How have my studies & wider interests in history to date helped to shape my choice of degree?

The appeal of history to me is one that I first found in my enjoyment of stories and cinema.
Growing up watching movies like Gladiator and The Last Emporer, exposed me to numerous historical
periods through the medium of film, and is the reason I continue to find myself learning about history to
this day. To me, reading and discovering history is no different from watching a film. The story, in this
instance, has played out hundreds or maybe thousands of years ago, and the screen is in my own mind. I
find myself immersed in whatever period I am reading about, seeing people, culture, and architecture take
shape in my own imagination. What appeals to me in history is the opportunity of removing myself from
the present world and placing myself in whatever location or period in the past. It is this escapism that
continues to draw my attention that no other subject can.
Through my studies of history, I have found that at its very core, history is simply the study of
human experience. It observes the human condition through the lens of time and perspective, telling the
stories of those who lived before but also holding up a mirror to the stories of the present. For me, it is
this idea of how history offers us a storyboard into the present and beyond through the knowledge of the
past, that serves as my reason for wanting to study history. Exploring history allows me to exercise my
natural curiosities about today’s world through learning the stories of the past.
For example, In my studies of Chinese history, I have been able to examine the importance of
centralized power and authoritarian government in bringing about stability and more recently, prosperity,
under the Chinese Communist Party. This principle of absolute power in the government is one that has
lasted millennia and has allowed Chinese society to flourish. It is this pattern that I have been able to see
take hold of my home in Hong Kong. Having seen the slow abandonment of democratic practices and a
shift towards complete subservience to the Chinese government firsthand, my familiarity with Chinese
history has shown me not only why this is happening but also what it will likely mean for the people of
Hong Kong.
Similarly, a deeper understanding of topics like social reform and cultural movements in the US
has allowed me to wrap my head around the intricacies in today’s society in which political correctness
and an ever-changing moral standard have become more relevant than ever. Having examined the reform
movements of the early 19th century regarding abolition, women’s suffrage, and prison reform, as well as
the later continuation of these ideas with the progressive era and the civil rights movement, I have been
able to see continuities and changes regarding the challenges faced by repressed groups up until today.
Likewise, studying such documents as the US constitution has allowed me to see the glaring pitfalls of
American political tradition in tackling some of the most pressing social issues the country faces at
present.
My enjoyment in studying history as well as giving myself a greater understanding of relevant
historical events that can help to leave me better prepared for living in today's world is what I think is
most important to me in choosing history for my degree.