge in the same.  Further, I plan to pursue my graduate studies in architecture and environmental studies.

Following my studies, I hope to work in a top architectural firm to get exposure in the industry.   I am very open and willing to learn. Perhaps, from gaining the right experience I also aspire to open my own firm in the near future where my designs can be recognized by many. One of my personal goals is to design a novel pattern building that many will find exciting to look at. This, I believe, is ultimately the best form of recognition. That is, when your peers acknowledge your work. 

All in all, this is my vision for my career. It may be farfetched and a long way coming but it is a voyage I am willing to take. As the Chinese philosopher Laozi rightfully said, ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’, gaining acceptance to Westminster will be my first step. I believe that it is the right place for me to start off towards realizing my dreams and bring them to life. I would, therefore, be very grateful if I am granted this opportunity to join Westminster.