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)
I enjoy fiddling with tech. Im known as the tech savvy guy at school. I live on engadget.com and the likes. Its just interesting. Everything from smart phones to PC hardware. The unfortunate thing is that here, in Saudi Arabia, nobody really knows about this stuff. There arent any clubs for playing around with tech. I have to make do with what I have. This means modding the living day lights out of my phone. Playing around with my PC internals and my Xbox's internals (sometimes that doesn't go so well, but hey, that's how you learn).
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've always had a fascination with airplanes. Ever since I was a young boy I would wonder how they would work. Sitting in the airport and staring at airplanes amazed me, how they would take off with their engines working in harmony, simply amazing. I would piece together Legos together to make one as a kid. I bought a simulator and a joystick. I would try to understand how they would work, everything from the landing gear to the wings. I would pick up information from documentaries and the Internet. For that Im going for Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering.
What attribute of your personality are you most proud of, and how has it impacted your life so far? This could be your creativity, effective leadership, sense of humor, integrity, or anything else you'd like to tell us about. (*) (200-250 words)
I cant remember the last time I left a "above the curriculum" physics question to rest or the last time I didnt search Wikipedia for a topic that came up randomly in a conversation. I cant remember the last time I gave up easily to solving a problem or the last time I didnt make sure my brother understood a lesson he took at school. The thing is I cant remember the last time I let down my enthusiasm and persistence.
As a kid, I would always stick to my father when he does something interesting in the house. I wanted to help out in whatever way I could. In school I would always have this urge to push my knowledge beyond the curriculum. Every time a challenge presented itself to me as a kid I would make it my own to overcome it. Wither it be a question in class or finding a way to make a elevator out of tiny motors and thread for me and my brother to play around with.
At times I might find myself attempting random tasks such forcing an explanation of angular momentum onto my friend. Sometimes I find myself doodling random physics diagrams or solving the tough math and physics questions because I liked the challenge and loved the material. If I find it fun I will do it.
In recent years my persistence and enthusiasm grew larger. They push me in to a frenzy of a need to solve problems. If no one will solve it, then I must solve it. At times the goal might seem obscure or strange, but once I put my mind to something, Im doing it.
Some of them are over the word limit. These are rough drafts anyways. Tell me what you guys think.
This is in response to your first essay only.
You state in your response that there are no clubs so you have to resort to fiddling with your technical items. This is OK as it shows that you have a passion, but what MIT and other top Universities will look for in an ideal student in addition to passion is leadership ability. Why didn't you start a club there in your neighborhood or school. Admissions officers will certainly ask this question as they review your essays. The reality is that many youngsters take apart items out of sheer curiosity. What makes you any different? What makes you worthy of admissions to MIT? - admissionsadviceonline
Hope This Helps
