Undergraduate / Instead of stylistic, I'm opting for a really realistic approach here - UIUC Essay [3]

Note: Instead of stylistic, I'm opting for a really realistic approach here so tell me if I need to be more stylistic instead.

In an essay of 300 words or less, explain your motivation to transfer from your current/previous institution to Illinois and how your academic interests and/or professional goals will be fulfilled in your intended program of study.

When I first came to US, I was like a fish out of water: somewhat unsure of my future goals and miles away from home. But with time, by adapting to new learning environments, by making friends with whom I could never find back home and through experiencing a different culture while at the same time teaching others about my own, I came through. The first semester of being an ECE major was definitely tough, but it was what made me want to do ECE-I went from knowing little about my own major to having a clear goal of which technical core I want to specialize in, what jobs I wish to go into and a definite plan of the road ahead of me.

However, living in Austin is beyond my financial means. The allowance that my sponsor gives me monthly would not cover the expensive living costs. Plus, with the recent oil crisis, the exchange rate from Malaysian Ringgit to USD has increased dramatically and I don't want to burden my parents. It is simply more practical to pursue my education elsewhere.

By transferring to UIUC, I stand to gain more than I already am here in UT. The countless opportunities in the reputable ECE School will undoubtedly provide for my ambition to further delve into software development. Looking through UIUC's ECE curriculum, I see some parallels with my education now and thus, I wouldn't find it hard to keep up to UIUC's learning pace. I could already see myself volunteering under WECE, getting into undergraduate research through the PURE program and minoring in CS or even Psychology at UIUC. UT Austin has been a good start to my education but I believe it is in UIUC where I will truly grow and flourish.

You have selected a second choice major. Please explain your interest in this major.

UT never had an official 'Computer Engineering' degree in its curriculum, except for some implication of branching into 'Computer Engineering' if you choose one of the two technical cores under CE out of the total of ten EE and CE technical cores when you enter junior year. However, you're still officially an EE major. Thus, I had a taste of both EE and CE as an EE major from the very first semester where I had been exposed to some introductory circuit analysis and had some exposure to computer architecture under the Intro to EE and Intro to Computing courses. I even went to several talks about the technical cores of both majors and developed an interest in both of them. At first I had actually thought of venturing into the Power technical core before settling for Software under CE. Therefore, remaining an EE major as a transfer in UIUC is definitely another option that I would consider.

Undergraduate / Video games make me want to do Engineering. Brown Academic Interest short essay. [2]

Why are you drawn to the area(s) of study you indicated in our Member Section, earlier in this application? If you are "undecided" or not sure which Brown concentrations match your interests, consider describing more generally the academic topics or modes of thought that engage you currently. (150 word limit)

I grew up watching my brother play video games. One day, my brother made the mistake of leaving his game idle and I snatched that opportunity to play the game instead. Long story short, my brother could no longer touch that video game again.

It wasn't long before my growing fascination with video games expanded beyond playing it. I followed updates on video game technology religiously-from the growing popularity of motion-gaming with the introduction of the Wii to the recent implementation of gaming technology like the Kinect and Oculus Rift in the controlling of a robot arm by NASA-and am intrigued on how far we have come in the industry for the sake of 'immersion'.

'How much further can we go?' is the main question that I wish to answer by foraying into the world of engineering.

Undergraduate / I never wanted to be an engineer CMU ENGINEERING SUPPLEMENT. [4]

At age sixteen, I had a burning resolve to never be an engineer.

It wasn't that I hated maths and science-not at all. It was simply due to the fact that four of my siblings had already taken that path; being the devoted non-conformist that I was, I shuddered at the thought of being another member of that flock.

Atiqah at age sixteen would probably lament how far Atiqah at age eighteen had fallen considering the fact that she is going on the same road that her siblings did. However, it was also at age sixteen when I had a change of heart towards engineering. I remember entering the solar boat competition as some form of escape from art and how much of a disaster it was at the start. Lack of tools, ill preparation and basically a case of 'beginner's syndrome' put my team in a spot but we did manage to successfully produce an actual solar boat, albeit somewhat a sham compared to those of our more experienced adversaries, but hey, it worked! Regardless, what really hit me by surprise was the sense of community that was evident throughout the event. Beginners and veterans alike were exchanging advice, compliments and even tips with each other. That truly made me realise that being there was not simply a matter of proving our intellectual superiority but a matter of learning for each and every one of us.

Engineering started to not seem like such a bad idea at all.

It was when I was seventeen and my last year of high school when realism started to tear down my idealistic dreams. After slaving on art works for others for two years I began to want to rethink my decision on wanting to settle on art as a life career. Art was something I had dabbled in for almost all my life and I thought that it was time for something new. I began contemplating different careers for months-from geology all the way to psychology-but it was when I was reading an article about the soon to-be-out PS4-the playstation being a staple of the family and video gaming being something I picked up from my brothers-that it hit me that one day I would want to be able to work in the video-gaming industry. It may seem like another idealistic dream but it was something that I had thought of ever since I first started holding the playstation controller.

