Applying to Colleges

After Alex completed his EdX class - MIT Introduction to Computer Programming using Python - he experienced a eureka moment. He decided that Computer Science is the area he'd like to study in college.

Looking at various Computer Science programs at multiple universities in the United States and Canada, he settled on the following programs:

1. Stanford - Rejected on 4/9/21
2. Columbia - Rejected on 4/6/21
3. Cornell - Rejected on 4/6/21
4. Duke - Rejected on 4/5/21
5. Carnegie Mellon - Waitlisted on 3/27/21
6. UCLA -Rejected on 3/19/21
   
7. USC - Rejected on 3/30/21
   
8. UC Berkeley - Rejected on 3/25/21
   
9. Rice - Rejected on 3/30/21
   
10. UC San Diego - Waitlisted on 3/19/21
    
11. UT Austin  - Rejected on 2/1/21
12. UC Santa Barbara - Rejected on 3/16/21
13. UC Irvine - Waitlisted on 3/12/21
    
14. Northeastern University (early action) - Admitted on 1/27/21 - Enrolled on 4/15/21
    
15. Santa Clara University (early action) - Admitted on 12/15/20
    
16. University of Washington - Admitted on 3/11/21 (for prescience)
17. Cal Poly University - Waitlisted on 3/4/2021
18. UC Davis - Waitlisted on 3/18/21
    
19. UC Santa Cruz - Admitted on 2/22/21
    
20. UC Riverside - Waitlisted on 3/25/21
    
21. San Jose State - Admitted on 2/22/21
    
22. San Diego State - Admitted on 12/18/20

For his main essay in the Common App (used by the majority of universities), he wrote the following about his surfing experience in Santa Cruz:

Flashing Water 

As the enormous lip of the wave crashed over my head, I was pushed under the surface of the water. I struggled to come up for air, but as the wave continued to push me deeper, its rotational force trapped me. After almost two minutes, the air within my lungs was seeping out and I was losing hope. Like a piece of rag caught in the washing machine, I feared I would drown. Surfing at Steamers’ Lane had always been a dream of mine. But as I surfed in the Lane that day, I found myself hesitating for fear of the gargantuan waves. It is this hesitation that ultimately caused my accident. My hesitation threw off my timing and I found myself caught under the wave instead of riding its crest.

Hesitation wasn’t only a problem for me in the water. I had trouble getting involved in volunteering because I always had second thoughts about choosing a particular site. I couldn’t speak in public because every time I tried, I constantly questioned whether or not I had memorized all the information. I sometimes did poorly on math exams because I would become anxious every time I encountered a new problem. In so many situations, my anxiety led me to second-guess my every move.

My near-death experience helped me realize how disastrous hesitation can be. Hesitation prevents me from being in my “flow state”: a state of tranquility in which I feel like the world is my oyster and that I can do anything without question. But in the midst of hesitation, my mind becomes consumed by anxious thoughts that lead me to question my every action. As a result, I seize up.

I realized that at the root of my hesitation or tentativeness is fear of failing. It took many times to go back and facing the 12-footers to overcome my fear of failing. I realized that greater than my fear of failing is my desire to improve and master everything that matters to me. And more than the judgment of others, I care more to not disappoint myself. Taking a few more tumbles during my surfing ventures taught me that failure is not the end of the world. A true failure comes when I fail to analyze what I did wrong so I can improve next time.

Luckily, I’m catching more waves than ever. Just yesterday, I caught a terrifying 8-foot wave! As I was riding it, I felt I was on top of the world. Hesitation, I learned, ensues from self-doubt and fear of failing. It tempts your mind to become consumed by negative thinking and forces you to hold back your potential. In my world, hesitation forced me to back down from waves. However, I’m slowly making my way out of this dark tunnel of self-doubt into a world of endless possibilities.

 

Now, it's time to wait for responses from multiple colleges. Some interviews may also be required for the Ivy League colleges.

1. Stanford College Application

Short Answers 1 Prompt: What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50-word limit)

Three million Uyghurs are currently imprisoned in concentration camps across China. They are held without trial or charges and are forced to produce various products for export. Their only crime - if one can call it a crime - is being Muslim.

Short Answers 2 Prompt: How did you spend your last two summers? (50-word limit)

I volunteered at my local summer camp and studied computer science in my spare time. I also helped to package and deliver food for the Sacred Heart community. On a few weekends, I surfed at Pleasure Point in Capitola and helped to teach surfing to neighborhood kids.

 

Short Answers 3 Prompt: What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50-word limit)

Asteroids in outer space
Space Invaders show their face
Pac-Man munching on his pills
Pole Position giving thrills
Donkey Kong is my best friend
Game arcades across the land
If I could have played them all
I would have had a ball!

