Undergraduate / MIT - significant challenge or something that didn't go according to plan [3]

Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? (200-250 words)

My friends and I share many common ideas and interests, but sometimes we disagree in certain situations. For example, a conflict arose among my friends and I while we were building a robot for the FIRST Robotics Competition. We wanted to give our robot the ability of lifting game balls off the ground and shooting them into the baskets on the other robots; however, my friends and I differed in our approach. My friends wanted to construct an elevator that would lift the balls directly up to the top while I wanted to implement an Archimedes screw design that would lift the balls up a bit more slowly, but would be more reliable in the competition. After some heated debate, our situation still stood at a stalemate, neither side willing to give in. In an attempt to prove that my design was better, I spent a few entire nights building small, working models of an elevator and an Archimedes screw with some of the excess materials from the previous year. Before we resumed construction the next day, I presented both models to my friends and allowed them to conduct a number of trials with each one. Their tests confirmed my previous argument that in general, the Archimedes screw performs more reliably than the elevator. After they witnessed the results themselves, my friends grasped my line of reasoning and decided to adopt my design.

Be cruel, harsh, and whatever else you must. If anyone else wants me to read his or her essay(s), I would be happy to.

Undergraduate / a robotics club in my school - Tell us about a time you used your creativity. [3]

Tell us about a time you used your creativity. This could be something you made, a project that you led, an idea that you came up with, or pretty much anything else. (200-250 words)

After participating in Andrew's Leap at Carnegie Mellon University, I was inspired to create a robotics club in my school, and I sought out the help of a physics teacher. We received an immediate response from other students, and together we properly organized a club that we named Quasics (short for quantum physics). I wanted to display our collective talents, so I entered our club into an annual nationwide robotics competition organized by FIRST. Despite the inexperience of our members and the various challenges we faced such as the six-week time frame allotted, together we constructed a functioning robot that we called M0J0. Competing in the Pittsburgh Regional, we placed first among all rookie teams and eighth among all teams. The following year, we entered the season with more experience, a better-organized team, and clear objectives. We managed to raise over $10,000, including $6,500 from NASA, for parts and equipment to build a faster, stronger robot called G3N0. That year, we advanced as far as the semifinals. Now, I am entering my third season in the FIRST competition as the president of the Quasics robotics team, and I believe that we will reach nationals this year. With the invaluable experience I gained through Andrew's Leap and creating and leading my school's robotics club, I plan to continue studying engineering and utilizing my skills, talents, and the resources of MIT.

Be cruel, harsh, and whatever else you must. If anyone else wants me to read his or her essay(s), I would be happy to.