I intend to pursue engineering The college admissions and selection process is very important, perhaps the one that will have the greatest impact on one's future. The college a person attends often influences their personality, opinions, and career. Therefore, when I hear that “it doesn't matter which university you go to. You can get a good education anywhere, if you are motivated,” I tend to be quite skeptical. Perhaps, as far as actual knowledge is concerned, this statement is somewhat valid. Physics and mathematics are the same thing, regardless of where they are taught. Knowledge, however, is only a small piece of the puzzle that is the university, and it is in the rest of the puzzle that universities differ. At least as important, or even more important, than knowledge, is the attitude toward that knowledge. Last year, when my engineering team was competing in the NEDC Design Challenge, held at Hopkins, after the competition some friends and I talked to a civil engineering professor. What struck me was the passion with which he spoke about his field of study. At Hopkins, everyone – the students, the faculty, the administration – shows a certain seriousness about learning. This makes Hopkins a good choice for me, as I am also very enthusiastic about the subjects I study. I love learning, and when people around me do too, it creates a great atmosphere that everyone benefits from. My enthusiasm and activity extend not only to academia, but also to other aspects of life. I am very involved in extracurricular activities, participating in my school's engineering club and math team, and I love sports, having played on the varsity soccer and tennis teams for three years. This makes Hopkins, with its great sporting traditions and multitude of clubs and organizations, a great choice. Additionally, I intend to explore new activities while I am in college. Due to the small size of my school and the dual curriculum, the spectrum of activities available to me is relatively narrow. Hopkins offers me a great opportunity to branch out and participate in organizations I didn't have access to before. Another aspect of Hopkins that really appeals to me is its student body, which is diverse and multicultural, yet uniformly academically strong. As I myself am a refugee from Russia, where I experienced social and cultural antisemitism, multiculturalism and acceptance of different groups are very important to me, not to mention it allows me to meet people of different backgrounds and learn about their different perspectives..