English VIII, Group __11____ Module 3 –statement of purpose outline

Name ____Jorge Andrés Varela Camelo___________ Date __November 16, 2020_____

Statement of Purpose Project

Outline

STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM

The project for Module 3 is statement of purpose. You will be creating a 4 paragraph personal statement 3 to 5-minute video to
apply to a study abroad program.

Now that you’ve chosen the option that is most relevant to you and have found a university that you want to apply to, the next step
is to prepare an outline.

Use your pre-writing and your research together with the following structure to prepare an outline of key points.
You will use this outline as the basis for both the written and the video statement of purpose.
This should be an outline of the important ideas and the structure, not a script to read directly or a list to recite.

1. INTRODUCTION Reflect on the following question. Your answers will form the basis of your statement of purpose.

Since I was a child, I have been very curious about why things happen, in this way, my life has always been full of doubts. Growing up
in a rural area, naturally my doubts were commonly directed at everything that surrounded me ... nature and life. My name is Jorge
Andrés Varela, and I am applying to a study abroad program in botany at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Florida.
The University of Florida is an institution of great international renown in the scientific field, several scientists in current botany
graduated and have eventually been professors at this university, as is the case of Walter Stephen Judd and Pamela Soltis.
It is a university with an emphasis on research, which is why the resolution of those thousand-year-old doubts that humanity and I
have had since the beginning of civilization is promoted. In addition, the United States is a particularly interesting country to study
science, since it is known that they have a great investment in the scientific field and that due to its temperate climates in the Florida
area, it is fascinating to find out how the ecosystems work there, since the climate tends to be relatively similar to that of the
tropical zone.

2. EXPERIENCE

What is your educational experience?

I am a fourth semester biology student

What other relevant experience, if any, do you have?

I am a coffee farmer from the tropical dry forest area.

What are some relevant projects/tasks carried out in your studies?

In 2019 I took a botanical course. We have learned to identify some species of plants from the Neotropics.
How have your educational experiences prepared you for this program?

As a biology student and having studied botany in the second semester, I consider that we have learned the basics of plant science.
The most basic of the taxonomic classification, distribution, evolution, and other aspects of plants. Also in cell biology we have seen
some things about plant cells, like some signaling mechanisms and behavior of these cells.

What abilities/skills do you have that make you a good candidate?

I am a science student with a high ability to acquire information quickly. I like to investigate, to look for good sources of information
to support my ideas. I consider myself a good group leader. I have empirical knowledge acquired thanks to my constant contact with
nature and the mountains.

What personal attributes do you have that make you a good candidate?
I am responsible and keep my commitments in addition, I have no problem with getting out of my comfort zone, because I adapt
easily to the conditions that arise. I like meeting people, I like making friends and colleagues from all areas.

3. ACADEMIC INTERESTS

What aspects of this program most interest you and why?

Plants are one of the most abundant living beings on earth and although many times, because they are so common, they can go
unnoticed, their study is of vital importance for other living beings. what strikes me about botany is that it shows a broad study in
terms of the areas of systematics, ecology, evolution, molecular and cellular biology, paleobotany, genetics, and computational
biology. Besides that they have specialties in flowering plants, ferns, and bryophytes.

What courses in this program most interest you and why?

Plants in Human Affairs, Plant Diversity, Paleobotany, Practical Plant Taxonomy. They attract my attention because they are courses
that I consider vital in the practice of plant scientist and that I think I did not delve much in my botanical studies at icesi.

What are your specific research interests? What would you like to focus on in this program?

I would like to specialize my research in the distribution and evolution of plants and their impact on the evolution of animal
symbionts.

How is this program the correct place for you to focus on those interests?

Botany is a diverse, exciting, and ever-changing field with many different career opportunities. Because the field is so broad, there
are many types of plant biologists involved in a variety of plant biology disciplines, including ecology, systematics, genetics,
physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, ethnobotany, conservation, and biodiversity, anatomy, cell biology,
genomics and biotechnology. Botany, in fact, offers something for everyone, which is appropriate given that plants support life on
our planet. Also, through this program, I could consolidate knowledge that I already have and acquire new ones to achieve my
research objective.

How is this university the correct place for you to focus on those interests?

The University of Florida, with its botanical program, has a long history of research, they have a herbarium with many species of
plants, they have the natural history museum, botanical greenhouse, ethnobotanical gardens and many biological stations to
investigate.

How is this city and country the correct place for you to focus on those interests?

Gainesville is a small city, with a climate like that of Cali and with the university as its main attribute, so it is comfortable and easy to
get around. However, the fact that you are in the United States means having many technological tools and very different places in
which to conduct research. The United States with its variety of climates makes it the perfect place to research the development of
many plant species and monitor their growth during different seasons.
4. FUTURE PLANS

What are your long term professional and personal goals?

I would like to be a prodigy scientist with a focus on evolution, conservation, and plants. With original knowledge, be the best at
something that most people don´t know.

How will this program help you achieve those goals?

Botany is the gateway to achieve my goals, it is what will mark the path that I must travel and the knowledge that I must acquire.

CINCH: What is a strong and unique closing statement that you can leave the selection committee with?

Every day you can find people wanting to study but finding someone who wants to make history is a much more difficult task.