Undergraduate / "my dreams of becoming an engineer" - Duke Supplement essay [4]

Discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke.

A small mechanical train was the first toy that I dismantled just to find out how it worked. It was the initial item in the long list of toys and household appliances that I took apart to satisfy my curiosity. My Mom was not a big fan of me pulling everything in the house down to pieces, but that never slowed me down. With age, I started to learn to reassemble things as well. In the fourth grade, I built a remote-controlled boat using the motors from a toy car that I had gotten on my birthday. I think that was the moment when Mom realized that I had the potential to actually do something with machines, because after that never stopped me from trying out any of my 'projects'. Machines always fascinated me, but in high school I was in no way the boy who lived in his own world working on gizmos and gadgets the whole day. I was more of a normal guy who had the occasional urge to build things like laser-alarms, and was not always successful in reaching the intended final product I must add. Nevertheless now that I am going to college to study engineering, I am really excited because I will be getting back to my old passion of meddling with mechanisms, and will maybe even get the chance to live out my childhood fantasy and build a real car.

Duke University I believe is the best institute for me to follow my dreams of becoming an engineer. I came to know about Duke a long time ago while watching NCAA basketball. When I began my college research however, I was really surprised to find out how much more Duke was than just a school with a great basketball team. What else can I ask for from a university that already offers a topnotch academic program, outstanding athletic facilities and a reputedly memorable college experience? It has the perfect combination of a student body that is extremely competitive academically and people who like to live life and enjoy themselves. At Duke I hope to get involved in student clubs and organizations such as 'Crazies who Care' and 'Duke Robotics club', and take up leadership roles. I am also looking forward to actively participate in intramural sports and be a part of Duke student traditions such as camping out all night to get floor seats for the Blue Devils' basketball games. I want to go to Duke because it has great cultural and ethnical diversity and there will be a lot of people like me from different parts of the world who are very new to the experience. Most importantly, I am applying to Duke University because I am confident that it will not only provide me with a world-class education, but it also has the ideal student body that I will need to help me grow and excel as a person.

Undergraduate / "where world leaders are not fighting over resources and power" - Lehigh supplement [3]

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CRITICIZE AND SHARE YOUR OPINION :)

1. People face challenges every day. Some make decisions that force them beyond their comfort levels. Maybe you have a political, social or cultural viewpoint that is not shared by the rest of your school, family or community. Did you find the courage to create a better opportunity for yourself or others? Were you able to find the voice to stand up for something you passionately supported? How did you persevere when the odds were against you?

Answer

I believe in globalism, in putting the fate of mankind before that of a single nation. Now I absolutely love my country, my people and our culture. But I think political boundaries created by world leaders are just about the biggest setbacks in humanity's growth, and all countries would be making more progress if they could forget their acquisitive wants and work together.

In my country, three millions martyrs shed their blood in a liberation war thirty-nine years ago, and the 'your-country-is-everything' spirit is still very much alive. Hence, my views are shared by few. Nationalism stands strong. And I am not talking about people being hardcore fans of their country's sports teams; I am referring to the kind of nationalism where most people are disgusted by the traditions of their neighboring nations. I brought up my opinions in my tenth grade Commerce class once, and the general response was one of downright reproach. "Our own country has enough problems to worry about." they said. Exactly the kind of attitude responsible for the troubles between different nations.

I dream of a better tomorrow where world leaders are not fighting over resources and power, where warfare and famine are things of the past. As an eighteen-year-old just out of high school I probably cannot make a difference alone, but waiting on the world to change will not help either. So what I do is spread my message to anyone willing to listen, hoping that someday there will be enough people like me, for us to rise above the system and cause changes.

Undergraduate / An intellectual interest of yours (The study of human behavior) [3]

Any criticism or opinion on the essay will be appreciated

Describe an intellectual interest of yours

The study of human behavior

I am not certain how much most people can distinguish about the characteristics of two individuals from a small interaction between them. I know however, that more times than not, I could tell you quite accurately a bit about who is the more dominant among them, how the conversation is going and a few other things about them without even knowing the language that they are speaking. All just from paying close attention to the manner of their interaction.

The study of human behavior and body language has fascinated me for a while now. I know that it's not usual for an eighteen-year-old to be interested in psychology. Honestly I have yet to find a contemporary who shares my level of interest on this matter. It started when I read a random article on the internet on body postures to avoid when giving an interview or public speeches, and what these stances meant. It did not mean much to me back then but as I went on to observe these things in real life I grew more and more interested. In my spare time, I started doing a little research on human communication on a sub-conscious level. Among many other aspects of the subject I looked up things like voice tone and facial expressions. Then I tried using this knowledge to interpret the behavior of people around me. I quickly realized that it was not nearly as easy as I expected it to be and I was horrible at it. Gradually I got better though. I do not wish to imply that I am anything like one of those 'face-readers' from the FBI, but I have improved a lot since I started and I do it quite often now just for the fun of guessing someone's thoughts.

The study of human behavior and psychology is probably not a subject that I will go on to do a major on, thanks to my greater interest in building machines, and to some extent to the boring jobs related to the field of psychology. However, it is a topic that I know for sure will continue to captivate my interest in the future.