Undergraduate / Physics and Computer Science -- caltech Supplemenent [3]

There's just an hour left to submit the Application, PLEASE HELP!!

Prompt: Before answering this question, you might ask those around you - family, friends, or teachers - how they see you as a mathematician, scientist or engineer. They may offer insightful observations!

I just finished my essay, so if anyone finds any major issues can you please Let me know ASAP. The application is due in an hour!!!

As I grew up, I often bugged my parents with questions about the world around me. When my alarm started ringing, what told it to do so? When I drink water, how does the filter clean it? When I watch TV, how do the pictures get on the screen? I eventually reached the point in my education where I no longer asked how and what questions, but moved onto asking "why" questions. At some point, my parents didn't have all the answers for me and they simply told me to "go find out for yourself." I discovered that all my questions, whether simple or complex, all had a common answer: engineering. Engineering defines literally every aspect of modern day society. It allows us to talk to someone on the other side of the country in less than a second or even to fly there in a few hours. Engineering has fascinated me and has inspired me to follow my passions in math and science.

My curiosity has defined my interest in engineering. As I continued to ask my never ending questions, the internet offered me a vast new dimension of information through which I could quickly answer my questions. On the other hand, the amount of information available led to even more questions. Once I reached high school I found myself faced with a multitude of science and math courses to choose from. I chose physics and that has made all the difference. Physics has explained to me why the world works the way it does. It has allowed me to delve deeper and look at the big picture. Instead of seeing how an airplane flies, I focus on what role air lift, drag, gravity, acceleration, and various other physics concepts play. Intrigued by these thoughts, I decided to enroll in AP Physics B. In my second year, my physics teacher became not only a friend, but also an oracle, to whom I could turn to for answers. His inspiration is what led me to create Phyz club. In this physics based club, our focus goes past self-studying and tutoring physics students, we strive to apply our knowledge, just as an engineer does. We conceive ways we can make time travel possible, stop global warming, make mines safer, and much more. I have made sure that the lack of any more physics courses at my school, never stops my exploration in engineering

Just when I thought I had finally gained a solid grounding and could answer most of my questions without the use of external sources, I was introduced to computer science. Computer science was a completely unknown world to me. Here, the laws of Physics didn't apply, instead words, symbols, and numbers dictated a wide range of phenomena. I was thoroughly intrigued by this new field and I found the perfect opportunity to study computer science through the Stanford Engineering Everywhere (SEE) and MIT's Open Courseware (OCW) programs. These programs offered me a vast array of physics, computer science, and engineering courses. By undertaking yet another challenge, I worked my way through the summer and was so captivated by computer science, that I still continue taking these courses. I have discovered that even here, the laws of physics apply. Although not directly, computer science applications such as robotics require some knowledge of physics, to know how to program robots to do a given task.

Looking back, I can clearly see how my passion for math and science has defined my engineering goals and how curiosity has brought me this far. The combination of physics and computer science and its various applications have let me experience firsthand, the challenges engineers face in applying various scientific disciplines to solve problems. However, I have embraced this difficulty as a challenge that I hope to pursue and I can think of no better place to do so than the California Institute of Technology.

Scholarship / An end to Global Warming: Geosynchoronus Satelites and Fresnel Lenses - Cornell Essay [3]

Prompt: Engineers turn ideas (technical, scientific, mathematical) into reality. Tell us about an engineering idea you have or your interest in engineering. Explain how Cornell Engineering can help you further explore this idea or interest.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________

So, I edited my essays and brought it down to 528 words , so I'm still 28 words over the limit of 500, Please Help!! And also refer to my previous post see my other concerns regarding this essay. Deadline is tommorow.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________

Energy. It fuels our bodies, runs our cars, and even leads nations to war. However, in today's modern day society, the search for energy is proving detrimental to both humans and our planet. Global Warming threatens to destroy the planet and human civilization and is the greatest challenge mankind faces today.

