Undergraduate / transfer short answer: Why Columbia? a sense of community, unique bond [4]

Please tell us what you find most appealing about Columbia and why:

What appeals to me most about Columbia is its unique sense of community, which I struggle to find at BU. Columbia's location in New York City provides students with a myriad of opportunities for internships and immersion into a rich cultural scene. For me, it means an opportunity to jumpstart a career in one of the world's most influential cities, admire architectural splendors like Mies' Seagram Building, and visit the MET on a regular basis. At the same time, Columbia's compact and small undergraduate population create a secure and welcoming environment, a nice contrast to the commotion of city life. Living in Boston and taking shuttles to class on a scattered campus has been a valuable learning experience in independence, but living in a dorm that lacks common rooms among 18,000 fellow undergraduates has made me yearn for a better sense of community. While most colleges establish it by simply encouraging students to join extracurriculars, Columbia goes above and beyond that by using academics. At BU, students gravitate towards others within their own specialized schools and it is possible for one to never take a class unrelated to a chosen area of study. Columbia's Core, however, connects all students, no matter how different their future plans are. It creates a bond not only between classmates, but also between past, current, and future generations of Columbians. It is a bond that transcends professions, races, continents, and time and it'd be an honor to be a part of it.

Undergraduate / transfer essay - "an experiment in realizing the good things" [5]

"Please provide a statement (250 words minimum) that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve."

Shortly after the unveiling of the World Trade Center in the 1970's, a joke became popular among New Yorkers that likened the twin towers to boxes that the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building came wrapped in. Upon my arrival to New Jersey from Kazakhstan when I was eight years old, I was fascinated with these buildings and with the entire New York skyline. For me, fascination with these new sights was only ephemeral, however. As I got older, the skyline became integrated into the mundane part of my life, pointed out only on special occasions - to be shown off to visitors or to serve as a nice background for prom pictures. It was not until coming home for the first time after leaving to go to college in Boston that I learned to appreciate the fact that I can see the Empire State Building from my bedroom window. Being able to once again tell what color its floodlights were illuminated in every night during winter break felt like rummaging through old things and finding that forgotten childhood Christmas present once enjoyed so intensely, like wiping the dust off of an old photograph that captured a moment of forgotten joy. They do, after all, say that you don't know a good thing till it's gone. My first semester of college was an experiment in realizing the good things.

I shipped up to Boston last August after a long trial of negotiations with my father about money (it was not my first choice, but it was the institution that had provided me with the most financial aid) and assumed the role of a typical biology major, enrolled in chemistry and calculus courses that would lead me to the process of applying to medical schools and eventually finding a job that would provide me with a sure sense of stability. I spent roughly two weeks reading up on electron configuration and filling up pages upon pages of my Moleskine with chemical equations until I realized that the pre-med track was not for me. Taking a good look at the fellow chemistry classmates around me, I noticed a significant difference between them and myself. They lived and breathed chemistry while I stayed up late at night studying it simply because it had been drilled into my head by my parents and society to earn a degree in something practical, something steady. I could not approach the subject with the same passion as them, which ultimately led me to dropping it. It was not an easy decision to make and resulted in a temporary, yet nevertheless, terrible feeling of loss of direction in life. Looking back on it, however, it might have been the best decision I made all semester. I redirected focus to my other classes, especially Introduction to Architecture, which quickly became my favorite. Somewhere among the rubble of the Acropolis and within the intricate details of baroque churches, I had rediscovered my passion for art. I resumed a love affair that started in my childhood and lasted well into high school, until it was put on a back burner junior year, when I decided to take AP Biology instead of Studio Art in order to present myself as a more impressive candidate on college applications. Rediscovering my interest in art history and architecture felt right, like wiping the dust off of an old photograph or seeing the Empire State Building from my bedroom window once again. Realizing that I wanted to continue my studies of these subjects led me to make another important and even more difficult decision - the decision to transfer to a different college.

