can someone edit my supplements for columbia? they’re lowkey kinda bad soooo
List a few words or phrases that describe your ideal college community (150 words or less):
Bustling cities filled with “go-getter”, independent individuals hurriedly pacing down the gray asphalt, tightly gripping the poles of the subway, smothered with anticipation and anxiety for upcoming interviews, petitions and banners hung against windows championing for a political activity, clubs huddled around the stones of a sidewalk, motioning a lone student sauntering by to join. This represents my ideal community: it consists of division and unification and determination and advocacy—where I can argue about the ethics of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and analyze The Iliad to discuss its implications with a group of people—where
individualists and conformists, literature enthusiasts and scientific thinkers, and athletes and artists
thrive. My community is diverse, in terms of people, academics, opportunities,
opinions, and life, all with the ability to change the world.
Please tell us what you value most about Columbia and why (300 words or less).
I looked up; the gray steps ascended a slope, leading to the massive, pantheon-like structure gracing the sky proudly behind the Alma Mater statue. “King’s College Founded in the Province of New York”, it boomed, enthusiasm draping over the walls like a tapestry as I sauntered through the red pathway.
“This is Low Library”, pointed our tour guide, Drew, to hundreds of us gathered at Columbia. The windows of John Jay Dining Hall donned posters of blue advertising “COLUMBIA LIONS GAME DAY!”, as the girls track club circled around the campus, the slapping noise of tennis shoes thudding against the concrete, while Drew, moving steadily backwards, wary of his pace, elaborated on the courses.
While strolling through Butler Library, a curious poster caught my eye— “Political Science Student Association Meeting, Wednesday”, it stated. The Association planned events pertaining to politics, current government events, and international relations—it served as an opportunity for political science students to explore the major both academically and professionally.
This is when I realized what I valued most in Columbia—Columbia’s Core Curriculum offered an all-rounded education, while allowing me to delve into topics centered around my intended majors—Political Science and Human Rights. With the University Writing Program (specifically, the Readings in Law and Justice and Human Rights) and the course, Power, Rights, and Social Change: Achieving Justice, I can discuss specifics regarding the implications of human rights negotiations and hope to understand national and international law in relation to my past to enable more effective problem solving regarding racial profiling and human trafficking.
Most importantly, Columbia is a community where students embodied the spirit of activism, were strongly opinionated and independent, and took the initiative to advocate for oneself—a community filled with the culmination of all these qualities that could change the world.
- If you are applying to Columbia College, tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the field or fields of study that you noted in the Member Questions section. If you are currently undecided, please write about any field or fields in which you may have an interest at this time. (300 words of fewer)
I excitedly bounced in my metal-black chair, a high-strung, zealous fifth grader encountering the adventures of another history lesson. My teacher—Mrs. Brown—wrote a string of cursive letters on the board detailing the class agenda; the 5th grade was learning about the American Revolution and had to decide 18th century family names, occupations, and political views amongst our table groups to undergo the journeys of colonists residing in early America as part of a project. My table group—called the “Parkers”—was a middle-class artisan family that frolicked with other colonists at dinners, helped in minimal policymaking, and sold tea and textiles. As I explored the world of the “Parkers”—the conflict between Patriots and Loyalists, the tyranny of King George the III, the relationship between colonists and Native Americans in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and its implications—my fascination in the founding of United States history was sparked, and I let time wash over me as I passed through each century with breathless rapture. I watched documentaries on the Battle of Gettysburg, read literature written during the Great Depression Era, and listened to presidential speeches of the 20th century. I delved into how historical events affected current issues in the United States and worldwide—specifically, human trafficking in the Middle East after the partition between Israel and Palestine, problems regarding redlining in Seattle after the implementation of Jim Crow laws, and how policies of Nazi-Germany influenced the current regime. Mrs. Brown colonial project taught me that our history is not only what creates us, but what we create as well and by understanding the pass, it is plausible to influence our future; this has generated my interest in political science and human rights to further encourage activism to fix global racial profiling.