Essay prompt asks what draws you to Swarthmore - here is my attempt
3000 species of plants. 1500 students. Among oftentimes mind-numbing college tours, this quirky fact stuck with me long after my spring break college visits concluded. I have never thought of myself as a man of nature. In fact, most days, I choose the artificial light of a computer screen or the chlorinated water of a pool as opposed to the tranquility of nature. However, as I toured the campus, I was awestruck by the beauty. Perhaps my air-conditioner had a rival at last.
Within half an hour of arriving, I was smitten with Swarthmore. As I walked to Parrish for the information session, I saw barbed wire and uniformed men blocking the entrance. I approached cautiously, struck by the contrast with the beauty of the surroundings, yet intrigued nonetheless. As it turns out, several students were conducting a realistic simulation of an Israeli checkpoint. Raised in a starkly pro-Israel, Jewish family, unbiased discussion about the Middle East is rare. Swarthmore affords the opportunity to let all views be heard by participating in an activist campus, brimming with life and political discourse. I welcome it with open arms and an open mind.
As an aspiring historian, I look forward to studying conflicts such as the Arab-Israeli crisis. Through Swarthmore's one-of-a-kind interpretation theory minor, I can analyze the historiography behind critical events. The ability to focus on theory through cross-disciplinary study is unique and something I hope to take advantage of at Swarthmore.
At first I viewed the political demonstration as a harsh contrast with the picturesque campus. Yet, I now recognize that, rather than opposites, the two are complementary. Although the scenery is aesthetically appealing and the demonstration certainly is not, the barbed wire represents a different kind of beauty. An academic community that values differing opinions is intellectually beautiful. And a campus that includes both will enable me to blossom.
3000 species of plants. 1500 students. Among oftentimes mind-numbing college tours, this quirky fact stuck with me long after my spring break college visits concluded. I have never thought of myself as a man of nature. In fact, most days, I choose the artificial light of a computer screen or the chlorinated water of a pool as opposed to the tranquility of nature. However, as I toured the campus, I was awestruck by the beauty. Perhaps my air-conditioner had a rival at last.
Within half an hour of arriving, I was smitten with Swarthmore. As I walked to Parrish for the information session, I saw barbed wire and uniformed men blocking the entrance. I approached cautiously, struck by the contrast with the beauty of the surroundings, yet intrigued nonetheless. As it turns out, several students were conducting a realistic simulation of an Israeli checkpoint. Raised in a starkly pro-Israel, Jewish family, unbiased discussion about the Middle East is rare. Swarthmore affords the opportunity to let all views be heard by participating in an activist campus, brimming with life and political discourse. I welcome it with open arms and an open mind.
As an aspiring historian, I look forward to studying conflicts such as the Arab-Israeli crisis. Through Swarthmore's one-of-a-kind interpretation theory minor, I can analyze the historiography behind critical events. The ability to focus on theory through cross-disciplinary study is unique and something I hope to take advantage of at Swarthmore.
At first I viewed the political demonstration as a harsh contrast with the picturesque campus. Yet, I now recognize that, rather than opposites, the two are complementary. Although the scenery is aesthetically appealing and the demonstration certainly is not, the barbed wire represents a different kind of beauty. An academic community that values differing opinions is intellectually beautiful. And a campus that includes both will enable me to blossom.
