Undergraduate / The generally apathetic CMU supplement essasy [2]

Please submit a one page, single-spaced essay that explains why you have chosen Carnegie Mellon and 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.

more than the bare minimum

I've been a part of the generally apathetic for the majority of my life. I was good at math and music, but I never really did more than the bare minimum. I always told people I wanted to be an engineer, but I didn't know why. It wasn't until high school, when I realized why I truly want to be an engineer. It was also during this time when I learned that I didn't just have to be an engineer, despite saying I wanted to be one my entire life. It was during this time when I experienced so many wonderful things for the first time: the satisfaction that comes with programming, the absolute genius behind Newton's proofs, the invigorating power of music, and most importantly what it's like to be a part of community that actually cares.

Before high school when I told people I wanted to be an engineer they would respond with a disingenuous "cool" or a genuinely confused "why?". But during high school people would respond with an enthusiastic "Me too" or be genuinely curious about which field I wanted to go into. Almost everyone was brimming with hopes, dreams, and passions. This coupled with the AP classes that were finally able to pique my interest filled me with a feeling that I had never experienced before: excitement. I remember having my mind blown for the first time during an explanation of the limit definition of derivatives. I remember bonding with some of my closest friends through our mutual anxieties about that April 15 notification date. I remember sneaking backstage with my friends to get an autograph from our local symphony. I remember working on my own knock off version of Flappy-Bird for hours on end. There are so many things I remember that have filled me with excitement in a way that I never felt before high school and their all thanks to rigor of curriculum and the enthusiasm for learning of my friends.

Now, in my senior year, I am no longer a part of the generally apathetic, but I don't want to just remember all the good times I had in high school, I want to take the next logical step and continue experiencing by attending a college filled with rigorous classes and passionate people. A college like CMU

CMU is one of the most prestigious and selective colleges in the world and it's because of this that it attracts people like me. People who wholeheartedly love STEM and are well on their way to accomplishing their dreams by attending CMU. CMU's holistic admission philosophy ensures that only those who are truly passionate about their fields and fully intend of making use of all of CMU's opportunities, whether it be through the School of Computer Science's Independent Study courses, or through the College of Engineering's Senior Honors Research program, or through the myriad of musical organizations that have congregated by CMU make it in. And it's because of this CMU has cultivated exactly what I've been looking for, a community that's full of passionate and motivated students that love learning.

Not only is CMU ranked among the top universities in the world in both engineering and computer science, but it's also only a few hours away from the world famous Philadelphia Orchestra. While a five hour car ride just for one performance may seem unrewarding for some, to me it's a chance to catch up with my favorite symphonies. It's also a much better option than a three hour plane ride from Florida.

Aside from giving my parents bragging rights, attending CMU would allow me to live in the environment and experience the rigor I've been craving my entire life and truly thrive.

Any feed back is welcome.

Undergraduate / Never gonna give you up - Cal Tech supplement [2]

Caltech students have long been known for their quirky sense of humor, whether it be through planning creative pranks, building elaborate party sets, or even the year-long preparation that goes into our annual Ditch Day. Please describe an unusual way in which you have fun. (200 word max)

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you. Yes, I did just Rick-Roll the person who holds my future in their hands and I'm proud of it. Rick-Rolling people is one of my favorite hobbies, but I don't get the opportunity too often. If it did it all the time then people would start expecting it, and that would ruin the effect. That's why I limit myself to only the most appropriate moments, when people don't expect it the most. For example, during mic checks before the spring show, or during the final slam poetry session of AP Lang.

But none of those will come close to what I'm planning now. The previous classes' senior pranks have been rather lackluster: moving desks outside, putting balloons everywhere, or just writing "BOW DOWN" everywhere in chalk. I plan on showing them all up by Rick-Rolling the entire school. I am, unfortunately, in the midst of getting approval to take over the school's TV station and potentially P.A system, depending on how well it can transmit music. But once I've broken through my school's bureaucracy, my school will never forget the immortal words of Rick Astley: "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you."

