I haven't figured out what to do for my introduction yet, but here is what I have so far. Any helpful suggestions or critiques are greatly appreciated!
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? (Please limit your response to 650 words.)
I will never forget the day my Border Collie got spayed- I actually remember it positively, unlike my dog. Walking into the veterinarian's office, I was strangely excited as my dog trembled in the corner; yes, my dog was going to undergo surgery, but the mechanics of the medical procedure and treatment instantly intrigued me. While the procedure seemed completely ordinary, to me, it was a once in a lifetime experience- being able to first-hand observe animal patients and have a helping hand in their rehabilitation. I followed the doctor's care recommendations to a T, and although I was still a child, I felt like I was able to truly make someone's life better. This experience was the first taste I got of medical treatment in animals, and it has continued to encourage me to investigate further and further into animal medicine.
In high school, while different subjects were all taught separately, I have always seemed to blend them together, specifically science and mathematics. I tend to have a math-minded brain- facts and clear answers were gold to me; because of this, science, which is filled with explainable occurrences and processes, fit in perfectly with my factual focus. As I have grown up, I continue to incorporate the two subjects together, trying to apply advanced mathematics, like calculus, into environmental and biological science material. Additionally, both of these subjects allow me to put my curious, and sometimes stubborn, sense of investigation to good use; even after a teacher demonstrated a certain approach to a topic or problem, I had to find my own path to the answer or process to fully grasp the concept. Cornell's interdisciplinary courses like Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences would be perfect for me, as I could finally take a course meant for blending the two subjects and strengthen my background knowledge for a career in medicine.
Overall, Cornell would be an extraordinary fit for my college education; I would be able to take animal science and medical classes that would both prepare me for veterinary school and allow me to delve deeper into my interest in medicine. No other college can compare to Cornell's vast offering of both strong interdisciplinary courses and pre-medical classes, which gives me the opportunity to explore unique interdisciplinary research opportunities in medicine and science and gives me the freedom to double-major in both Biological Sciences and Mathematics. With the low student:faculty ratio at Cornell, I would be able to develop personal relationships with faculty, while the immense size of the student body would allow me to create long-lasting bonds among diverse peers that I would not have been exposed to on a smaller campus.
447/650 words