"So Atiqah, what do you plan to do?" my father asked me for the hundredth time as I got into the car. After answering "I'll think about it later." countlessly before, I finally could give him a definite answer: "Computer engineering."

Once that was settled, I was originally thinking of a maybe doing a double degree in both fine arts and computer engineering but I figured that I really might just overtax myself and reserved myself to art as minor instead. The main issue for me able to do this though was the fact that I need to find a university which is good in both departments-something almost impossible to find.

And that was how I came about to CMU, the exception to that rule.

I find it absolutely amazing that CMU not only has an amazing ECE school but also offers me an opportunity to take high quality electives in art and social sciences. CIT itself puts a heavy emphasis on interdisciplinary education as seen by the multiple interdisciplinary research departments that it offers. This makes me believe that I can finally combine both art and sciences, despite keeping pursuits in both disciplines separate before, in my innovations. That depth and breadth of the engineering school also does not only make my goal to enter the video-gaming technology industry possible but also that it provides a multitude of opportunities to explore the other departments, be it robotics or even sustainable energy.

CIT also rewards its high achieving students by providing an opportunity to go into its Master's programs without the hassle of application matters with the IMB program, something that I hope to strive for as I can further go into research and even expand my job prospects by taking up a Master's Degree in ECE or software engineering.

From engineering to art, I find that CMU is the perfect university for me to achieve my dreams.

Word count: 732.

I need some feedback and if anyone could point out some unnecessary words, please do since I want to lower the word count if I could.

Undergraduate / Georgia Tech Essay-Why do I want to attend and can contribute to GA Tech. [2]

Why are you interested in attending Georgia Tech, and what do you hope to contribute to our community?

Origami-shaped antennas, international plans, coop programmes and greatly diverse community intellectuals; these are the very things that tell me that Georgia Tech is the place that I want to be in. As I never had much opportunity to delve into computer computer engineering in the past, I feel that Georgia Tech will be able to quench my hunger for scientific pursuits as the ECE School happens to be one of the best in the country. I could already envision myself on a coop semester in the Lorraine campus, experiencing French culture and assimilating myself with new knowledge and work experience. At the main campus, I could see myself applying to be a staff member at Technique, Georgia Tech's newspaper, sending an art piece or two to Erato, or even just taking a breather on one of the grassy fields, knowing that I am perfectly content to be there. (150 words)

Undergraduate / I am an artist (COMMON APP) - CENTRAL TO IDENTITY [5]

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

My parents were never one to send their children to any kind of classes. While other children my age went to ballet classes, started to play the piano or even go to art classes at centres, I was at home with only the television as my source of entertainment. Eventually I grew bored and decided to make a hobby out of what was available to me-I picked up a pencil and I started to draw. Before I knew it, I had become obsessed. Every flat surface was a victim to my endless doodles. Gradually, a small spark of passion for art in me started to burn.

Art was all the rage in middle school and it was extremely competitive. My friends and I had constant competitions, rivalries and secretly, each of us wanted to be known as the best. However, to many of them it was just a phase that each gradually moved on from. Yet, I kept going. My sister had once said that I was 'lucky' because for many children, childish infatuations remained infatuations-temporary. Mine bloomed into a growing passion.

My drawings at the time were hardly taken seriously. For people my age, it was awed upon. For adults, they were 'childish' and 'stupid'. Encouragement was rare to come upon; my art was mostly scoffed at. Even my parents sometimes called it pointless. I felt smaller than I could ever had but those feelings only catalysed my strive to get better, to one day prove that all the time I spent one my work was not worthless.

As I grew up and moved on to high school, I put my all into my art. I progressed from one style-manga-to another-realism-and solidified the shaky fundamentals with whatever resources I could find. I played with the restrictions of watercolour, marvelled at the easy flow of acrylic and enjoyed experimenting with different surfaces as I strayed away from plain paper. I became obsessed with perfectionism; every single detail that didn't look right made me scrap whatever I had done. My painstaking effort paid off as my skills became more significant; the once trivial hobby became an asset that made my name become synonymous with arts in school. I found myself landing leadership positions with my skills and at times, I would be called on to do some graphic design work for an official school event. I finally gained the acknowledgement that I had once sought. Even so, I still felt that my art skills were far from polished. Eventually, I made the decision to work towards an art-career, envisioning myself-rather foolishly-to one day set up an easel in the streets of Paris.

In retrospect, it was an idealistic dream. It was a dream that was stopped cold in its tracks as I slaved on the twenty-something piece of art, any passion for it burnt out by the lack of meaning that I once had when I wasn't simply mass producing art work for school or other people.

"Do I really WANT to do this for the rest of my life?"

Those were the questions that signified a turning point in my life. I had to start seeking out for a new goal, a new challenge to master. It was a long and arduous time of indecisiveness before I finally fixed upon engineering with enough deliberation. It was a new field to me but it wasn't completely alien.

No matter which path I take next, arts will always remain a passion, still burning brightly in my heart. I will never regret those years of investment into art; it taught me more than I could ever learn elsewhere: dedication, hard-work, and to just keep on going no matter what happens. It is an identity that I will hold closely to me no matter what I am externally.

I will always be an artist.

(647 words)