Undergraduate / there is still much to learn, comprehend, and discover - "What I don't know" [NEW]

This is my Brown extended essay! Feel free to comment/revise/critique! thanks! i appreciate it! oh and my apologies for my over use of questions. After all, the prompt says "What don't you know?" :D

I attempted to structure my essay in a way that follows me through a typical day in my life. Feel free to comment on this as well!

In 500 words or less:

French novelist Anatole France wrote: "An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." What don't you know?

Even in the 21st century, with all the modern technology surrounding us, there is still much to learn, comprehend, and even discover. After twelve years of schooling, the knowledge acquired may seem substantial. However, this knowledge is only minimal. The knowledge attained within the first twelve years of schooling is only scraping the surface of what's left unlearned.

Every morning, I turn on Fox news while I eat breakfast to catch up on the day's headlines. It seems to happen every day. Whether it's the health segment, technology segment, or the strange news segment, there is always something new being shared on television. For example, I remember I was eating breakfast with my mom and the news was talking about the bad effects coffee has on the body. A couple days later, they reveal how alcohol has good effects for the body. Rather strange, indeed, but it establishes how much the world doesn't know. I want to know why. Why is coffee sometimes bad? Why is out of all drinks, alcohol, sometimes good for the body?

It doesn't stop here. Every afternoon during the school day, around 11:30 a.m., I have lunch; the period of the day where students have the opportunity to break away from the learning environment. To me, it's the opposite. Since I have my A.P. Psychology class right before, sometimes I remain in that mood, and observe human behavior. This has to be the perfect hour to observe because you have the dramatic couple fighting over their issues, the smart kid who utilizes time wisely to finish their homework, and the random kid asking people, table to table, for some lunch money. Why is the couple fighting in public? Why is the smart kid cramming to finish their homework before the period ends? Why is the random kid asking for money? Maybe he has financial problems at home? Or it could be that he got into an argument with his mother that morning and refused to give him money. These questions are observed, but are left unanswered.

At last, it's 7 p.m., and my homework is complete, and I expect that I will turn off my brain tonight. I decide to go on the popular website Facebook and someone posts, "Why does the toilet flush counter-clockwise?" Then, I reply sounding smart, "it's the Coriolis Effect, dude." However, that's all I know. I do a simple search on Google, and I'm revealed that it's a common misconception that the toilet flushes differently in the northern and southern hemispheres. The Coriolis Effect is more than just toilet flushing; it's a more physics and math-based phenomena. How can it be observed? Why is the effect different in the north and in the south?

I don't know is where life will take me after college. Whether it's becoming a doctor, or doing scientific research at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, I know one thing. I will continue my education, in effort to answer the questions the world will have.

word count: 498

Undergraduate / "a city boy at heart" + "interest in medicne"-Columbia University and NYU Supplements [3]

Here are my reponses for the columbia and nyu supplements! comments/revisions/critiques are welcomed and appreciated! thank you! :)

Columbia University:

Please tell us what you find most appealing about Columbia and why: (1500 character limit)

I'm a city boy at heart. Born and raising in Chicago, a city with life bustling, and a constant sound of existence, an urban environment is what I feel as home. When I got older, I found myself contemplating where I wanted to go to college. I knew I wanted to go far away from home, but it also had to be an urban setting like Chicago. What better place is there to be than in one of the best universities in the world, in the biggest city in the nation: Columbia University: In the City of New York. However, it wasn't just the urban environment that attracted me to Columbia University. The "unparalleled opportunity" that is available at Columbia allows students to explore their interests and dare to explore new ones. I don't have to be tied up in one particular concentration of study. I could explore new ones, and combine them as well. Along with the curriculum, the diverse community at Columbia would make me feel right at home. Like Chicago, New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the nation. With Columbia right in the middle of the magnificent city, the diversity is effervescent and distinctive. With the cultural exploration occurring within the college, my educational experience would not only be enriched, but it would become exciting as well. Columbia is the experience I would like in my life. The exploration is infinite, and the possibilities are endless.

NYU:

Please tell us what led you to select both your anticipated academic area(s) of study and the NYU school / college / program or the Abu Dhabi campus. What interests you most about your intended discipline? Mention any extracurricular or non-school-related activities or experiences that demonstrate your interest. (500 character limit)

From playing doctor as a boy, to reading anatomy books for fun as a teen, my interest in medicine was always illustrated to others. A major within the College of Arts and Sciences, with the area of study being Pre-Professional Medicine is the right choice for me. The physiology of the human body is astonishing, with many things yet to be discovered. Volunteering at the University of Chicago Hospital gives me insight to how life is within the dynamic environment, in which I want to be a part of.

NYU is 'In and of the City' and 'In and of the World.' What does the concept of a global network university mean to you? How do you think studying in New York City, Abu Dhabi, or one of NYU's global sites would change you as a person and equip you to build cross-cultural relationships at NYU and beyond? (500 character limit)

The global network university is significant to the fact that there are opportunities at NYU to grow intellectually and diversely within many different cultures around the world. From Paris to Tel Aviv, the global network is interconnected by the idea of the opportunity to be a leader in the world. The changes I would be confronted with include leadership, character, and intellect. The cultural experience acquired will create relationships by assimilating ethics, thus creating affinity.

If you had the opportunity to bring any person -- past or present, fictional or nonfictional -- to a place that is special to you (your hometown or country, a favorite location, etc), who would you bring and why? Tell us what you would share with that person. (500 character limit)

Professor Robert Langdon from Dan Brown's books would be the person I would bring to Washington D.C. to explore the hidden secrets in our nation's capital. Mr. Langdon, a Harvard symbologist, is the perfect person to explore Washington D.C. with. Exploring the capital in depth would be the remarkable experience I desire the most. Sharing my knowledge with his, we would uncover the government's secrets and share them in an epic video documentary for the world, starring myself and Mr. Langdon.