<p>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?</p>
<p>I am extremely passionate about one intellectual interest, but I broadly covered why studying the topic helped me in my common app essay. My GC said I should focus on one or two specific topics in the field that I find interesting and talk about it. </p>
<p>I'm applying for the physics program and it's something I'm extremely passionate about. I wanted to talk about exactly why I find it so fascinating and relate it a bit to music, but I don't know if that will count as talking about different intellectual interests. </p>
<p>Should I only talk about different things in physics and be deep in my analysis/discussion to show them how much I love it, or should I talk more briefly about physics and also talk about things like music that interest me instead? I want to convey my passion for the subject without disregarding the other "intellectual interests," but I only have 650 words to do this and express why I'm a good fit.</p>
<p>Why not write about physics and music :)</p>
<p>I just talked about statistics and how it related to brownian motion and also my experiences of gambling in video games.</p>
<p>Just make sure to mention something about how Cornell’s programs will help you and you should be fine.</p>
<p>I’m applying to the physics program as well. They like people with diverse interests, and physics and music are definitely diverse. For physics try to focus on a specific field of it. If you’re truly passionate about it then you should have narrowed it down significantly. Do you prefer mechanical physics, astrophysics, particle physics, or something else? Experimental or theoretical? Narrowing it down will help convey passion and knowledge of the subject without using 7/8 of the essay. Once you have that, the most important part is saying why Cornell’s program would be the best place for you to explore it. Do something similar with your other interest(s), but make it clear what you’re really passionate about.</p>
<p>I don’t see tying physics and music together helping anything besides maybe flow. Again, they want diversity. If you talk about the physics of music, then it seems like you’re still only focused on science.</p>
<p>That’s my suggestion anyways.</p>
<p>Thanks Alex. I definitely need to make sure it flows well, but I basically wanted to talk about the complexity and structure of the universe in relation to complexity and structure of music (I’m interested in the more theoretical fields of physics). Thanks for the great advice. Good luck!</p>