Briefcase by Daniah

Briefcase by Daniah - February 2019 Scholarship Essay

I remember constantly playing with a 12-piece doctor play-set when I was five. Inside the set were plastic clamps, a stethoscope, a plastic vaccine, and numerous plastic tubes. For years I dragged it around the house with me, often placing the buds of the stethoscope in my ears in an attempt to listen to my parents’ heartbeats that the toy could never pick up. When I reached the eighth grade I took high school biology, listening as my teacher explained the cardiovascular system. This course reinforced my childhood dream of becoming a doctor.
I entered high school with a love for science, specifically wanting to learn about what constitutes life itself. In my junior year, I decided to major in the Biological Sciences to learn more about the human body. I sat in AP biology much as I sat in eighth-grade biology, both fascinated and enraptured with the subject. I listened as my teacher lectured us about the nervous system and was surprised to learn how quickly our nerves are able to send signals to one another. In AP psychology I avidly watched a video that summarized the Baby Albert experiment, angrily observing the unethical experimental conditions. In Human Anatomy, I remember dissecting a fetal pig’s brain, holding it in my palm as I traced my hands across the grooves of the cerebrum. These three courses intertwined to demonstrate that our mind controls us and that how we respond to life has serious implications. At this point, I was geared towards neurosurgery with a major in neuroscience. If not offered, a major in biological sciences and a minor in neuroscience or cognitive thinking would also fulfill my needs.
I would like to major in neuroscience to not only focus on biology but also concentrate on the nervous system and brain function. By delving into this major, I could understand why our heart beats even when our brain is dead, where our thoughts are processed, and how such a sensitive organ holds so much life. I may even be able to identify what specifically controls us as humans: fate or our brains? As for the surgery aspect of my preferred career, neuroscience majors would be mandated to enroll in anatomy classes as understanding our brain and nervous system would mean understanding the entirety of our body. Communication does not only occur in one part of the body so understanding the basics of the human body will help with understanding communication throughout the body. It will be in these classes where I will continue dissecting animals, much like I did in my high school's Human Anatomy & Physiology class.
But science is not the only subject that could allow me to learn more about what constitutes life; humanities classes could help me understand differing views of life. Is life constituted by fate or our minds? How do our decisions affect our outlook on life? Does fate exist? If fate does exist, do we have free will? Reflecting on the plays 'Oedipus Rex" and "Antigone" it appears that we can never escape our fate, and therefore we do not have free will. However, I like to believe that we have free will and aren’t merely puppets under the hands of God. Although we don't tend to acknowledge it, many pieces of literature highlight scientific discovery and downfall and understanding these can help with our own analysis of modern-day scientific achievements. One example is "Frankenstein" which not only discusses crime, punishment, and lack of education between creator and creation but the effect f unchecked scientific inventions.
Outside of classes, I would also want to become a member of (or even create) neuroscience clubs and societies. Joining neuroscience clubs would allow me to become independent and confident in my academic work as I discuss neuroscience with other students and participate in lab research. Through these clubs, I could also engage in informational sessions and become involved in the club's blog to talk with others about neuroscience and share my own neurological findings. Most importantly, however, this club would allow me to begin delving into broad neuroscience questions of why individuals think and behave in the manners they do. These are exemplified in clubs and programs such as Women in Science in NYU and the Columbia Neuroscience Society in Columbia University.
To better understand how we think, I would also like to participate in research. Undergraduate research would help me build academic confidence, writing skills, and discipline. I would be able to take matters into my own hands as I delve into my topic of interest while getting necessary guidance from university staff to help build a strong research paper. Through courses, clubs, and research opportunities, I hope my childhood desire to pursue a career in neurosurgery will be confirmed. Maybe then, I will be able to hold a briefcase with a real stethoscope.