Undergraduate / Cornell Enginerring Essay- Enviromental Love [NEW]

College of Engineering:
Engineers turn ideas (technical, scientific, mathematical) into reality. Tell us about an engineering idea you have or your interest in engineering. Explain how Cornell Engineering can help you further explore this idea or interest.

Since I discovered the Environmental Engineering major, I had a feeling that it was the career I must pursue. I thought that my love toward math and biology subjects and my kind of weird interest toward civil engineering were responsible for this decision. However, a few weeks ago I realized my true interest in this field.

During the last weeks of November my country, Venezuela, was affected by constant precipitations, leaving not too many deaths, but still thousands of homeless people. So you may think, in what way is this related to environmental engineering?

Well, it results that November represents the beginning of the drought season, so it is very unusual to see rains during this time of the year, especially in that magnitude. Consequently, when seeing that in the last ten year, almost during the same months, my country has been affected by 2 similar tragedies that Venezuelans have before faced before, makes me think that the destruction of our environment may have some influence on it.

This may not be the best example of the consequences of environmental changes in the past years, but for me it represents an important factor: it made me realize the answer to this question.

The reason why I want to become an environmental engineer is to avoid more tragedies like this. I know I cannot prevent all of them, because many are, were, and will always be caused by the natural forces of our universe, but at least avoid those that are consequence of the damage caused by humans.

I would like to be part of those engineers who will seek for solutions to make our environment better, those who will save thousands of lives of people dying of lung cancer because of the air pollution, or prevent that acres of land are destroyed by non-ending fires that destroy not only humans but also many animal homes.

In a few word, I want to help find the solutions to make of this world a better place. A place where my children and grandchildren will not be in so much danger, just a healthy world.

Therefore, I believe there is no place better than Cornell College of Engineering to help me reach these goals. Not only because it is one of the top ranked programs in the United States or because its excellent research opportunities, with the assistance of my professors and peers, will help me think of processes to preserve our natural environment and human health, but because of its campus.

A campus that when I visit it made me feel like in home. A campus full of students willing to help you at any time, to give you the direction of the Information and Referral Center or even the coffee shop. A campus with beautiful structures, and a modern Engineering College building. A campus where I can breathe fresh air, just perfect to concentrate, learn, and develop my skills to become an excellent Environmental Engineer.

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Please tell me your opinion about this essay. Also it will be helpfull if you find any gramatical errors, I am an international student, and sometimes it is not that easy for me.

Hope you can help me.

Vero

Undergraduate / Cornell Animal Science - A Passion not easy to explain [4]

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences:
How have your interests and related experiences influenced your selection of major?

This is my essay for Cornell's alternate choice for the animal science programm. Please let me know what you thinks about it, and any grammatical errors.

Maybe when reviewing my application you may believe it is a strange combination of academic interests. Environmental Engineering and Animal Science do not have much in common. For me, one represents the future, while the other my passion. So here comes my story:

Until tonight I was sure I wanted to become an Environmental Engineer. I even already wrote my personal essay a few days ago, trying to focus on these career. But just one night before submitting my supplement application, something changed.

I was checking Cornell web, and ended up in your College's. Suddenly, I saw the Animal Science program, which I have heard before, but never paid to much attention. So just for curiosity I started reading it.

I read its mission, future students, and by the moment I was reading the courses I realized how excited I was. I saw especially two words that revived my passion: Animal Genetics. So even though I try to go to bed, the emotion does not lead me sleep. Therefore, here I am at 3:00 AM writing this essay.

It may all have started even before I was born. At the moment my parents brought me home for the first time, we already lived with six dogs. Therefore, since a little kid I always developed a special feeling toward these animals. Even today, I am one of those persons who sleep with her dogs on the bed.

So when growing up, this made me very different from most of my friends. While they were playing soccer, I was training my dog. While they spent their weekend on the beach, I was competing at a Dog Show. While they spent their summers in Europe or Disney, I was in Brazil working and learning from a professional dog handler.

Still, I always had a problem with dogs. Every time I carried my dogs to the vet, I always felt kind of dizzy. I do not know if it was the blood or the sensation that my dogs were being hurt that made me feel this way. What I am sure about is that it made me reject, since an early age, the possibility of becoming a veterinary.

However, I always maintained and special interest in breeding and reproduction subjects. In deciding to mate this sire with that bitch to obtain a better dog, or in living the experience of having puppies, as I did this summer with my aunt's Dobermanns. An experience where I saw blood and other things that could easily make me feel dizzy, but surprisingly they did not.

So all these factors have created on me an special interest toward animal reproduction and genetics. They are the responsible of making me feel this way when reading about your program. A feeling I do not know how to explain, but that makes my heart beat faster. A feeling that makes me believe Animal Science is my passion, and that there is no other place better than Cornell to experience it.