Intellectual Interests help PLEASE!

<p>I'm writing a paper so that i can get accepted into the honors program at Longwood University.
The essay has to answer the following questions and be a minimum of 400 words:
-What are your intellectual interests?
-How do these interests shape the way you look at the world?
-How would your interests and perspectives contribute to the honors college?</p>

<p>I am writing about my intellectual interest in psychology. The first paragraph of my paper is as follows: </p>

<p>I've always been very curious about why people are the way they are. Questions like "why are some kid's parents abusive and mine are so loving?" and "how come if dad has a bad day at work he's grouchy with me at home?" had always puzzled me when I was younger. As I moved on to high school I wondered why my friends' personalities had totally changed over the summer. Finally I took a psychology class in high school and got the answers to these questions and many more. I love to study psychology and learn about behaviors and the way the mind works. </p>

<p>-any ideas to make this paragraph better would be greatly appreciated. and i especially need help answering the other two parts of the question. and how much more should i elaborate on my interest?</p>

<p>I like the style of your first paragraph. It's nice and colloquial... readers will appreciate that in a college application. You may overdo it, at times, however... "mine are so loving", "how come", "grouchy", "totally", in particular. You may look for slightly more formal sounding words for these same ideas. But I think that what you have demonstrates a level of sincerity that won't go unnoticed.</p>

<p>As far as content is concerned, I might recommend adding a second paragraph which explains in more detail what it is in psychology that you want to explore. I know - and the readers of your essay will, too - that you aren't fluent in the language of your field, but you should have some idea of the main areas in psychology. Do you want to be closer to biology (actually what the brain is and how it works) or to sociology (how people interact in groups)? Are you interested in perception and senses (how stimuli are translated by our brains into our awareness of them), memory, learning, languages, abnormal psychology, etc.? Give at least one specific example of something you learned in class that fascinated you, and if possible, say how you learned more about it outside of class. This would be a rock-solid addition to your statement of intellectual interest.</p>

<p>As for the second point, just explain why you think psychology is important. You already did this to a small extent in describing your intellectual interest. You like psychology, presumably because it helps you make sense of the world... how? Why should anybody care if you are an expert at psychology? I can be an expert at any number of made-up disciplines which have nothing to do with reality (underwater basket weaving, etc.) but this doesn't necessarily change the way I look at the world.</p>

<p>For example, I'm a computer science major. If I were to write something like what you need, I might say something like...</p>

<p>Ideas from the field of computer science have profoundly changed the way in which I understand how the world works. Basic concepts from computer science - such as algorithm, efficiency, and logical thought - have applications in everyday activities. For instance, you execute an algorithm every time you get dressed, make breakfast, and start your car; you evaluate the efficiency of various options when you decide how to drive to work in the morning; and you must employ logical thought to do things such as scheduling meetings for next week, creating a budget, or comparing student applications. Furthermore, much of society's functioning has come to depend, in part or in whole, on computers and software systems. The internet, for instance, has revolutionized the ways in which people communicate and disseminate knowledge. Machines - from washing machines to cars to airplanes and cellular telephones - contain computer systems which allow them to work properly. The applicability of computer science concepts to everday life, along with the ubiquitous nature of computer and software systems, are representative of how computer science has shaped the way I look at the world.</p>

<p>I feel like this is a strong paragraph for the second response (others, feel free to criticize... I didn't spend much time on this).</p>

<p>For the third thing, just say why you feel like you deserve to be in the Honors program more than some other guy. Are you hard working? Are you interested in undergraduate research or teaching? Do you belong to associations or interest groups in which you actively participate? Do you have hobbies or interests above and beyond those of which the honors college is already aware? etc. Just tell them why you think you are a good, well-rounded person and why you want to be in the honors college at all. Avoid reasons like "it will look good on a resume". lol.</p>

<p>Thank you AuburnMathTutor :-)<br>
-here is a finished copy of my essay. i tried to take all of your advice and it was very helpful. Do you (or anyone else) have any furthur suggestions?</p>

<p>Having some trouble finding where I have to click to download it, dude. Maybe it's just trouble on my end.</p>

