"Tradition of excellence: biology, physics, and chemistry" -Columbia University Essay

Please Tell Us What You Find Most Appealing About Columbia And Why. (1500 Character Limit)

Columbia University represents a tradition of excellence that has served as the launching pad for the careers of several highly successful individuals. Their fields of study have spanned from the basic sciences to the arts and from literature to business. As an individual who wishes to be challenged and placed among the best and the brightest, I believe that Columbia would be able to best cater to my career goals. My involvement in science research over the last six years has helped me discover my passion for the biological and physical sciences. Even as an undergraduate, I would like to participate in the strong research tradition Columbia has been a part of. I find these opportunities to be one of the most appealing traits of Columbia. I plan to further utilize the knowledge that I acquire at Columbia in biology, physics, and chemistry, to eventually make contributions in the biomedical sciences through my graduate research. My scholarly interests, however, extend beyond the basic sciences to the liberal arts and social sciences. My ultimate career goal is to start a business focused on creating technological solutions using cutting edge research in the biomedical sciences. I strongly believe that Columbia University will provide me with all the skills I need to succeed in the highly competitive environment of the 21st century.

any suggestions or points of criticism and concern are welcomed. Thanks.

The thing is, this essay could be used for any other prestigious university (harvard, brown.. etc.) by just changing "Columbia" to the name of any other institution. Though your essay is well written, you should do a little research on Columbia and mention specific things that interest you at Columbia. Mention specific classes and professors, or perhaps a club or organization that you wish to join upon entering Columbia.

goodluck!!

it sounds very mechanical and (as the above comment points out) very general. you should follow HarvestBristle's advice and connect with the reader at a more personal level.

Thank you very much. I pretty much constructed a very general essay and was planning on just changing the name and adding university specific things...i just forgot to do that for this one. I will do that right away. Thanks for your help.