“So what do you want to study at Cornell?” I winced at these words, anticipating a familiar wave of conflicted emotions to pass through my body any second. It always was easy to answer what college I wanted to go to but the hard part was discussing what I wanted to study. Sometimes I would answer biology, other times sociology, but most of the time I indicated that I was undecided. I was wedged between two seemingly different areas of interest and was not ready to give either of them up. However, my experiences throughout high school with cross-disciplinary studies inside and outside of the classroom made the overlap between sociology and biology clear. I realized that I could pursue both passions in the unique Biology and Society major offered at Cornell, specifically in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
I have been always fascinated with the human body, but even more fascinated with the technology associated with its analysis and treatment. One of my favorite toys as a child was a stethoscope my mother, (a doctor) had given me. I would run around, listening to the music of the heartbeats surrounding me. The gateway between the outside and inside of the human body
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was in my hands. It is no surprise that my favorite days of Advanced Placement Biology were in the laboratory; I always sought a more hands-on experience. Determined to expand on my interests of biology in a laboratory setting, I spent two summers in the Nevis Laboratories of Columbia University.
I was given the opportunity to work with the genes of canine and rat cells with the goal of developing a cell model that could affectively portray the affects of radiation treatment. As a Biology and Society major at Cornell, I’d like to enhance my classroom education with a more genuine experience in the numerous opportunities for research. I studied a few publications of Dr. Jeffrey Roberts, a Cornell professor, this past summer and am intrigued by his work on the role of RNA polymerase in gene regulation. I am confident that under his tutelage, I can add to my core knowledge and use it to further my research and to solve current problems in
society. Although I did not initially see the overlap between biology and sociology, after years of participation in both areas, I was able to learn and appreciate the similarities. The Society and Biology major is perfect in that it combines two of my passions into one major. My heart is set on pursuing this major and CALS in particular would allow me to dive right into the core of my interests. However, CALS still allows flexibility outside of my major to explore things I may have not gotten the opportunity to experience before. I have the ability to double major or minor in anything and it does not even have to be in CALS. Most of all, I can get the hands-on experience I always wanted since I was a child. Driven to share my passion for the social sciences with others, I organized a chapter of The Junior State of America (JSA), attracting students also interested in politics, education, laws, and other elements of society. JSA is a national, nonprofit, and student-run organization that promotes the participation of high school students in a democratic society. I encouraged members to share ideas with each other by guiding them through student debates and chapter-wide discussions. Of course my favorite discussions covered health-related topics like vaccines, obesity, and nutrition. I loved putting biology into a more ethical perspective and being able to hear the various views of my peers. We live in an increasingly multidisciplinary world and the “society” education is essential to the understanding of biology in the modern world. I believe that the Biology and Society major is very unique in that it would allow me to look at biology from a much more different lens than a microscope’s. Serving as the president of my school’s JSA chapter helped me develop my leadership skills and taught me the importance of rising above self-interest to promote the public good. Biology and sociology may seem to fall into completely different categories but actually share a lot more in common than one would think. A common misunderstanding of biological research is that the closest you get to human interaction is with some cells. However, one of the most enticing aspects of biological research for me is the communal nature of the process. Social perceptiveness is key to gaining important insight into the different methods and views of both your coworkers and competitors. Figuring out problems and connecting with people is an appealing feature of both the humanities and science.
Every year there are thousands of students planning and tracking their goals. Seniors in high school are faced with the tough challenge, while the Juniors are left to worry another year. Finally, the point comes a student’s life where they must make one of the most important decisions in their educational lifetime. That choice is, which college to attend, and it is a very scrutinous process. Two of such colleges are the University of Iowa and St. Ambrose University, and although similarities like majors and minors are evident, there are many other differences including student life.
When I entered college at LSU, in the fall of 2009, I was undecided in my major. I did this purposefully because I wanted to give myself the opportunity to have one full year to try out a variety of classes and truly allow myself to find my passion. It was during my second semester at LSU that I took KIN 2500, a human anatomy course, and felt the feeling I had been hoping I would fe...
Imagine a cardiovascular surgeon about to crack the sternum of a dying patient; tension is high while the clock of life ticks desperately slower and softer for the poor soul on the cold steel table that saw death the hour before. Is it logical that at that moment the purveyor of life is contemplating whether his freshmen philosophy class back at SMU has thoroughly prepared him for what he is about to do? Not likely. In higher learning institutions, liberal art classes like philosophy are not meant to be directly applied to one’s life or career; however, they are structured and devised to be a strong base that the individual can expand upon through scientific learning and experience. This is precisely the reason colleges and universities require and place much emphasis on these classes; nevertheless, there has been a shift away from the liberal arts towards the direction of highly specialized areas of science and business because of their growing integration in everyday life. Although people need a limited number of liberal arts classes to attain a basic understanding of ourselves and our evolution, state universities are aptly moving towards technical education, because, in this fast paced world, many people don’t have the time or money to spend studying the humanities alone.
I hope to leave NC State as a young adult who is ready and prepared to enter society with a determined mindset and hard work ethic. I believe that I will be perfectly capable of achieving my goals and and aspirations as an NC graduate, and will graduate with the experience to take on challenges that may await me in a future career. Although I am still unsure of my desired field of study, I am confident that I will be able to discover a career path I will enjoy through the Exploratory Studies college. I am excited to enroll as an undergraduate student at NC State, and look forward to the opportunities ahead of me in the college of Exploratory
Over the past few years, people have begun to see going to college as a way to achieve the American Dream through career-readiness. People used to go to college, hoping to get a better well-rounded education. For most the well-rounded education, it usually came with the courses required for a liberal arts education. The courses would provide a level of analytical and in-depth understanding that would prepare the students for both life and whichever career path chosen. No matter the amount of money paid, parents would be willing to gi...
