Essay Topic: Please tell us what you find most appealing about Columbia and why.

Tucked away in quiet Morningside Heights is a little green haven I would like to call home for the next four years: Columbia University. Since my junior year tour, I have had a love affair with the institution, especially for its world-class academics. The Core Curriculum, the most celebrated aspect of the Columbia experience, provides the best mechanism to produce a diverse, well-rounded individual. And the ability to explore multiple disciplines in courses like "Frontiers of Science" and "Art Humanities" -- even if they do not pertain to my major -- is immensely appealing.

Another course I am eagerly anticipating is "Literature Humanities" - which typifies Columbia's celebration of the art of literature. As an avid reader myself, I realize that at Columbia I would have the opportunity to not merely read some of history's Great Books -- Don Quixote, The Illiad, and more -- but to engage in the incredible experience of discussing these revolutionary texts with a like-minded student community.

One of my prospective majors is "French and Francophone Studies," and I believe that there is no better place to hone my language skills than Columbia University -- a microcosm of the world! Columbia's student body is bursting with international flavor, making it an extra special place to study a language. With Columbia's emphasis on studying abroad, I would even have the option to perfect my skills at legendary French institutions, including the Sciences-Po or the Sorbonne -- or on campus in unique courses like "Poesie Francophone D'Afrique." And outside Columbia's urban campus, the opportunities for French cultural interaction are endless at lectures, film screenings, and exhibitions at La Maison Française or the Alliance Française.

With Columbia University's focus on structured learning, I know that I would graduate as an insightful, well-versed individual, equipped for life's challenges. Columbia is truly an otherworldly institution, and I would be delighted to call it home for the next four years!