Undergraduate / India- is synonymous to cultural diversity; MIT Essay - background and identity [4]

Please tell us more about your cultural background and identity in the space below (100 word limit.

The very country that I belong to, India- is synonymous to cultural variety. Hence brought up in this milieu of traditions, I am what I would call a 'heady cultural concoction'. Having born and grown up in the southern states of India, my lineage beads another dash of color: Kolkata, West Bengal. Celebrating colors and respecting the traditions of different states, my family and I celebrate about 14 festivals in a year, the most prominent amongst them being Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Janmasthami, and Diwali.

Moreover, I feel blessed to have paternal grandparents stay with me and show me unbridled support and love all through my early years. Due to the host of reasons mentioned above, a mélange of influences have worked on me throughout my upbringing. An exposure to the Dravidian (south) and Aryan (north) cultures have rendered me fluent in regional languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Sanskrit and English of course!

We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do for the pleasure of it. (*)(100 words or fewer)

Aching bones, cramped muscles and an over strained body for the past 13 years, has only made Tae Kwon Do more pleasurable to me. Pursuing this martial art since the age of 5, it has become a part and parcel of my life. After a grueling day of school and theoretical physics research, I find solace in it. My heart pounds, my muscles stretch and strain, and my senses awaken as I feel adrenaline surging through my veins. While at it, my mind and my body work coherently to produce a unique fast-paced sensation. Although I have broken my hand twice while practicing Tae Kwon Do, it still remains a constant throughout my life, and has left my heart craving, for more of it.

Undergraduate / Tae Kwon Do made me a better and stronger person; Haravard Essay [6]

ESSAY I
"How can somebody break a brick with a flick of his arm? Will I ever have that ability? The power behind every punch is enough to throw a man to the ground." A five year old me, was thinking all such questions in his mind when he walked into his first Tae Kwon Do class. It was all about becoming a man. Surely power, strength, agility and concentration would help me become one. But, little did I know that these years would bring out my innate attributes of sweat, blood and hard work.

I trained for twelve long years. Gradually with each passing year, I began surpassing my own skills, acquired the previous year. Pursuing a strenuous extracurricular activity alongside a demanding academics made the task doubly challenging. At times I would be too exhausted to even sleep. It was then that my dreams of myself standing at the pinnacle, becoming a master of the art that lent strength to my aching muscles, to undergo the same strenuous regime the next day. I progressed from the white to the red belt and subsequently the much coveted black belt. I trained in two formats of the art-GTF (full form) andWTF(full form), which then afforded me the opportunity to join the prestigiousKiyaKhan School of Martial Arts.

Every year the Katas became more complicated. Yet, with regular practice and increased concentration I was able to master them. At the Kiya Khan School of Martial Arts, alongside my own practice I also trained my juniors, which bolstered my confidence in my abilities. The fact that the younger boys looked up to me as their idol gave me the impetus to outperform my own self.

Then came the big day on the 19th of Dec'09, when I was to appear for a test which would give me my 1st Dan Black Belt. This is a significant achievement as it would grade me as a qualified instructor of Tae Kwon Do. That night, I lay tossing in bed too anxious to sleep.What if something went wrong? Finally, when the day broke, I tried to convince myself that I had prepared myself well. My twelve years of penitence had lent me courage to face the test with confidence. I mustered all my wits about me and set out to conquer the arena.

I had six rounds to clear in all and three brick breaking techniques. I faced the first 3 sparring opponents with ease. Thereafter I started to feel the exhaustion as I had not slept well the last night. Dehydration and exhaustion started to take their toll on my body. At times all became dizzy. Yet my aspiration to see myself attain the 1st Dan Black Belt, kept me at the test. Although fatigued I managed to overpower the 4th and the 5th opponents. It was then time to break the bricks. Breaking the first two successfully, I attempted the third with confidence. Suddenly, I experienced excruciating pain. As the pain subsided, all I could feel then was numbness. Worse, I could not even feel my hand from the wrist to my fingertips. Memories of 2006 flooded back when I had broken my hand in a similar manner. Neither did I give up then, neither would I do that now. I was standing at the crossroads. I did not want to wait for another year to appear for my 1st Dan Black Belt. So I decided to push on!

Nursing my hand, I mustered all my resolve. But, much to my horror, when I saw that I was to face a 4th Dan qualified opponent, I stood paralyzed for a second. This tournament would decide my fate and yet destiny deemed that I fight this man, much more qualified than myself, today. His aggression and ability lent him an upper hand in the bout. I stood badly beaten but not discouraged, in the first round. Only two and a half minutes were left and I was 3 points down. The next round started. Even before I could move, he punched me in the face. I felt blood trickle down my nose into my mouth. All my senses awakened. I could not let anybody take away the glory of this day from me! Packing all my energy in a single 'flying reverse back kick' I knocked him out.

I had done it! I received the precious 1st Dan Black Belt!
The most significant lesson learnt that day was that a black belt was not about tying a colored cloth round my waist, which is outside but it was akin to receiving a black belt on the inside. It represents the 12 years of sweat, diligence, and hard work put into to 'my Tae Kwon Do' and life training.

