Undergraduate / Fantastic programs and diversity; Carnegie Mellon Sup/ Why Carnegie? [5]

Please submit a one-page, single-spaced essay that explains why you have chosen Carnegie Mellon your particular major(s), department(s) or program(s). This essay should include the reasons why you've chosen the major(s), any goals or relevant work plans and any other information you would like us to know. If you are applying to more than one college or program, please mention each college or program you are applying to. Because our admission committees review applicants by college and programs, your essay can impact our final decision. Please do not exceed one page for this essay.

After I came to America for four years, I still remembered the embarrassing moment in the airport on the first arrival: I nervously wandered around the airport with my mother and struggled to understand an unfamiliar language that surrounded us. When we passed the security checkpoints, we almost got in trouble because we were confused about the instruction of the officers since we only knew a little English. From that day on, I realized that language barriers could cause problems among people and they might even raise conflict in a society. With the previous experience in America, I understood the necessity of overcoming language barriers among people and I told myself" I would change this when I grow up."

As technology develops rapidly, many IT companies have committed to develop translation and speech recognition system, such as Apple Siri, Google Translator and Microsoft Kinect. Even though these companies have made a huge progress in the last decades, the new products still contain a lot of error and the error rates for arbitrary speech have been in the twenty to twenty five percent which is considerably high. The imperfectness in these products drives me to seek for a chance to study in this field and improve these products in the future.

I see the opportunity in Carnegie Mellon University from the speech made by Microsoft Chief Research Officer, Rich Rashid. From his speech, I understand that Carnegie Mellon has devoted into speech recognition research since late 1970s and Carnegie Mellon University has made a technological breakthrough on speech recognition by using a statistical technique (Markov Model) to improve the old system significantly. In this model, Carnegie Mellon University developed a new method to solve the problem by taking a lot of data from many speakers to produce more robust and statistical models of speech. Since Carnegie Mellon University has a rich experience in this field, the School of Computer Science will be an ideal place for me to achieve my goal and gain the knowledge that help me to succeed in the field of technology.

Aside from the academic, I am also fascinated by the programs and diversity of Carnegie Mellon University. Since I grew up in a non-diverse country, China, I want to attend a school that emphasizes the significance of diversity. A diverse school like Carnegie Mellon University can enrich my life experiences and inspire my passion for knowledge. I know that Carnegie Mellon University provides many international programs for students to study aboard. With these programs, I will have more opportunities to learn and adapt in an interconnected world and broaden my horizons through such experience.

The fantastic programs and diversity embody the characteristics of my dream college. I look forward to become a student in Carnegie Mellon University and share my experiences with other students. For these reasons, Carnegie Mellon University will be a perfect place for me to develop as an individual and discover opportunities that will help me to succeed.

Undergraduate / Boston College Supplement Life is Like A Ball [4]

3. In his novel, Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann writes:

"We seldom know what we're hearing when we hear something for the first time, but one thing is certain: we hear it as we will never hear it again. We return to the moment to experience it, I suppose, but we can never really find it, only its memory, the faintest imprint of what it really was, what it meant."

Tell us about something you heard or experienced for the first time and how the years since have affected your perception of that moment.

Run! Run! You guys will win for sure!" This was what I always heard during my childhood. My father was an enthusiastic soccer fan who enjoyed to watch soccer game in front of TV. Whenever I heard his scream, my mind would raise a question "How do you know that team will win for sure every time?" Once I asked him about this question, he told me "The ball is round, and you never know what will happen in the next moment." At that time, I thought his words merely meant the uncertainty in a soccer game in which the result of a game cannot be predicted easily.

While it's been four years since I arrived at America, I still remembered an embarrassing moment when I first came to an American School: I nervously looked around the school, held my fist tightly in my pocket and tried to understand the conversation and sign in the building with my limited knowledge of English. At that time, I felt like an alien fell onto a mystery land and it was also the first time that I had feeling of away from home. With this experience, I began to work hard to break through the language barriers and learn new knowledge while adapting to this new land.

Who would have thought that I, a new comer, would ever win the first place in the Boston Citywide Science Fair within eight months of study in America? Because of this accomplishment, I develop a strong interest in computer and science and I dream to become a computer engineer because I understand the necessity and importance of overcoming language barriers among people- technology will be the best way to solve this problem.

As time goes by, my father's words still remain in my heart but the meaning has changed. To me life is like a ball, it bounces back and forth. I should not worry about what will come next to me, but keep running until I see the end- the dream.

Undergraduate / Shining computer parts / Greenhouse Club / Brown sup; Short answers [12]

Why are you drawn to the area(s) of study you indicated? Ever since I saw the shining computer parts and vivid pictures on the screen in my neighbor's house when I was four, I became fascinated by the "magic" of a computer. After immigrating to America, I have perceived the rapid development of technology and societal needs for technological solution which strengthened my will to study in the field of computer science.

Complete ONE of the following thoughts:
If I could do something with no risk of failing, I would...

...develop a system or software that can recognize human speech with a very high accurate rate and translate the speech instantly from one language to other languages in the way of native speakers.

