- Tell us what you found meaningful about one of the above mentioned books, publications or cultural events.
The autobiographical book My Double Helix emphasizes the wonderfulness of the love of learning while facing the challenges of research. The book, written by a Japanese author, tells the tale of a girl who is interested in biology and becomes a well known researcher in her field. I truly came to admire the narrator, who struggled to research in a male-dominated field to receive her doctorate in a foreign country. Born in the 1930's, I could not begin to imagine the obstacles she must have gone through to go to Columbia University to receive her doctorate degree. The appearance of a driven author in such an environment was very refreshing and inspiring to read, and was even envious at times. On the other hand, it was both unfortunate and ironic to watch the author fall ill from the very disease she was studying, and impair her from continuing her research. However, I believe that because of that event, this book was born and gives the audience something to think about. Although the contents mostly describe her scientific research, the author also transmits the joys of learning. One aspect that made me realize the hardship of foreign studies is the language barrier. I could relate to her struggles to communicate with her fellow peers without extensive knowledge of the language. However, unlike me, she had to take two foreign languages other than English in order to fulfill her doctorate degree, and Japanese was not one of the languages offered. It made me realize the limited experiences I have had, and reading this book gave me the opportunity to experience a variety of scenarios not just in the field of science. I aspire to be the type of person the author emphasizes: "one who loves a broad range of knowledge" (translated).
- For applicants to Columbia College, tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the field or fields of study that you noted in the Application Data section. If you are currently undecided, please write about any field or fields in which you may have an interest at this time.
My interest in the life sciences started when I had my first MRI Scan when I was 6. I had the opportunity of seeing a scanned picture of my brain on a computer screen and after seeing the colorful lights, I knew that I wanted to explore that area of science in more detail. I became very interested in how scientists could look at the brain functions with a simple scan. However, the spark of my curiosity in biology came freshman year of high school in my biology class. We had just learned about the immune system when I happened to get sick right before the exam. After that event, I became increasingly curious about how our body reacts to outside stimuli. I read science journals and books outside of class and took courses related to biology, and I became increasingly interested in topics related to biochemistry such as genetics. I am especially drawn to biochemistry because of the relevance this study has with our everyday lives. Everybody has these seemingly ordinary mechanisms in our body and is affected by them every day. I would like to explore more in detail our body's mechanisms on a molecular basis.
