Please tell me if these sound okay. And suggest any improvements you think will help me make these better. Please :)
We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do for the pleasure of it. (*)(100 words or fewer)
Acting. It's something that allows me to completely forget who I am and lose myself in another character who bears no resemblance to the real me. A child, a psychopath or a punk; I can be almost anybody I want. My best experience of theater was when I played the role of a gay fashion designer in the annual school play last year. I had to step out of my comfort zone and do things I had never done before. It wasn't easy. But when I heard the audience's applause, what I felt, only one word can describe it: indescribable
Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? (*) (100 words or fewer)
I long to sit in a lecture delivered by Professor John Heywood and learn more about his exploits in the field of automotive technologies. How a smooth ride entails a complex coordination of wheels and motors is something that has always fascinated me. Designing a machine on paper is one thing, but actually going ahead and making it span out in physical space is another. The latter is where I find my true calling. Therefore, I think the Mechanical Engineering department at MIT will help me chase my dreams of building ingenious machines that are workable and yet extraordinary.
Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?(*) (200-250 words)
If you want to know the definition of hubris, it is the misguided attempt to build an electrostatic levitation chamber using just a thousand rupees in the space of three days for the school science exhibition. As the days passed by with the speed of light and nothing got done, I realized I was in over my head. Thinking, well, the worst thing that could happen is that I wouldn't win; I found myself relaxing and was surprised to find that the idea that had been eluding me whooshed in with twenty others. Keen to build something that explained the physics of electrostatics, I decided to build a Van de Graff generator using PVC pipes, several pieces of wire, a motor from a toy car and a soda can. The only thing that I wasn't able to find was a rubber band that would easily fit into the PVC pipes. But then the wrist band lying on the bed-side table caught my eye. With overflowing optimism, I tried it in place of the rubber band and much to my surprise, it worked. The generator finally came to life and suddenly, every bit of effort put in it seemed worthwhile. I felt like a veritable MacGyver: and realized that MacGyver was within me, that engineering cannot be devoid from imagination and creativity if it is to be meaningful.
Maybe you meant it as a joke, but I think it does sound a bit awkward: only one word can describe it: indescribable
I suggest you just say that the feeling was indescribable or find a nice adjective instead ;)
Otherwise I think it's fine. At least I have no other significant comments.
I'm also applying to MIT. Good luck with your applications! ;)
