Scholarship / MY EARLIEST ROLE MODELS; Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship [3]

Prompt:
II. For applicants to the College of Arts & Science:
While each student will eventually select at least one area of concentrated study, the College of Arts and Science is committed to introducing every student to a broad range of subjects. Which academic interests and/or passions might be a part of your academic journey at Vanderbilt and why?

Response:
Health sciences and medical professions raised me. My grandfather is a radiologist, my grandmother was a school nurse, my mother was a chiropractor, and my father still runs his own chiropractic practice. With many of my earliest role models spending the majority of their time fixated on the rehabilitation of others and the study of the human body, I found myself frequently perusing the medical journals, anatomical texts, and wealth of diagrams that pervaded their respective professions. My interest only grew with the birth of my siblings and the happenings of my youth. After my first brother was born healthy when I was two years old, a period of my life began that would forever shape who I was.

During my first grade year of elementary school, my second brother Kelly was born with trisomy 21, or Down's syndrome. He was rushed to the hospital with trouble breathing and an irregular heartbeat, where he remained for several days, thrusting my entire family into a new life permeated by a constant, desperate curiosity surrounding the medical world and how it would affect our lives. However, I had only just been introduced to this lifestyle, a way of living that would consume my focus for nearly a decade. In the years that followed, my family would welcome two daughters and another two sons. Of these four, the first of my sisters, Grethe, joined our family only after being treated for nearly two months in various hospitals for a congenital diaphragmatic hernia that had delayed the development of her lungs and heart. Two years later, my second sister Ava was with us for a mere nine days before she succumbed to complications related to trisomy 13, forcing my family to ponder the notion of mortality and the fragility of life. The last two boys were no less of an experience. Amidst substantial anxiety due to previous experience, they were thankfully born very healthy. However, they were born simultaneously, a pair of identical twins. Suffice to say, by the time I entered high school, I had amassed a lifetime of experiences that most people will never even contemplate.

These experiences have guided me in my life and passions during these past years of my life both domestic and abroad. Specifically they aided me in strengthening and defining my interests in the health sciences. Strong as it was in my youth, the passion I had felt for medicine had been vague and unguided. During high school, my pursuits leaned more heavily towards the study of the human form, though I did find the biological and social sciences deeply intriguing. Following graduation and during my stay in Brazil during my postgraduate exchange, I narrowed down my field of intrigue further while working in the public hospitals of my host city, Campinas. After a variety of encounters with patients in intensive care, I became attracted to the field of orthopedic rehabilitation, specifically, the design and development of prosthetic aids.

I plan to pursue these passions at Vanderbilt by developing those skills most necessary to both excel in and diversify my field of interest. Biological sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences are the disciplines that I anticipate making up a large portion of my studies. However, the fields I strive to work in demand more than just hard sciences, with a substantial portion of the field deeply rooted in creative thinking and artistic skill. I look to the College of Arts and Sciences as the opportunity to acquire the diverse and thorough base of knowledge I would need to wield as I enter these crucial first stages of my adult life and begin considering a professional career.

I feel it lacks coherence could use direction. Any and all tips and critiques are more than welcome, but I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for making it a clearer read.

Thank you very much for your time, it's an invaluable help!

Undergraduate / SUCCESS THROUGH OPPURTUNITY; NYU Supplement for Admission [3]

Prompt:
In evaluating your candidacy for admission, we are interested in making the best match possible with all that NYU has to offer. As a result, we are curious to learn about your academic and personal interests and how those interests relate to what we offer in the idea capitals of the world in which NYU campuses are located.

Please address, in your essay response, the following:

1. Given your NYU campuses of interest - whether they are your primary and alternate home campuses of interest or where you would like to study away while you are a student - where, exactly, would you like to study at NYU - and why?

2. Whether you are undecided or you have a definitive plan of study in mind, what are your academic interests and how do you plan to explore them at NYU?

You may have one or many campuses, schools, colleges, programs, and/or areas of interest, so please elaborate on your interests.

NYU first caught my eye with it's Greenwich Village location, as I can imagine is the case for many undergraduate hopefuls in search of an urban campus rich with resources and surrounded in potential opportunity as well as professional and cultural diversity. Specifically, I am excited by the opportunity to be in an environment that can thoroughly provide for exploration of my academic and professional interest. In the past years I have developed an interest in the field of orthopedic rehabilitation, in particular the design and development of prosthetics. New York University would put me in proximity with dozens of centers for orthopedics and biotechnology, including facilities such as Biodynamic Technologies and Prothotic Labrotories, as well as the offices of many smaller renowned specialists in these fields and those closely related to them. Coming from a relatively small town with limited resources, the notion of having access to such a wealth of diverse professional expertise is overwhelmingly attractive.

As evidenced by my application, I have also expressed interest in the NYU Abu Dhabi campus. Many of the same reasoning expressed when detailing my interest in NYU's New York City campus applies in much the same way as far as academic and professional opportunity. However, the opportunities for multi-cultural exploration afforded by NYU Abu Dhabi's location add a significant level intrigue for me. Having completed a previous study-abroad opportunity, I am very attracted to the idea of moving the center of my studies outside of the United States. Abu Dhabi in particular possesses very attractive qualities as a location for higher learning with its status as the major economic and political center of the United Arab Emirates. To be at the heart of a major middle-eastern country strikes me as an outstanding environment for intensive learning in a professional capacity.

As much as the campuses have to offer, it was the variety in styles of education that held my attention when browsing for schools. It was the Gallatin School of Individualized study that most piqued my curiosity. My goal in pursuing a higher education would be to enter the professional world with the skills to not only excel in my given field, but to diversify it as well. In a professional setting such as orthopedic rehabilitation and prosthetic development, the skill set required does not conform to a given major, and specialists come from a variety of backgrounds, including engineers, artists, mathematicians, biologists, and a multitude of others. It would be a tremendous opportunity to be able to move forward in my learning in a manner determined by my own unique goals in conjunction with the skills needed to enter the professional world on a basic level. In this sense, an education at NYU could become an invaluable cornerstone in the progression of my future as a student and in my pursuit of a successful career.

Any critique is welcome, though I would most appreciate proof reading and general advice towards overall readability and voice. Anything I should add/remove?

Thank you all!