Undergraduate / Common Core-major domestic issue in the U.S - Sophie Davis Supplement [2]

Briefly describe what you believe is a major domestic problem confronting the United States - socially, economically or in health care. Indicate how you think this problem should be resolved.

Picture yourself sitting for the new Common Core ELA regents. A poem by Langston Hughes, a difficult passage from the Sherlock Holmes followed by an excerpt from Broca's Brain by Carl Sagan. As you read each abstract and enigmatic piece, you realize the limited time you have left and you sloppily answer the questions that follow. Finally, after reading another 4 long passages, your brain is about to burst into flames as you reach your writing supplements. Yes, this is what the Common Core has done to us.

The Common Core initiative that was released in 2009 became the talk of parents, students, and educational advocates as schools across the country recently adopted this program to, according to corestandards, "ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to enter credit bearing entry courses in two or four year college programs or enter the workforce."

The initiative, with its focus on testing, was meant to raise proficiency scores of students in the U.S, undeniably had the opposite reaction. The sudden attack of long passages and wordy, complicated mathematical problems caused the grades of students to suffer. While I believe testing should be a small component to evaluate one's abilities, it does not define the overall intellect of a particular student, which is what the Common Core is attempting to promote. Aspects like class participation and affinity with extracurricular activities in addition to testing should be the overall determining factor of student abilities.

With numerous flaws that has already been put in place because of the nation's poor academic decisions, they should not be risk takers when it comes to education. Even founders of the Common Core admitted that there will be major shifts in subjects like history, science, math, and English Language Arts, each requiring more analysis to each of these subjects. While this may correct decades of incorrect teaching, it is impossible to implement this on students so suddenly.

The failure to properly raise proficiency levels with the new standards proves how unsophisticated the country's educational policies are. With each state needing more money to invest in new teaching materials and teaching development, it will essentially take until 2022 until students grow accustomed to the new standards, leaving the country's proficiency levels to be in detrimental state until then.

In order to sufficiently improve the country's proficiency levels, the country should implement the standards more gradually instead of enforcing them all at once. In order to get high school students to prepare for college level coursework, promotion and encouragement of shadowing professionals in what they want to pursue can be a motivational factor to many students to do well in their courses. Additionally, state and local governments should have the option of adjusting their standards to match the academic level of the state. The one size fits all policy is not going to work in such an academically diverse country.

I'm grateful for any feedback. Do you guys think education can be considered a social issue though?

Undergraduate / I zigzag my way back to the pharmacy as I see everyone works in an orderly, fast paced environment [3]

choose one of your extracurricular activities, employment or community experiences and describe why it has been especially meaningful to you

I scurried from one end of the pharmacy to another as I tried my best to ensure code trays were labelled correctly while at the same time trying to manually deliver medications through the confusing and crowded hallways of the hospital. I zigzag my way back to the pharmacy as I see everyone working in an orderly, fast paced environment. Everyone cooperating with each other, pharmacists asking others about their opinion on a certain patient's prescription, and technicians bagging medications. I gave myself a minute to admire a panoramic view of the scene. At that moment, I realized healthcare is what I want to pursue.

Although I want to be a dentist, volunteering at a pharmacy allowed me to see how health care professionals work in a real life setting. This opportunity was so memorable to me because I was able to do things that not every high school student can do. I mixed the proper ingredients to magic mouth wash, correctly labelled code trays for different areas throughout the hospital, and bagged medication to deliver to different patients. This was an opportunity that helped me gain professional knowledge about a certain health care environment.

This was also an opportunity that helped improve my social skills. At a previous volunteering opportunity, I remained extremely quiet and awkward throughout and I wasn't brave enough to communicate effectively with my peers and supervisors. My realization that I lacked an extremely fundamental skill caused me to more actively participate in the pharmacy. I wanted to be someone who is bold and approachable. The improvement I made will certainly be a necessary tool as I pursue a career in dentistry. I should be able to get accustomed to interacting comfortably with patients and co-workers, something that volunteering at a pharmacy helped me develop.