Any feedback so welcome. Thank you

Undergraduate / Cal Tech and I - Cal Tech supplemental essays [12]

Members of the Caltech community live, learn, and work within an Honor System with one simple guideline; "No member shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community." While seemingly simple, questions of ethics, honesty and integrity are sometimes puzzling. Share a difficult situation that has challenged you. What was your response, and how did you arrive at a solution? (200 word max)

I used to sell origami swans and candy to my friends to raise money just to have. But when they didn't pay immediately I would pester them until they did. In retrospect, I was a tad bit of a jerk about it... and I, rightfully so, lost a few friends for it. However, with this rapacity for money came a respect for it. I was always thinking of ways to earn money, never how to steal it.

One day a group of friends and I were walking back to class and I noticed a flash of green. The first thing I did was loudly exclaim "DID ANYONE DROP $20", disrupting at least three separate classes. I may have had morals at the time, but I was still developing common sense. While my friends were visibly facepalming, not only because I was an idiot but also because I just gave away $20, Mrs. Smith approached us, despite her initial anger for disrupting her class, and walked us to the front office to deposit our findings to the proper authorities. The next day the teacher who lost the money, found us and rewarded our honesty with a Hershey's bar.

Looking back on it, I feel a bit ripped off, he could have at least sprung for the king size, but nevertheless, I would make the same decision today.

Any feedback so welcome. Thank you

Undergraduate / My Mother and our complicated relations - Common app and Coalition essay [3]

Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

The trophy child

I was supposed to be her trophy child. I had a higher IQ than my brother. I was taller than my brother, but instead I was a disappointment. Academically, I got A's, but I wasn't literally perfect. Musically, I was the top of my band, but I wasn't the top of the state. And there wasn't a day in which I wasn't reminded of it. She "gave me" the opportunity to live. Every accomplishment I achieved was thanks to her, not any of my hard work. In the end I owed her my life and she intended to collect. She was the worst: the complete opposite of what a mother should be. She deserved it; I had every right to be angry. So why do I still feel bad?

I don't know how it started then, probably something stupid, like usual. But this time I was going to be the bigger person. Or at least that's what I told myself; that lasted about five minutes before I became engulfed in her irrational criticisms. It was impossible to please her. Nothing ever helped. She always found a way for me to seem like a disappointment and that I should be grateful to her for putting up with me for 17 years. But I knew she was wrong. I learned how to add and subtract by myself. I learned how to cook and clean by myself. I learned to love and embrace other people by myself, because I sure as hell didn't have a mother to show me how. So I gave in, and I got mad; I fired back with arguments a million times better than hers. I shut down every one of her petty grievances, but I had no effect. She wasn't listening to me. I kept repeating "you're not listening to me". Finally after what seemed like forever, I physically couldn't take it anymore. My asthma was acting up, I couldn't breath properly, and my body was shaking from all the screaming. I just left; grabbed my keys and walked out the door.

She didn't try to chase me even though it was midnight. She wasn't worried in the slightest. For a while all I could think about was how ignorant and heartless she was. But eventually I forgot. I was back to my regular logical self, and I couldn't help but notice our similarities. I was yelling just as loud as she. I brought up equally shameful things from the past that she probably regretted. And I berated her about not listening to me, but I couldn't remember anything she said.

When I finally went back, she didn't say anything to me, and I didn't say anything to her. But I couldn't help but think about how ignorant and illogical I was being. The car ride the next morning was, to say the least, tense. And that didn't change after I sucked up my pride and apologized. But this time, she listened. Later that day, she approached me not with an admonishing comment or a frivolous demand, but with a question. "Do you want ramen?" I sat there, stunned, long enough for her to become noticeably irked. Before responding, "Yeah, thanks." This had never happened before; either I ate what she made, or I cooked, there was no in between. There was no visible pain, but I could tell that it was just as hard for her to ask me that question as it was for me to apologize that morning.

So maybe she's not the worst, or worse than the worst. Maybe she just gets frustrated and angry sometimes. Maybe she is trying, but I was too angry to notice. Maybe I didn't want to notice, because maybe she's just like me. And while I do get frustrated and angry at myself sometimes, in the end we just want the best for my future.

Any feedback would be appreciated, grammatical or substantial.