Pegasus /
Apr 3, 2015 #1
I was waitlisted at Reed College and they're letting me send a new "why reed" essay, please help! Thanks so much!
Modern psychologists have debunked the theory that people are either left-brained or right-brained, but that concept - kept alive by pop culture and online personality quizzes - still seems to dictate the way we perceive students.
Since starting the time-honored college application process, I've noticed a deep divide between the creative and logical world. It seems you can go down the artistic path, full of creation and self exploration, or the analytical path, full of data and research. Since the two worlds contradict so much, it's ill-advised to have a go at both. It's best to cup your hands around your eyes and concentrate on your field.
So when I explain that I want to go to med school and study art, it raises eyebrows.
"When I grow up," I want to spearhead an innovative disease oriented research team and join Doctors Without Borders, all while organising human rights rallies and illustrating articles for time magazine in my downtime. My parents try their best to sound supportive while subtly persuading me to pursue my more intellectual interests, afraid the dreaded "art major" will land me sleeping on a friend's box-spring couch.
Our society puts a lot of emphasis on these alleged "left-brain" practices, but the dogma that creative fields are separate from logical fields is crippling. Taking an anatomy class with prior knowledge of renaissance art, or leafing through old chemistry notes to better manipulate a mixture of acrylic paint and rubbing alcohol has allowed me to produce more successful, innovative work than my blinder-wearing counterparts. While specialization made me a good scholar, variety and exposure made me a great scholar.
That's why Reed excites me so much; not only does it understand the liaison between art and science, it has created an environment where the two can openly celebrate their relationship instead of asking me to pass each other notes in the back of class. I need a balance of creativity and logic in my life, and I know Reed can provide one. Spending my college career here will stimulate both sides of my soul - artistic and scientific - and ultimately help me cultivate a variety of interests. No economy, society, or humanity can thrive with only one hemisphere of it's brain, and neither can I.
Modern psychologists have debunked the theory that people are either left-brained or right-brained, but that concept - kept alive by pop culture and online personality quizzes - still seems to dictate the way we perceive students.
Since starting the time-honored college application process, I've noticed a deep divide between the creative and logical world. It seems you can go down the artistic path, full of creation and self exploration, or the analytical path, full of data and research. Since the two worlds contradict so much, it's ill-advised to have a go at both. It's best to cup your hands around your eyes and concentrate on your field.
So when I explain that I want to go to med school and study art, it raises eyebrows.
"When I grow up," I want to spearhead an innovative disease oriented research team and join Doctors Without Borders, all while organising human rights rallies and illustrating articles for time magazine in my downtime. My parents try their best to sound supportive while subtly persuading me to pursue my more intellectual interests, afraid the dreaded "art major" will land me sleeping on a friend's box-spring couch.
Our society puts a lot of emphasis on these alleged "left-brain" practices, but the dogma that creative fields are separate from logical fields is crippling. Taking an anatomy class with prior knowledge of renaissance art, or leafing through old chemistry notes to better manipulate a mixture of acrylic paint and rubbing alcohol has allowed me to produce more successful, innovative work than my blinder-wearing counterparts. While specialization made me a good scholar, variety and exposure made me a great scholar.
That's why Reed excites me so much; not only does it understand the liaison between art and science, it has created an environment where the two can openly celebrate their relationship instead of asking me to pass each other notes in the back of class. I need a balance of creativity and logic in my life, and I know Reed can provide one. Spending my college career here will stimulate both sides of my soul - artistic and scientific - and ultimately help me cultivate a variety of interests. No economy, society, or humanity can thrive with only one hemisphere of it's brain, and neither can I.