My solution is simple, exploit the greatest source of energy available to us-the Sun. Every second the Sun hits the Earth with more energy than human civilization has used since the dawn of the electric age. My solution might now seem obvious and if you're thinking solar cells, you'd be right, but then again are you? Although solar energy has the potential to power mankind 4,000 times around forever, it currently produces less than 0.1% of our global energy demands. Most of this is consequence that You could point your finger and blame many factors, but in the end, it comes down to three things: our atmosphere reflects more than 50% of all solar radiation, solar cells can't produce energy with cloud cover, and our solar cells are simply not effective enough. Solar cells have a measly 14% efficiency, and even high-costing solar cells cannot boast more than 20-22% efficiency. So how can we use all that solar radiation?

The first step would be to put a vast array of satellites equipped with solar cells in a geosynchronous orbit. Here these cells would be far enough away from the earth that the atmosphere doesn't interfere with energy production. Now, even with the 100% of available solar radiation our solar cells are still not efficient enough. However, companies like Entech Solar have found a solution: are making revolutionary progress by developing a special array of Fresnel lenses, called solar concentrators. These solar concentrators allow 300% more solar radiation to be converted into electricity. Despite repeated testing and implementation of this technology there is still one major flaw, "how are we going to get all that energy down to earth to fulfill mankind's needs".

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not as simple. We simply cannot attach 26,000 mile long wires and transfer the energy thus, we must use wireless methods. Significant research and progress in various forms of wireless energy transfer, reveals microwave power transmission to be the most promising. With potential efficiencies exceeding 95%, this method simply requires more work to navigate around its various obstacles.

I hope to contribute to this technology and maybe someday we can finally put an end to both fossil fuels and Global Warming. However, implementation of my idea will require the collaboration of various different engineering studies such as materials engineers to improve the solar cells and Fresnel lenses, mechanical engineers to deploy the satellites, computer and electrical engineers to control the satellites and their various autonomous functions. I am confident that Cornell University is the ideal institution for me to gain the necessary training in any of these fields. I hope to take advantage of the various research opportunities available to me at Cornell, such as CUSat Satellite Project. Projects like this will give me priceless experience in working with autonomous satellites and will help me potentially make my idea not only a dream, but also a reality.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________

Concerns:

-Does the essay say something about me and my engineering passion?
-Also I know the info on my Idea is really extensive and I should talk more about myself and Cornell, but can someone help me find stuff to remove or shorten. I'm really interested by this subject so just about everything sounds important.

- I'm at 571 words and the limit is 500, so I desprately need help to remove words, PLEASE HELP!!!
-Does it flow and read well?
-Anything Else? Please be as critical as necessary. Thanks a lot :)

Undergraduate / Relieving Mankind From The Plague - Global Warming (Illinois Essay) [3]

Prompt: In an essay of 300 words or less, please discuss your academic interests and/or professional goals

An engineer's work can be found in even the most infinitesimal aspects of our lives. Their work ranges anywhere from printing the dictionaries that define an Engineer to constructing colossal buildings. As a result, the various disciplines of engineering offer a myriad of opportunities through which to contribute to society, an opportunity I hope to make full use of. A primary concern for me and many engineers today is the rising prevalence of Global Warming and its caustic effects on society. To help alleviate this plague on our environment, Engineers around the world are developing alternative fuels, more efficient buildings and automobiles, and etc. In a recent science journal, I read about a group of various different engineers who have come together to build a revolutionary underwater windmill called Deep Green. These new windmills use water's high density to create 800 times more energy than regular windmills spinning at the same speed. This has shown me that engineering is a group effort that requires the contribution of many, and with this contribution the possibilities are endless. Breakthroughs like this have been instrumental in inspiring me to follow through with my passion of being an Engineer and trying to engineer something for society to advance and to help put a stop to Global Warming and its implications. I am confident that the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign is the perfect institution for me to acquire the tools I need to make a difference in the fight against Global Warming.

Concerns:

- Does this essay work, because its a bit recycled from another essay, but by changing some parts, I think it still answers this prompt pretty good.

