Application Essay Question

Describe a personal experience that has profoundly changed your perspective on an issue of regional, national, or international importance. In what way has this event impacted your previous perspective? How will it change your approach to this issue (or similar issues) in the future?

This I Believe Essay Second Draft

          I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a science or math class just to hear one of my peers complain about how "we'll never use this when we grow up." Whenever I hear this, a million counter arguments run through my mind. I believe that more people ought to treat math and science with the gravity the subjects demand.  I feel so strongly about the usefulness of math and science, that this complaint is one of the very few things that get me very angry incredibly fast. It's this sort of collective ignorance that will ruin the minds of the youth. If only others my age would open their thoughts to the poetry of reality that is science and the language of the world that is math, wonderful changes would come about to my generations sense of awe and appreciation for everything that can be studied.

          To begin with, science is one of the most elegant subjects there is to study. Whether it be chemistry, physics, biology, or what have you, the uses are staggering. With the aid of objective scientific study, cures to any disease you can image can become reality, the world around us can be understood, and life can improve as we develop our understanding and expertise in any field of science. Studying any aspect of science can and will change the way the mind processes anything, adding depth and rationality to anyone's worldview.

          Without math, science would not exist. Science and math go hand in hand, as math is the tool we use to explain everything we come to understand in the scientific world. Whatever the eye cannot see and observe, math can explain by painting a different sort of picture with equations. Math provides the sort of unchanging exactness that science requires. Upon realizing this, math can actually be seen as a very admirable subject. I was once interviewing my calculus teacher for an english class. The way she described how she feels about the subject of math really shook my perspective at the time and effectively describes how I feel for math now. I asked her why she loved math so much, and with a gaze that showed nothing but deep appreciation for the subject and a million thoughts rushing through her mind and showing in her eyes, she told me "...because it's just so unchanging. It's beautiful in a poetic way."

          In conclusion, I believe that math and science are worthy of passion, not boredom. Only the ignorant feel that their uses are limited. With a firm understanding of math and science, the world becomes your playground. With science, our world can be understood with a degree of precision and objectivity. With math, what we come to hypothesize can be proven and understood further. I believe that if my peers were to take these subjects with the respect and awe they deserve, we would all be a bit better off.

This I Believe Essay

        I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a science or math class just to hear one of my peers complain about how "we'll never use this when we grow up." Whenever I hear this, a million counter arguments run through my mind. I feel so strongly about the usefulness of math and science, that this complaint is one of the very few things that get me very angry incredibly fast. It's this sort of collective ignorance that will ruin the minds of the youth. If only others my age would open their thoughts to the poetry of reality that is science and the language of the world that is math, wonderful changes would come about to my generations sense of awe and appreciation for everything that can be studied.

        To begin with, science is one of the most elegant subjects there is to study. Whether it be chemistry, physics, biology, or what have you, the uses are staggering. With the aid of objective scientific study, cures to any disease you can image can become reality, the world around us can be understood, and life can improve as we develop our understanding and expertise in any field of science. Studying any aspect of science can and will change the way the mind processes anything, adding depth and rationality to anyone's worldview.

        Without math, science would not exist. Science and math go hand in hand, as math is the tool we use to explain everything we come to understand in the scientific world. Whatever the eye cannot see and observe, math can explain by painting a different sort of picture with equations. Math provides the sort of unchanging exactness that science requires. Upon realizing this, math can actually be seen as a very admirable subject. I was once interviewing my calculus teacher for an english class. I asked her why she loved math so much, and with a gaze that showed nothing but deep appreciation for the subject and a million thoughts rushing through her mind and showing in her eyes, she told me "...because it's just so unchanging. It's beautiful in a poetic way."

       In conclusion, I believe that math and science are worthy of passion, not boredom. Only the ignorant feel that their uses are limited. With a firm understanding of math and science, the world becomes your playground. With science, our world can be understood with a degree of precision and objectivity. With math, what we come to hypothesize can be proven and understood further. I believe that if my peers were to take these subjects with the respect and awe they deserve, we would all be a bit better off.

Diagnostic Essay First Draft

 I'll write the intro last.

         When you compare the cost of installing, updating, and repairing the technology that could replace books, it would make more sense to just update the libraries list of books. In David Abel's "Welcome to the library. Say goodbye to the books." he says that one school is looking to spend nearly $500,000 on a learning center focused on technology. Keep in mind that technology gets outdated and must be replaced to keep up with the times. Now consider how many books or other tools for learning that could be bought with that money instead. Skipping over the fancy technology for a more basic method just makes more sense.

         It's also important to keep in mind that computers and the wealth of information that they have the potential to bring to a students fingertips are not the solution to all academic problems. Everyone with a computer at home and a free evening can learn anything online, but do they? The real key to a child's intellectual success in school is not the availability of the information, but instead, the accountability that a teacher, assignments, and grades put on them. As Dave Gelertner said in his essay "Should Schools Be Wired To The Internet?", students just need to "drill it, memorize it, because you must master it whether it's fun or not." So again, catching up with technology could just be a waste of time and money, as it has great potential to do absolutely nothing.

         Consider again that computers and other forms of learning technology doesn't work for everyone. One look at Dave Walker's "This Gadget is Everything I Have Ever Wanted" can tell you that. In his comic, he shows that his small device that's meant to be compact and easy for him to access just gives him "strain and injury". Again, his device hurts where it's supposed to help in that it makes him feel disconnected from those around him. A device that's supposed to help him stay on task, make life easier, and keep connected to his peers, actually affects him negatively and hurts him in all of those areas. Obviously, he can't be the only person who feels this way about technology, and we can't afford to let this would-be breakthrough hinder students.

         In conclusion, it doesn't make sense for schools and colleges to earnestly try to keep up with technology. Learning centers that some schools are trying to install are too costly with little return. On top of that, computers aren't as great of a learning tool as some people let them on to be. Lastly, a good percentage of people can't even learn well through the technology that these schools want to install. Without a doubt, schools should not try to keep up with the advances in technology and should just stick to the same old method that's worked for countless years.