<p>I’m currently writing the transfer essay for the Common App., as well as a couple of more specific supplemental essays. During the summer before my senior year of high school, I became a hardcore fundamentalist Christian. It was a life-transforming decision. Much of my spare time was spent deeply studying the Bible and Biblical commentary, as well as issues in Biblical history and contemporary Christianity and politics. I became engaged to be married at age 17, and planned to attend a very small liberal arts state school where my fiance attended, in order to stay close to him, my home, and my home church.</p>
<p>In the months since last summer, I’ve become a skeptic – or, as I’m now comfortable with putting it, an atheist. Being a fundamentalist for a year acutely narrowed my worldview and influenced me to put a very low emphasis on formal education. During high school I had a decent spread: A 4.09 GPA, a 33 on the ACT, and I was a National Merit Scholar Finalist. I know that I squandered a lot of the potential I had to get into a respectable university during my senior year (the year of what my family and friends call my “fanaticism”) and I feel deep regret and a sense of bad timing. I’m currently attending a very small state school that absolutely fails to challenge me, and I see no future for myself here. I’m looking for a rigorous academic environment that will nurture my renewed intellectual passions. I want to transfer next fall.</p>
<p>My journey from the particular sect of Christianity which I subscribed to to my current situation was a difficult and deeply intellectual one which has yielded a lot of positive fruit. For one, I’m now very interested in the field of Biblical criticism, especially that which relates to linguistic analysis (linguistics is my first love). Also, re-evaluating my belief system caused me to call into question my evaluation of truth. I’ve since concluded that logic and scientific reasoning are the most honest means of pursuing knowledge. Since evolution vs. intelligent design was a hot topic in my circles for a long time, and since research-based science won out every time, I’ve also developed a large amount of respect and enthusiasm for the hard sciences. I’m currently a math major looking for a college with a linguistics department, so I can major in linguistics and shift my math focus down to a minor. However, I’m also thinking that I might really enjoy studying physics, chemistry, or biology. It will be difficult to give them a chance now that as a potential “transfer,” I’m in a perpetual time crunch.</p>
<p>Anyhow, the reason for this thread is that this deeply personal journey which I have just made is a LARGE part of my decision to transfer, and develops an exposition of my academic passions (for logical systems/math/science and linguistics/Biblical studies) in a way which other personal narratives wouldn’t quite approach. However, because the journey was a religious one, I’ve been led to believe that it would be “off-limits” for a college/transfer essay. I’m looking for opinions on this claim if any are knowledgeable about such things.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>