I spent a few hours walking through the Univerity of Melbourne last week. It was home for four years. I followed the path of the seventeen-year old me on my first day at Uni. Back then, it was such a novelty, exploring this massive institution sprawled over acres of manicured land. This University was my only option, I hadn't bothered applying anywhere else. The application process involved writing a 'Statement of Purpose.' With no guidelines on how to write such a document, I got adventurous and explained how the world would benefit through my education. That was the year Tom Cruise burst out on movie screens, screaming,
'Show me the money,' on Jerry Maguire.
I watched the movie as I wrote my SOP. In one of the scenes in a locker room is a sign that reads, "A positive something is better than a negative nothing." It was the perfect opening statement for my SOP.
The dean or whoever read my SOP must have been a fan of Tom Cruise. I don't recollect what I wrote, but it must have been funny. Maybe the University has it on file.
Twelve years later, the novelty of exploring was replaced by the satisfaction of recollection. Every building, every inch of space on campus has associated memories. My purpose has progressed but I still live by that adage from Jerry Maguire.