Tae Kwon Do has taught me to believe in myself and to never give up even when the odds are stacked against me. Extending similar lessons to academics, I motivated myself to complete the 'Particle Physics Thesis Paper' which won me first prize in the district wide science project. This feat also kept me charged for the yearlong 'Salt Analysis' project, which I completed successfully.

Having realized my potential to thrive in a demanding, diverse and pressurized environment, I started looking for opportunities in academics and extracurricular, rather than waiting for them to come by. Consequently, I found an opportunity to undertake a 2 year internship in Engineering Physics at L & T. This has lent me deeper insights into Mechanics and Hydrostatics. Since my school never had a physics and a green club, I started them. I toiled alone, but soon students came and joined. I conducted experiments ranging from optics to electricity and magnetism, taught them how to do it and instilled a passion for science in them.

Tae Kwon Do has redefined my character, personality and state of health. Synergizing my strengths now comes naturally to me. It has prepared me to perform my best even when I am under pressure. This will surely enable me to cope with a rigorous undergraduate program at Harvard.

Thus, Tae Kwon Do has made me a better and stronger person, in every aspect of life.

Undergraduate / Risk taking is the essence of my life; Personality attribute----mit essay [3]

What attribute of your personality are you most proud of, and how has it impacted your life so far? This could be your creativity, effective leadership, sense of humor, integrity, or anything else you'd like to tell us about. (*) (350 words max)

Exhaustive risk taking and an extreme tolerance to failure are the two attributes of my personality that I am proud of.

Risk taking is the essence of my life. I love to try new things and experiment with my life. As for anyone else, in the beginning, it was my instinct. I learnt to crawl despite the bruises on my knees and elbows.As I grew up, this instinct metamorphosed into an innate attribute, which initiates me to raise the bar for myself. Although, I have failed in many of my pursuits, yet I have dusted my pants and stood back on my feet. I took great risks to be where I am today. For instance-even though I was a Science major, I took Business, Commerce and Organic Chemistry classes at my school's college for no credit. Maybe my decisions sounded insensible at times but I have the courage, to take onus of my decisions. On completion of high school, I felt an urge to study Humanities, thus I joined another school (NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OPEN SCHOOLING) to pursue the study of Humanities. The success of this transition has lent me the confidence to complete my application to MIT, without any external help.

In fact, my callous attitude to failure is my biggest weapon. My fearless attitude to take risks comes out of the culmination of my passion and faith in my abilities. It is such belief which has egged me on to apply to MIT. In fact I am the first student from my school to do so. My motto- "do before you die" is the sole motivator to my success. Taking risks brings out the hidden potential inside me. While my failures have made me realize my mistakes, and learning from them I resurrect myself, my success has made me realize that "I am worth more than I produce"!

Graduate / special cirumstances, why mit and what i want to do?? [4]

It's just a rough draft, and i am yet to complete it. AM I GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION????

------------------------------------------------------Essay----------- -----------------------------
Suffering from Hyper Activity Disorder from early childhood, I had to struggle tremendously throughout my entire schooling period. I had to work twice as harder than others to keep up with courses and earn good grades. But I never cared about my grade, instead I paid maximum attention to my classes, and to the essence of it. I didn't care when I couldn't solve a problem right but I was worried sick when I couldn't understand the problem. I rarely memorized information but I made sure that I understood the fundamental concepts of the material. I never followed a safe path; instead I chose my own and left a trail for others. I created my own school course. I took many courses outside the school curriculum for no credit or grades. For instance, I took Smart Science classes in 8th grade which paved a better fundamental understanding of physics. In my 9th and 10th grade, I joined Synergic Academy at which I took Calculus, mechanics and physical chemistry. In 11th and 12th grade, I was a science major, but I took business, commerce and organic chemistry classes at my school's college. I did theoretical physics research, did salt analysis project, started clubs , organized community service events even though I didn't have to. I was both appreciated as well as rebuked by my teachers, but I never cared, as I am who I am. Although, I am open to new ideas and people, but I would never change myself to appease someone else. Gradually, I found my true love: NUCLEAR SCIENCE.

As I graduated from my first high school, I faced a huge obstacle: SOCIAL CUSTOMS. Ours is a small town, students usually graduated high school, and went to college which was heavily influenced by their parents'. After experiencing the same ordeal, I thought "There has to a first time for everything". I wasn't going to let others' destroy my dream. "If I don't, who will" were my last words to my parents as I decided to walk down a new path. I subsequently pursued Humanities, and took an independent study program, at the NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OPEN SCHOOLING.

I was dead set on attending MIT since 7th grade. I didn't select MIT for it's the best college in the world, but MIT has been just a -another me. After, reading a lot of MIT articles, students' blogs, I discovered that MIT is a place full of life and brimming with joy. Sure, there are geeks who are super genius in programming, Einstein's in physics but there are also people who struggled in high school, had fun, and are well rounded. MIT is a place where the students' study hard and play harder. Moreover, students' at MIT have a great sense of humor. My desire to attend MIT is because I want to challenge myself. I would love to have daily interactions with the best and the brightest students from all over the world.

