Despite its not-so-prestigious brand in society, the Study of Nutrition has always been a center of attention. Problems related to nutrition have long been an issue in various aspects of our lives. Moreover, the United Nations has declared the year of 2016 to 2025 as ‘the Decade of Nutrition’. This statement strengthens the fact that nutritional problems – especially the ones to come – are not to be underestimated.
Born and raised in a developing country like Indonesia, nutritional problems are immense by all odds. It is truly evident that nutritional problems constantly keep up with the lower-middle class. In recent Indonesia, 87 million people remain vulnerable to food insecurity, the major cause of malnutrition/lack of nutrition. The latter then leads to various health problems, an example: stunting (a condition where people don’t grow or develop properly). To be known to us, Indonesia has the fifth-highest number of stunted children in the world. More than one out of three children, or 37 percent, in this country, are stunted. That means, 9.5 million children suffer from this condition. Malnutrition problems like this costs Indonesia more than US$ 5 billion annually, yet there has been no major progress in reducing stunting between 2007 (36.8 percent) and 2013 (37.2 percent).
While the main cause of most nutritional problems is still poverty, a higher income and availability of food are also another source of trouble for the upper-middle class, which is accustomed with overweight and obesity. In the last decade alone, the amount of people with overweight and obesity has almost doubled, driving in an alarming increase in non-communicable diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death globally)
The things mentioned above aren’t even close to depicting the severity of current nutritional issues, since they are just a few of many that you might notice in everyday life. There’s an unspeakable amount of problems and the current amount of nutritionists just won’t manage to solve a lot in a few years – a justification to my belief that Nutrition would be a notable knowledge in the future. Nutritionists deal with matters of food and nutrition impacts on health, which seem to be a never-ending issue everywhere. And given the fact that I’m a caring person, I can’t help but fail to diminish the idea of contributing my knowledge to society (especially my country) if I were to be a nutritionist. Hence I would like to study and plant my career in Nutrition related fields.
As a starting point for my career, a university of high quality standards is needed. Ranked in the world’s top 2% best universities, I’ve come to believe that Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia would suit me best. Its curriculum excellence and recognition is sure to propel me to academic excellence. The cutting edge networks and research facilities would act as a shortcut in achieving professional proficiency. And finally, its international atmosphere would train me to gain a global viewpoint of the subject I take. With all that said, I believe that enrolling in Victoria University would help me achieve my best standards as a nutritionist. All the more, everyone would agree that Melbourne as a City of Literature is an academia itself. Last but not least, the name “Victoria” always touches a place in my heart that motivates me to gain VICTORY over poor nutrition.
Thomas Alfa Edison once said, “The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” I, a nutritionist, am ready to take part in a better future.