Graduate / "Father joined the Indian Army" - my SOP for MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering [5]

SOP for MSc. Coursework in Mechanical Engineering at NUS Singapore

Hello Everybody
I will be applying to NUS Singapore for MSc. coursework in Mechanical Engineering. Needs review and comment on my 'letter of intent' to NUS
Waiting for a prompt reply... :)
I would appreciate any comments and review on it...

OBJECTIVE OF PURSUING THIS COURSE
(State why you wish to pursue this Course and how you would use the knowledge you gain from it in practice. You may wish to indicate any other relevant information (eg: Membership of Professional Organisations, Scholarships/Prizes/Awards, etc) which will help you in your application.

During the days when my father was in Indian Army, I had the opportunity to visit The Indian Air Force Museum, Palam and Indian Air Force base at Hasimara. The jet fighters and helicopters taking off from there enthralled me with delight and at that time I was unable to imagine the engineering skills human had developed to make the tons of weight airborne. Moreover, my perceptual skills have always perplexed me with awe and delight while watching the unsteady flight and the impeccable landing of the natural flyers. At the same time, I was always baffled by the lack of engineering skills that could make humans airborne like birds. Hence, the quest for my query and the subsequent events therein during my high school years intrigued me to go for undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering.

My inherent predilection for the elementary subjects during my high school years and undergraduate studies has helped me to excel in academics. I was the District Topper in All India Secondary School Examination, 2004 and Second District Topper in All India Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, 2006 and hence, was awarded with Gold Medal Merit award and Merit scholarship. I was also awarded City Rank 1st in 7th National Science Olympiad, 2004. I was consistently ranked fourth in 1st and 2nd semester, 3rd semester, and 6th semester and overall ranked fifth out of the 67 students in my class. In my 4th semester, I presented papers on 'An Endeavour to Travel beyond Solar System' and 'The Future Concepts of Aviation' at an Inter-college level fest. As my papers investigated the use of Plasma Propulsion Technology for interplanetary space explorations and intercontinental travels; I took this opportunity to go through many of the journals and the books on Plasma Dynamics to diversify my knowledge. During this event, a presentation on the 'Chandrayaan Mission' by Late Dr. V.R. Ravindran, Divisional Head of Rocket Propellant Plant, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, fuelled my passion for propulsion methods and motivated me to go beyond the conventional knowledge which could be gained only through Postgraduate and Doctoral studies.

In order to acquire the sufficient competencies in my field of endeavour, I have tried to hone my skills in numerical methods and analysis and designing software packages. During my course on the elective paper 705(B) Finite Element Method, I learnt numerical solution methods using mathematical tool MATLAB and Numerical Integration under the guidance of Assistant Professor Dr. Sunil Kumar N. I have gained extensive leadership skills and profound research and problem solving abilities through my Final year project on 'Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis of wing of an Aircraft' under the guidance of Associate Professor Dr. Senthil Prakash. The project was focused on aerodynamic analysis of an aircraft wing with National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) series 23015 using structured and unstructured meshing of the domain through ANSYS 13.0 ICEM CFD, analysis using ANSYS FLUENT and surface modelling using CATIA V5R20. My seminar on the self-designed concept aircraft namely 'Stingray Prototype Solar Aircraft' investigated the use flapping-wing aerodynamics and propulsion techniques for inter-terrestrial travels. I developed a strong foundation in engineering subjects by delving into books such as 'Thermodynamics-An Engineering Approach' by Cengel and Boles, 'Fluid Mechanics' by Frank M White, 'Strength of Materials' by Timoshenko, 'Finite Element Method' by Dr. J.N. Reddy, 'Mechanical Vibrations' by S.S. Rao as well as from video lectures of MIT open course ware. Apart from B.TECH curriculum, my penchant for Aerospace Engineering intrigued me to read books such as 'Gas Turbine Theory' by H Cohen and JFC Rogers, Aerothermodynamics of Gas turbine and Rocket propulsion by Gordon C. Oates, Fundamental of Aerodynamics by John D. Anderson Jr. and Aerodynamics for Engineering Students by E.L. Houghton to delve deeper into the field. I keep updating myself through frequent reading of journals from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Society of Automobile Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Spectrum and research papers from various esteemed Universities.

