the sociological imagination of my life

The Sociological Imagination of My Life

A Transfer Essay to the BA Sociology Program of the University of the Philippines Diliman

Word Count: 500

I am struggling to write this personal essay on my transfer from the University of the Philippines Los Baños to the University of the Philippines Diliman. Perhaps I have been too indulged in the sociological imagination of it all – Charles Wright Mills’ postulation of how the self will always be tied to the larger society. A year of sociology in the academe is enough to change a person and his view of the world; he will always be filled with the torment that even if he has knowledge on the structures and ills of society, he alone cannot possibly change it. Man is Atlas, condemned to hold the burden of the world.

And here I am, not only tormented with this knowledge but also of my own situation. I have applied to the UP System in the hopes of achieving quality education for free, given that the only capital my family and I have is my academic competence. I have studied in a public science high school, grabbed a scholarship in senior high, and with God’s grace became a scholar of the nation in college. Unang iskolar ng pamilya, unang makakapagtapos nang dire-diretso, and all other titles referring to my name is heavy with the responsibility that comes with it. Even with the grandeur it holds, I cannot escape the realities my family has to live through financially with my mother working in an average salary, and my father–who had only finished Grade 3–doing side hustles.

In UPLB’s BA Sociology program, we were exposed to the different complexities of society. We were taught how to critically analyze social structures and the struggles faced by communities. I can see my family in every lesson. Sometimes, I can even see myself and the person I want to be. I hope to serve the country in the field of politics, representing the people I grew up with – the masses.

UP Diliman has a very promising curriculum which I can see myself become passionate in. Who knows, maybe when I am back in Metro Manila for my studies, I can immerse myself to more government and managerial work as I juggle my academics and my career. Indeed, Los Baños has equipped me, has given me wonderful lessons and memories that I will always be grateful for. But I hope it can continue on to Diliman.

My application transfer is more than just a personal endeavor, it is an appeal for me to be heard, for me to be given the chance to be closer to home not because the metro is my comfort zone, but to help lessen my family’s burdens. This application is a manifestation of my commitment to understand and mold society. If I get accepted, I hope to bridge the gap between theory and practice with the sociological imagination as guidance.

The UP System is home to many scholars of various backgrounds. But then again we ask: para kanino ka UP? I hope you are for dreamers like me.