Undergraduate / JHU--why major in biomed engineering essay [2]

Since third grade, when I learned about the anatomy of the human body, I have been intrigued by how all the organs of the body could work in synergy to produce such a complex human being. I was even more impressed by how viruses and bacteria-microorganisms so miniscule that they are not visible to the naked eye-could kill organisms as big as humans. Since then, I have dreamed about becoming a scientist.

Last summer, I got the chance to further chase these dreams when I was selected for one of the limited student internship positions at the National Cancer Institute, one of the leading research facilities in the world.

Interning at the National Cancer Institute has made me confident that science is the right path for me. When I first started as an intern, I was somewhat intimidated as I tried to grasp all the new terminology and techniques that were thrown at me. But in a matter of two weeks, I was able to decode the genetic information encrypted in blood and organ cells through extraction, amplification, and sequencing. I enjoy doing experiments, collaborating with other scientists, and listening to lectures given by top scientists. Research is like a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Just as in a murder mystery, where each clue brings thrilling and spine-tingling revelations, each time I start a new experiment and gather the different pieces of my scientific puzzle, I find myself holding my breath in anticipation of what I will find. What kind of picture will the pieces form? The mystery, the setbacks, the twists, and the suspense are all what make the experience ever more enjoyable.

In the future, I plan to continue researching, but I would also like to be able to apply the research in practical means through engineering. I want not only to study problems but also to devise solutions for the problems. John's Hopkins' prestigious biomedical engineering program will help me achieve these goals. As a Johns Hopkins' student, I will be able to attend lectures given by top researchers and engineers who are making the latest progresses in their fields. As a mere undergraduate, I might even be able to apply what I learn in the classroom outside in practice at the Cell Engineering Laboratory or other laboratories across campus. The Core curriculum will provide me with a solid fundamental understanding of biomedical engineering, while still allowing me the freedom to focus on cell and tissue engineering. In my future, I want to be able to help advance the medical and scientific communities by inventing new technologies that will make life more comfortable for people of the present and future. Majoring in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University will provide me with the skills to pursue these dreams.

Undergraduate / UPenn's p.217 autobio. essay (dance) [5]

"On deck is number 4-1-2, Thomas Johnson High School," the voice in the loudspeaker boomed.
Just then, all my nerves that I had successfully suppressed for the past week leading up to this moment unfettered itself from its chains and mingled with the feelings of excitement. A huge adrenaline rush raced through my body as I felt a cold tingling sensation running up my spine and down my hands. . My heart thumped against my ribcage like a huge steel drum. The next five minutes as we stood behind the heavy black curtains felt like an eternity. I told myself to breathe-long deep breaths.

Waiting backstage is always the hardest part. When I am are onstage and the music starts playing and my body starts moving, I get lost in my own daydream. But when I am backstage, I am still in reality, and all my emotions and thoughts surface.

Girls clustered around the corners, reminding each other of the steps. You could almost smell the nervousness of the girls and their coaches from their whispers mixed with a perfume of sweat. Some were adorned in bright, sequined costumes, wearing heavy, colorful stage makeup: the jazz dancers. Others were modeling baggy trousers and loose black T-shirts. They were the hip-hop dancers. My teammates and I, standing behind the opening of the curtain that served as a barrier between the real and the surreal, were wearing silver tops with red and black graffiti print, baggy red pants, and black hip-hop shoes. We checked each other's makeup and hair, making sure nothing was amiss.

I paced back and forth by in a small circle, trying not to bump into the other girls in the crowded space. I went over the choreography in my head for the hundredth time that day. Although I had practiced the routine so many times that I sometimes dreamt about it while sleeping, I always feared that I would forget when I got on stage.

Then the music in the background stopped. The team before us had finished and the theatre sounded with a round of applause. I hurried over to the rest of my teammates, and we all wished each other good luck. The team that was just performing came running off stage, grinning and out of breath.

It was now our turn.
"Smile and have fun, girls," my coach said as she watched us cross through the curtains into the other dimension. She looked like a proud mother watching her children leave home for the first time.

Bright white spotlights shown in our faces, and inundated the stage as the group of us five girls marched onto the stage in unison, like a brigade of soldiers preparing for a mission, determined and strong. The wood squeaked under our footsteps. The hall filled with a thundering sound of applause that resonated down the corridors. I glanced out into the audience and saw the black silhouettes of the spectators eagerly awaiting our performance. There must have been more than five hundred people.

I was so exhilarated! I had been waiting for this moment for five years, ever since that time I saw Lindsay on the stage. Now, here I was standing on the center of the stage, living out my dreams. I felt like a movie star tossed into the welcoming limelight. The sporadic flashes of photography were like paparazzi cameras, capturing the moment forever.

I walked to my starting position on the upper left corner of the stage, then glanced around at my teammates to make sure we were all ready. We assumed our starting positions. Mine was I bowed my heads, closed my eyes, and waited. The crowd grew silent and the lights dimmed to a dark blue. All of a sudden, the first beat of the music echoed through the auditorium. We stomped on the wooden floor with a deafening thud, and the crowd gasped as the

Undergraduate / 'study human evolutionary genetics' - UPENN PROF and WHY PENN ESSAYS [4]

I would like to study human evolutionary genetics and work on the African Genetic Diversity Project under Dr. Sarah A. Tishkoff. I am currently very intrigued by the primate evolution research I am working on at the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute, and I would like to extend my efforts and focus more on human evolution. I believe studying human evolution is important to disease research, because certain human populations may carry genetic information that may help them be resistant to certain viruses and diseases. For example, my lab recently found a gene in people of European descent that makes them more resistant to HIV. Researchers believe survivors of the Black Plague passed this gene to their descendants. If we can study the genetic variation of different groups of people, especially people of African descent, where diseases are rampant, we can possibly uncover other genetic information that may be important in understanding disease resistance.

