Undergraduate /
College of Arts and Sciences; Cornell Supp/ intellectual interests, evolution [4]
Hi,
In addition to the Common App, I had to write an essay in the Cornell supplement, for the College of Arts and Sciences
I'd like you to take a peek at it, and here it is (thanks in advance!):
Prompt: Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you, and how you will utilize the academic programs in the college of arts and sciences to further explore your interests/intended major/field of study
Looking back, it seems like it was always meant to be this way. My early childhood appears to be now, in the light of recent events, the beginning of an unusual passion for Economics. One of the first things I remember is that my favorite toys were old, expired credit cards that my uncle once left over the kitchen counter, and which I kept as my own private treasure. As every four year old, it must have been all about those shiny colors of American Express cards, which seemingly captivated me. Then, I moved on to fake bank notes my mom gave me for my seventh birthday, which I carried in a koala bag I never let go. I truly loved the feeling of holding these cards and bills in my hands, always sorting them by color or value. Later on I would plunge in numismatics, looking for bills and coins from around the world in order to own the most colorful and beautiful collection ever seen.
But it was not until high school that I begun enjoying the pleasure of getting familiar with the mecanisms of knowledge. Literature being an essential part of French education, for instance, lectures about Les MisĂŠrables or L'Ătranger stirred in me an incredible love for books. Alongside, an indeniable chemistry with numbers appeared, for this, math has always been my favorite subject throughout high school. I felt truly comfortable, being able to express myself in sciences and in literature through several ways, for instance writing contests or math olympics, where there was no school frame to control what I put in words or how I reasoned to get an answer. Then, as time went by and I kept on discovering different sides of knowledge, I started looking with new eyes what was around me. I became extremely concerned by what was happening in my sinking country, and so politics and economics turned into my primary discussion themes, and are so still today.
Later comes a time in tenth grade when you must pick a major to follow for the last two years of high school, being Sciences, Literature and Economics the three options available. Feeling a great appeal by the three of them, Economics seemed the perfect choice for me, not only because it represented a middle point between the other two, but because, for some time already, it felt like a vocation to me. And I was perfectly right, because I have never been happier in school. Lectures on Keynes or on international trade just seem to fly by: I start to understand the world, the gears that make it turn. Being a discipline that combines the colourfulness of human behavior and the precision of mathematics, it is the perfect crossing between arts and sciences, constituting the perfect match for a person of open interests such as myself. Moreover, the knowledge I've gained on this matter through these two last years help me saying that Economics is the right major for me to pursue.
Likewise, Cornell University seems to be the perfect platform to start. Not only does the College of Arts and Sciences offer one of the best Economics program in the world, but also because students are encouraged to study abroad, which would probably let me regain some contact with the French side of my education. Also, the excellent faculty of this department, such as the Ernest S. Liu Professor of Economics and International Studies Yongmiao Hong, could be a valuable aspect in my journey to become a fine economist.
