Undergraduate / "You've got a great road ahead, sweetheart" - Transfer essays for MIT [3]

How does MIT align with your goals? 250 words limit

"You've got a great road ahead, sweetheart," my father told me at times when the future seemed murky. Great or not, the road is mine to walk and it has never been clearer.

If my road is to go through unknown land, I need a guide. MIT is the greatest place for poking the edges of the human knowledge. With UROP I could join the Jarillo-Herrero Group and finally explore the captivating world of quantum nanoelectronics, a new but thriving field with limitless potential.

If my road is to be enjoyed, I need companions. Someone who would share my dreams and excitement, someone to cheer me up on a bad day. The spirit of MIT community is unlike anywhere else. Imagine talking about quantum transport over tea and cookies in Alpha Chi Omega, baking pies together for the Pi(e) day, listening to MITSO or Swedish Jazz Spectrum! Sounds like heaven.

Most importantly, if my road is to lead somewhere, it needs to be useful. There is so much more science can do. In MIT I hope to apply my current knowledge of theory to help the world and its people. Coming from a developing country, I take special interest in the D-Lab courses. I would be making the world a better place, one project at a time.

The road I set out on is full of twists and turns. Though I may not know where it will take me, I hope MIT would be a stepping stone ahead.

Please discuss why you are considering transferring from your current college or university. 250 words

"But I will be really careful!" My high-pitched childish voice sounded desperate for a yes.

Dad sighed, taking his eyes off the morning newspaper.

"A no is a no. You don't even know what's inside!"

I did know what was inside. Inside my old phone, already taken apart with my dad's screwdriver, was a piece of folded metal which, as I would later find out, would have burned my hands had they been wet.

Years later I would find many better-and safer-ways to channel my curiosity. Olympiads, research, presentations - but nothing quite matched the International Young Physicists tournament. To make something new with people who share your passion, to rely on your personal judgment, to see your own ideas working in practice - it was a dream come true. Or so I thought.

"Science is just theory here,"- my physics teacher told me once. "We simply don't have the facilities for more."

Away went the Helmholtz resonators and Wimshurts machines - my room was now filled with textbooks and articles. My first research paper was on how to theoretically improve the electrochemical cleaning of wastewater, the second on the theoretical pumping of electromagnetic waves in a layered superconductor. University of Kharkiv has given me an excellent knowledge of theory, which sadly I won't be able to put into practice. I want to create. I want to invent. I want to improve. I want to see my ideas come to life and help the world. I am ready for a new start.

Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? 250 words

We aren't ready.

I looked over our team. Nikita was staring silently at the floor while Vika bit her lip and checked her hair for the hundredth time. Never before had our physics tournament team been among the finalists.

We can't make it.

"We can make it, guys. Remember what I told you before? We. Will. Win."- I said, hiding my shaking hands under the table.

Perhaps it was the blinding lighting but for a moment their faces seemed to light up.

Later, I stared into space for a good minute before finally looking at the scores screen.

We didn't make it.

The sadness in the air seemed palpable. All the hours of preparation, all the evenings spent at school, all the theories and experiments - it was all for naught.

Or was it?

"Hey, don't be glum,"- I smiled at our team - "With this experience, we will definitely win next year!"

I won't be on the team the next year. My freshman year.

"Cause you won't mind a graduate helping, would you?"

Though our first time was unsuccessful, the team marched on toward victory. Better timing, more teamwork, stronger theory and a lot more experiments - we learned from our mistakes. The school remained a second home, as every evening after classes I would return to guide our team.

I looked at the scores screen the moment it lighted up.

They made it.

"Told you so! Whelp, time to go international!" I said and the brightest smiles filled the room.