When I first began my college search many summers ago, I told myself that I wanted to go to an urban school. I have grown up in the suburbs practically all my life, and I wanted a change. I wanted to experience the commotion and the energy associated with life in the city. Immediately, the University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, caught my eye. In the next months and years leading up to today, I visited the college website, read the brochures, and went on college tours to get myself more acquainted with the school. The more I learned about the University of Pennsylvania, the more in love with it I felt.

I want to attend the University of Pennsylvania, because it is one of the leading research facilities in the nation with a top-notch biology department. Ever since I was eight, when I learned about the anatomy of the human body, I have been intrigued by biology. I have always been fascinated by how viruses and bacteria-microorganisms so miniscule that they are not visible to the naked eye-could kill a humans-organisms many times their size. Since then, I have dreamed about becoming a scientist. The summer following my junior year, I was selected under the Werner H. Kirsten internship program to intern at the National Cancer Institute, one of the leading research facilities in the world. My internship experience further proved that science was the right path for me. I enjoy doing experiments, collaborating with other scientists in the laboratory, and listening to lectures given by top scientists. Waiting for result is like watching an invigorating thriller movie-suspenseful and unpredictable. An education from the University of Pennsylvania will further provide me with the skills to pursue my dreams. At the University of Pennsylvania I can study biology under top-notch professors who are conducting frontier research in their fields, and I can engage in stimulating, fast-paced lectures and discussions with professors and other students. I can even make potentially groundbreaking discoveries as a student by conducting research as an undergraduate during the school year and participating in summer research internships.

When I visited campus two years ago, I was taken aback by its beauty. The antique and unique architecture of the buildings set to the backdrop of the lush green lawns made the scenery very aesthetically pleasing, like a fairyland. I loved how the lotus walk was crammed with flyers of all sizes and color, underscoring the fact that there are always exciting events taking place on campus. The unique school spirit at the university unites all the diverse students under one umbrella and further makes campus more appealing.

Finally, I was excited to learn that the University of Pennsylvania has a very active Chinese Students' Association. Having attended a very culturally diverse elementary school when I was younger, I have come to realize that the diversity has helped me become more appreciative and more accepting of other people's cultures and views. But sadly, not everyone shared my opportunity. I thus see myself as an active member of the Chinese Students' Association, promoting cultural awareness and appreciation. The club, through the Chinatown Tutoring Program, is also a great way for me to apply what I learn inside the classroom outside in society and give back to my community.

I am an ideal candidate for the University of Pennsylvania, because I am very passionate about research, and I would like to study under the best professors and researchers in the field. I also believe in giving back to society and helping others who are less fortunate than me, and I believe that the University, which is very integrated with Philadelphia, is an ideal place where I can exercise my dreams.

Undergraduate / common app essay - Robert Fulghum's essay [4]

A few years ago I stumbled across Robert Fulghum's essay "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." Although the essay seems exaggerated, I did learn important lessons in kindergarten that have influenced my life. I learned about friendship, about responsibility, and most important, about the melting pot.

Ballenger Heights Elementary, a place I proudly called home for six years, was a miniature United Nations nestled in the woods of South Dakota. Over half the students came from countries outside the United States, representing more than fifty nations. The school, in turn, did everything to endorse this diversity, from encouraging tolerance of and respect for each other's cultures and traditions to hosting annual International Weeks, where all 500 of us students, adorned in ethnic garments, performed traditional songs and dances from our countries for our classmates. I recall, whenever we learned a new student would be joining our class, we spent the preceding couple of days learning about his native country. Then on the day he was to arrive, we would prepare special traditional activities to welcome him. Not only were we able to help him assimilate better into the school, but also we were able to make friendships with him more easily. Reminiscing, we were like miniature ambassadors in the making. Even now when we have all traveled our own paths, our friendship bonds remain strong. Around Christmas time, we exchange greetings from across the globe to catch up on any latest developments in each other's lives.

After elementary school, my family moved to Springfield, a town predominantly Caucasian. At my new school, the minorities tended to cluster together. I realized that not everywhere do people have the opportunities to experience the cultural diversity I had experienced at Ballenger.

To promote cultural awareness, I founded a Chinese Club at my school. Throughout the year, we conduct numerous activities to learn about China and its traditional cultures. Last year, we fundraised for a trip to Chinatown in New York. Most students in the club have never had the opportunity to experience authentic Chinese culture, and the trip to an ethnic Chinatown provided firsthand experience.

Helping other students at my school experience Chinese culture gave me a satisfaction beyond articulation, but to extend my efforts, I began teaching Chinese to nonnative speakers at the newly established Springfield Chinese School. Chinese language is difficult to learn. Students often quit when learning becomes tedious. To make my students' experiences enjoyable, I included cultural activities and crafts in my lessons. I also prepared Chinese food to share with them. To my delight, their fascination in Chinese has steadily grown over the past two years.

When I first came to Springfield seven years ago, it was a small town with little diversity. Over the past few years, I have seen a growth not only in the size of the city, but also in the diversity of its residents. My school alone now has a Chinese Club and a Diversity Club. For the past two years we have held Diversity Day, a day similar to International Week at Ballenger. I am proud of the metamorphosis of my school and town and am thrilled I took part in this transformation.