My decision to continue my studies in foreign countries

My decision to continue my studies in foreign countries

Children, especially have a very limited perspective on events in their lives and most often interpret any negative experience as their fault and as evidence that there is something wrong with them and I very much believe that, the way we talk to a child becomes his or her inner voice. Many adults and children have self-doubt, anger, pressure, ego, anxiety, and stress, the feeling of loneliness, worthlessness and loss of purpose among many other negative states. And these emotions and feelings affect their actions and daily lives; those actions have consequences that affect them and those around them and they may or may not know how or why. It has always been my desire to guide and help people with behavioral and developmental problems as I believe that I have a great influence on society through such a role. I have decided to continue my studies in foreign countries, where the academic programs in psychology are much more advanced in comparison with my native country.

I was born in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India. I had spent the first 12 years of my life being brought up in my birthplace only. But for the last 8 years I’ve been studying in Kishangarh, Rajasthan and Jaipur, Rajasthan, where there are different kinds of people. Interacting with them made me realize the difference between various cultures, behaviors and thought patterns. It was around this time when I got interested in psychology and learning more about human behavior, developmental and behavioral aspects. I had done my schooling in ‘Birla International School’, where I completed class 10th (CBSE, 2015) with 08.4 CGPA , and “Green Valley Public School’ where I completed my class 12th (CBSE, 2017) in Commerce with 56.8% and 59.5% in the best of four subjects. By this time I’ve had been to 3 different schools and been exposed to various kinds of settings and people.

Currently, I am pursuing a degree in BA with subjects- Psychology, Sociology, Literature, Women Studies and many more at the IIS (Deemed to be University), Jaipur. This institute has helped me develop in the area of Psychology in several ways- both theoretically and practically and also in different fields of Psychology like General Psychology, Social Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Human Development, Statistical Psychology and the like. I learned how relatively young the field of child development is, and I came to understand how complex child development truly is. In truth, children’s development can be shaped by genes, parenting, personal experiences, friends, family relationships and school, and any approach to child development must take all of these factors into account.

In today’s world, Environment and Climate changes are very important in a person’s life. These can affect a person’s psychological well-being and state. To learn about them and their factors, I also enrolled in an online certificate course by United Nations Climate Change on ‘Children and Climate Change’ and ‘Human Health and Climate Change’. These courses provide an introduction to the health challenges, as well as the opportunities, that can by associated to climate change.

I am also a member of Fly Higher India (FHI) which is a non-profit initiative with a focus to instill life skills in under-privileged children and youth. There I also volunteered for TEAM- Together Everyone Achieves More, which tells us about group strength and peer support both physically and emotionally. I’ve also volunteered with Goonj, a non-governmental organization which undertakes disaster relief, humanitarian aid and community development.

In today’s world, mental health and wellbeing is what many adults, young and old, struggle with. We often compare ourselves to others and thrive for recognition or validation. We don’t truly accept or acknowledge ourselves for who we are. We keep focusing on the negative aspects that we need to improve while completely ignoring the positive. We don’t realize that we have more potential than we give ourselves credit for. Every person is capable of realizing this potential. People often say that they are “searching for themselves” or for what they truly are, but in the process without proper guidance they seem to end up losing themselves instead. All this gives rise to issues with our mental health and wellbeing, which is why I believe that good psychologists and psychotherapists are needed now more than ever.

I firmly believe that I am the right person for the psychology field. I believe that my experiences have given me the understanding needed. I am passionate about helping people and I know that I can make a difference if given the chance. This University is clearly the place to start and will help me pursue and fulfill my dream and this being one of the best universities will surely help me broaden my knowledge and enhance my skills. My goal is to pursue M.Phil. and PhD after completing the Masters Program. I hope to one day start my own practice as a psychologist. I can assure if given the chance I can achieve much and help many.

And the rest we are all just figuring it out as we go along. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.

Divyana Sarda