Undergraduate / "Living within natural and cultural limits" - Stanford- Intellectual Vitality Essay [21]

Hi guys,
I just recently discovered this forum and I'm so glad that there's something out there like this to help with editing.

This is the intellectual vitality essay for Stanford:

Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or experience you have that you find intellectually engaging.

In today's modern world, where news is instantaneous, communication is possible with the press of a button, and technology allows us to go where no one has gone before-boundaries take on a whole new realm. Where do human limitations end?

In our thirst for independence, we have tried to define freedom as escape from all limits-but just like complete freedom is a mere aspiration, limitlessness is the human fantasy.

This fantasy perhaps rose from the Industrial Revolution era, when resources were exploited, and now, we are slowly facing the exhaustion of the "limitlessness" of resources. With this mindset, society is slowly becoming embarrassed of anything which doesn't flaunt progress, technology-limitlessness. A simple game of tennis doesn't satisfy our need for exercise anymore; we require sensor technology and a virtual court.

The humanities have been preaching the concept of limits. Greek mythology has been teaching us for ages that with the rise of Oedipus, there is a fall of Icarus. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a warning against the modern man during the Industrial Revolution, underscores the Promethean myth in which the quest to surpass limits, only leads to self destruction.

What intrigues me about human culture is that we are so focused on succeeding, that we forget about the intangible limits which stop us. As paradoxical as it may be, I believe we are inherently a romantic society, governed by no precincts, yet we lead rational lives. We attempt to live limitlessly, we attempt to achieve limitlessly, and we attempt to sustain limitlessly, but are we really oblivious to the limits we face, or are we just acting ignorant?

The constraint upon us is not the condemnation it may seem. As humans, or earthly creatures, we are innately capable of living not only within natural limits but also within cultural limits. We are only recently realizing the impending threat of limits in the form of global warming and downward economic trends.

There is in no way that we can bring back the trees we've cut down, or sew up the hole in the ozone layer. What we can do, is realize our limits (1800 characters), and do the best we can with them.

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Although my essay talks about my interest in sociology and modern human culture, my future goal is actually to attend med school. Would it be smarter to write an essay which links to my future goals, even though I also have a great interest for the humanities?

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PLEASE EDIT THIS. RIP THE ESSAY APART. I feel that it is a tad ambiguous at times, and I'm not sure if I'm properly answering the prompt.

Any comments are greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much!

Undergraduate / biology, physics, and engineering, JHU- why this major, why JHU essay [5]

Johns Hopkins offers 50 majors across the schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering. On this supplement, we ask you to identify one or two that you might like to pursue here. Why did you choose the way you did? If you are undecided, why didn't you choose? (If any past courses or academic experiences influenced your decision, you may include them in your essay.)

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I was a naive researcher, unaware of the intricacies involved in molecular biology, underestimating the smartness of the bacteria, the DNA, the methods-I thought I could outrun it with the research and studying I'd done. I carefully micropipetted the solution into the vial, hoping that everything would go smoothly. With that in mind, I began the (bacterial) transformation.

It had been over an hour, and waiting was quite an excruciating activity (such is the life of a researcher). The three week effort had boiled down to this moment in time-please Mr. PCR machine, don't fail me. It bothered me that I had to depend on this machine to produce the climactic outcome of the experiment, but I remained optimistic in hopes that the results would be to my liking. The process was finally complete. My fingers were trembling and my mind was bartering with itself about what to do if the procedure failed, but I walked over nervously to the PCR machine. After confirming my results with the brilliant (hues of) gel electrophoresis, I knew the transformation was successful. I was elated and terrified at the same time. This small step invited in new possibilities, greater knowledge, more risks-all contributing to a greater transformation, my transformation.

Fast forward two years. I am still in the lab, this time with the tobacco mosaic virus, carefully engineering a plant's immune system to make it stronger. I'm no longer the inexperienced researcher was. I went from scratching my head at each abstract idea to delving in the language of research, recounting my results to my biology teacher, my friends, or my parents. The lab is my niche and without even thinking twice, my world is now measured with conversions, micropipette tips, agarose gel, and bacterial colonies. I welcome it with open arms, embracing the challenge to assimilate into this newfound world, where even mistakes contribute to a greater finding.

The prospect of bioengineering, being able to manipulate these microbiological beings, fascinates me. I hope to catalyze my growth as a researcher, a scientist, and a person at Johns Hopkins University under the department of Biomedical Engineering. Although my ultimate goal is to become a physician, I think it's essential that I have the engineering expertise to analyze and solve problems in biology and medicine, providing an overall enhancement of health care. I've chosen this path to medicine because I want to be of service to people and to partake in the excitement of working with living systems. In high school, I attempted to expand my horizons by completing a research project each year from the realms of plant biology to the environmental sciences. Nothing amazes me more than our human capability to find cures and alleviate pain through the art of bioengineering.

Johns Hopkins' interdisciplinary approach to education is what makes us so compatible. I want to engage with the world on an educational level and experience learning beyond the classroom setting. The broad undergraduate research opportunities at Johns Hopkins also appeal to my love for research. I hope that some day I will be able to contribute to research at this top university to be a part of the integration of biology, physics, and engineering in order to revolutionize the biosciences. Johns Hopkins is a forum of intellectual spirit, allowing for self discovery. I want to exercise my imagination, engage myself at the frontiers of knowledge and go beyond norms-- something which only Johns Hopkins can fulfill. Contributing to this institute of education would be an honor, and representing it would be a privilege.

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Please shred this essay. I appreciate all the help I can get. Thank you to all those who took the time to read this and/or comment.