junbotheone
Dec 19, 2009
Undergraduate / MMSS program, Why Northwestern? [3]
What are the unique qualities of Northwestern - and of the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying - that make you want to attend the University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified?
At a university, I thought I could have lunch together with professors, conversing on academic subjects. However, the ideal shattered when I realized the truth of many universities. Instead of receiving enriching experiences through exchanging intellectual opinions with professors, a student was deprived of chances to build a personal relationship with his professor due to large classes. However, Northwestern is different; Weinberg College of arts and sciences with such small classes is a respectable 'liberal arts college'. The hope revived that I will not end up taking classes taught by teaching assistants; I aspire to attend Northwestern.
Aside from the liberal arts college system which would satisfy my intellectual curiosity, the Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS) program has grasped my attention. As soon as I came to know that the program offers challenging courses in mathematics and statistics which would help my study of economics in Weinberg College become more solid and efficient, I knew it was the very one I have longed for since summer last year. Back then, I had a chance to teach a nine-year-old girl named Jimin as a volunteer English tutor. One day, I knocked on the door of her tiny apartment, only to get no reply. When I called her mother, she explained that Jimin had been hospitalized because of belated treatment of a cardiac disorder. Surprised, I did some research about the disease. Unfortunately, cases like that of Jimin were prevalent in Korea; many children of low socioeconomic backgrounds receive the treatments they need too late. On the other hand, I also found that in Australia, 95 percent of the people with the same disease are treated at an early stage. Why should Korean children like Jimin be excluded from such opportunities that Australian children receive? Both distressed and curious, I wanted to look closely at what was really different between the two nations.
After I submitted my proposal to research the Australian child healthcare system in depth, the Ministry of Health and Welfare provided me with the financial support for an expedition to Australia. I interviewed hospital staff, children, and parents to analyze the diverse factors that enabled such an efficient system. The results of my research were both expected and unexpected. Along with adequate financial support that I already had anticipated before, the statistical t-distribution of figures obtained showed an interesting result. One major factor was that Australian parents put an infinite amount of effort in protecting their children from diseases, which is quite neglected in Korea, to safeguard the excellent reputation of their system. Enthusiastically searching through interviews and analyzing the results, I felt I was meant to delve into economics, to ferret out the true forces that lead to individuals' decisions that affect society as a whole, like the responsibility of Australian parents. Along with my commitment to economics, I also experienced the power of statistics in solidifying my statements based on empirical data.
Studying both economics and mathematics during high school, I have been troubled over how to give balance on two fields of study. However, now that I have found that MMSS program will lead me to put weight on both fields with balance, it seems the path before me has appeared through the mist, and I want to set foot on it.
What are the unique qualities of Northwestern - and of the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying - that make you want to attend the University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified?
At a university, I thought I could have lunch together with professors, conversing on academic subjects. However, the ideal shattered when I realized the truth of many universities. Instead of receiving enriching experiences through exchanging intellectual opinions with professors, a student was deprived of chances to build a personal relationship with his professor due to large classes. However, Northwestern is different; Weinberg College of arts and sciences with such small classes is a respectable 'liberal arts college'. The hope revived that I will not end up taking classes taught by teaching assistants; I aspire to attend Northwestern.
Aside from the liberal arts college system which would satisfy my intellectual curiosity, the Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS) program has grasped my attention. As soon as I came to know that the program offers challenging courses in mathematics and statistics which would help my study of economics in Weinberg College become more solid and efficient, I knew it was the very one I have longed for since summer last year. Back then, I had a chance to teach a nine-year-old girl named Jimin as a volunteer English tutor. One day, I knocked on the door of her tiny apartment, only to get no reply. When I called her mother, she explained that Jimin had been hospitalized because of belated treatment of a cardiac disorder. Surprised, I did some research about the disease. Unfortunately, cases like that of Jimin were prevalent in Korea; many children of low socioeconomic backgrounds receive the treatments they need too late. On the other hand, I also found that in Australia, 95 percent of the people with the same disease are treated at an early stage. Why should Korean children like Jimin be excluded from such opportunities that Australian children receive? Both distressed and curious, I wanted to look closely at what was really different between the two nations.
After I submitted my proposal to research the Australian child healthcare system in depth, the Ministry of Health and Welfare provided me with the financial support for an expedition to Australia. I interviewed hospital staff, children, and parents to analyze the diverse factors that enabled such an efficient system. The results of my research were both expected and unexpected. Along with adequate financial support that I already had anticipated before, the statistical t-distribution of figures obtained showed an interesting result. One major factor was that Australian parents put an infinite amount of effort in protecting their children from diseases, which is quite neglected in Korea, to safeguard the excellent reputation of their system. Enthusiastically searching through interviews and analyzing the results, I felt I was meant to delve into economics, to ferret out the true forces that lead to individuals' decisions that affect society as a whole, like the responsibility of Australian parents. Along with my commitment to economics, I also experienced the power of statistics in solidifying my statements based on empirical data.
Studying both economics and mathematics during high school, I have been troubled over how to give balance on two fields of study. However, now that I have found that MMSS program will lead me to put weight on both fields with balance, it seems the path before me has appeared through the mist, and I want to set foot on it.