- Does it talk about my professional goals?
- If it sucks (which it might considering it took me like an hour), I could still talk about my academic intrests like: Physics, Calculus, creating a Physics Club at school, studying Computer Science, Online Engineering and CompSci courses from Stanford and MIT, etc. So if this sounds better, please let me know and I can switch it.

- Anything else, please be critical. Thanks a lot.

Undergraduate / A boring summer changes my life -- Illinois Essay #2 [3]

Prompt:In an essay of 300 words or less, choose one extracurricular activity, work experience, or community service project from the list you provided on the application and explain why you initially chose it, why you continued with it, and how you benefited from it.__________________________________________________________________ ________________

The summer before senior year had just started and I was already bored, but I had no idea what was in store for me. My friend had introduced me to Computer Science only a few weeks before and I was fascinated by its myriad of applications. I opened up Google and started browsing for some computer science tutorials to keep myself entertained until I got some programming books from the library. It was then that I saw it, Stanford Engineering Everywhere (SEE). The description talked about computer science courses and I was immediately hooked. I knew there must be more websites like this one, so I clicked the similar button under the link and the first result was the MIT Open Courseware (OCW) website.

I quickly opened up these two websites and I was utterly enthralled by the numerous computer science, physics, and engineering courses available to me. I was amazed that the SEE and MIT's OCW programs offered these rigorous college courses free of charge. I quickly found a few courses that I liked and after making sure to add these websites to my favorites bar, I got started.

Starting with Stanford's Programming Methodology course and MIT's Introduction to Algorithms, I spent my summer enriching myself by undertaking some of the courses that fascinated me. Many of the courses I have taken and plan on taking in the future deal with Computer Science and other types of Engineering. Now, even after school has started, I do my best to find time in the week to pursue these courses. I am currently working on Stanford's Introduction to Robotics course and MIT's Fundamentals of Engineering Design course and the Unified Engineering I, II, III, IV course. The SEE and OCW programs have allowed me to challenge myself and in doing so expand my knowledge of engineering subjects. They have not only given me a taste of college curriculum but have also inspired me to continue my exploration of Engineering and pursue this interest in college. Who knew such a seemingly boring summer, could change my life?

______________________________________________________________________ ____________
Concerns:

- Does this essay make sense? and does it say something personal about me (ie. showing my intrest in Engineering)?
- Should I add how I want to pusure my Intrest in Engineering at the University of Illinois to connect it to the college?
- My word count right now is at 345 words, and the limit is 300 so I need some desprate help. The deadline is Monday january 3rd.
- Anything else, be as critical as needed. Thanks a lot.

Undergraduate / Imagination, Creativity, and Freedom -- Why Stanford Essay [9]

Prompt: Tell us what makes Stanford a good place for you ...

The bright sunshine, the breathtaking architecture, the vast expanses of hills...as soon as I opened that Stanford brochure I got from college night my freshman year, I knew that there was something unique about this noble and prestigious university. I'd like to say that I've aspired to be a cardinal since I was born, but I really can't. I knew nothing about this institution other than what was in the 8' x 10' brochure.

As I've continued to learn about Stanford over the past four years, I've discovered that there is a lot more to it that its Ivy-level reputation and its competitive 7 percent admit rate. I now realize that Stanford is beyond stunning appearances and frightening numbers, it is an institution that fosters imagination, creativity, and above all others freedom.

Stanford has been a pioneer in Engineering over the past few decades. It has been the home of Google, Yahoo, HP, and many more aspiring ideas. Stanford's location in the heart of the Silicon Valley, allows it to offer an unparalleled engineering curriculum that I've just had a taste of. I took open courseware courses this summer from Stanford's SEE program and was surprised to see how involved I felt by simply watching a YouTube video of a Stanford professor teaching Programming Methodology. I can't wait to see and learn from all that Stanford's world class professors have to offer me in person.

