Question:
Members of the Cal-tech community live, learn, and work within an Honor System with one simple guideline; 'No member shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Cal-tech community.' While seemingly simple, questions of ethics, honesty and integrity are sometimes puzzling. Share a difficult situation that has challenged you. What was your response, and how did you arrive at a solution? (200 word max)
my response:
I remember a recent challenging event. I was unable to choose between following my values and doing what seemed to be the right thing at that time.
I needed the Indian passport to register for SAT and TOEFL, for which that I had to go through mandatory police verification. The inquiry officer demanded a bribe to clear the verification in time. I tried to convince him that I have clean social record. But he was adamant and warned that if not complied to, he would keep the verification pending indefinitely. I come from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and giving bribe was against our values. It was a choice between my principles and my career.
Initially I thought of following my ideals. But the exam registration deadlines were nearing and it was now or never. Finally I decided to pay him the bribe. Although it seems like a small decision, it left a huge mark on my belief system. The wrong I did cannot be undone in this case. What I can do is enlarge my circle of influence, so that one day my voice is heard and I can instil values of integrity and ethics in generations to come.
Smiriti, you are being asked to discuss the honor system of Caltech based upon your personal experience. The mere fact that you failed to do the honorable thing when faced with a choice will automatically put you out of the running for a student slot at Caltech. Why would they want to enroll a student who paid a bribe just because he was pressed for time? Why didn't you try to find another way around the approval? Perhaps report the offending officer and demanding that action be taken through proper channels for your pass to come out on time? What would you be willing to do, violate, or dishonor, in your quest for a perfect grade at Caltech? This story tells the adcom that you are not the ideal Caltech student. No, this is not the story you want to submit to the admissions officer. This response is sure to end your quest for Caltech admission.
The motive of this prompt is to discover how principled a person you are. What kind of character do you have? Will you stand for what is right? Or will you stand for whatever is convenient for you, regardless of the price you will pay character-wise if it will give you the results that you desire? This is all about proving that you can embody the Code of Ethics of Caltech. Instead of proving that you are a principled person, you proved otherwise. Sadly, while the reasons for your actions may be socially acceptable, the reasons are not morally sound as there were other things you could have done to try and get the paper out in time. Including turning in the erring officer.
If I were you, I would try to find another incident that called my ethics into question and this time, I would make sure that the result would be the upholding of the ethical standards of Caltech. Try to increase your chances at admission through the embodiment of their moral and ethical standards. We are not sure how the reviewer will take to your story of bribery and corruption and your agreeing to aid in it because of convenience. It may come out as a negative score against you. It may be in your best interest to bury that story instead. That is my opinion at least :-)
- ButHowever, he was adamant
- and warned that if not complied toI don't comply ,
- Initially I thought of the following
- my ideals. But, but the exam
- registration deadlines were nearingis near
- it left a huge mark on my belief system .
- The wrong decision I did cannot be undone in this case.
- What I can do is enlargeto strengthen my circle of influence,
- so that one day my voice is heard and I can instill values
- of integrity and ethics in the generations to come.
There you have it, a few modifications from my side, I do hope it helps in enhancing your essay. I believe the example you gave on this essay is beyond your control, things like this, you can only hope and pray that it will come to their senses one day that what they're doing is wrong and believe me, people who practice such corruption, never go far.
