- Write your own explanation of how the “academic” and the “personal” interrelate. In what sense is your schoolwork personal, and in what sense do you bring your “personal” into your schoolwork? How does one shape the other?
In my opinion, the strongest bond between academic work and personal values is a desire to attain society’s definition of success: money, power, fame, and other things of that nature. To that end, the most common way people achieve success is through credentials. The higher one moves throughout academia, the higher he or she is regarded by his or her piers and other members of society. Bringing this motivation to school allows the individual to focus on material that is relevant to accomplishing those goals, but at the same time disregarding material that the student may feel is not relevant. Personal values shapes academic work because people go to school to be successful, whether success is defined as going to a good college, getting a solid job, or starting a business. Writing, however,
That said, however, the strongest bond for me between academic work and personal values is my desire to exact positive change on society. Positive change for me includes helping those who are underprivileged but desire an opportunity to succeed.