Biology Personal Statement

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. The life-saving knowledge people use to eliminate pathogens and to provide medical care comes from biologists. Understanding biology interests me greatly, not only because of expanding my knowledge of how organisms work, but also because of the potential to help the people suffering from diseases. My interest in the biological sciences began with my first biology class in middle school, and continued through high school. In addition, my brother researches stem cell therapies to treat patients with neuromuscular diseases that have the potential to benefit thousands of people, and continues to inspire me. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University will allow me to increase my understanding of various biological systems and benefit my community through science.

I was mesmerized by this class, and my teacher, Mr. Altiere, helped awaken my hungry curiosity. Later on, in a high school biology course, I dissected a frog, worm, and a fish. Though the worm was seemingly the simplest organism of the list, it sparked my interest the most. At first glance, the worm was very simple, but during dissection, I was surprised to see the various structures inside, such as nerves and a circulatory system. This experience taught me not to take things at face value. Through exploration, one can find very surprising and interesting observations that are not completely obvious to an observer. The attention to detail I learned in these classes will help me as a future biologist to not gloss over something that may seem small, but could be a big detail in