(1) This video is a cruel joke where an idealized fantasy-world full of clichs paints a rosy picture

of an otherwise selfish world. I apologize in advance for my inherent cynicism but life has
taught me to be weary of deceptive messages of hope. This video is comparable to an
anesthetic drug: It makes you feel good for four minutes and then you realize youre still
trapped in a less-than-satisfactory cycle of existence where greed, avarice, and deception often
triumph over virtue. If we truly are all in this together, then why does the average household
in America and Europe throw away thousands of pounds of perfectly edible food while fiveyear-old children are starving to death in Ethiopia? Its easier to tell ourselves that we are all
one big happy family than to face the reality that 75% of the world lives in abject poverty.
At first I didnt see how this video had anything to do with my long-term goals. It became
increasingly clear, however, that because we are, in fact, all in this together it is very easy for
one to forget about self-advancement and personal fulfillment because at the end of the day
society will be there to take care of you. We are all in this together actually means that for
every hard-working, sacrificing, industrious person who pushes toward a particular goal there
are several counter-persons who are just waiting for you to fall and fail so they can reap the
benefits without actually having to work for it. This video reminds me of the Sandy Hook
Elementary shooting where twenty innocent children all bled together at the hands of a
madman. It reminds me of the 3,000 souls who melted together in the midst of blazing jet
fuel when they were trapped in the World Trade Center on September 11th. It reminds me of
the six million Jews who perished together because of a disgusting and racist set of beliefs. It
reminds me of the 150,000 people who were all barbecued to death together when they
dropped atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Dont get me wrong, I loved the video. In the same way I love Disney movies and science fiction,
there is nothing better that a few moments of living in a fairy tale to brighten up your day. Its
good to watch deceitful videos like these every so often so that we can regain some false hope
in humanity, even if only momentarily. But it is a VERY strong reminder that you must set your
own goals and strive forward and keep going no matter what so that you dont let the
mediocrity that pervades society pull you down together with them. Yes, we are all in this
together. We are all polluting our skies, overfishing our oceans, and waging war on each other.
But one must be strong so that these everyday obstacles do not stop you from achieving your
goals. There will be many times when atrocious things will happen that will dampen your spirit.
But remember, if you let those sentiments reign over your life then you will join the masses and
drown together. You must rise above! Rise above the rest! Reach for the sky and never let
yourself get prodded around like cattle who are all mooing together.
A. What I want from my education is the gift of knowledge and the joy of intellectual
advancement. College will affect every single part of my life and I want to make sure it
does so in a positive way. I want to get my B.S. in biopharmaceutical science (specific)
within the next two years (timely). I dont pretend to be accepted to Harvard medical

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school but I know that no matter what, a degree will open at least some doors that
would not be available to me otherwise (realistic).
When I complete my college education, I want to be able to pursue a higher degree. I
would ideally like to become an anesthesiologist but am well aware that it is very
difficult to get there and am completely open-minded to different career opportunities
that might present themselves to me along the way (realistic). At the end of my
education I want a job that pays $100,000 or more (measurable). I know a lot of hard
work will be involved and some luck, but if my father who came from Cuba at the age of
35 without knowing a word of English now makes that much and owns his own business
and drives a brand-new Mercedes-Benz, then I know I can do it also (attainable).
My purpose for being in school is an unquenchable desire to learn and succeed. If you
call me the biggest geek or nerd in the world it is a compliment. The more I learn the
more I want to keep learning. It is my addiction. If education and knowledge came in a
syringe with a needle then I would have overdosed already. Bottom line, I am in school
right now because I like it (realistic). Also, I am in school right now because I am
confident that I can attain high grades in all my classes (attainable). I know this because I
have sacrificed over 30 weekends in the past year (measurable) studying instead of
enjoying a night on the town. I am in school right now because I know it is statistically
the fastest way to achieve your career goals (timely).
Two SMART goals for this class: 1) To be completely honest, the reason I took this class
is because I was registered for 11 credits and you need 12 credits to be considered a
full-time student and get financial aid, therefore just the simple goal of passing this class
means a great deal in terms of being able to pay for my other classes (realistic). 2) The
fact that this class is online makes it extremely convenient to access whenever I can
spare an hour or two, usually at 2:00 am. This makes it much easier to complete all the
readings, writings, postings, and tasks that would otherwise drain several hours of my
life in a face-to-face classroom and make it difficult to keep up (attainable).
Two SMART goals for this school year: 1) I want to make sure I maintain a GPA higher
than 3.8 (specific) so that the competition is not so fierce when applying to graduate
school. 2) My biggest problem by far is procrastination. I plan to spend at least 3 hours
(measurable) in the library every single day from Monday to Thursday. If you think that
is not a realistic goal, since I also work at the same campus I go to school, I am literally
on school grounds from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm every day. I could choose to spend all the
free time in between watching YouTube videos and going on Facebook or hit the books
and study hard.