Graduate / SOP - Masters in Computer Science and Engineering [4]

My decision to apply to master's course in Human Computer Interaction stems from my strong interest in electronic design, computer science and the human brain itself.

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My undergraduate studies have equipped me with diverse yet essential concepts in Electronics, Computer Science and Mathematics. Telecommunication Engineering at .. gave me freedom to choose subjects from both Electronics and Computer Science departments. Courses like Digital Logic, Electronic Circuits, Network Analysis, Control Systems, Information Theory and Coding, Advanced Microprocessors and Digital Signal Processing gave me a solid understanding of subjects in Electronics and Communication space which was complemented by the courses that I took in the Computer Science stream like Data Structures and Algorithms, Object Oriented Programming, Operating Systems, Advanced Computer Networks and Network Security.

In my second year of Engineering I was chosen as a Teaching Assistant under Prof. [Name Withheld] for the Network Analysis course. Helping in preparing his course, grading students and teaching. Teaching a section of students who had not undergone a prior course in Advanced Mathematics helped me not only better my communication and presentation skills but also develop a strong interest in applied mathematics. In fact, that very semester I won second place in a State Level Math Quiz.

I believe in competing to win. Having won several state level science and technology competitions, I was selected to represent my state in a National Level Science camp conducted by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology where I won the first place for my seminar on the Influence of Einstein's Theory of Relativity to Modern Astronomy. Also, my popular science talk on Optics in Everyday Life was awarded an 'A' grade by the coveted Bangalore Science Forum.

Designing of electronic circuits and web application took most of my free time during my pre-university college year. One of my hobby projects won first prize in two state level electronic model exhibitions. During my Engineering, I won the state level Web Designing and Authoring competition conducted by BMS College of Engineering 3 years in a row. I have also won several other web designing competitions at the inter-collegiate level. I was also one of the finalists in the National Astronomy Olympiad.

In my final year of Engineering, I was one of the few students to be accepted for an internship at XYZ where I could also work on my academic project. I wanted to navigate around power point presentations by just using a laser pointer. After several iterations, not only were we able to perfectly control the complete flow of presentations using only a laser pointer but also simulate a computer mouse completely. Our project involved projecting the laser pointer on the presentation screen which was continuously monitored by a Web Camera connected to a computer. Using Euclidean color filtering and image processing algorithms we were able to identify and track the laser dot on the screen and move the cursor on the computer accordingly. Although a few other projects in the market had achieved laser tracking, ours project is the only one so far to completely simulate a mouse with implementations of single-click, right-click and also double click. Our project not only won accolades at both XYZ and our college but also helped me secure a job at XYZ where I am presently working.

At XYZ, I get to interact with external developers who range from small software developers to solution architects at Fortune 100 corporations. I am part of a 12 member team that works on resolving challenging and complex web programming and server related problems. I get to debug, troubleshoot, write custom code and provide solutions to complex technical issues in Internet Information Services (IIS), ASP.net, Javascript, CSS and XML. My experience at XYZ has taught me that coding is the easy part, it is architecting and debugging which requires greater effort.

Although I could have proceeded directly to post graduate studies after my graduation, I had to make sure I choose the right subject and right place before embarking on a course of study that would shape the rest of my life. This one year gap has also given me an opportunity to experience the life of a working professional which I had so yearned during my 21 years of studies. It has given my enough to me think clearly of my future and steer it in the right direction.

I have interacted with current students and alumni from ABC university and also have been following the research activities of the computer science department at ABC. The research work in the field of _______ and _______ by ________ particularly interests me. I visited ABC campus while I was in [] on a business trip and I was impressed by the state of the art facility and the intellectual crowd that your university attracts which inspires me to apply to it. I am confident that given a chance I will measure up the high standards of academics and research that the University is known for