Alternative 1: Long Version
Asteroids in outer space
Space Invaders show their face
Pac-Man munching on his pills
Pole Position giving thrills
Fire and Ice in Dragon’s Lair
Make your move, if you dare
Donkey Kong is my best friend
Game arcades across the land
All my quarters are well spent
In my wallet - not a cent
If I could have played them all
I would have had a ball!
Gamers all across the land
Take me to the promised land!

 

Short Answers 4 Prompt: What five words best describe you?

Good-egg, go-getter, straight-forward, down-to-earth, laid-back.

Short Answers 5 Prompt: When the choice is yours, what do you read, listen to, or watch? (50-word limit)

Being a sucker for detective stories, I enjoy watching the Sherlock TV series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. I also delight in re-reading Ready Player One. I love how it lets me imagine the future.

Short Answers 6 Prompt: Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford. (50-word limit)

Running around after dark
Splashing water in the park
Diving deeper than all others
Old Union fountain is for my brothers
The Claw is sharp, it’s for the bold
Fountain-hopping never gets old

Short Answers 7 Prompt: Imagine you had an extra hour in the day — how would you spend that time? (50-word limit)

Offering friends a helping hand
Playing trumpet with the band
Eating chocolate would be fine
Surfing is always on my mind
Reading mysteries and thrillers
Solving crimes and chasing killers
Doing homework for the class
Napping could relieve the stress
An extra hour - so much joy
For me to enjoy

Alternative 1:
To sleep or not to sleep
That is the question
Immediately present on my mind
Shall I dream about tomorrow
Banishing unhappy thoughts behind
Or shall I focus on my studies
The Calculus homework is overdue
No matter what tomorrow may bring
An extra hour is a beautiful thing

Alternative 2:
A smell of fresh roses
A walk in the park
A roll in the hay
A stroll after dark
Surfing at Trestles
Some music to play
One extra hour
Can bring so much joy
The remains of the day
Are there to enjoy

Future Roommate Prompt: Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate -- and us -- know you better. (100 to 250 words)

Dear Roommate,

I am an avid surfer. But if you imagine a blond-haired hippy with boardshorts shouting “Party Wave!” you may be surprised to discover that I am also a computer nerd. I enjoy surfing as much as anyone, but I also enjoy computer programming.

Whether it’s night or day, I check the tides, the swell direction, and the swell size so that I can reach an informed decision: to surf the ocean or to surf the Internet.

When I surf for real, I first gaze boldly at the ocean. Then, I begin to ask all the important existential questions: Is it really worth going out there? Should I use my longboard, shortboard, or Surface? Should I bring my hoodie and gloves or my mouse? Should I even consider attempting to ride these 10-foot waves or watch someone else attempt it on Youtube? Sometimes, I tend to overcomplicate matters about surfing, but I guess that’s part of being a dedicated surfer.

What is my goal, you ask? To get absolutely barrelled. I persistently try to surf as much as possible so that I can experience that ultimate state of bliss (like when your program doesn’t crash). I can’t wait to let you in on the secrets of surfing on the road to getting barrelled together.

Sincerely, Alex

Intellectual Curiosity Prompt: The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (100 to 250 words)

MIT’s Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python class introduced me to the idea of computational thinking. I learned to engage in what my professor calls “useful abstractions,” questions like, How would I suppress the details? How would I modularize interfaces? What is it that I want to test? How would I formulate the solution?

Abstraction leads me to many different solutions, but, I have to first determine whether to use the abstraction to solve problems iteratively or recursively. When I look at an iteration, I must also look at its complexity. Is this particular algorithm effective enough to solve this problem, or is there a simpler one? How can I shorten this code so that it seems logical? On the other hand, recursion allows me to simplify complicated problems into their simplest base cases. By calling a function with new parameters, again and again, I am able to rationalize a variety of issues.

At first, solving the Towers of Hanoi was extremely challenging for me. Iteratively, it was nearly impossible. However, using recursion, accompanied by its simplest base cases, allowed me to intelligently solve this complicated puzzle.

At the end of the day, Computer Science is extremely challenging. While I occasionally pull out my hair as I try to solve problems, the end result is always the same: I discover new aspects of computational thinking. I’m able to harness the ideas of abstraction and automation in order to develop algorithms that I never thought possible.

Describe an Activity Prompt: Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (50 words)

ORIGINAL

For the past two years, I have been a counselor at a Jewish summer camp. Working with young kids proved to be more challenging than I ever thought possible, and gave me a chance to harness and develop my creative leadership skills.

