Guessit
Dec 26, 2014
Undergraduate / Why CMU, why? - I'm a person who likes to keep things simple, and life is no exception. [7]
Here goes my 575 word, 1 MS-Word page essay. Also, I'm an international student looking at CMU as one of my top choices for comp science.
ESSAY STARTS HERE
I'm a person who likes to keep things simple, and life is no exception. When I first came across the fact that the computer knows just 2 numbers - 0 and 1, namely, I was shell shocked. Something that looks so complicated and provides so many functions in daily life, was nothing but appropriate combinations of those numbers. To me, there was a deeper philosophical meaning; everything complex could be broken down into simple steps. From a very young age, I wanted to know the working of a computer, how the entire digital world was compressed into a small chip - the microprocessor, how two simple states - on and off, could be combined to make complex logical decisions, and choosing Computer Science as my stream in my senior years gave me access to this sort of knowledge. This served to pique my curiosity further and I decided to choose Computer Science as my major at a widely reputed institute such as Carnegie Mellon.
Carnegie Mellon has an immense international reputation that attracts students far and wide. The School of Computer Science offers a rigorous curriculum in my favored field that encompasses everything I could possibly want to know in a computer. To have the computer think like a human has been a longstanding problem in the modern world but with the resources Carnegie has to offer, I'm highly optimistic that it is possible. The curriculum's wide range of topics ensures that one does not lose pace in this ever-changing world of technology, and also sharpens my logical thinking and analytical skills. Computer science is not all about programming and it is essential to know the physical demands a system places and the limitations faced in maintaining such systems. Carnegie's curriculum offers such a valuable insight and bridges the gap between theory and practical use. It provides a deeper understanding of important concepts and develops critical thinking in an individual.
It is no wonder then that my second choice is Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Ever since I was introduced to semiconductor technology and devices, I wanted to build my own computer from scratch, doing everything from the microprocessor to the monitor. To me, the computer is a beautiful product of physics and mathematics, and electricity is its life force. An education at the CMU would prove invaluable to my understanding of these fields and coupled with my goal of creating a "thinking computer" that would be beneficial to mankind, I can only marvel. I strive to extract the good in technology to make the world a better place to live in, and make such beneficial technology available to the masses.
The community at Carnegie Mellon is vast and diverse and the right kind of community I would like to place myself in. It synchronizes with my taste to be exposed to different cultures and gain knowledge about the world in general. It also serves to strengthen my understanding of people and brings me a step closer towards achieving my goal. Knowing how people react to different situations under different circumstances is critical to developing a decision making system.
An education is not about gaining knowledge; it is about being practical and applying such knowledge to serve as pillars towards growth. A curriculum that not just provides in-depth learning but also improves my personality and makes me a contributing individual on the whole, is something only a reputed institution like Carnegie can offer.
Here goes my 575 word, 1 MS-Word page essay. Also, I'm an international student looking at CMU as one of my top choices for comp science.
ESSAY STARTS HERE
I'm a person who likes to keep things simple, and life is no exception. When I first came across the fact that the computer knows just 2 numbers - 0 and 1, namely, I was shell shocked. Something that looks so complicated and provides so many functions in daily life, was nothing but appropriate combinations of those numbers. To me, there was a deeper philosophical meaning; everything complex could be broken down into simple steps. From a very young age, I wanted to know the working of a computer, how the entire digital world was compressed into a small chip - the microprocessor, how two simple states - on and off, could be combined to make complex logical decisions, and choosing Computer Science as my stream in my senior years gave me access to this sort of knowledge. This served to pique my curiosity further and I decided to choose Computer Science as my major at a widely reputed institute such as Carnegie Mellon.
Carnegie Mellon has an immense international reputation that attracts students far and wide. The School of Computer Science offers a rigorous curriculum in my favored field that encompasses everything I could possibly want to know in a computer. To have the computer think like a human has been a longstanding problem in the modern world but with the resources Carnegie has to offer, I'm highly optimistic that it is possible. The curriculum's wide range of topics ensures that one does not lose pace in this ever-changing world of technology, and also sharpens my logical thinking and analytical skills. Computer science is not all about programming and it is essential to know the physical demands a system places and the limitations faced in maintaining such systems. Carnegie's curriculum offers such a valuable insight and bridges the gap between theory and practical use. It provides a deeper understanding of important concepts and develops critical thinking in an individual.
It is no wonder then that my second choice is Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Ever since I was introduced to semiconductor technology and devices, I wanted to build my own computer from scratch, doing everything from the microprocessor to the monitor. To me, the computer is a beautiful product of physics and mathematics, and electricity is its life force. An education at the CMU would prove invaluable to my understanding of these fields and coupled with my goal of creating a "thinking computer" that would be beneficial to mankind, I can only marvel. I strive to extract the good in technology to make the world a better place to live in, and make such beneficial technology available to the masses.
The community at Carnegie Mellon is vast and diverse and the right kind of community I would like to place myself in. It synchronizes with my taste to be exposed to different cultures and gain knowledge about the world in general. It also serves to strengthen my understanding of people and brings me a step closer towards achieving my goal. Knowing how people react to different situations under different circumstances is critical to developing a decision making system.
An education is not about gaining knowledge; it is about being practical and applying such knowledge to serve as pillars towards growth. A curriculum that not just provides in-depth learning but also improves my personality and makes me a contributing individual on the whole, is something only a reputed institution like Carnegie can offer.