Cornell Common App Supplement Essay

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GoPeer
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read
This essay was written by Lauren, a GoPeer tutor and student now at Fordham University. Check out Lauren’s GoPeer profile here.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected? Please discuss how your interests and related experiences have in uenced your choice. Specifically, how will an education from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Cornell University help you achieve your academic goals?

Growing up, I have spent most of my summers on the coast of Cape Cod, MA and have felt drawn to the ocean for as long as I can remember. In contrast, my somewhat rural homelife in Pennsylvania has been spent surrounded by dogs and livestock. Participating in Cornell’s Pre-Veterinary program with a major in animal sciences and a minor in marine biology encompasses both my love for domestic and aquatic animals.

I have been volunteering at the Pike County Humane Society since the age of twelve, and this experience has continued to shape my view on animal care and management. Animals brought to this facility are often malnourished, mistreated, skittish, and/or injured, yet most of them maintain the capacity to trust and love unconditionally. These characteristics have intrigued me from a young age. As I have grown older, I have been fortunate enough to witness a corresponding sentiment by many pet owners, a substantial number of whom struggle just to get by but endeavor to provide for their animals. This is the population I intend to serve.

This influence has cumulated in my aspiration to educate and assist people in their ability to care for animals. Improving the quality of domestic, wild, and/or marine life is a sincere goal of mine. My experiences on both a service trip to Haiti (building houses for those whose lives are still destroyed from the 2010 earthquake) and time spent in Nicaragua have further strengthened this passion. Third-world countries often do not have the resources to provide adequate services for pets and livestock. I will someday seek to make their care both understandable and medically affordable, and I will hopefully have the opportunity to work with Veterinarians Without Borders in the future.

By enrolling in CALS and enriching myself through Cornell’s Pre-Veterinary program, I can achieve my goals by receiving the best education available. CALS teaches its students to address social, economic, and environmental issues. These are concerns I strive to educate myself in so as to improve the quality of life for animals, wherever it ends up leading me. The laboratory experiences and research opportunities (such as the Research Honors Program) with partners around the globe set apart CALS from other science-based schools. One-on-one experience with world-renowned faculty is extremely valuable to me as I ultimately prepare to embark on a career in Veterinary Medicine.

I have already had a taste of this caliber of education through my experience at Shoals Marine Laboratory. The unforgettable summer course I took, Intro to the Biology of Sharks, Skates, and Rays (BIOSIM 1640), pushed and expanded the boundaries of my scientific knowledge and understanding. This course plunged me into the rigorous world of college academia and not only taught me to manage my time accordingly, but also address the issues of aquatic resource sustainability and the social/economic hindrances associated with it.

Besides the many opportunities this institution can offer me, I am confident in my abilities to give back to Cornell. I am a dedicated student with a strong desire to learn and possess a drive to excel, in addition to being passionate about my beliefs. I look forward to engaging in research studies and experiments at Shoals in order to expand CALS’s aquatic database. I am a potential asset to Shoals marine program and can be a figurehead in the Students for Animal Rights Organization, as I am very outspoken concerning the severity of animal abuse.

Admission into CALS would be a tremendous achievement, and I would be honored to attend.

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