Undergraduate / Cornell Human Ecology--Biochemistry + Small Town [2]

Please help me revise this!! Thank you!!!

Humans are prone to change. From the colonial period to present-day America, humans have seen changes in technology, medicine, fashion, writing, and life-style. College of Human Ecology at Cornell allows students to study these changes and engage in research in order to promote developments in nutrition and medicine, technology and design, and economic well-being. I am a devotee of the medical field, and I wish to give back to the society in which I matured.

The society, in which mine is the only Indian family, is located in the Pine Belt area of southeast Mississippi. The town is titled: Bassfield. The exterior of Bassfield's ghetto-ragged shotgun shacks, cars in yards, sofas on porches-belies an interior that alternates between despair and violence, with something like joy thrown in on rare occasion. We don't fit in. Our skin is neither black nor white, our accents are neither Southern nor Yankee, our cuisine is neither boiled nor fried. Yet I have found respite in these differences. In Bassfield, I am allowed to be the smart Asian girl. The stereotype helps me.

In Bassfield, I was exposed to the unfairness of the world. As I walked through the umber walls of my elementary school, I speculated the disgusted look on my classmates' faces. They watched me as if I were an unknown creature threatening their territory. Racial slurs were thrown and I the only warmth I was given was the shelter my parents provided me. My parents hid me from the intimidation of the world whenever I was home. At school, however, I had to learn through the chaos of puberty and my endless efforts to fit-in with my peers that we, humans, must be each others' support and embrace each others' differences. Instead, we are torturing others through prejudices.

After my sophomore year, I gained acceptance to the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS). At MSMS, I was able to focus more on my academics than my social status. I explored subjects, such as physics, organic chemistry, and literature, and participated in biochemistry research in collaboration with Mississippi State University. As I learned new techniques, my curiosity sparked in biochemistry. I applied biochemistry in my research in order gain a chemical understanding of biological processes and link my findings to a common disease of today's society: Metabolic Syndrome.

At Bassfield, I learned about the importance of humanity. At MSMS, I learned about biochemistry, and I found my passion. I desire to help my society through my interests. I believe that the College of Human Ecology will help me channel my desire to help places like Bassfield transcend away from a ghetto, unchangeable life style to a more modern, accepting one, and continue on the pursuit of gaining knowledge in a field I have sparked interest in. The College of Human Ecology will allow me to study similar human behavior through application of science. Through this method, I will be able channel both of my desires simultaneously.

Undergraduate / Johns Hopkins Supplement Essay--undecided...major help. [12]

At age six, I knew I wanted to become a doctor. At age nine, I longed for an elite education. At age twelve, I knew I wanted to major in biochemistry. At age fifteen, I found pleasure in completing a difficult physics problem involving Newton's Second Law, as well as reading Nathanial Hawthorne's work and analyzing his true intent. At age sixteen, I could analyze DNA fragments and run a Tolens' test, as my mind explored the realms of research. At age seventeen, I researched Metabolic Syndrome in order to obtain a better understanding of the molecular events that contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction during the onset of Metabolic Syndrome.

I plopped onto the stool at my lab, scanning an article about Aconitase, an enzyme in the TCA Cycle. The timid purr of the centrifuge clung in the air, and the warm, bitter smell of mice cells drenched in Tris-buffered saline hovered out of the cell culture room. After reading about Aconitase, I verified preliminary data which showed Angiotensin II, a hormone, levels had elevated. My timer went off fifteen minutes later and I pulled the sleeve of a purple latex glove over my bony hands. I shuffled through the boxes of new flasks and test tubes as I made my way to the centrifuge. I opened the heavy lid, and singled out each sample and found my cells, which had been treated with Angiotensin II, had turned into white, glue-like clumps. I added lysis-buffer to each sample, placed each in ice, and strolled towards the other lab. My mentor waited for me with a syringe and my control, and I lured each sample into a vertical gel. The next day I analyzed the gel and found that Aconitase levels had been affected, implying that ATP production during the TCA cycle had been affect as well. I illustrated my findings to my mentor, and we linked my analysis to why people who had Metabolic Syndrome were at risk for heart disease.

Through biochemistry I was able to channel my interests in science, while engaging in research that directly impacted society. Researching biochemical processes allowed me link diseases and disorders of today to molecular processes that have been known for centuries; thus, I have invested myself as a scholar and student of the science world.

Johns Hopkins promotes scholarly growth through the exploration of interests. My interest lies within the field of biochemistry, and I desire to explore this interest further through applied research and classroom learning. I will be the first from my family to pursue a career in the medical field. Krieger School of Arts and Sciences will allow me to further my knowledge and expertise in biochemistry, while I engage in a subject which interests me. This flexibility, provided by Johns Hopkins, will provide me with the elite education I desired at age nine, while I continue on the path of accomplishing the goal I set for myself at age six.

Undergraduate / Cornell's supplement--arts and sciences, doctor [12]

College of Arts and Sciences:
Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study. (500 words)

At age six, I knew I wanted to become a doctor. At age nine, I longed for an elite education. At age twelve, I knew I wanted to major in biochemistry. At age fifteen, my thirst for knowledge developed at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, as I discovered other areas of study that challenged my curious mind. I found pleasure in completing a difficult physics problem involving Newton's Second Law, as well as reading Nathanial Hawthorne's work and analyzing his true intent. At age sixteen, I could analyze DNA fragments and run a Tolens' test, as my mind explored the realms of research. I researched Metabolic Syndrome in order to better understand the molecular events that contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction during the onset of Metabolic Syndrome. At age seventeen I desired for a post-secondary education that accommodates for my future growth in the science field.

After researching several universities, I found Cornell University's undergraduate program to offer a wide array of opportunities, which can help develop the necessary skills required by today's professional world and promote scholarly growth through the exploration of interests.

I am particularly interested in the Biology and Society department. I know that is department links directly links upcoming research to society. Unlike other colleges, Cornell allows undergraduate students to participate in this department. I believe that through this department I will be able to continue with my passion for research in biochemistry and other sciences, and link my findings to the society efficiently.

Undergraduate research at the College of Arts and Sciences will give me the opportunity to invest myself as a student and a scholar of the medical field by allowing me the freedom to choose academic programs that interest me. I believe with biochemistry I will be able to channel my interests in science, while engaging in research that directly impacted society. I have a strong desire to give back to the society in which I was raised. Researching biochemical processes allowed me link diseases and disorders of today to molecular processes that have been known for centuries. Similarly, Cornell's Life Sciences research provides research which directly influences global issues and benefits the society. Life Sciences research will allow me to participate in theoretical and applied research.

I will be the first from my family to pursue a career in the medical field, and I believe I can make this achievement through Cornell University's undergraduate Biology and Society department and research program. Cornell will allow me to gain the elite education I have desired since age nine, while continuing on the path of accomplishing the goal I set for myself at age six.