Arts & Science Anonymous

On our wall at home, there hangs a poster that reads "Mathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries, for mathematics, the cultural world is one country". This paraphernalia comes courtesy of my father - a math professor who would never let me drift too far away from numbers. Elementary school summers meant no time off in sharpening my arithmetic, getting weekly lessons and assignment sheets from the resident expert. As my secondary school mathematics courses became more abstract and theoretical in nature, my appreciation for the field shifted into a genuine passion; the inherent beauty and logic of math has made me want to center my career in academia around this subject.

The breadth and depth of the mathematics department within Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences is second to none. I would take full advantage of the world-class instruction across the spectrum of theoretical and applied mathematics to become well-versed in the world beyond calculus. Proof-based courses such as "Complex Analysis" and "Honors Introduction to Algebra" would expand my understanding of pure mathematics that is almost exclusively abstract; theory-based topics give me a thrill of tasting the current unknowns of our physical universe. General...