Stanford's research programs have been one of the most appealing factors to me. The integrated research opportunities in the undergraduate curriculum are sure to offer me a chance to give back to society. I may even have the opportunity to work with one of Stanford's Noble Laureates. To me, the most captivating research program at Stanford is Stanley and the DARPA Urban challenge. The opportunity to be able to work on and with Stanley fascinates me to no end. These and many more appealing qualities and opportunities have made me confident that Stanford is the perfect place for my curiosity and yearning for knowledge to grow and prosper over the next four years.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________

Concerns:

- Does the essay answer the prompt well and does it show why I want to attend Stanford?

- Are there any weak or unnecessary parts to remove, I dresprately need to remove words. I'm at 348 Words and the word limit is 250 , HELP!!!!!

- Anything else, please be as critical as you need to be. Thanks a lot.

Undergraduate / Time Travel and Paradoxical Implications -- Stanford Intellectual Vitality Essay [2]

Prompt: Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience that you have had that you find intellectually engaging.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________

Having just watched another episode of Carl Sagan's Cosmos for my AP Physics class, I sat in my computer chair once again fascinated by the idea of time travel. I am always intrigued to learn more about the various theories and even the implications related to time travel. These may include Einstein's theory of relativity, wormholes, parallel universes, time dilation, and etc.

The Grandfather Paradox is a great example of this captivating idea. Can one go back to kill his own grandfather? In may seem possible, but according to Novikov's self-consistency principle, the answer is no, because it creates a time paradox. The paradox is that if one's grandfather were killed, then the chain of events would render the person nonexistent.

This theme has been often explored in modern media and literature, most notably in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In this novel, Hermione Granger simply uses a "time turner" to go back or forward in time. At first I envied the ability to control time and not only change the past, but also learn what is in store for me. I often sit wondering what will happen in the future, but with a "time turner" I can just go into the future and see it firsthand. But is it really worth it?

This knowledge comes at a heavy price. If Novikov's principle holds true, I can do nothing to change my past or whether directly or indirectly, my future. I wonder if I can bear to know something, but at the same time be powerless in changing it. This is quite similar to Cassandra's curse in Greek mythology, where she is gifted with the ability to foretell the future, but is later cursed so that no one believes her. This cursed gift leads to endless pain and frustration. Unlike Cassandra, I don't know if I can cope with the futility that follows this forbidden fruit of knowledge. However, I do know that since the present is all that I have in front of me, I will make full use of it and treasure these moments, and in doing so I may even change my future.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________

Concerns:

-Is it good and does it talk about my personality?
- Should I add more? And is the info on Cassandra's curse necessary to explain, or...what? I'm at 358 Words so I desperately need to cut out some words.

- Anything else, Please be as critical as necessary. Thanks a lot.

Undergraduate / Idle time and Spontaneity -- Stanford Roomate Essay [3]

Prompt:Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. What would you want your future roommate to know about you? Tell us something about you that will help your roommate-and us-know you better.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________
Dear Roomie,

As an Indian boy, I am very easy to stereotype, but you will soon discover that I have unique peculiarities which are accentuated by my hobbies.

I may come off as a shy person at first, but we will become friends soon enough. I may smile and nod a lot at first, but that's not me being creepy, I'm just nervous. You may often find me staring out the window, lost in my own thoughts, thinking about anything from the blades of grass on the ground to the mechanics of the lawn mower mowing it. In my opinion, time spent thinking is not idle time, but rather an opportunity to appreciate the world's simplicity and at the same time its complexity.

We could be walking to our next class together, and suddenly I'll start a random conversation on what we should have for lunch or I'll go nerd mode and try to measure the velocity and acceleration of our motion. I may even point out random patterns and designs in nature and this is probably why I find palindromes amusing. But in all seriousness, when it's time to hit the books I'm completely focused and I can work all night if I need to. I am determined to fulfill my dreams and aspirations, but it's all right if we have some fun from time to time

All things said, I am a very happy person. I've learned to look past failures and obstacles and rather focus on the bright side of things. This sense of optimism has helped stay focused on achieving my goals. And if you're completely different and we have nothing in common, rest assured we will find something because I am always up for new experiences. I hope that we will become good friends and maybe even stay that way for the rest of our lives.

