Undergraduate / Computers and technology - Purdue undergrad essay [7]

a. Describe how your college education will allow you to achieve personal or professional goals.

I don't just want to be just another guy in a suit, sitting at a desk; I want to contribute back to society. While I've had a decent education up till this point, there are those in the world who have never gotten the opportunity to attend school, much less use a computer. I want to bring technology to the masses - even to those who can't afford it. With a degree in computer engineering, I can improve on existing technology that's already in use. From power efficiency to manufacturing size, there's room for improvement in almost everything. And that's the attitude in the field of computers and science that's brought us to where we are today. The first decade of the third millennium is proof of this, with the pace at which computers have been seeing new technological advances and its one statement that I've always stood by to keep myself from getting complacent.

Many people go through college as a means to get a degree to aid them in getting a job after. While it's one of my reasons, it's not the biggest. Coming from a private school, I've never really had the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities. Stuff like managing and organizing events for the Student Council and taking part in interschool events such as Mathematics Olympiads are among the things that I've never gotten the chance to try out. I don't want to go through college for the sole purpose of getting a degree; I also want to participate in activities that will help me grow as a person, as an individual and I strongly believe that colleges such as Purdue that offer a well-rounded education can help me achieve this goal.

My best quality ? my unquenchable thirst for knowledge in computers and technology. While it's held me back from exploring other fields of potential interest, it's kept me working towards my goal of following in my Dad's footsteps as a computer engineer. And that's how it started, when I watched him put together my very first computer back when I was ten. That set off a domino effect which brought me to one of the biggest milestones in my life: building my first computer from scratch at fourteen. Watching the CPU fan spin up for the first time and hearing the series of beeps to indicate the motherboard had completed its power-on self-test (POST) was mesmerizing and it basically affirmed what I had known then: this was where my passion lay. And it's only been uphill from there, with me actively following tech blogs and building DIY computers for friends to keep up with the latest in computer hardware.

With Purdue's reputation and facilities in engineering, I strongly believe that I can achieve my goals and above all - give back to society. Using knowledge of skills picked up during classes, I intend to design hardware that is cheaper to produce, more energy efficient, but most importantly - available to everyone.

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...After dad's footsteps as a computer engineer...

I was lucky to have my own computer as early as fourteen. Many people in the world don't get to use one at that age, and some never get to use one throughout their entire life. Currently, less than 20% of the world's population has computer access, with less than half of that having internet access. My goal is to raise that figure. Its an ambitious goal, but the industry is already moving in the right direction, with the laptop segment currently focusing on netbooks and cheaper alternatives. I aim to reduce manufacturing costs and pass on these savings to the end-users, catering specifically to poverty-stricken countries such as South Africa and Ethiopia.

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i've left the original paragraph intact for easier comparison to help those who are reading.

thanks again for any responses.

how can i improve on this ? i intend to submit it this coming tuesday so any quick tips would really be appreciated. thanks for any help!

-SNVN