What is something you created that makes you especially proud, and why?
By the time I became a member of Greenhouse Club during my junior year, there was only a few people in this club. This undesirable situation sparked an idea in my mind: to change.

During senior year, I created a website of the club with another member for the purpose of expanding the club. With this new website, we disseminated our events and information to other student more conveniently and the members of Greenhouse Club increased significantly within a month. Because of this effort, I became the webmaster of the Greenhouse Club and I was really happy with this experience since I could contribute to the Greenhouse Club while I applied my knowledge in computer to build the website.

We all exist within communities or groups of various sizes, origins, and purposes; pick one and tell us why it is important to you, and how it has shaped you.

When I was small, I was fascinated by Chinese history. Since I had strong interest in Chinese culture, my family began to pass on Chinese traditional value to me little by little: the Confucian values. Under this influence, I gained a unique perspective of life, aspirations and goals which shaped my personality and moral views and I became modest and conservative on the journey to knowledge. Being Obsessed with the beauty of Chinese character, I also have had practiced Chinese calligraphy for seven years. The practice of Chinese calligraphy enhanced my understanding of Chinese culture and cultivated the quality of patience in myself which helped me to develop a methodical thought while solving problems. Despite this, the experience of living in America has broaden my horizon and the liberal value has drove me to accept an interconnected world. Being a student in America, I am proud to learn in this open-minded academic environment while keeping my own traditional value as a unique individual.

Undergraduate / ABET accredited programs ; Brown Sup/ Broadened my interest [2]

Prompt 1. Many applicants to college are unsure about eventual majors. What factors led you to your interest in Engineering? (Feel free to elaborate on your response to question 2.)

2. What experiences beyond school work have broadened your interest?

While it has been four years since I arrived at America, I still vividly remember the embarrassing moment in the airport on the first arrival: I nervously wandered around the airport with my mother and struggled to understand the unfamiliar language that surrounded us. When we passed the security checkpoints, we had a close encounter with trouble due to our limited knowledge of the English language because we confused with the officer's instruction. From that day on, I realized that language barriers created difficulties and it was necessary to find a way to overcome language barriers among people. With this previous experience in America, I told myself, "I will change this when I grow up."

As technology develops rapidly, many IT companies have committed to developing translation and speech recognition systems, such as Apple Siri, Google Translator, and Microsoft Kinect. Even though these companies have made huge progress in the last decades, the new products are still plagued with problems. Error rates for arbitrary speech is still around twenty to twenty-five percent, a considerably high number. The imperfection in these products drives me to seek a chance to study in technology and improve these products in the future.

I saw the opportunity at Brown University due to its strong focus on programming. Brown has intense programming projects that allow students to gain more practical experience through the application of the knowledge. To me programming language is not only an essential part in the field of computer science but also an art of optimization. While building a solid foundation of programming language is necessary for developing software and systems optimizing the complicate structures of software is equally important. Since the Computer Engineering Program highly focuses on language implementation, program analysis and optimization, and software engineering, the School of Engineering will be a perfect place for me to obtain the knowledge of programming language and help me to pave the path to reach my ultimate goal：to research in the field of speech recognition and translation.

Aside from the school work, I love to explore new things on different computer operation system. Particularly, I am obsessed with Backtrack system- a Linux based system that can perform penetration test and internet security analysis. With this system, I learn to perform basic internet security analysis on my own and I also expand my knowledge of security protocols through my exploration in this process. My curiosity in computer science has never diminished from my mind and I am eager to pursue my study of technology in Brown University.

The fantastic programs and rich resources embody the characteristics of my dream college. I look forward to become a student in Brown University and sharing my experiences with other students. For these reasons, Brown University will be the best place for me to develop as an individual and to discover opportunities that will enable me to succeed.

Undergraduate / "The Age of Harmony"; Olin C / front page headline [3]

Question-
In the year 2042 a reporter for The Boston Globe is going to write a feature article about you to appear on the front page! The article will chronicle your profound professional accomplishments, including how you became one of your generation's leading innovators and used your Olin College education to help others and change the world. Help us learn more about you by sharing this story with us.

Write the front page headline (limit 35 characters) and the opening paragraphs of the article that will appear on the front page (no more than 300 words).

The Age of Harmony
"This is the age of harmony! This is the age of understanding each without barriers!" With the discovery of groundbreaking technology on speech recognition, (Name) uttered his aspiration for the future in this week. (Name), an engineer who helped to build a speech recognition model with high accuracy and instant translation and he has revolutionized the world after graduating from Olin College -a college that prepares students to become innovative engineers who recognize the needs of the world. He has stated that "With the education from Olin, I begin to understand the meaning of engineering. Engineer is not only about science and algorithm but also the ability to think differently and responsibility to improve the life of people" While dedicating in the research of speech recognition, Dr. X also has a strong desire for developing a system with his model in order to eliminate the differences among people. "I believe the world will be peaceful when people truly understand the differences of culture, value and moral view each other." With this goal, Dr. X has joined Microsoft, Apple and Google to integrate his model into their products, because he knows that this will be the best way to spread the new technology to everyone in the world. In this modern interconnected world, the needs for understanding different languages increase drastically in recent decades, Dr. X' invention not only accelerates the development of our world but also brings people in a closer relationship.