A college education gives a person the opportunity to be successful in life, either financially or morally dependent on the goals that they set for their life. They will choose a college that offer programs for the major of their choice, where they will specialize and receive a degree. The decision to pursue a higher education will give the opportunity to earn a better income over someone who does not have a degree. College is more of life preparation course that will help make sure a successful career. If a person pursues a career in engineering, physics or mathematics their curriculum would include more liberal art preparation courses, in order for them to earn their degree, so someone pursuing a degree in these types of careers are attending college for job preparation. On December 10, 2009 at Hamilton University in Clinton, New York, college professors debated current college curriculum (Liew). They talked about how their college could make a leap from being good to being great. At the 22nd American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges conference held in Long Beach California on November 14, 1996 the topic of changing curriculum was discussed (“Mich”). The University of Louisiana, Lafayette, is eliminating its philosophy major, while Michigan State University is doing away with American studies and classics, after years of decline in enrollments in those majors (Zernike). The purpose of a college education is to meet the student's liberal art’s needs so that they can compete and understand the connection between a degree and a job that will enable them to compete with other world economies, give them a well-rounded education that will enable them to earn a higher income, and retain a lifetime full of knowledge.
Though I have a number of intellectual interests, three of them are particularly conspicuous: politics, economics, and technology. These interest both excite my curiosity while teaching me lessons that will prove useful for me in life.
Students base their college major choices on their interests. A study published in the College Student Journal, conducted to reveal information about students who are entering college, utilizes extensive research to identify the factors that influence students’ college major decisions. It is based upon the assumption that making “good” major choices is beneficial to the students. A “good” major is defined as one that helps students reach their post-education goals, as well as one that is compatibl...
Since the beginning of my academic endeavors, I have long cherished a dream to be a member of the social science research community, which gives our society progressive insights into human ecology. I began my undergraduate studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey with a passion for ecological justice and with the intention of majoring in environmental studies. Ramapo College’s progressive liberal arts foundation provided me with ample room to explore the multifarious array of social science courses. As I took more social science courses, however, my understanding of human social groups underwent a metamorphosis. As a result, I decided to pursue a degree in Social Science, with minors in the two fields I felt most passionately interested in, Women’s Studies and African American Studies.
As a freshman, I was conflicted about what I wanted out of college. At the time, I naively believed that I would major in Neuroscience and Arabic while completing plenty of biomedical research on the side. Perhaps I would also sign up for a few clubs here and there and thus produce the perfect resume for medical school. In the following year, I realized that my heart was not into the breakneck agenda I planned for myself and I started to reevaluate just what exactly I wanted to pursue in my undergraduate experience. With the aid of many advising sessions I gained a clearer picture of my passions, which as I had come to realize, were what I truly wanted to work towards. Among my interests is Global Health -- in particular, I wish to learn more
Whenever asked what my favourite subject is, Biology has been, and will always be, my only answer. It was bewildering to compare my body to a machine working harmoniously. The digestive system, the respiratory system and the circulatory system are coordinating with each other right underneath my skin. Realising that the 'blue lines' visible beneath the flesh of my hands are actually veins carrying deoxygenated blood fueled my desire to know more about how my body functions. To me, it has always been about getting to know my self better.
Further education gives students an opportunity to develop skills, talents, and discover new interests. It teaches students how to examine, evaluate, and compare arguments with different people. Many young students are undecided about their career path when they think about college. Some people are not ready to decide their majors because they have not received enough information about the different subjects. Fortunately, colleges offer students the opportunity of exploring a variety ...
One of the most important decisions an undergraduate will make will be deciding what they will major in. This academic and life choice will ultimately decide how an individual will view their college experience and help guide them with their future career choices. Choosing the wrong major can be too stressful and overwhelming for a student with more course work than expected. On the other side of the spectrum, the wrong choice in a major will not challenge the individual to bring out their full potential. “Ideally, a major will leave a student academically successful, as well as fulfill academic, personal, and vocational goals “(“The Pennsylvania State University Division of Undergraduate Studies,” n.d.). For most college students choosing a major is a difficult decision, especially when they are not mentally and rationally matured. When choosing a major it is implied that most people are logical and rational, and that they weigh the pros and
When I graduated from high school I, like many students, had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I thought that going to college, without any idea of what degree to get, would be a waste of money and time; so I made the decision to hold off on college. Ten years later, and after much deliberation and research, I found my calling to be psychology. The first step in becoming a clinical psychologist is to obtain a bachelor’s degree. It doesn’t have to be in psychology, in fact you can get an undergraduate degree in anything and then apply for a master’s degree in psychology, but I want to know as much as possible about psychology before I get into my Ph.D. By adding a minor in sociology, which is the study of human social behavior and its origins, development, and associations, I am hoping to obtain a broader look at why people are the way they are. A bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a minor in sociology, is valuable because I would like to become a clinical psychologist.
I have always been the kind of person who could never make up her mind. For the past three years, my answer to the question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” changed every two weeks. Even now, I can’t bring myself to choose between my two passions: languages and neuroscience. At Fordham College at Lincoln Center, I don’t have to choose. The integrative neuroscience program covers all the bases, from cell to cognitive to computational neuroscience. The opportunity to customize my education and set myself up for a fulfilling future in my area of study is one that has been integral throughout my college search, and I believe that Fordham offers just that. The Lincoln Center College also appeals to my style of learning. I’m a very hands-on