Although I did not interact with patients directly, I always reminded myself that I have responsibilities that affect every patient. I matured well from this experience since I know the weight of my responsibilities and the consequences that can happen if they are not carried out. For me, the feeling of people depending on me to succeed in my jobs throughout the pharmacy is what gave me motivation do to everything the best that I can.

Despite the fact that this is not an opportunity based off of dentistry, it was an opportunity that pertains to every health care profession. I learned how to perform my responsibilities well, ask others for help, communicate with others and improve my flaws-characteristics that make a successful dentist. I may still have a lot to learn, but the experience that I received pushed me ahead of game, allowing me to be the best at whatever I do.

Undergraduate / My first orthodontic appointment was the time when I realized I want to pursue a career in dentistry [5]

To aid the Admissions Committee in learning more about you, please share your current influences and interest for pursuing a career in Medicine/Dentistry.

The first time I realized I want to pursue a career in dentistry was when I had my first orthodontic appointment back when I was in sixth grade. Although I was terrified at that moment, I was fascinated by the mechanics and tools behind orthodontics. The numerous tools that laid on the table certainly fascinated me. How are they going to use such tools on teeth? How are they going to make my smile more beautiful?

I believe that the reason that these tools fascinated me was because I always loved working with my hands. Every gift I ever gave was a DIY project. Whether it was building a model of airplanes or ships, or making a bracelet, or using puzzles to make a beautiful landscape, things that involved building and taking things apart made any boring day less miserable. The fact that dentistry is a profession that involves the use of hands made it all the more appealing to me.

My grandmother's experience with gastritis made me realize the influence of health care professionals. My grandmother suffered tremendously from pain resulting from her gallstones and gastritis simultaneously. She was constantly worried over her condition, and she had a lot of questions that only her doctor could answer. The abundance of people that booked for her doctor was so tremendous that she wasn't able to see the doctor often. However, when she was able to see her doctor, it was as if the pent up frustration that built within her for the last couple weeks was finally released. She is able to explain her symptoms and ask any lingering questions that she has. The patience and compassion that the doctor had comforted my grandmother enormously. When I saw the impact of health care professionals and how they are able to comfort and nurture others, I realized that medicine is something that I want to pursue, and pursuing dentistry is something that can satisfy me both professionally and personally. As a health care provider, I want to interact and maintain a connection with all of my patients, a privilege that not all medical professionals have.

My desire to pursue a career in dentistry also results from the fact that I suffer enormously from dental issues myself. I suffered from a crossbite as well as an abscess. From my experiences, I understand the impact that dentists can have and how they contribute to their patient's self-esteem. The issues with my own teeth were frightening to me, and I had many self-esteem issues regarding my smile because of it, but the things that I learned from the internet as I was researching these issues drawn me to the science behind dentistry. My aptitude in biological sciences and the science behind oral health is what made me pursue dentistry. Dentistry incorporates a lot of different medical fields. They have opportunities in their careers where they perform somewhat the same jobs as do surgeons, anesthesiologists and radiologists as well.

Despite my curious and energetic personality, I, like many others, want a lifestyle that is not dominated by my career. Although I may love my career, I would also like reasonable hours that are balanced between my family and my job. Compared to other doctors, who start out spending hours in their jobs, dentists do not need to serve that kind of commitment, giving me time for my family and others who supported me throughout my troubles.

I believe that dentistry is perfect for me. My love, passion, and motivation for everything that revolves around dentistry is what makes me want to pursue it as my career.

I'm grateful for any feedback. I think this sounds boring.If you have anything to comment on about that, thanks in advance :)

Undergraduate / My wish to amend my introverted personality is why I believe NYU is the ideal school for me. [7]

The incessant chit chattering of the sea of excited seniors roared in my ears as I sat awkwardly behind them, shielding myself from calls of old friends and teachers. Turning our attention to the discussions of incestuous relationships in the Sound and the Fury, I stared on timidly hoping to avert eye contact to avoid being called on. As the bells chimed for dismissal, I breathed a sigh of relief.

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