Posts by fshaikh

fshaikh

Jan 21, 2018

Undergraduate / UIUC transfer essay - Computer Science - goals fulfilled in the intended program of study [2]

In 300 words or less, describe how your academic interest and/or professional goals will be fulfilled in your intended program of study at Illinois.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign application

My interest in computers started from a very young age. I would spend innumerable hours sailing through the vast sea of networks, stumbling on new thing along the way. When I was 12 my father handed me my first laptop igniting the first spark towards computer science. My curious young mind wanted to know how the machine worked and thus I landed on the doorsteps of computer programming. Most of my time would be spent programming several types of simulators and calculators from binomial expansions to Newton's method.

At University of Illinois, my final goal would be to specialize in Cyber and Network Security as I believe that since computers are getting more accessible to people in my country, the risk of getting compromised is increasing as well. With the introduction of new systems such as driver-less cars or smart home systems, hackers would start to innovate new ways to destabilize computer systems and steal critical information. In India sensitive personal information is leaked amongst the masses and there isn't much that has been done to prevent that. Hence, I would like to spend my time at UIUC researching ways for people not just in my country but around the world to have a safe and secure experience whilst online which is something I firmly believe in. With the guidance and the facilities provided to me by University of Illinois and the College of Engineering, I believe that it will be apt for me to succeed in my goals.

Hi, I am an international student applying to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am having difficulties in starting the essay and keeping it within the word limit. Please help me figure out any grammatical errors, weird sentence structure and any comments on how to improve my essay further. Constructive criticism would be much appreciated. Thank you!

fshaikh

Nov 26, 2015

Undergraduate / Interest in Computer Science - UIUC Undergrad Essay [8]

Well I revised my whole essay and wrote another one based on the feedback provided. Is the revised version better? Any help would be appreciated

Right from my early days at school I was drawn towards the mathematical world. From algebra to permutations and combinations to just sitting around and solving mathematical problems, the world of numbers and logic has always fascinated me. As I thought where I can apply my passion for numbers, one field clearly stood out - Computer Science.

I was first introduced to computers when I was 10 years old. At my primary school I was taught the `programming language Logo. It was basically a triangular shape called a "turtle" that we had full control over. Simple commands like "fd10" would make the turtle move 10 units forward in a straight line. Later, my dad bought me a computer of my own on which I spend hours playing video games. I was fascinated by beautiful graphics and designing that goes into making a computer game. Not only I was fascinated, I also wanted to know the inner workings of the games. To this end, I started to learn computer languages. I started with learning HTML and quickly graduated to Java.

People would approach me looking for answers to their computer programming problems, I felt honored that they valued my opinion. As the word got out that I am good with websites, people started approaching me for freelancing work. I designed the websites for several neighborhood businesses helping them grow their business. It gave me immense satisfaction to see that my passion for programming not only helped me make some pocket money and learn, but also helped the community.

At UIUC I want to learn Artificial Intelligence, especially computer vision, object recognition, spatial understanding and scene interpretation. I believe that with several companies working on driver-less cars, the technology would be ready to go mainstream by the time I graduate and having deep knowledge in this field will help me in contributing more towards this field. I look forward to a fruitful and exciting career in the arena of computer science and its applications and sincerely hope that I will be provided an opportunity to study CS at UIUC.

fshaikh

Nov 23, 2015

Undergraduate / Interest in Computer Science - UIUC Undergrad Essay [8]

Hi, I am an international student applying to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am having difficulties in ending the essay and keeping it within the word limit. Please help me figure out any grammatical errors and any comments on how to improve my essay further.Constructive criticism would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Explain your interest in the major you selected. Describe an experience related to that area of study, what first introduced you to this field, and/or your future career goals. Limit your response to 300-400 words.

Lying in my bed at night I was thinking about a specific experience that I had regarding to computer science. Some instance where I've achieved greatness in the field. Pondering upon the dilemma for day and night I realized that it was not my achievements that counted but my passion in the field.

My introduction to gaming began when I was three years old. My dad had got a computer home with a bunch of Kellogg's games for me to explore. From then onwards I graduated to other consoles and every day in my house you would hear the same dialogue playing on repeat.

"The whole day you've been sitting in one place and playing that stupid game. This is not the time to play. Go study!"

"Five minutes mum, I promise", was a response that always followed as I proceeded to continue my journey through the 18th Century Nassau in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag or avoided the brain eating zombies in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 only to know that I'd be immersed in it for a few more hours.

I'm proud to admit that I am an avid gamer since video games have been a huge part of my life, cheering me at times of stressful academic work. The beautiful graphics, fluid physics and alluring game-play was enough to take my mind off work and send me into a state of nirvana.

My love story with computers started when I was 10 years old. At my primary school I was taught the `programming language Logo. It was basically a triangular shape called a "turtle" that we had full control over. Simple commands like "fd 10" would make the turtle move 10 units forward in a straight line! This fascination fueled my desire to expand my knowledge and go out my way to learn the basics of HTML.

To my dismay, computer science was not offered in 11th grade as a subject. But that didn't deter me from veering away from my passion. In my free time I would read articles about computers and try to teach my self the basics of Java and Python in order to keep my desire for computers burning. I realized that programming in those languages was not anyone's cup of tea, by dismantling my problems into smaller ones I was able to overcome my ambivalence towards Java.

Majoring in Computer Science in UIUC will open many doors of opportunity for me to contribute to the gaming industry and open many more in the field of research such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) which I'd like to spend countless number of hours researching into, starting from undergraduate itself. I believe that the sufficient facilities and the holistic environment help me succeed in my big dreams and aspirations.