<p>here lets try just copying and pasting this time. lol.
I’ve always been very curious about why people are the way they are. Questions like “why are some kid’s parents abusive and mine are not?” and “how come if dad has a bad day at work he’s angry with me at home?” had always puzzled me when I was younger. As I moved on to high school I wondered why my friends’ personalities had completely changed over the summer. Finally I took a psychology class in high school and got the answers to these questions and many more. Now I enjoy learning anything and everything that has to do with psychology. I am particularly interested in the psychology sub areas of sociology. I also find it interesting to study the different ways people (especially children) learn. Many of my other interests, ranging from Greek mythology to genetics, cannot be applied to everyday life; however, psychology can be helpful in almost any circumstance.
Sociology is basically the study of human interactions in groups, which is interesting to me since I plan on being a teacher after college (and will therefore be working with groups of children). An experiment by psychologist Solomon Asch, found that people would conform to a group’s judgment even when it is clearly incorrect. I tested this for myself outside of school with a group of ten-year olds at the daycare I work at. I had 3 straws, one long one, one short one, and one in the middle. I instructed four of the five ten-year olds to pretend like the medium length straw was the longest. When I brought the fifth child in and she heard the other four children saying that the middle straw was the longest, she went along with their thoughts in order to be accepted; this is called normative social influence. The influence of peers obviously effects children’s behavior. This will be important for me to know later in life when I’m a teacher.
I tutor other students after school and it is obvious that some of them learn better when the topic is approached in a different way. One child that I tutor in math learns best when they can visually see what is happening. I think as an education major, it is extremely helpful for me to study different learning methods and the psychological approaches behind them.
Psychology has profoundly changed the way I see people, relationships, the world, and even myself. Before I began studying psychology, I assumed that people just acted the way that they did because that’s how they were born; a father physically abused his son simply because he was an angry man; a classmate did poorly in school just because he was dumb; my neighbor that talked to himself was dangerous, crazy, and should be avoided at all costs; the girl in my class, who spent thirty minutes putting her books in her book bag so they were exactly right, was just plain weird. Now I realize that people like this aren’t just mean, dumb, crazy, and weird; they were all suffering from psychological problems. The father was mean and abusive, but he wasn’t born that way. Yes, some of his traits may have been inherited, but the behavior was also learned from his father. The classmate that did poorly in school wasn’t dumb; he just had trouble paying attention because he had ADHD. My neighbor wasn’t necessarily dangerous or crazy; he just suffered from schizophrenia. The girl that reorganized her book bag continuously probably just had an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychology has taught me that people cannot be judged just on what I see at first, because there may be underlying causes for the way that they act that aren’t obvious right away. I have also learned so much more about myself. Through studying psychology, in both on my own time and in the class, I have discovered new effective ways to handle my stress. Psychology has also made all types of relationships easier. For instance, your mom has a rough day at work and takes yells at you because she is displacing her stress on a safer outlet (you) so she doesn’t have to deal with it.
I used to see a homeless man on the street and wonder why they didn’t have a family member to live with, or why they didn’t just go get a job and earn some money. Now I understand, many of America’s homeless men and women have serious psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. These people have been shunned by society because they are seen as different or crazy, but they really just need help. With treatment, schizophrenia can go into a remissive type state and the person can lead a more normal life. My interest in psychology has really re-shaped how I see people like this. Our country needs to get these people the help and care that they need.
My interest in psychology could contribute to the Honors College in several ways. I would help others to use psychological approaches to dealing with stress or breaking bad habits. I could tutor other students and help them understand how they learn the best so that they can get the most out of their education. I think I would do well in the Honors College because I am a hard working student, and my interest in psychology would help me excel in the career path I have chosen.</p>

<p>Excellent, if you ask me. You'll need a good proof-reader... I notice some minor things like "son's" should be "sons'" and "effects" should be "affects", etc. However, as far as style and content are concerned, I think you're good.</p>

<p>I would remove the thing about Greek mythology and genetics, though. It's sort of extraneous to the discussion and sounds a little sappy.</p>

<p>Thank you so much for all of your help! I really appreciate it. I hope I get in. They should be letting me know by February 16th :-)</p>

<p>One thing that might make your essay stronger is to specifically state what you will do on campus to contribute to the honors program. So, for example, find organizations that offer tutoring at that school and say something like, "Once I arrive at Acme University, I plan to join the Young Tutor's Club so I can offer my services to fellow students."</p>

<p>Good suggestion. Details, details, details.</p>