Personal Narrative: The Core Curriculum At Uchicago

During my two last years of high school, i've been in contact with a lot of colleges and universities. Many of which don’t get my attention. Throughout my whole high school years, there was only one college that i wanted to go to, Liberty University. I have heard so many wonderful things about Liberty and what i loved the most was that it was a christian school. Liberty had the number one thing that i am looking for in a college, that is a christian school, but many of my other things that i look for in a college where just not there. I used to live in Florida approximately 11 years ago and let me tell you, it's hard not to miss the sunshine state. Liberty is in Virginia, a state where it doesn't feel like home. When i received a brochure

UChicago’s ideology, like my own, is applied to panoply of disciplines. The Core would allow me to attain a broad knowledge base, while the flexibility of the curriculum would allow me to explore novel topics

My study at Howard Community College has helped me pick out a major that I know I will love pursuing for the rest of my life. HCC was a great way for me to learn the introductions to pertaining to my major. Although HCC was a considerable start, it had limited programs and resources that could have guided me in the long run.

The University of Chicago has a prime location in the heart of Chicago and has a strong reputation for giving an above excellent education that will prepare me to continue into graduate school. Inside the classrooms of the University I found it intriguing to learn that the desks are placed in a circular position as a brilliant method to promote discussion. This is a very important element because when I become actively engaged, I learn and remember the material permanently at a quicker rate. By forming a circle with the desks, it has provoked a sense of community in the classroom between myself and the other classmates. This community inside and outside of the classroom is the perfect connecting point in the cycle of every opportunity the University of Chicago has to offer, from those I have listed above to those I may not know of until very the first

When I explored Johns Hopkins University online, I came to a conclusion that it has everything that one could possibly dream of. To begin with, JHU is capable of nurturing a comprehensive liberal education while allowing a remarkable amount of freedom in designing one’s own curriculum. Moreover, as a person hungry for intellectual stirrings, I wish to be surrounded by people equally eager to learn and folks considerably smarter. I want to acquire knowledge from those around me and share mine to contribute to the richness of JHU’s environment. Furthermore, I would love to take advantage of various research opportunities. Without a doubt, at Johns Hopkins University, I will continue to variegate my experiences by immersing into a vibrant, diverse intellectual community of scholars. Moreover, I am sure that JHU's academic approach will endow my natural curiosity with adequate tools to expand my intellectual horizons and become a Renaissance

Other than the stunningly jaw-dropping campus, beautiful Hyde Park in Chicago, and the brimming intellectual environment paired with an extensive academic focus, UChicago focuses less on the “I have to go to college” part of life, and more on the “I want to go to college” aspect. I felt the academic culture come to life at a UChicago Information Session I attended, listening to Mrs. Belak, the North Carolina regional admissions counselor, tell us all about UChicago was the final “brick in the wall” for me. I was already set on wanting to go to UChicago, but after the Information Sessions, I was so very ecstatic at the chance of studying in Chicago for my next 4 years. Because I couldn’t schedule a tour based on finances and distance, I tried my best to immerse myself in anything I could get online, from virtual tours, videos from current and former students, dorm tours, drone footage of the campus, and previous ViewChicago live streams.

UChicago then became the “evilest” university I knew. (I wondered how many people wrote about a mathematics test…) The wit and creativity are something I have not seen in my education, where there are prescribed answers to the “thinking cap” questions. I believe education could be an experience, an adventure, a journey; an endeavor to triumph over the “evilness” that challenges students to stretch their boundaries of thought and imagination.

Physics has been both a challenging and deeply beneficial course. The reason this course has been difficult for me isn’t because it is an AP class. It also isn’t because I am only a sophomore, my age has no real impact in this instance. This class has been difficult for me because it presented several ideas in ways I had never challenged before. It has truly made me question my way of thinking and has opened up my eyes to the world around me. Some of the things I’ve learned in class I’ve already observed before but never knew why. Other things I’ve been blind to and finding out the truth gives me a whole new perspective. I have had to retrain my brain out of its misconception of reality. Learning something entirely new is easy. The real challenge occurs when you have to forget what you thought you knew and replace it with something entirely different.

It was not long ago when I fell in love with the University of Chicago. My fervor for UChicago rapidly grew from the moment I first heard about it. I was on the Metra headed to downtown Chicago with my friend, and she mentioned UChicago as her top school for college applications. As she talked about UChicago endlessly, my interest in the school piqued. My friend’s enthusiasm about UChicago amazed me and influenced me to conduct my own research on the school. The prestigious reputation of the school surprised me because I had never heard of it before. I soon realized that UChicago is a hidden gem among colleges that all seem the same to me.

I was sitting at my desk my in the second grade class. It was a regular day just like any other day. With the regular teacher, the regular lessons, the regular student, and the regular words the students said. They would never talk about what the teacher wanted us to talk about but what second grader does? They would talk about movies they watched recently and music they were into that day. But what happened when they learned that I watched a different movie? What happened when I didn't like the music they did? What happened when I had my own ideas and didn't blindly follow whatever they thought was cool like a trained puppy? I was stupid. I was dumb. I couldn't function like a normal person. I would never be important. No one would ever like

“I began learning long ago that those who are the happiest are those who do the most for others.” Booker T. Washington’s wise words accurately summarize what I learned throughout high school. I noticed that selfish people are the unhappiest and most discontent. In sharp contrast, I also observed that people who dedicate their lives to others are the most joyful and satisfied. People I admire tend to be selfless and servant-minded. I strive to mimic them, living with a selfless mindset. My special interests, talents, and unique experiences enabled me to make others’ lives better.

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

After attending an informational meeting on campus, and hearing the anecdotal stories from my former AP U.S. History teacher and alumni of the University of Chicago, Howard Perlow, I fell in love. Not only was the campus itself absolutely gorgeous, but the community was unbelievably warm and welcoming. More than my ideal environment, UChicago is an institution where I believe I can flourish academically. Since I was young, it has been tremendously important to me that I learn, not just memorize, information, and that I have a broad general knowledge of all subjects, even those I don’t plan to pursue much after high school. I value knowledge as much as I value experience, because I feel that a successful life requires both, and while most universities

Describe two or three of your current intellectual interests and why they are exciting to you. Why will Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences be the right environment in which to pursue your interests? (Please limit your response to 650 words.)

My love of The University Chicago originated from hearing a student speak about art history. From when I was young, I have been mostly science-oriented. I read science-fiction novels, memorized the qualities of elements from the periodic table, and was constantly asking my parents to do science experiments with me throughout my childhood. Nonetheless, when this student began talking about paintings, I was astounded her enthusiasm and genuine interest in the topic. I found her discussion about the contrasting imagery and the significance of the man’s uneven brow to be captivating. I knew that I wanted to attend a school with people like her: (better to use em dash “—“)students who were not only smart, but held hold a genuine passion for learning. (The) University of Chicago is so