Undergraduate / Why Oberlin (grow into a scholar and an activist) [2]

Given your interests, values, and goals, explain why Oberlin College will help you grow (as a student and a person) during your undergraduate years.

I attend school in rural Georgia, where I am the only international student in most of my classes and activities. I didn't want to be an outsider, so I have tried to fit in. Fitting in, however, often entailed uncomfortably disguising my Korean identity. I yearned for a diverse and open community where I could be myself.

I soon discovered that few colleges in America are as devoted to diversity as Oberlin, where 12 percent of the students come from nearly 50 foreign countries. Oberlin offers generous assistance to international students, both financially and emotionally. After learning about the extraordinary commitment to openness and diversity, I became convinced that Oberlin is where I can be an active member of the campus community without changing who I am.

I can also pursue my academic aspirations at Oberlin. In my undergraduate research project on the evolution of swamp sparrows, I was thrilled to witness natural selection at work in the real world. With the superb resources of the Science Center and caring faculty, I will be able to perform more advanced research at Oberlin. The focus on science education in a liberal arts setting provides an optimal environment for me to satisfy my intellectual curiosity in various fields.

Furthermore, Oberlin has a long legacy of social engagement which began in 1835, when it became the first college to admit students without regard to race. Oberlin students are individuals "who care about the world, who believe they can make it a better place, and who have the courage to try." As a young teenager concerned about animal rights, I am confident Oberlin will help me grow into a mature activist who brings an impact to this world.

Oberlin is a diverse community which will help me grow into a scholar and an activist. What more could I ask for?

Undergraduate / "I used to wish you were a better mother" - App Essay [5]

Dear Mother,

It was heartrending to see you weep after you discovered that your decision to send me to America might not have been the best one. You are always supposed to say you are right, you know? I hope this letter consoles you-you have been a great mother.

To be honest, I used to wish you were a better mother. First, I hoped you would love me more. Remember in seventh grade when I accused you of not loving me? I had read Death of a Salesman at school, and felt that as much as Willy's love for his sons was based on his dream of having successful sons, your love for me was about my test scores, not the person who I am.

I have recently felt that way, too. When you call me from the other side of the Pacific every other day, you don't ask me how I am nor express your love verbally. Instead, you go through your checklist-you love making checklists-like a debater speeding through his arguments. On my sixteenth birthday, my birthday wasn't on your checklist and I had to remind you that February 17th is the day you gave birth to your second son.

But now I know better. I know that the seemingly dehumanized manner is simply your method of expressing love. When you ask "Is there anything else?" after finishing your checklists on the phone, I know what you really mean to say is "I love you." You are aware of my test dates better than my birthday because, well, you are concerned about my future.

I was a fool to assume that you don't love me. That is all you do. You live for your two sons, and you would die for us. You start your day praying for us, and you end your day praying with us.

I was not only foolish, but also arrogant. Rather than being grateful for your unconditional love, I wished you were more patient, composed, and intelligent. I have realized the beauty of unconditional love is the attitude of accepting what nature has chosen for me. When you called me, crying, after being scolded by your boss, I realized that you deserve even more love for who you are-someone who needs the help of others.

I still want you to first ask me how I am when you make the international call, and remember my birthday once in a while. I still hope you are calmer and mentally stronger. But these are just hopes. You have provided unconditional love and have taught me its virtue-humility. What more could I ask for?

With love,

Your son, ABC

Undergraduate / "biological evolution at a molecular level" Why your academic field? [4]

Why are you drawn to the academic fields you indicated in the Anticipated Degree and Academic Interest questions above? (1000 characters)

I intend to study biological evolution at a molecular level. I'm enthralled by the wonderfully complex and sophisticated nature of living systems. That they are the fruits of 3.8 billion years of natural selection inspires me with awe. My fascination grew deeper through the hands-on experience with Professor Ballentine. Furthermore, I desire to learn what science, especially biology, can teach us about how to live our lives, hence my interest in philosophy. Many suppose that science and morality are mutually exclusive, but I believe otherwise. For instance, I have not consumed meat since I realized humans and other animals are all part of ...

...

Please offer stylistic, structural, and grammatical corrections. Thank you all.

Undergraduate / "The Free Will; an answer to this dilemma" . Brown Supplement [8]

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? (500 words)

The Free Will

Morpheus: "The Matrix is everywhere, it's all around us, here even in this room. You can see it out your window, or on your television. You feel it when you go to work, or go to church or pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."

Neo: "What truth?"

Morpheus: "That you are a slave, Neo. That you, like everyone else, were born into bondage, kept inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch."

I'm writing this essay on a Friday afternoon when I could be doing other things- watching a movie, hanging out with friends, or reading a book. Why, then, am I writing the Brown supplement essay when I have more enjoyable alternatives? The simple answer is that I chose to. But why did I choose so?

The first set of reasons stems from my evolutionary nature. Humans have evolved to have the ability to predict what will happen in the future. If I don't write this essay now, I will have a smaller chance of attending Brown. I value attending Brown more than having fun on a Friday night because humans have also evolved to prefer intellectual fulfillment to momentary physical pleasure. The second set of reasons comes from my environment. I grew up in a family that values education and was fortunate enough to visit Brown last spring break. I met people both online and in the real world that affected my decision to apply to Brown.

However, both sets of reasons are factors beyond my control. I certainly did not choose my genetic nature. But I also did not choose the environment I have grown up in nor could I pick the people I have interacted with throughout my life. If a combination of my genes and surroundings determines my behavior, did I really choose to write this essay? In other words, did I have the freedom not to?

I first started thinking about the free will to criticize the advocates of an unfettered free market. I thought the free market is free only to those on the top of the system. For instance, many American teenagers had to risk their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan because it was the only way they could pay for college-they were not entirely free to choose otherwise. As I delved deeper, however, I arrived at a fundamentally troubling scene. If there is no free will, society cannot hold us morally responsible for our actions. Should we forgive a serial killer because his crime is a result of his genes and society, not his own choosing? Also, if we cannot freely control our lives, where must our motivation in life come from?

I would like to believe that we have the free will, but don't know how to prove so. I don't know, but I'm eager to learn. I hope that I will have an answer to this dilemma by the second time I enter the Van Wickle Gates.

Undergraduate / "my inherited traits and lived experiences" - WHY BROWN [6]

Please tell us more about your interest in Brown: Why does Brown appeal to you as a college option? Who or what has influenced your decision to apply?

The last two years of my academic career has been similar to that of a Brown student. At the Advanced Academy, I haven't had to worry about graduation requirements-I took courses that I genuinely wanted to learn from. I took an economics class as I was eager to find out why economic recessions occur. I took a senior-level sociology course to learn why impoverished nations often find it difficult to relieve themselves from poverty. I registered for psychology because I wanted to know how my inherited traits and lived experiences influence my behavior. I relished the academic freedom, but classes at the University of West Georgia often failed to satisfy my intellectual curiosity in diverse fields. I yearn for a second chance-only Brown's Open Curriculum can offer me such an opportunity.