Attending Boston University was more of a sensible rather than personal choice for me, which in all honesty, I felt bitter about at first. Several months have passed since that decision has been made and I am a little bit older and perhaps a little bit wiser as well. I do not regret spending my first year at BU. I've made good friends, seen great exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts, and taken fascinating classes with truly engaging professors. Most importantly, I've figured out what I want out of a college experience. I would like to attend a smaller school with a sense of a more close-knit community and a stronger advising system. I enjoyed living in the middle of a major city and I would like to transfer to a school that similarly takes advantage of its location, but also possesses a more established and centralized campus. Most importantly, in terms of academics, I would like to attend an institution with a strong foundation in the liberal arts, as well as a major in architecture, which BU unfortunately lacks. I am grateful for my time at BU, during which I've both rediscovered and learned a lot about myself. I now strongly believe that forgotten things, if truly significant, eventually find their way back to their rightful place, similar to the way the sight of the Empire State Building regained its importance to me upon coming home and the way my passion for art was strongly resurrected after taking just one class on the subject. Having learned this, I've begun to piece together the person that I would truly like to be and I hope to continue the ongoing process at an institution more suitable for me.

Undergraduate / majoring in the unafraid + Art + seminar on biological illustration- Barnard Transfer [2]

A. How were you first made aware of Barnard College? What intrigues you about Barnard's approach to the liberal arts and sciences?

I was first made aware of Barnard College through my application process to its affiliated school, Columbia University, last year. However, my interest in Barnard has greatly expanded this year through conversations with a friend of mine, a current student, and a campus visit. I am extremely intrigued with Barnard's approach to the liberal arts and sciences. Taking into account the state of the current job market, as well as my own personal desire to satisfy my curiosity for various interests, I believe that a strong background in the liberal arts is an important asset. I admire Barnard's dedication to providing young women with a strong foundation in a broad array of subject areas with its Nine Ways of Knowing. With a Barnard education, I would not only be well qualified for a job within my chosen major, but also exposed to and well versed in various subject areas that would enhance my way of thinking and reasoning.

B. Alumna and writer Anna Quindlen says that she 'majored in unafraid' at Barnard. Reflecting on your college experience thus far, what does that mean to you?

For me, "majoring in the unafraid" means possessing the courage to take control and make my own decisions, free from parental, peer, and societal expectations. Reflecting on my college experience thus far, I would say that I have been taking small yet steady steps towards fully "majoring in the unafraid." I've had to learn to live independently and take risks by making choices that may not have been the most popular, but were ultimately the best for me, such as dropping chemistry, taking a course in architecture, and deciding to transfer. My first semester of college, "majoring in the unafraid" meant deciding to take a step back from a career path that I did not truly want to pursue, accepting that it is okay to not have the rest of my life figured out despite pressure from sources all around me to do so, and taking the time to explore subject areas that truly interest me. Ultimately, it means embarking on a continuous journey of self-discovery that I hope to carry on at Barnard.

C. If you could work for any organization or company, which would you select and why?

I would select to work for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I first visited the MET back in 2001 and to this day, it remains one of my favorite places in the world. It is a place that continuously introduces me to new ideas and challenges my way of thinking. I can trace a personal growth by looking back at my visits to the MET. During my childhood visits, I would most often frequent the Egyptian Wing to admire the primitive yet intricate hieroglyphics and wish upon a coin thrown into the reflecting pool in front of the Temple of Dendur. As I've grown older and more open-minded, I've learned to appreciate the absurdity and beauty of the works in the modern art galleries. Woking there would be an extremely fulfilling experience. I would love to play even a small role in the organization of exhibits that make lasting impressions on people and promote the appreciation of art. I would love to help make the museum a place as special for someone as it is for me.

D. If you could plan and lead a semester-long college seminar, what academic topic would you choose and why?

I would lead a seminar on biological illustration. As someone with passion for both science and art, I continually find myself in a struggle to find a balance between the two. I often am reassured, however, that I am not alone. For example, I met numerous people in my Intro to Architecture class last semester who were also taking biology or chemistry courses. I would love to provide fellow science and art enthusiasts with an opportunity to combine their passions for the two seemingly unrelated subjects. I believe that a course like this would be equally beneficial for enhancing a student's understanding of both biology and art. It would present a unique way to teach both subjects by emphasizing attention to detail and presenting a more hands-on way of learning. More importantly, it would broaden students' ways of thinking by demonstrating that their chosen areas of study do not have to limit the development of their other interests.