( CNN ) -- The man accused of opening fire at a Colorado movie theater wanted to study `` the primary source of all things , our own minds , '' according to a personal statement he submitted as part of a graduate studies application . The application included the statement , professional references and test scores . It offered new details into the background of James Holmes , 24 , the man charged with killing 12 people and wounding 58 others at an Aurora multiplex . The documents were released Friday by the University of Illinois , where Holmes applied to the neuroscience department before opting to attend the University of Colorado . The application , part of 176 pages released by the university , was first obtained by The News-Gazette in Champaign , Illinois . While the documents do little to answer questions about the alleged suspect 's possible motive in the July 20 shooting during a showing of the Batman movie at the Century 16 multiplex , they offer new insight into Holmes as a student and his aspirations to study the human brain . In the statement , Holmes wrote that he has long been `` fascinated by the complexities of long lost thought seemingly arising out of nowhere into stream of awareness . `` These fascinations likely stemmed from my interest in puzzles and paradoxes as an adolescent and continued through my curiosity in academic research , '' he wrote in the statement submitted in early 2011 . He titled his resume `` aspiring scientist . '' Holmes was described as taking `` an active role in his education , and brings a great amount of intellectual and emotional maturity into the classroom , '' according to a letter of reference that appeared to be from one of his former professors . Media urge unsealing of documents in Colorado shooting case . As part of his graduate studies application , Holmes submitted a photo of himself offering a piece of straw to a llama . The move caught the attention of Samuel Beshers , the university 's neuroscience program coordinator , who pointed Holmes application to a colleague in an e-mail . `` You ca n't miss the llama , '' Beshers wrote . One staff member , whose name was redacted from the documents , took to referring to Holmes as `` the llama '' in communication with others at the university . `` Do you have any of llama 's travel details for next week ? '' one e-mail said . According to e-mails released by the University of Illinois , Holmes visited the Urbana-Champaign campus in March 2011 and met with professors , research assistants and Beshers while touring the facilities . The documents released by the university were heavily redacted , with nearly all names , addresses , locations and , in some cases , dates removed . Also redacted was a character assessment by a member of the university staff . Overall , the documents show that the faculty at the University of Illinois appeared to be taken with Holmes , offering him admission , a $ 22,660 stipend , and a tuition and fee waiver . University of Colorado to review how it handled shooting suspect . In a brief e-mail , Holmes declined the offer without giving an explanation : `` Thank you for offering me a position in the Neuroscience Program at UIUC but unfortunately I will not be accepting your offer for admission . My apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused . '' Holmes appears to have been accepted for admission , about the same time , to the University of Colorado 's neuroscience program at the Anschutz campus in Aurora . The University of Colorado has declined a request to release Holmes ' records , citing a judge 's order that sealed documents in the case . Holmes withdrew from the neuroscience program in June , a month before the shooting , though gave no reason for his withdrawal , said Jacque Montgomery , a spokeswoman for the University of Colorado . Colorado authorities have declined to comment on a possible motive , citing a judge 's order that sealed the court record in the case . More than a dozen news organizations , including CNN , have asked the presiding judge to unseal the full record . The events in Colorado also appear to have affected the faculty at the University of Illinois . In an e-mail dated July 23 , days after Holmes was identified as the alleged movie theater shooter , Beshers wrote an e-mail to a colleague saying `` we ( the program and esp . students ) need to ponder this and maybe have a discussion about it . '' While Beshers did not want to announce the university 's connection to Holmes on its website , he wrote `` at the same time there 's no point in try to hide it , or hide from it . '' He suggested meeting at a local restaurant and bar `` where we could have a beer and talk amongst ourselves then maybe we could announce a gathering for anyone interested . '' It 's not clear whether the gathering occurred . Beshers did not immediately return a telephone call from CNN early Saturday seeking comment . Complete coverage of the Aurora theater shooting . CNN 's Greg Morrison contributed to this report .
The University of Illinois releases James Holmes ' application for admission . Documents released include his personal statement and resume . He was admitted to the university in 2011, but withdrew from school after a few months due to mental health issues.