Yours truly,
<<Insert Name>>
______________________________________________________________________ ____________
CONCERNS
- Is it good and does it talk about my personality?

- Should I get rid of the first paragraph to reduce the word count? I'm 64 words over so I kinda need help on word count .

- I added a bit on school, but should I talk more about my goals of engineering, physics, and etc.?

- Should I talk more about my intrests like Soccer, Video Games, Movies, and etc.

Thanks a lot :)

Undergraduate / A journey in Engineering (why things work) -- Cornell Engineering Essay [3]

Prompt: Engineers turn ideas (technical, scientific, mathematical) into reality. Tell us about an engineering idea you have or your interest in engineering. Explain how Cornell Engineering can help you further explore this idea or intrest.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________

I have always been interested in how, and more importantly why, things worked. As a child, I use to often take things apart, mostly toys, and try to put them back together. Even when my toys broke, I would take them apart and entertain myself in this way instead of throwing them away. Unfortunately, I never truly understood how and why these marvels of Engineering worked, but as I grew older the Internet offered me a vast new dimension of knowledge from which I could draw from. In this way, I would take things apart and then research and study the reason these objects worked. As time passed, I naturally began to develop and further my interests in Math and Science through the various opportunities available to me at school. By partaking in competitions such as Science Olympiad and Science Bowl, I have been able to apply and share my knowledge and in the process even learn new things from others.

Just last year, I was introduced to computer science by a friend of mine, and since then we have ecstatically studied the various languages in computer science and have programmed a multitude of things. Over this past summer, I took various open courseware courses dealing with computer science from Stanford and MIT. These include Stanford's Programming Methodology course and MIT's Introduction to computer science and programming. Recently my friends and I began a computer programming/game design club where we applied our programming skills to not only create fun games, but to also teach others about computer programming.

An engineer's work can be found in even the most infinitesimal aspects of our lives. Their work ranges anywhere from printing the dictionaries that define an Engineer to constructing colossal buildings. As a result, the various disciplines of engineering offer Engineers a myriad of opportunities through which to contribute to society. A primary concern for me and many Engineers today is the rising prevalence of Global Warming and its caustic effects on society. In a recent science journal, I read about a group of various engineers who have come together to build a revolutionary underwater windmill called Deep Green. These new windmills use water's high density to create 800 times more energy than regular windmills spinning at the same speed. Breakthroughs like this have been instrumental in inspiring me to follow through with my passion of being an Engineer and trying to engineer something for society to advance and to help put a stop to Global Warming.

I am confident that the College of Engineering will provide me with the necessary academic instruction to succeed as an Engineer. Furthermore, I am eager to take advantage of Cornell's research opportunities to learn more about the world around me and in doing so satiate my curiosity and inquisitive yearning. I hope to be part of the unique and encouraging environment at Cornell University and to not only learn, but to also contribute to the diverse and vast intellectual dedication that defines a Cornell student.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________

My main concerns are basically how it sounds and in answering the prompt does it say something meaningful about me and my engineering goals. This is actually a recycle essay, so I hope it works.

The other option I had for my Cornell essay was talking about my Engineering Idea. I was going to talk about how we can use these special Fernel lenses to increase solar panel power output by 70% and by putting them in space we could avoid problems with cloud cover and etc. I was also going to mention the argument about getting the energy down to earth, and rebuke it with info on wireless energy transmission with things like microwaves. So I personally think this would be a stronger topic, but I don't want to already have a great essay here and then write another one and waste my time ;) I actually got this idea from a discovery channel show. Anyways, let me know if I should do my other option instead and I could just do that instead.

