This is my JHU essay on the topic:
"Alzheimer." I opened the piece of paper where I had secretly scribbled this word.
During those 30 long minutes, that was the only word I could guess was important since it was repeated so often. Unfortunately I could neither catch the meaning of the doctor's analysis, nor translate something useful from the worried expressions of my parents. I was desperate for an answer.
Infinite "why"s did I ask to myself for a long time... I could not understand why my grandmother would sometimes forget my name. - I anxiously typed the word "Alzheimer" in my search engine. - I was not able to explain why she would start a sentence and then suddenly interrupt herself, unable to continue her thoughts. - My insecure finger pressed the "Enter" button in my keyboard. - Nobody could give me a plausible answer, so I was left alone in the midst of fears and assumptions. - I clicked to the first result of the list in my computer screen. - Now I wanted to find out.
At the time I was twelve years old. Now I am seventeen: older, wiser, more mature. Today I understand what Einstein meant when he said that everything is relative. Those 45 minutes practically seem years when I have to solve relativity problems for my Physics class, while they pass as a gentle, brain-refreshing breeze when I am emerged in those truly beautiful class discussions in Biology. During four years of Biology classes throughout high-school, I have experienced the excitement of discovering things that hooked me, the possibility to provide answers to many questions and a natural curiosity to find out even more. I have run through the centuries and millenniums to discover humans' origins; I have discovered what hides within a single drop of blood; I have slipped by the double helix to decode life. It is ironic, however, that even now I am not able to fully answer my childhood question.
What are the neural causes of Alzheimer disease? How can it be treated? Moreover, why do we dream? What are the emotions? How are the memories stored? It is surprising that science, with its galloping techniques, has got no answer to these questions, yet. This simple fact, instead of holding me back, motivates me. My curiosity and thirst for knowledge always recharge me. They lead me into a never-ending series of why-s that form a seemingly vicious circle. With every answer I give, I am a step closer to the depths of life where science hasn't arrived yet...
I am excited about how much there is yet to be discovered, but, truthfully, what I am most excited about is how important these discoveries would be for the people. People. I love people. They are my inspiration: my grandmother, my family, my friends, my world is made out of them. I once thought that I had one foot in sciences and one in humanities and that I would eventually have to make a choice between the two. Today I have realized I have already made my choice - wonderful enough to blend my two inclinations in a perfect direction: Neuroscience. I am thrilled by the possibility to discover and to make a change in people's lives. I am ready to put all myself in this mission, but I know that in order to achieve it, I will have to be mentored by a top University in my chosen field. This is an issue whose answer I have found: Johns Hopkins. Now, I believe that Johns Hopkins will help me find all the other answers I am looking for...
Please edit/cut it mercilessly. Thank you :)
"Alzheimer." I opened the piece of paper where I had secretly scribbled this word.
During those 30 long minutes, that was the only word I could guess was important since it was repeated so often. Unfortunately I could neither catch the meaning of the doctor's analysis, nor translate something useful from the worried expressions of my parents. I was desperate for an answer.
Infinite "why"s did I ask to myself for a long time... I could not understand why my grandmother would sometimes forget my name. - I anxiously typed the word "Alzheimer" in my search engine. - I was not able to explain why she would start a sentence and then suddenly interrupt herself, unable to continue her thoughts. - My insecure finger pressed the "Enter" button in my keyboard. - Nobody could give me a plausible answer, so I was left alone in the midst of fears and assumptions. - I clicked to the first result of the list in my computer screen. - Now I wanted to find out.
At the time I was twelve years old. Now I am seventeen: older, wiser, more mature. Today I understand what Einstein meant when he said that everything is relative. Those 45 minutes practically seem years when I have to solve relativity problems for my Physics class, while they pass as a gentle, brain-refreshing breeze when I am emerged in those truly beautiful class discussions in Biology. During four years of Biology classes throughout high-school, I have experienced the excitement of discovering things that hooked me, the possibility to provide answers to many questions and a natural curiosity to find out even more. I have run through the centuries and millenniums to discover humans' origins; I have discovered what hides within a single drop of blood; I have slipped by the double helix to decode life. It is ironic, however, that even now I am not able to fully answer my childhood question.
What are the neural causes of Alzheimer disease? How can it be treated? Moreover, why do we dream? What are the emotions? How are the memories stored? It is surprising that science, with its galloping techniques, has got no answer to these questions, yet. This simple fact, instead of holding me back, motivates me. My curiosity and thirst for knowledge always recharge me. They lead me into a never-ending series of why-s that form a seemingly vicious circle. With every answer I give, I am a step closer to the depths of life where science hasn't arrived yet...
I am excited about how much there is yet to be discovered, but, truthfully, what I am most excited about is how important these discoveries would be for the people. People. I love people. They are my inspiration: my grandmother, my family, my friends, my world is made out of them. I once thought that I had one foot in sciences and one in humanities and that I would eventually have to make a choice between the two. Today I have realized I have already made my choice - wonderful enough to blend my two inclinations in a perfect direction: Neuroscience. I am thrilled by the possibility to discover and to make a change in people's lives. I am ready to put all myself in this mission, but I know that in order to achieve it, I will have to be mentored by a top University in my chosen field. This is an issue whose answer I have found: Johns Hopkins. Now, I believe that Johns Hopkins will help me find all the other answers I am looking for...
Please edit/cut it mercilessly. Thank you :)
