An essay competition sponsored by the Cornell Club of Buffalo is open to all 11th graders in Western New York and Southern Ontario, Canada. This means all juniors in public or private schools, as well as home-schooled students in their penultimate year of schooling.
The Cornell Club believes that participation in this contest will aid students in the development of their critical thinking and writing skills. Development of these skills is vital to the maturity of a well-rounded lifelong learner and will make one a much more attractive applicant during the college admissions process.
The club says: "One of the most important skills that you will continue to develop during the balance of your high school years and in college is the ability to thoughtfully evaluate opposing viewpoints - in other words, to think critically. This skill is important not only for students and scholars, but also for nearly every occupation you might choose, as well as for your personal mental growth and maturity."
The Grand Prize will consist of $100, a certificate, a letter of award and a limited edition copy of Cornell University’s Reading Initiative book of the year, “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. Each Second Prize and Honorable Mention prize will consist of: a certificate, a letter of award and a limited edition copy of the “Grapes of Wrath.”
There will be one Grand Prize awarded, and as many second prizes and honorable mentions as the club sees fit. The Cornell Club of Buffalo offers the prize; winning or placing favorably in the essay contest in no way implies a favorable admission decision by any of Cornell's seven undergraduate colleges.
The Rules:
- Answer the PROMPT below as completely as you can in 1,000 words or fewer. There are no limits to the range of your response, but it should give a picture of your personality and beliefs, and should imaginatively include your own life experiences including, but not necessarily limited to: reading, school, travel, work, personal successes, personal failures, sense of humor, current events, family history, etc.
- If you refer to another author’s work in a manner that would require citation, you may include footnotes or end-notes in any commonly accepted format. These citations will not count toward your 1,000-word limit.
- Finally, on the last page of the document include:
- Your name
- Your parents’ or guardians’ names
- Your home address, telephone number, and e-mail address where we may contact you
- The name of your school
- The name of your English teacher with his/her school phone number.
- Please do not include any identifying information (your name, your teacher's name, etc.) on any page other than the last page.
- All entries must be in Microsoft Word format or text format.
- Submit your essay as a single e-mail attachment to the following e-mail address:
c.sasiadek@gmail.com with the subject line “Cornell Club Essay Competition.”All entries must be e-marked no later than April 1.
PROMPT:
There are some who argue that the purpose of higher education is to train individuals in immediately practical skills with an eye toward fulfilling the perceived needs of society and the economy -- by training students in fields such as agriculture, medicine and engineering. There are others who argue that the purpose of higher education is to develop general learning skills and to add to human knowledge whether in an immediately practical manner or not. They believe that fields such as art, philosophy and the classics are more important than practical fields of study.
What is your opinion regarding these two educational philosophies?
