Undergraduate / 'the community itself' - What Makes Columbia University Appealing to You [4]

When people think of a lion what usually comes to their mind is a big strong ferocious beast that is often falsely crowned as "king of the jungle". A lion, symbolically, usually represents a person of great stature, strength and leadership ability. While all of these things may be true, I think it is important to note that a lion is nothing without its pride. A lion's pride, ironically, comes with its pride-its family-and single lions are nowhere near as strong as a pride of lions. With Columbia University's mascot as a lion I find myself asking what or where is its pride?

After some research, I have found the answer to this question. Columbia's pride is not just in the members of the faculty and student body but in the community itself. What I find most appealing about Columbia University is that it has immersed itself within the community with programs like the Harlem Robotics League and Engineers without Borders. I am especially amazed at the fact that all of Columbia's first year engineering students are guaranteed internships in the community which is especially unheard of in most colleges.

Columbia's commitment to the community shows me that the university is dedicated in creating well rounded students that are not just top scholars but people who really know how to be people. A lion can never be strong if its pride is weak but I have seen that Columbia is deeply rooted in its pride and I hope that I can one day do the same.

I feel like I need a lot of help, so any advice given would be great. Thank You!