I want to use this opportunity at National University of Singapore with all my strong determination, diligence and commitment to gain sufficient knowledge and skills on fundamentals of aerodynamics and existing propulsion techniques and, henceforth, research on new, feasible, less expensive and flexible alternative to the traditional propulsion systems during my doctoral studies. I would need the necessary skills and competencies in Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis to supplement my research so I would like to take courses on Computational Fluid Dynamics and Computational Aerodynamics along with Jet and Rocket Propulsion. Meanwhile, I am also looking forward to research on the prospects of flapping-wing aerodynamics and propulsion system as well as on prototype 'water turbine engines' working on water as fuels unlike the gas turbine engines running on conventional fuels. Hence, I am truly convinced that a coursework in Mechanical Engineering from National University of Singapore with courses pertaining to my research interest will not only boost my knowledge and skills but also provide me with the necessary competence to become a successful researcher enabling me to make fruitful contributions to the development of mankind, in the best possible way, as it is among the best institutes for Mechanical Engineering with Internationally renowned faculties and research laboratories.

By:
Kuldeep Kumar
Mechanical Engineering
Cochin University of Science and Technology

Undergraduate / 'I connected myself to the space' - aerospace engineering, transfer common app [6]

you need to take a look in your essay. I have corrected only one paragraph.

This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.
So familiar for me the sound of rocket and dust, smoke in the sky, I was always wondering what that is. I was the witness of many launches since my hometown was the place from where spacecrafts were launched. I always said to myself that the vehicle which is exhausting so big amounta lot of dust and smoke into the air must be result of a miracle. I remember how I used to go to the street to see the pictures of galaxies and stars in the city. (This sentence ambiguous i.e sentence pertaining to going to streets, can you elaborate it). Even though I was at that time 8 year old at that time , the first thing that came to my mind when I was looking at the pictures is how we can reach itthere . The feeling of the infinity which could not find place in my inside world and was going to escape occupied me(I didn't get the meaning of this sentence, please write in a clear language so that evaluators may understand) . At that point something was changed in my feeling that I am carrying throughout my life.

When I got older, I still connectedkept myself connected to the space. I was watchinglove to watch(should be in present tense as it implies you still have interest in this field) the stars which are usually clear at night in my hometown and ponder how great they are .

Graduate / "My Strive for Success" SOP for Grad. Aerospace Engineering Program [2]

Like many children, I was captivated by flying objects and space exploration. On growing up, I visited aerospace landmarks like the Kill Devil Hills and the Cape Canaveral. Such trips fueled my developing mind with questions of that how the amazing feats like powered flight and rocket propulsion were possible. Amongst all this evidence it is obvious that I have always had a great interest in air and space flight. However after high school, turning a blind eye to these indicators, I followed my athletic abilities to collegiate lacrosse. As Being a hardworking student athlete, introductory engineering courses were appealing to me but my specific future was foggy. Finally, one day in Fluid Mechanics the fog cleared. The discussion of on lift and drag forces generated a spark that ultimately ignited reignited my passion for everything pertaining to aerospace. From that point on, I sought any opportunity to better my foundation of engineering fundamentals in preparation for a life as an aerospace engineer. I learned the importance of pushing myself to expand and adapt my knowledge to take on any new experience. This same drive will empower my dedicated graduate study at the University of Florida to definite success. Doing so in pursuit of my ultimate goal to lead a life contributing to continued achievements in aerospace engineering.

Graduate / "Father joined the Indian Army" - my SOP for MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering [5]

Can i have comments and suggestions on my essay from the moderators of this forum? I really need your views as soon as possible as I am applying on 15th Dec...

Thanking You

Kuldeep Kumar

Graduate / "Father joined the Indian Army" - my SOP for MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering [5]

"I have thoroughly through your website and the ongoing research "

Actually I meant "I have thoroughly gone through your website and the ongoing research "

Thanks for your suggestion

Graduate / "I have a dream..." - SOP-MS COMP SC [4]

can you make your essay more succinct and please go through once again

I too dream and I believe that the beginning of all things all those that are destined for greatness take shape with a humble but omnipotent dream. I dream of a world with no boundaries - a world that shares its wealth, knowledge and ideals, a world with one people.

I saw one of my older cousins` develop cousin developing a 'C' program to build for a calculator