liane
Oct 25, 2016
Undergraduate / How to add more about myself in Cornell CAS application essay? [10]
Biology and government: two seemingly unrelated topics, two completely different subjects in school. Although they appear mutually exclusive, there is a distinct cross-section of the two, one that can help us understand the reasonings behind many pieces of legislation, as well as the inner machinations of the scientific community. This overlap never ceases to pique my interest.
My attraction for government started my freshman year of high school. In my world history class, we delved deep into the philosophies the Enlightenment. After studying the theories of Hobbes and Locke, I grew fascinated by man's fundamental need for government and the social contract theory. I read the works of Karl Marx and Frederich Engels to discover the idea of the lack of government. During my junior year, where I was taking US History and Government and Politics, I was captivated by the institution itself-how so many people with differing points of view could come together and create laws for a nation.
As a practical person, government excited me because it was one of the only subjects in school that seemed to have any real world applications that I could see. I was able to view the mechanics of it all in action every day on the news.
My interest in biology started in middle school. As an 8th grader, I fell in love with the study of life. To me, biology was the inside-look, the backstage pass towards the science of life. How we exist and why we exist in that manner fascinated me. Rather than knowing the mere fact that our body inhales oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide, I learned what happens at a cellular level, about why we need to do that-to create ATP for cellular processes. I was most interested, however, in the prospects for the future of biology: stem cells, cloning, genetic engineering, immunology. Biology, unlike most of the other sciences, still has the potential grow.
I've always been a curious person. I've always wanted to know why and how things happen, not just what happens. Biology has been the only subject that ever truly fulfilled this desire.
In college, I plan to study the cross-section of the two. I want to closely examine where biology and government overlap. Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences is the ideal place for me to pursue this. I can examine biology not only scientifically, but also socially and politically by taking classes like The Politics of Science and The GMO Debate: Science & Society as a Biology and Society major. Cornell CAS has the unique feature that ⅔ of the classes are taken outside of your major, which can allow me the uncommon freedom to take government classes in concert with my science ones. The endless research opportunities at Cornell can provide me with the ability to explore politics and science together, possibly even delving into the biological reasons why we need government in the first place.
In the future, I plan to pursue a career in medicine that not only diagnoses and treats disease, but also deeply examines the ethics and the politics behind all of it. I want to become one of the gears in the ever-turning wheels of the world health community. I believe that Cornell can allow me the building blocks for this future.
Biology and government: two seemingly unrelated topics, two completely different subjects in school. Although they appear mutually exclusive, there is a distinct cross-section of the two, one that can help us understand the reasonings behind many pieces of legislation, as well as the inner machinations of the scientific community. This overlap never ceases to pique my interest.
My attraction for government started my freshman year of high school. In my world history class, we delved deep into the philosophies the Enlightenment. After studying the theories of Hobbes and Locke, I grew fascinated by man's fundamental need for government and the social contract theory. I read the works of Karl Marx and Frederich Engels to discover the idea of the lack of government. During my junior year, where I was taking US History and Government and Politics, I was captivated by the institution itself-how so many people with differing points of view could come together and create laws for a nation.
As a practical person, government excited me because it was one of the only subjects in school that seemed to have any real world applications that I could see. I was able to view the mechanics of it all in action every day on the news.
My interest in biology started in middle school. As an 8th grader, I fell in love with the study of life. To me, biology was the inside-look, the backstage pass towards the science of life. How we exist and why we exist in that manner fascinated me. Rather than knowing the mere fact that our body inhales oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide, I learned what happens at a cellular level, about why we need to do that-to create ATP for cellular processes. I was most interested, however, in the prospects for the future of biology: stem cells, cloning, genetic engineering, immunology. Biology, unlike most of the other sciences, still has the potential grow.
I've always been a curious person. I've always wanted to know why and how things happen, not just what happens. Biology has been the only subject that ever truly fulfilled this desire.
In college, I plan to study the cross-section of the two. I want to closely examine where biology and government overlap. Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences is the ideal place for me to pursue this. I can examine biology not only scientifically, but also socially and politically by taking classes like The Politics of Science and The GMO Debate: Science & Society as a Biology and Society major. Cornell CAS has the unique feature that ⅔ of the classes are taken outside of your major, which can allow me the uncommon freedom to take government classes in concert with my science ones. The endless research opportunities at Cornell can provide me with the ability to explore politics and science together, possibly even delving into the biological reasons why we need government in the first place.
In the future, I plan to pursue a career in medicine that not only diagnoses and treats disease, but also deeply examines the ethics and the politics behind all of it. I want to become one of the gears in the ever-turning wheels of the world health community. I believe that Cornell can allow me the building blocks for this future.
