"As for my fate, I'll accept it whenever Zeus sends it." -Iliad
One of my favorite books, The Iliad, tells me the importance of choices. As a mortal whose fate was long fixed, Achilles chose to die young but honorably. Two options were available to him: one was dying under the city of Troy, never to return to his homeland Pythia; the other was enjoying a longer life, but not being remembered, Achilles swayed between the two choices but finally he understood in his heart that he was born to fight. I'm obsessed with humanities such as literature because it lays the foundation for human souls and it reveals weakness and strengths of human beings.
Before I entered college, I'd never thought of my future. I chose history as my major out of my purest love of reading. I didn't train formally in history and I had no access to any foreign language study. I had an ambitious application list, which included a lot of schools that seemed like good matches for me. When I look back on my choices, I realize that I didn't know myself or the schools at all. All in all, interest alone can't prove my abilities in history. However, very fortunately, OSU accepted me.
Thus, at the beginning of my first semester, I tried to prove to myself that I could be successful both in my major and other classes as well. I appreciate the resources that my current school can offer me. I have opportunities to challenge myself by taking courses I'm not familiar with at all, such as classical literature, Latin, history of art, and the English Bible. Through my studies in these subjects, I not only expanded my horizons, but also increased my interests in all kinds of humanities. After the first semester's study, I have had chances to choose the more challenging upper-division courses. I soon found out that I needed more.
Entering as a history major, I now realize that my interests reside in so many ways in the humanities generally and I want to distribute my time evenly among different disciplines. Thus, I want to pursue the interdisplinary studies that OSU does not offer.
Also, a university with relatively open curriculum would be the best option for me. Although I'm open to many options, I realize that I don't want to waste time on subjects that I'm entirely uninterested in.
Besides, I want smaller classes. A 300-person introductory lecture made me feel lost and even a smaller 45-person class can't satisfy my desire to participate more in class.
Since coming to America, I have appreciated my Chinese identity more. I'm longing to study more about ancient Chinese literature and history, but unfortunately my current school can't meet my need.
Everyone needs an enriched life beyond studying. Other than academics, I think there are some other points I need to mention. I'm searching for a more diverse and prestigious environment. Because more than eighty percent of the students at OSU come from Ohio, I have had difficulty assimilating into local groups.
I believe the study of the humanities requires a good environment and I'm longing to live near to museums, galleries, and concert halls. However, my school doesn't have enough for me to explore. Also, because I'm from a metropolitan city with a population of 10 million, I'm more comfortable living in urban areas. I'm expecting to find more internships in large cities, too.
I think that after thorough consideration, I can finally convince myself that transfer will be a better choice for me and I hope that my grades can demonstrate my ability to succeed academically at the next school.
One of my favorite books, The Iliad, tells me the importance of choices. As a mortal whose fate was long fixed, Achilles chose to die young but honorably. Two options were available to him: one was dying under the city of Troy, never to return to his homeland Pythia; the other was enjoying a longer life, but not being remembered, Achilles swayed between the two choices but finally he understood in his heart that he was born to fight. I'm obsessed with humanities such as literature because it lays the foundation for human souls and it reveals weakness and strengths of human beings.
Before I entered college, I'd never thought of my future. I chose history as my major out of my purest love of reading. I didn't train formally in history and I had no access to any foreign language study. I had an ambitious application list, which included a lot of schools that seemed like good matches for me. When I look back on my choices, I realize that I didn't know myself or the schools at all. All in all, interest alone can't prove my abilities in history. However, very fortunately, OSU accepted me.
Thus, at the beginning of my first semester, I tried to prove to myself that I could be successful both in my major and other classes as well. I appreciate the resources that my current school can offer me. I have opportunities to challenge myself by taking courses I'm not familiar with at all, such as classical literature, Latin, history of art, and the English Bible. Through my studies in these subjects, I not only expanded my horizons, but also increased my interests in all kinds of humanities. After the first semester's study, I have had chances to choose the more challenging upper-division courses. I soon found out that I needed more.
Entering as a history major, I now realize that my interests reside in so many ways in the humanities generally and I want to distribute my time evenly among different disciplines. Thus, I want to pursue the interdisplinary studies that OSU does not offer.
Also, a university with relatively open curriculum would be the best option for me. Although I'm open to many options, I realize that I don't want to waste time on subjects that I'm entirely uninterested in.
Besides, I want smaller classes. A 300-person introductory lecture made me feel lost and even a smaller 45-person class can't satisfy my desire to participate more in class.
Since coming to America, I have appreciated my Chinese identity more. I'm longing to study more about ancient Chinese literature and history, but unfortunately my current school can't meet my need.
Everyone needs an enriched life beyond studying. Other than academics, I think there are some other points I need to mention. I'm searching for a more diverse and prestigious environment. Because more than eighty percent of the students at OSU come from Ohio, I have had difficulty assimilating into local groups.
I believe the study of the humanities requires a good environment and I'm longing to live near to museums, galleries, and concert halls. However, my school doesn't have enough for me to explore. Also, because I'm from a metropolitan city with a population of 10 million, I'm more comfortable living in urban areas. I'm expecting to find more internships in large cities, too.
I think that after thorough consideration, I can finally convince myself that transfer will be a better choice for me and I hope that my grades can demonstrate my ability to succeed academically at the next school.
