1. Summer Activities (volunteer work, research, summer programs, personal projects, if not already listed on the Common Application) - indicate years.
>In the summer of 2012, I conducted a research on the efficiency of electric vehicles in Nepal. I weighed the pros and cons of running such means of transport here, their local impacts compared to the internal combustion engines and evaluated the study in relation to the global status of these vehicles. This investigation was a part of my four-thousand word extended essay research of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. In the essay I also discussed the hindrances these vehicles face in the context of Nepal and provided suggestions to overcome such obstacles.
2. What keywords would your friends use to describe you?
>"Concerned" as I am inquisitive to learn about my friends' problems and I am willing to help them out. "Clever" as I manage to finish all my works and still have fun, and also manage to get away with my mischievous deeds.
3. Please list three books, along with their authors, that have been particularly meaningful to you. For each book, please include a sentence explaining their influence upon you. Please note that your response is not limited to math, science or school-assigned texts.
>Angels and Demons, Dan Brown: It engaged me into the world of particle physics, and I was interested to learn more about the topic.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling: I was impressed to see how the three main characters stick together and maintain their friendship even in difficult situations.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey: I was in my early teens back then, and this book was like a guide to me.
4. Share an ethical dilemma that challenged you. How did you respond? Your response is not limited to academic situations.
> In Kathmandu there are a lot of children who sleep on the streets and beg. So once when I was with my dad walking in one of streets of the city, a small kid turned up in front us and started asking for money. He must have been around 10 years of age; his clothes were torn and dirty. My dad just walked past the kid, ignoring him. I thought it was a cruel thing to do but since I was not carrying any money, I just walked along. On reaching home my dad explained that such kids misuse the money for glue-sniffing. I was pretty shocked to know this.
Few days later when I was walking home, another kid with similar looks came to me and begged me for money. He looked so innocent and miserable that I could not help myself reaching for my purse. Then suddenly I remembered my dad's words about such kids. For a moment I stood there perplexed what my next move should be. I decided that I would listen to my dad so I just walked away from him. I watched him from the corner of the road and saw a few hands giving out money to him. After collecting a few bucks I saw him enter a shop and buy glue instead of food. At that point, I felt I did the right thing by listening to my dad instead of being deceived by his innocence.
5. Caltech students have long been known for their quirky sense of humor and creative pranks. Please describe an unusual way in which you have fun.
> I have a friend in high school who loves to bluff around. While doing so he does not even realize the stupid things he says and actually makes a mockery out of himself. At first I tried hard to not tease him along with the other guys. But I soon realized that the more you pretend to believe his bluffs, the more he would annoy you. So eventually I started teasing him as well.
As part of the curriculum, we had a week-long visit to a remote village. During our stay there, my friends and I decided to have some fun by playing a prank on him. We asked him to join us in a trust-building game in which we would blind-fold him and safely guide him to a nearby place in the village. We told him that we were taking him towards his tent but we actually lead him towards the cowshed. After pushing him towards the herd of cows and goats, all of us had a good laugh.
I'm really nervous as it's my first time. Can someone please go through it one by one and help me especially with no. 2.
>In the summer of 2012, I conducted a research on the efficiency of electric vehicles in Nepal. I weighed the pros and cons of running such means of transport here, their local impacts compared to the internal combustion engines and evaluated the study in relation to the global status of these vehicles. This investigation was a part of my four-thousand word extended essay research of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. In the essay I also discussed the hindrances these vehicles face in the context of Nepal and provided suggestions to overcome such obstacles.
2. What keywords would your friends use to describe you?
>"Concerned" as I am inquisitive to learn about my friends' problems and I am willing to help them out. "Clever" as I manage to finish all my works and still have fun, and also manage to get away with my mischievous deeds.
3. Please list three books, along with their authors, that have been particularly meaningful to you. For each book, please include a sentence explaining their influence upon you. Please note that your response is not limited to math, science or school-assigned texts.
>Angels and Demons, Dan Brown: It engaged me into the world of particle physics, and I was interested to learn more about the topic.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling: I was impressed to see how the three main characters stick together and maintain their friendship even in difficult situations.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey: I was in my early teens back then, and this book was like a guide to me.
4. Share an ethical dilemma that challenged you. How did you respond? Your response is not limited to academic situations.
> In Kathmandu there are a lot of children who sleep on the streets and beg. So once when I was with my dad walking in one of streets of the city, a small kid turned up in front us and started asking for money. He must have been around 10 years of age; his clothes were torn and dirty. My dad just walked past the kid, ignoring him. I thought it was a cruel thing to do but since I was not carrying any money, I just walked along. On reaching home my dad explained that such kids misuse the money for glue-sniffing. I was pretty shocked to know this.
Few days later when I was walking home, another kid with similar looks came to me and begged me for money. He looked so innocent and miserable that I could not help myself reaching for my purse. Then suddenly I remembered my dad's words about such kids. For a moment I stood there perplexed what my next move should be. I decided that I would listen to my dad so I just walked away from him. I watched him from the corner of the road and saw a few hands giving out money to him. After collecting a few bucks I saw him enter a shop and buy glue instead of food. At that point, I felt I did the right thing by listening to my dad instead of being deceived by his innocence.
5. Caltech students have long been known for their quirky sense of humor and creative pranks. Please describe an unusual way in which you have fun.
> I have a friend in high school who loves to bluff around. While doing so he does not even realize the stupid things he says and actually makes a mockery out of himself. At first I tried hard to not tease him along with the other guys. But I soon realized that the more you pretend to believe his bluffs, the more he would annoy you. So eventually I started teasing him as well.
As part of the curriculum, we had a week-long visit to a remote village. During our stay there, my friends and I decided to have some fun by playing a prank on him. We asked him to join us in a trust-building game in which we would blind-fold him and safely guide him to a nearby place in the village. We told him that we were taking him towards his tent but we actually lead him towards the cowshed. After pushing him towards the herd of cows and goats, all of us had a good laugh.
I'm really nervous as it's my first time. Can someone please go through it one by one and help me especially with no. 2.
