"we are both geniuses" - U of M Essay (3rd option)

[C] Tell us about a book you have read that you found especially challenging, stimulating, or provocative. Explain why it made an impact on you. Approximately 500 words

You may be older than me, wiser than me, and more intellectual than me but we have one thing in common: we are both geniuses. Geniuses not in the intellectual, studious sense, but geniuses in the fact that we are able to act without thinking. You may be asking yourself: "Who would correlate being a genius with not being cautious?" You can blame that correlation on my reading of the AP Biology book: Biology by Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reece.

The first day I received the massive college-level text book, I let out a deep and heavy sigh and thought to myself, "This is going to be very boring and tiresome to read..." I walked lethargically back to my desk, cradling the book with both my arms, and dropped it on the desk - the desk almost toppled over due to the sheer force the book made on its surface. The introductory day of the class took its regular course: syllabus, safety contract, words of inspiration (or warning, depending on the mindset of the student) that encouraged the class that the difficulty of the class is not high but content is high - obviously. Why the teacher had to assign the reading of the introductory chapter on the first day of school, I'm still flabbergasted, but I am thankful!

"I might as well start reading this gigantic book." I said to myself once I arrived home from school. Opening the book was like opening my eyes and brain to a new world hidden by my eyes' perception of only the surface and my brain's inability to search for things beneath what my eyes perceive. The great deal of organization that the body possesses and the genius shown in the body's ability to perform very complex processes is amazing.

Reading the book also brought many questions to mind. I began to question almost everything around me: from the ease of digestion of certain foods to the composition and breakdown of certain macromolecules. These questions arose because the processes seemed too complex for actions that occurred naturally. In addition, I was amazed by how my mind could not easily make sense of these processes while my body just performs these processes with ease and without the use of much brain power.

Furthermore, through personal research, I discovered that not everything about the body is known explicitly by our minds; however, the fact that our body knows how to perform these unknown actions is amazing.

Organization in energy usage, organization in energy storage, organization in motion, organization in organ systems, organization in organs, organization in tissue, organization in cells, organization in molecules, organization in atoms. If there is a genius in the world it must be the body because who can coordinate the many processes that occur within these organizations into one working and living system? the body. Who can perform actions that our minds do not explicitly know? the body. The body is very amazing!

Any criticisms would be very much appreciated.

Word Count: 498

^I would remove this.

Your essay seems to be fairly alright. It is fairly well written.

BUT in my opinion, discussing a book that you had to read as part of your AP program is not as impressive as discussing a book that you chose to. It forwards, to me at least, the following impression: your reading is not very broad, and because you yourself know this, you decided to conveniently, for this particular essay, discuss a book that you have already read because naturally, it would be easier.

I apologize if this is not the case, and if you were infact amazed by this book, but I would assume that the Admissions Commitee is looking to read your discussion of a book outside of your academic domain, or a book that you had to read because it is compulsory

I think it is well written, and choosing a textbook seems like a good way to express your interests in college. I chose this option too, but mine is about a novel...if you wanted to take a look...it seems like very few people on this site choose to write about a book.

Liebe: I was really amazed by the content of the book. Also, the books I read are usually mystery books, and although they always stimulate thought when I want to try and figure out what is happening, and I really don't know how to make a 500 word essay out of them but thanks for pointing out that the Admissions Committee might think that way.

I will think of another essay.

I think your writing carefully and you have your own understandin about biology. Which is good~~
I chose to write about a book, too. But it was not textbook, instead, it is historical documentary.
Emphasizing more on your feelings then guiding the readers to the impact would be helpful, I think.