Any advice is appriciated!
Thanks
College of Arts and Sciences:
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.
Chemistry with Mrs. Ammons was the stuff of legends. Even walking by her room, one could sense the fear, stress and frustration of everyone inside. Her class was like the flu: the only solace was that it had to be over eventually. I was struggling in chemistry because I could never relate it to the real world; however, that all changed after doing a lab one day. In this particular lab, we were given sodium bicarbonate, acetic acid, and plastic bag of unknown volume and assigned to react the two chemicals in such a way that enough carbon dioxide would be produced to fill up the bag completely. What?!? It took all of five seconds for my lab group to give up and accept yet another failing lab grade, but I was determined to prove to Mrs. Ammons that I was a force to be dealt with. The next day I came equipped with a carefully drawn out schematic that detailed exactly how the desired results could be achieved. To my surprise, we made a perfect grade. Though I knew that certain traits of nature could be predicted, as I had been doing all my life, it seemed like almost a privilege this time. Rocks fall to the ground when dropped and cookbooks burn if they get too close to the burner but I had learned those particular laws of nature through observation; now I could use my knowledge of science and mathematical calculations to predict something I had never imagined or seen before. It was as if I had been given the right to look into the engine of Mother Nature and configure it to achieve any number of results. This marked the beginning of an ongoing quest to better understand the world around me through the study of science.
We are taught to thank our family for what we have, but what about nitrogen, carbon, hemoglobin, DNA polymerase or even mucus. By deciphering each of these biological switches, something I strive to do, one could perhaps understand exactly what it means to be human. It seems almost profane to say that the most valued of human traits, love and compassion among them, are simply the products of a complex series of chemical interactions in the body. Through the study of medicine, this information could be used to cure and understand the many ailments that afflict humans. The diverse number of programs and research opportunities at Cornell University's College of Arts and Science will allow me to explore my interest in both chemistry and biology as I complete my pre-med requirements. The renowned research facilities and the highly respected professors will enable me to gain the knowledge necessary to pursue the answer to the mystery of the human body and apply that knowledge to improving our quality of life in some small way.
Thanks
College of Arts and Sciences:
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.
Chemistry with Mrs. Ammons was the stuff of legends. Even walking by her room, one could sense the fear, stress and frustration of everyone inside. Her class was like the flu: the only solace was that it had to be over eventually. I was struggling in chemistry because I could never relate it to the real world; however, that all changed after doing a lab one day. In this particular lab, we were given sodium bicarbonate, acetic acid, and plastic bag of unknown volume and assigned to react the two chemicals in such a way that enough carbon dioxide would be produced to fill up the bag completely. What?!? It took all of five seconds for my lab group to give up and accept yet another failing lab grade, but I was determined to prove to Mrs. Ammons that I was a force to be dealt with. The next day I came equipped with a carefully drawn out schematic that detailed exactly how the desired results could be achieved. To my surprise, we made a perfect grade. Though I knew that certain traits of nature could be predicted, as I had been doing all my life, it seemed like almost a privilege this time. Rocks fall to the ground when dropped and cookbooks burn if they get too close to the burner but I had learned those particular laws of nature through observation; now I could use my knowledge of science and mathematical calculations to predict something I had never imagined or seen before. It was as if I had been given the right to look into the engine of Mother Nature and configure it to achieve any number of results. This marked the beginning of an ongoing quest to better understand the world around me through the study of science.
We are taught to thank our family for what we have, but what about nitrogen, carbon, hemoglobin, DNA polymerase or even mucus. By deciphering each of these biological switches, something I strive to do, one could perhaps understand exactly what it means to be human. It seems almost profane to say that the most valued of human traits, love and compassion among them, are simply the products of a complex series of chemical interactions in the body. Through the study of medicine, this information could be used to cure and understand the many ailments that afflict humans. The diverse number of programs and research opportunities at Cornell University's College of Arts and Science will allow me to explore my interest in both chemistry and biology as I complete my pre-med requirements. The renowned research facilities and the highly respected professors will enable me to gain the knowledge necessary to pursue the answer to the mystery of the human body and apply that knowledge to improving our quality of life in some small way.
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