Prompt:Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.
"Read, read, read" was my parents' favorite phrase when I was in my pre-teenage years. When I arrived in the states as a six year-old, my parents believed that assimilation was my top priority. Their solution was to inundate me with books. Reading would become an integral part of my daily activities. Despite my initial lack of enthusiasm, my parents' goal for assimilation was realized. Subconsciously, reading had instilled in me basic grammar and vocabulary. Even more, my initial reluctance of books slowly gave way to a shy liking of them, and soon enough, I became completely hooked.
Books of every genre, from mystery to historical fiction, never ceased to captivate my attention. As I grew older, I continued to enjoy the thrills that reading presented me, but I also began to appreciate where these thrills originated. I was inspired by the authors and how every sentence, grammatical notation, and word of a book could magically seam fluid narratives. I longed to discover how these writers expressed themselves so eloquently, and was also left awestruck at the deep insight of human behavior these authors possessed. Each character interaction in books, though fiction, paralleled actual human interactions, and the different motives of the characters' actions could even be self-applied.
Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.
In my junior year of high school, my search for greater proficiency of expression through writing led me to take AP English Composition. Analyzing literature from different authors with unique styles and techniques helped me to develop my own, and I learned to execute my arguments and ideas in essay form. However, though I was learning to write well, I realized more and more that my other interest was neglected. More than to be able to write well, I wanted more to learn about people.
It was not until my senior year that I was able to tend to both of my academic interests. I continued to hone my writing skills and reading comprehension by enrolling in AP English Literature, but I also enrolled in AP Psychology, a course devoted to the study of human behavior. I discovered how personality could not only be attributed to a singular factor, but that a biopsychosocial approach accounted three types of influences on our temperament; I learned that stress is an inevitable aspect of life, and there are various approaches to coping with stress; also, "social loafing" can explain the tendency for people in groups to exert less effort when pooling their efforts towards a goal than when individually accountable. All these explanations of actual human phenomena intrigued me, and continue to do so.
Cornell is the perfect institution to provide me with the diverse education that I seek. Being a student of the College of Arts and Sciences would not only allow me to further my studies in English and psychology, but also to explore other academic disciplines through the 2,200 courses available. In addition, Cornell's academically driven and diverse student body would motivate me to work hard, while broadening my cultural perspectives.
Any input is greatly appreciated!!
When I arrived in the States as a six year-old, my parents believed that assimilation was my top priority. Their solution was to inundate me with books. Reading would become an integral part of my daily activity .
Even more, my initial reluctance of books about readi ng slowly gave way to a shy liking of them, and soon enough, I became completely hooked.
It is important to mention English and psych in that first paragraph, because that intro para should "support" the whole essay with its introduction of the big picture, the main theme of the essay.
:-)
