Undergraduate / Personal belief, religion values, scientific facts - intellectually engaging [2]

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth..." This quote is easily recognized by most people as the commencement for the Book of Genesis. It also introduced my lengthy term paper on the controversy between Evolutionism vs. Creationism. I have always been curious about the origin of humans and the earth, because there are many different views points. In doing so, I confused myself a great deal.

I am a practicing Catholic, but realistically speaking, it is hard for me to believe in the stories I have been taught regarding Jesus and God. I cannot see Him, hear Him, touch Him, taste Him, let alone smell Him. However, creationists argue that the same can be said about the human mind. Understanding human and earthly origin is an extremely difficult task because of the many unknown facts and missing pieces of evidence.

The entire time I spent developing my paper was an intellectually engaging experience because I learned more and more about the human race and how we humans function. Needless to say religion plays a huge role in governing our society. It has made a huge implication on human life throughout the years, and has flourished solely through belief and faith alone.

But a murderer can't just believe he or she is innocent to be proven not guilty. In order to prove a point, one must have evidence. I see myself as more of a scientist because I love disproving and proving facts. To this day, the origin of the earth has not been fully identified, but scientists have the better end of the battle because of their access to actual historical artifacts and data. Until further evidence is found, I, along with the whole world, must choose between personal belief, religious values, and scientific facts to interpret our world's history.

Undergraduate / "help guide me to where I can be" - why is stanford a great place for me? [7]

All throughout my academic career I've been working hard to thrive. I've always been the top student in my class and was voted "Most Likely To Succeed". But the truth really comes down to whether or not I can do well in college. When picking my college choices I deliberately chose the ones that I knew would help me go far. I didn't want to impair my educational potential by applying to a community college or any other college with the same ranking. My parents worked hard to enroll me into a small Catholic school for elementary and also high school.

Because my high school happens to be placed in one of the not so favorable areas of Oakland, my school has had a hard time with its enrollment of students as well as teachers. In class, I haven't been taught as much as I could learn. My teachers have done well in making sure their students understand the information they are taught, but they haven't taught at a fast and challenging enough pace for me. I was constantly held back in lesson plans because I would always finish early. I want to learn as much as my brain can handle, and I love to share my knowledge as well. With Stanford being the prestigious school that it is, I will not have to worry about receiving a great education.

I envision myself struggling with challenging assignments and being able to approach my professors when I need help. I envision myself laying my head down in a secure and comfy dorm. I envision a culturally inclined campus with many knowledgeable intellectuals to learn from. Learning about the world and other cultures is imperative in learning about one's self. I know that Stanford University will help my heart and mind develop. It's the ideal place for chance and opportunity, and I make the best out of every chance that I come across. I will be able to succeed if accepted because Stanford University would help guide me to where I can be, need to be, and shall be.

--over the limit. I need to cut out some extra baggage!