Undergraduate / 'I have learnt to draw a distinction between passion and interest' - Agriculture and Life Sciences [4]

Hey guys, mind having a look at my essay? Trying to make ED for Cornell.
My desired major would be Applied Economics and Management with an accounting concentration.
Thank you! :D

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: How have your interests and related experiences influenced the major you have selected in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences? (650 max)

As with most students nowadays, there come a time where we shall need to choose to specialize in a discipline which should potentially leads to our career choice. There is the convention that some may take the career after our parents in medicine, architecture or engineering. Then again there is an exception too, in my case, my father a property builder and my mum runs her own real estate firm but I took interest in neither.

I have always enjoyed physics, and it was evident in my scholastic results. However much I have tried, I could not perpetuate the interests in physics to a life long vocation. I have learnt to draw a distinction between passion and interest; I passed eighth grade in piano since I was sixteen but has decided that music should only be a pastime interest for me.

Parental and peers' pressure were aplenty in the months leading to the A-level and SAT results. I have crossed the closing date for most universities application then. Out of filial obligation, I submitted my application for medical courses to universities in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong but the content in the personal statements were sadly lacking in enthusiasm and commitment. I went through the chilling agony and hallowing despair of getting rejected each time the mail arrived; doubts about my ability began to mount mentally. I felt that I needed the space to re-think about my future so I decided to take a gap year which earned the ire of my parents.

Being in the company of many high achievers, I was worried that I would be relegated to the "under performed" category. Invariably the distance of some friendships grew wider as the inferiority crept in. I began to reach out to my school counselors to discuss the options available at tertiary level and sought out the advice of my teachers, family members along with doing adequate research on the internet. Taking a leaf from physics, I applied a methodological approach and gave rating to each of the key elements - degree courses, fees, requirement, career path, state and the university.

Besides talent and passion, employability was the cornerstone to my decision making process. I took a realistic broad view of the options that are available. I opted out of sciences and engineering as the field was too wide for me to pin-point a specialised field, but aimed to excel in a vocation that can and will be able to fit into multi-industries. Being a science based student, the importance of having a systematic procedure to perform a task was echoed throughout the various experiments I had carried out. This in short it should give me an edge in the social science faculty. I stumbled upon the thought of accountancy briefly when my father first proposed to me. Subsequently with a few close friends heading to Britain to study accounting and finance, the thought became a topic on my radar. I think I would enjoy that the opportunity to continue on with my education to be a professional accountant after I have graduated with my first degree. I found out that I could practise accounting across the globe; debit, credit and interpretation of financial data have a common denominator, it is almost a universal language. I then arranged to do a part time job at a auditor firm and it is then my interest is aroused and passion developed.

Coming from a closely knitted family, it would give me a great sense of accomplishment if I could physically and financially take care of my parents in their twilight years, just the way they have provided for theirs. Being able to pursue my desired major in the College of Agriculture and Life Science at Cornell University will definitely open gateways to many career opportunities and provide me the building blocks to achieve a life-long dream.