ESSAY #1: In an essay of 300 words or less, please describe how your past circumstances and experiences (such as your upbringing, community, and/or activities) impacted who you are, your future goals, and your choice of major. If you haven't decided on a college or major yet, briefly explain your intentions and aspirations for your first year at Illinois.
Both my parents are interested in engineering. Growing up, I have always been influenced by them, and I believe it was them who first got me interested in science and math. My dad, an electrical engineer, had me building electronic sets that we bought from a hobby store over the summer at a young age. My mom, a mechanical engineer, inadvertently instilled a DIY-attitude: I learned how to use a saw, hammer and drill at a young age and continue building wood projects up to present day, including a half-pipe I built from scratch in my backyard during Sophomore year.
It was also my surroundings and how I interacted with them that shaped me into who I am today. There was a sturdy couch in the living room of the house that I grew up in. At a young age, every weekend (and even on some weekdays), my brother and I would take apart the sections of the couch and build forts that filled the entire room. One time, I built a two-story fort and slept on the second story! Every time we built a fort, it would be a completely new design, a manifestation of the previous design, yet with modifications and improvements. Through this process, along with learning about some rudimentary structural engineering, I learned the idea of trial and error and how to learn from my mistakes: to try something new rather than making the same mistake over and over.
Today, I've found myself become very fond of Engineering and Computer Science, mainly via the FIRST Tech Challenge and programming my own iPhone game, but I believe more due to my parents' fascination with Engineering and how that rubbed off on me over years of growing up. At Illinois, I intend to study Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering and also take classes in Computer Science. I also intend to try to contact the professor that runs the Robotics and Computer Vision Laboratory and pursue research opportunities there, as the research done at that laboratory matches my interests. Once an engineer, always an engineer.
Both my parents are interested in engineering. Growing up, I have always been influenced by them, and I believe it was them who first got me interested in science and math. My dad, an electrical engineer, had me building electronic sets that we bought from a hobby store over the summer at a young age. My mom, a mechanical engineer, inadvertently instilled a DIY-attitude: I learned how to use a saw, hammer and drill at a young age and continue building wood projects up to present day, including a half-pipe I built from scratch in my backyard during Sophomore year.
It was also my surroundings and how I interacted with them that shaped me into who I am today. There was a sturdy couch in the living room of the house that I grew up in. At a young age, every weekend (and even on some weekdays), my brother and I would take apart the sections of the couch and build forts that filled the entire room. One time, I built a two-story fort and slept on the second story! Every time we built a fort, it would be a completely new design, a manifestation of the previous design, yet with modifications and improvements. Through this process, along with learning about some rudimentary structural engineering, I learned the idea of trial and error and how to learn from my mistakes: to try something new rather than making the same mistake over and over.
Today, I've found myself become very fond of Engineering and Computer Science, mainly via the FIRST Tech Challenge and programming my own iPhone game, but I believe more due to my parents' fascination with Engineering and how that rubbed off on me over years of growing up. At Illinois, I intend to study Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering and also take classes in Computer Science. I also intend to try to contact the professor that runs the Robotics and Computer Vision Laboratory and pursue research opportunities there, as the research done at that laboratory matches my interests. Once an engineer, always an engineer.
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