MIT has all that I have ever wanted:
Nuclear science, plasma, fusion, particle physics, research labs, smart and hardworking classmates, best professors in the world, community service, freedom to do what I love, fun, social experiences.

MIT has received a "perfect 10!". I have bingo fuel, and ready to propel myself to the landing strip at MIT. I will learn and gain so much from the challenging MIT experience. I hope to immerse myself in MIT's innovative culture and take advantage of the UROP program.

What do I want to do at MIT??

Undergraduate / Essay writing/MIT App/most significant challenge [2]

My lofty dreams of studying at MIT came to a thundering crash as I went through the sample essay questionnaires. Although I had won numerous essay writing competitions, the fact that years of experience and education needed to be shrunk into a few hundred words, seemed near impossible. How could one do that possibly? Yet, others before me must have accomplished them... this was the belief that egged me on, in my journey.

Next to this arduous task stood the mountainous task of appearing for the ACT and SAT exams. Having once again taken many unconventional courses in school, I was strong in my resolve to succeed here too. The biggest problem here was my lack of knowledge due to its unavailability. As I was the first student from my district to apply to a college in the United States, I could not find any matter or person who could help me.

Unable to find a solution, even after many weeks of trying, I decided to man up and help myself. I started by chalking out a plan for all the things I needed to do.

The first step found me looking for prep books like Princeton review, Barons... etc., but thanks to my geographic location, none of them could be delivered to me. Then miraculously I came upon the Khan Academy, an online educational website. It was absolutely perfect and I did a lot of my prep work for the standardized tests.

I had fortified myself against most odds saving one- my travel of 1600 Km for the ACT exam and 500 Km for the SAT subject tests. I did my level best but fatigue from the tedious journey was impossible to overcome.

As for my essays, I assimilated my thoughts and then zeroing down into the most relevant and important ones, I started building my essays. I became a member of the United Stated India education foundation and it gave me a better insight into the application process.

Thus determination and perseverance have been my tools in fighting my biggest challenge- applying to MIT.

Graduate / Washing machine; Princeton sup/Person who influenced [4]

You would be surprised to know that the biggest inspiration in my life is my washing machine. As a child, I used to stand in-front of it, addicted to the smell of detergents, and stare at it for hours together. Unbelievingly, it was the only place where I escaped from this world, and sunk into deep fantasies. Yes! It's pretty stupid to be staring at a rotating cylindrical drum, but if you pay enough attention; you'd discover that it's a unique world of its own, and reflects your very life, at least for me!

I usually get interrupted by the buzzer which signals completion, and mother sprints at it, as if she was running for a gold medal in the Olympics. I watch, as she takes the clothes out, refills the detergent valve, adds some sweet smelling powder, and puts some more dirty clothes' to wash-again. In-fact, it's the very example of my own life. Like the machine, I did the same mundane things again and again. I ate, drank, took bath, went to prison (school), and did stupid homework, sat through boring classes, and often asked myself "why do I suck in doing these things". One day, while dreaming before the machine, I wondered-"this guy (machine) runs 8 hours/day around the year, yet he cleans every single cloth with equal perfection". All my little childish brain could come up was: "maybe there is something magical in that sweet smelling powder that my mom adds".

As a little 7th grader, I immediately ran to my mother, and asked her, "mom what is that powder and why do you add it"? She replied, "son, it enhances the cleaning process and leaves a long sweet fragrance on the clothes". I stood there, struck by a lightning, as came up with a solution (change this line but retain the essence): maybe I need to add some sweet powder into my life, to make it interesting. I pondered-"what could the sweet powder possibly mean in real life"? It was: interest. I slowly changed myself, completely. I only took those classes I loved, and skipped the rest. The powder also signified one more thing: it was added along with the detergent. I need to spice up my life with a variety of activities other than studies. Hence, I started to seriously practice Tae Kwon Do: the love of my life!

As I grew up, I stopped mundane activities like watching T.V, gossiping with friends, and instead spent more time in doing the activities I loved: physics, community service, inventing gadgets, and experimenting with chemicals, in the back yard. Interestingly, I learnt most of my rotational mechanics concepts from my dear old washing machine. I placed stuff inside it, noted down the weight, and then turned on the machine, watched it spinning, calculated the velocity and derived expressions. Ironically, I owe my Tae Kwon Do black belt to the washing machine, along with my hard work. While most martial artists' take supplements, medicines, and diet to improve their endurance and skills, but I used those practical concepts of rotational motion, I learnt from the machine, to increase my power and speed. I rotated a few times to increase my velocity before landing a punch or a kick.

The washing machine has also taught me many personal qualities. It taught me that, I should fret, when there is a huge load. I could sound my buzzer, and take some time off, but I should never stop or give up. It has also taught me that, how high I may reach, I should always be polite and humble. I realized that I am who I am, and am proud of myself. Like my dear old machine, I have turned and turned, from my world into another, and back again, and have churned out the very best of me.