My personal statement to an American universityAs a child and a young adult I witnessed acute religious extremism in my province Baluchistan which resulted into the loss of many innocent lives. The point which really ailed me was that why are we injecting fanatic ideas and creeds into a religion for personal gains. Your son is a martyr! You must be very proud of him, said the Moulvi to grief-stricken Akbar during the funeral of his son, Baran who had committed suicide attack in Afghanistan. My childhood friend and classmate, BaraN was a jolly guy with an ever-smiling face. He used to play cricket with me and had many dreams about his future. His sudden disappearance and then the shocking news of his death left lasting impression on my mind. Since that, I always wondered and failed to trace out how and why my childhood friend became a suicide bomber. Growing up in such a socio-political atmosphere, I developed strong curiosity to understand the facts of what was going on in the name of religion in part of the world . I considered education as the means to meet my goals because I believed that it is through education alone that we can achieve what is both rational and irrational. Despite unfavorable socio-economic circumstances and absence of good education, I worked hard to pursue my education. My hard work eventually bore fruits when I got admission in Government College Lahore and opted courses of philosophy, political Science and history which deal directly with the state, society, and the issues of my home province. Seeking answers to the questions that had been haunting my mind since bARAN's death, I tried to the best of my potential to explore all opportunities and avenues at Government College Lahore While I have been unable to untie few of the knots of the mysterious world of knowledge, there is plenty left that I have yet to understand. Admission at Havaed College is another opportunity for me to broaden my thoughts. Educational experience from the USA will on one hand help me grow as an individual by interacting with people of different cultures and backgrounds; and on the other hand, I will be able to recognize the problems of our educational setup. Most importantly, it will let me have a look at my society from the vantage point of the American people. I am also well acquainted with the political scenery of the world which helps me to generate a comparative analysis of social and political structures between Pakistan and other countries. I also have a good account in co-curricular activities. I have a thirst for community service and social work which is scarce in my country. I was a volunteer in a social organization which worked as a disaster risk management community.