ixchocolateful
Oct 5, 2014
Undergraduate / From paper origami to mechanical engineering - UPENN supplement [5]
I revised my essay. Of course it needs a lot more work but I restructured it. I'm not sure if the beginning and ending sound redundant, but please critic it as much as possible.
Penn's One University policy allows me to take courses regarding all of my interests. Not only can I pursue my main passion for mechanical engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, I am allowed to take courses in the Japanese Language Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, and I can also participate in the field hockey and lacrosse club teams.
I was instantly captivated as I joined the robotics team during my junior year of high school. During my first competition, all of the robots were designed and manufactured differently, yet they were all capable of performing the same task given. I was fascinated by how individual fragments that seemed insignificant could create unique, fully functioning machines. The competition's objective required my team to build an autonomous robot that could pick a ball up, and shoot it into the desired goal. My job was to brainstorm efficient and simplistic ideas that would satisfy the requirements for the robot and construct prototypes. After months of building, the robot was finally finished and ready for competition. My team was placed in the first seed and reached the semi-finals for the first year ever. Before I knew it, robotics had inspired me to become a mechanical engineer.
While participating in the Penn's Summer Science Initiative program during the summer, I visited the GRASP laboratory and I had the opportunity to see the X-RHex Hexapedal Robot in action. The design was simplistic and was modeled after a cockroach, yet was practical and functional. I then realized that Penn could provide the tools and resources for me to eventually develop my own machines in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. I will be able to participate in the MEAM program (Penn's Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics). The program will not only educate me, it will also provide hands on experience in designing and manufacturing mechanical systems (MEAM 101 and MEAM 201). The flexibility of the MEAM program also grants specialization in multiple areas, allowing me to continue my passion for robotics.
Despite being thoroughly involved in robotics, I was also engrossed in sports and languages. I joined field hockey, lacrosse, and Students Run Philly Style, a long distance running club. Seeing my hard work pay off as my team won two consecutive public league championships and as I completed two marathons was invigorating. After viewing the Sunkaraku tea house in the Philadelphia Art Museum, I was intrigued by Japanese language and culture. I also excelled in my Spanish classes, which further inspired me to pursue foreign languages.
The One University policy enables me to remain academically challenged whilst being thoroughly engaged with the community. The flexibility of the system allows me not only to focus on mechanical engineering, it also allows me to explore my other passions by taking courses from all four undergraduate schools. By combining my passion for both mechanical engineering and languages, I hope to give back to the community by utilizing Penn's study abroad program to not only deepen my studies in Japanese, but also to learn more about foreign mechanics and technology and brainstorm new innovative techniques to improve modern mechanics. I look forward to utilizing this unique opportunity offered by Penn to build up my future, one layer at a time.
I revised my essay. Of course it needs a lot more work but I restructured it. I'm not sure if the beginning and ending sound redundant, but please critic it as much as possible.
Penn's One University policy allows me to take courses regarding all of my interests. Not only can I pursue my main passion for mechanical engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, I am allowed to take courses in the Japanese Language Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, and I can also participate in the field hockey and lacrosse club teams.
I was instantly captivated as I joined the robotics team during my junior year of high school. During my first competition, all of the robots were designed and manufactured differently, yet they were all capable of performing the same task given. I was fascinated by how individual fragments that seemed insignificant could create unique, fully functioning machines. The competition's objective required my team to build an autonomous robot that could pick a ball up, and shoot it into the desired goal. My job was to brainstorm efficient and simplistic ideas that would satisfy the requirements for the robot and construct prototypes. After months of building, the robot was finally finished and ready for competition. My team was placed in the first seed and reached the semi-finals for the first year ever. Before I knew it, robotics had inspired me to become a mechanical engineer.
While participating in the Penn's Summer Science Initiative program during the summer, I visited the GRASP laboratory and I had the opportunity to see the X-RHex Hexapedal Robot in action. The design was simplistic and was modeled after a cockroach, yet was practical and functional. I then realized that Penn could provide the tools and resources for me to eventually develop my own machines in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. I will be able to participate in the MEAM program (Penn's Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics). The program will not only educate me, it will also provide hands on experience in designing and manufacturing mechanical systems (MEAM 101 and MEAM 201). The flexibility of the MEAM program also grants specialization in multiple areas, allowing me to continue my passion for robotics.
Despite being thoroughly involved in robotics, I was also engrossed in sports and languages. I joined field hockey, lacrosse, and Students Run Philly Style, a long distance running club. Seeing my hard work pay off as my team won two consecutive public league championships and as I completed two marathons was invigorating. After viewing the Sunkaraku tea house in the Philadelphia Art Museum, I was intrigued by Japanese language and culture. I also excelled in my Spanish classes, which further inspired me to pursue foreign languages.
The One University policy enables me to remain academically challenged whilst being thoroughly engaged with the community. The flexibility of the system allows me not only to focus on mechanical engineering, it also allows me to explore my other passions by taking courses from all four undergraduate schools. By combining my passion for both mechanical engineering and languages, I hope to give back to the community by utilizing Penn's study abroad program to not only deepen my studies in Japanese, but also to learn more about foreign mechanics and technology and brainstorm new innovative techniques to improve modern mechanics. I look forward to utilizing this unique opportunity offered by Penn to build up my future, one layer at a time.