Prompt: Describe two or three of your current intellectual interests and why they are exciting to you. Why will Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences be the right environment in which to pursue your interests?
How my interest in biology and CS was fostered
In my junior year, driven by my passion for science and desire to learn more about neurodegenerative diseases, I excitedly joined the newly formed AP Biology class. My experience learning college-level biology was exhilarating: there were simply so many "Aha!" moments. The fact that billions of cells are applying their expertise in chemistry and working in complement to one another to sustain delicate, complex systems like our bodies brought chills down my spine; how my brain is precisely manipulating my fingers to type words into my laptop by relaying multiple action potentials to the very nerves controlling my lumbricals and interossei was mind-blowing; complicated research did not scare me away but enthralled me all the more with the unlimited potential of biology waiting to be uncovered by my venturesome mind.
Desiring to learn more about the science of life, I turned to courses available online and spent many long nights listening to lectures on various biological sciences ranging from molecular/cellular biology to biomedical science. I was able to further refine my understanding in biology by leading the biology sector of our Science Olympiad team, which offered me not only the chance to share my knowledge in a subject I'm fascinated with but also an idea of how collaboration works in the general science community.
As I dug deeper into biology, I noticed its firm connection with computer science and tried books about the latter found at my home and several online coding lessons. Though I originally planned to study a bit of programming to complement my knowledge in biology, I soon fell for the world of computer science, a complex world comprising surprisingly simple commands such as "if" and "else" and straightforward, algorithmic approaches for problems.
In this world, for the first time, I was able to explore what I'm curious about at will. From testing how changing a postfix increment to a prefix increment would affect the output of a loop to building a program using different combinations of methods, I experimented on all sorts of things while programming. I was fascinated at how much I could learn by engaging myself in hands-on research-by trying to answer a question that's not addressed anywhere else with what I have at my hands.
The College of Arts and Sciences is special to me because of its truly diversified yet in-depth academic programs, which will allow me to pursue subjects I love to my heart's content. I was awed at that as if the fourteen biology concentrations already offered were not enough, each of them further branches into a myriad of specialized topics such as stem cells and cancer genetics; similarly, the breadth and depth of electives available for students enamored of CS astonished me (they are even grouped into vectors to viewed and selected easily!). As a prospective double major in biology and computer science, I'm especially excited to take specific interdisciplinary courses that cater to my interest in both biology (especially neuroscience) and computer science, such as Introduction to Computational Neuroscience, in the College of A&S.
What thrills me even more than courses for my majors is that I'll be applying what I learned in research to answer questions that no one yet knows the answers to in the College. I specifically want to perform research in the Yu Lab, where algorithms/programs integrate into molecular biology in a way parallel to how I've always expected them to be merged. A recent publication in which the lab's principal investigator was associated with demonstrates how computational analysis of data helped determine the specific role that interactions of mitochondrial proteins play in neurodegenerative diseases. It instantly resonated with my wish to apply my programming skills in neuroscience research to better understand and treat NDs such as Parkinson's and prompted my realization that Cornell's College of A&S is the right place for me to achieve my goal.
Dear Reader,
What do you think about the beginning? Is it a bit blunt? I actually had a introduction before that but had to delete it because of the word count (650 words). Here is the actual introduction:
As a child, I spent a great portion of my time swimming through the marvelous wonders of the world presented by a whole series of pop-science encyclopedias sitting on my father's shelf. It was my guilty pleasure to immerse myself in these books, satisfying my innate curiosity on Mother Nature whenever I got stuck on a math problem or couldn't put my young, energetic self to sleep.
Do you think I should sacrifice some part of my essay to add this intro? If yes, which part? Do you think my "why Cornell CAS" part (the last two paragraph) is specific enough? Should I combine any paragraphs? Should I add a conclusion or is the ending good enough?
I really need some help. Thanks a lot in advance!Holt Educational Consultant - / 14,835 
4783 Wenbo, Before you can discuss your passion for Biology, you must first discuss how your passion for science developed. So you have to discuss 3 instead of 2 topics here. Start with Science, move on to Biology, then close with Computer Science. For the science part, discuss how your interest was piqued but not as a child because reviewers will immediately dismiss this as you trying to make an impression, which will not work because they do not believe that children can develop such complex interests. You have to start with say, Introduction to Natural Sciences when you came into high school. From that interest in that topic, you can transition into biology, then into CS. I like the way that you discuss CS in this essay but it is lacking something. What is lacking is a comment from you about how 3 interests combine into one. What I mean is, how does science tie in with Biology then CS? The answer lies in DNA channels. You can combine all 3 interests by focusing your explanation on how these CS has brought Science and Biology to areas previously unknown, little known, or unexplored such as the human DNA mapping and cancer cell detection facilities. If you can make this connection clear, then your essay response will be strong and impressive.