Thanks a lot for any comments, and please be critical if you must :)

Undergraduate / A lifelong journey in Math, Science, and Engineering -- Carnegie Mellon Essay [8]

Carnegie Mellon University is the ideal institution for me to continue my appreciation for Math and Science and in doing so fulfill my dreams and aspirations. I never thought of Engineering as a career or a profession, it was always a passion, hobby, and in some ways a talent. However, I now clearly understand that Engineering is not only a passion or a hobby, but rather something that I want to pursue and continue doing for the rest of my life. I realize that Carnegie Mellon will help me lay the foundations for what I hope will be a lifelong journey in Math, Science, and Engineering. My academic passions and the opportunities available to me at Carnegie Mellon make me certain that the School of Computer Science and the Carnegie Institute of Technology at Carnegie Mellon University are the next steps for me in this journey.

An engineer's work can be found in even the most infinitesimal aspects of our lives. Their work ranges anywhere from printing the dictionaries that define an Engineer to constructing colossal buildings. As a result, the various disciplines of engineering offer Engineers a myriad of opportunities through which to contribute to society. A primary concern for me and many Engineers today is the rising prevalence of Global Warming and its caustic effects on society. To help alleviate this plague on our environment, Engineers around the world are helping by developing alternative fuels, more efficient buildings, and etc. In a recent science journal, I read about a group of various computer, mechanical, electrical, and other engineers who have come together to build a revolutionary underwater windmill called Deep Green. These new windmills exploit the fact that water is 800 percent more dense than air, to create 800 times more energy than regular windmills spinning at the same speed. This has shown me that engineering is a group effort that requires the contribution of many. Breakthroughs like this have been instrumental in inspiring me to follow through with my passion of being an Engineer and trying to engineer something for society to advance and to help put a stop to Global Warming.

I have always been interested in how, and more importantly why, things worked. As a child, I use to often take things, mostly toys, apart and try to put them back together. As a result, I never truly understood how and why these works of Engineering worked, but as I grew older the Internet offered me a vast new dimension of knowledge from which I could draw from. In this way, I would take things apart and then research and study the reason these objects worked. As time passed, I naturally began to develop and further my interests in Math and Science through the various opportunities available to me at school. By partaking in competitions such as Science Olympiad and Science Bowl, I have been able to apply and share my knowledge and in the process even learn new things from others. Just last year I was introduced to computer science by a friend of mine, and since then we have ecstatically studied the various languages in computer science and have programmed various things. Over this past summer, I took various open courseware courses dealing with computer science from Stanford and MIT. These include Stanford's Programming Methodology course and MIT's Introduction to computer science and programming. Recently my friends and I began a computer programming/game design club where we applied our programming skills to not only create fun games, but to also teach others.

I have always been exposed to engineering because my Father was a Petroleum Engineer and now both he and my mother are Software Engineers. My parents have always been supportive of my engineering goals and they often help me when I am stuck on a programming code or help me find bugs when my program doesn't execute correctly. My mom has also tried showing me how automated and manual testing of programs works and although I am yet to understand it fully, I appreciate how testing works. In this way, I have seen first-hand how engineers apply concepts of Math and Science to conceive unique methods to solve problems and I am all the more encouraged to enter the field of engineering.

I am confident that the School of Computer Science and the Carnegie Institute of Technology will provide me with the necessary academic instruction to succeed as an Engineer. Furthermore, I am eager to take advantage of Carnegie Mellon's research opportunities to learn more about the world around me and in doing so satiate my curiosity and inquisitive yearning. I hope to be part of the unique and encouraging environment at Carnegie Mellon University and to not only learn, but to also contribute to the diverse and vast intellectual dedication that defines a Tartan.

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My main concers are basically how it sounds and in aswering the prompt does it say something meaningful about me. I also need to cut out some words since it is goes a paragraph into the second page. And I was also accepted into a competitive Engineering Seminar at Santa Clara Univeristy but I didn't talk about it here since I already chose that as my topic for my Common App Essay. So should I mention it again? Thanks a lot for any comments, and please be critical if you must :)