Prompt: 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?
(Maximum of 650 words)
My response. Note that I am an international applicant .(542 words):
"Watching Cornell's sesquicentennial "Glorious to View" on YouTube was my version of a campus tour. I have never been to the United States, but hopefully my first trip there will be to Ithaca, the ideal community in which I can see myself being engaged socially, culturally, and intellectually. In particular, I would like to immerse myself in the diverse learning environment at Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences.
The College provides a unique liberal arts education that enables students to explore a wide range of academic interests. This characteristic breadth and depth idealizes the kind of education I would like to receive. Specifically, I aim to pursue my interests in philosophy and biology at Cornell.
In order to deepen my understanding of philosophy as a whole, I would like to attend Professor Tad Brennan's lectures on Hellenistic and Pre-Socratic thought, while peering into the minds of some of the most radical and iconoclastic thinkers of recent history in Department Chair Derek Pereboom's Modern Philosophy class. Discourse on consequentialism and ethical relativity in PHIL 2410 should be a good foundation before arguing about the Philosophy of Science with Professor Richard Boyd. This last course will also tie in neatly with my empirical undertakings at Cornell.
Biology, as with all of science, is a broad and intensive field that relies on constant discovery and the accumulation of organized data. Scientists have an obligation not just to pursue knowledge but also to communicate it clearly and concisely. Therefore, I would like to begin my scientific studies at Cornell with BIOG 2990: Introduction to Research, in order to refine my understanding of the formal research process while developing necessary skills and acquainting myself with relevant scientific literature, tools, and materials.
Later on, I see myself spending quite some time in the Biotechnology Building in Central Campus, exploring the mechanisms of the CRISPR/Cas system with Professor Charles Aquadro, and with Professor William Brown, discussing mammalian cells as a model system. Biotechnology for me is the perfect intersection of biological theory, sustainability, and ethics grounded in philosophy. These disciplines and modes of thought align in order to provide scientists with tools to advance the frontiers of human capability.
Outside of academia, I would like to take advantage of Cornell's many extra-curricular opportunities. I am particularly interested in the Biology Service Leaders program, which I feel is a great way to integrate science and public service. I would use this platform to spur action towards local conservation efforts within the Cornell campus and the surrounding jurisdiction of Ithaca. In addition, I would put my research and argumentative skills to use by writing for Logos: The Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy.
My correspondence with Professor Robert Thorne of the Physics Department spoke volumes about his character and of Cornell's culture as an educational institution. "Our biggest impact as professors is in the students we train, not the research we do," he wrote to me in an e-mail. Many more doors are bound to be opened by the recent curriculum review, and I cannot wait to see what Cornell has in store for its students in the near future. In the meantime, I relish the opportunity to compete for a place at an institution where history is not only studied, but made."
Comments and suggestions? I am applying regular decision in January.
Holt Educational Consultant - / 14,797 
4780 Rafael, most reviewers do not take kindly to applicants who name-drop their professor's names in their college application essays. It sounds like you are trying to use internal influence to gain an edge over the other applicants. That is why I believe that unless you have a Letter of Recommendation coming from Prof. Thorne to accompany this particular essay response, you should drop the last part of the essay that mentions his name.
Ivy league universities such as Cornell, prefer to have their applicant students compete on an equal level, without special favor or pause to consider connections of the applicant within the faculty department. Name dropping could work in an opposing manner for you. Let your application essays stand on the strength of your own words and your transcript of records prove your worthiness to attend Cornell.
The rest of that paragraph works well as a closing statement though. I would not change any part of it. The overall essay is excellent and really responds in an in-depth manner to the prompt. Good work on your part.