I had to learn how to teach seven to ten-year-olds the fine art of time management. Despite their excitement for swimming, they would be as slow as turtles getting in and out of their bathing suits. Nothing seemed to work. Then I had the idea of turning the act of changing into a game with fun rewards. The quickest one, for instance, might get to lead the line or receive extra good-behavior stickers. Experiences like this one showed me how to analyze difficult situations from unique perspectives and devise creative solutions using the proverbial carrot.

ACTIVITIES LIST (50 words)

Playing Sneaky Statues, Secret Spies, What time is it Mr. Fox? Changing kids out of their diapers/swimsuits (slow as turtles). Solving camp disputes (arguing over pokemon cards (Pikachu)) Fighting, Screaming, not listening to counselors/campers. 

Pokemon cards with Pikachu
Kids are screaming “I want one too!”
Sneaky Statues and Secret Spies
Good behavior stickers are their prize
Granting wishes, telling tales
Entertaining these wild-eyed snails
Being a Camp Counselor in summer camp
Feels like Genie in Aladdin’s lamp

Alternate 1
Down by the banks of the Hankity-Panky
Bullfrogs jumping from bank to bank-y

Something Meaningful to You Prompt: Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why. (100 to 250 words)

Henry David Thoreau once said, “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.“ While I may not have the luxury to access the woods on a daily basis, I still achieve a version of Thoreau’s spiritual growth in my own backyard.

I visit my backyard whenever dissecting a complex coding problem or reading an Arthur Conan Doyle novel. My backyard is a sanctuary where I can focus. My backyard also allows me to get lost in existential reverie.

I’m able to breathe fresh air and observe life as it moves around me. I gaze at the hummingbirds extracting nectar from local flowers such as the Penstemon and the Salvia. I see inchworms slowly gliding through the dirt. Occasionally, the ants busy themselves carrying provisions. I am especially thrilled when the wind shakes the trees making the leaves clatter like beaded moroccos.

While sitting on my patio may not have the majesty of walking in Walden Woods, in my own way, I too feel taller than the trees.

 

 2. the University of California Application (UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, etc.)

UC Prompt 1: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

As the enormous lip of the wave crashed over my head, I was pushed under the surface of the water. I struggled to come up for air, and the wave continued to push me deeper. The air within my lungs was seeping out and I was losing hope. Surfing at Steamers’ Lane that day, I found myself hesitating for fear of the gargantuan waves. My hesitation threw off my timing and I was caught under the wave instead of riding the crest.

Hesitation wasn’t only a problem for me in the water. I had trouble getting involved in volunteering because I always had second thoughts about a particular site. I couldn’t speak confidently in class because every time I tried, I constantly questioned whether or not I had memorized all the information, which tripped me up. In so many situations, my anxiety led me to second-guess my every move.

My near-death experience helped me realize how disastrous hesitation can be. Hesitation prevents me from being in my “flow state”: a state of tranquility in which I feel like the world is my oyster and that I can do anything without question. But in the midst of hesitation, my mind becomes consumed by anxious thoughts. As a result, I seize up.

I realized that at the root of my hesitation or tentativeness is fear of failing. It took many times going back and facing the 12-footers to overcome my fear of failing. I realized that greater than my fear of failing is my desire to master everything that matters to me. And more than the judgment of others, I care even more to not disappoint myself. Taking more tumbles during my surfing ventures taught me that failure is not the end of the world. A true failure comes when I fail to analyze what I did wrong. Hesitation, I learned, ensues from self-doubt and fear of failing. It forces you to hold back your potential. Hesitation forced me to back down from waves. However, I’m slowly making my way out of this dark tunnel of self-doubt into a world of possibilities.

UC Prompt 2: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

For the past two years, I have been a counselor at a Jewish summer camp. Working with young kids proved to be more challenging than I ever thought possible, and gave me a chance to harness and develop my creative leadership skills.

First of all, I had to learn how to teach seven to ten-year-olds the fine art of time management. Despite their excitement for swimming, they would be as slow as turtles getting in and out of their bathing suits. Nothing seemed to work. Then I had the idea of turning the act of changing into a game with fun rewards. The quickest one, for instance, might get to lead the line or receive extra good-behavior stickers. Experiences like this one showed me how to analyze difficult situations from unique perspectives and devise creative solutions.

My years at Camp Shalom also taught me how I could become a more effective mentor in my synagogue. For example, many kids struggled at mastering Hebrew. So, in order to help the kids grasp it, I asked them to imagine each syllable as part of an English sentence. After a lot of practice, the kids were able to speak Hebrew fluently because they were imagining Hebrew in English terms. Thus, by creatively drawing similarities between Hebrew and English, I was able to help the kids improve their knowledge of Hebrew and the Torah. This experience helped me realize that simple solutions can knock down complex problems.

When it comes to taking care of kids, it’s important to inspire them because they haven’t developed the discipline to see the significance of what they are doing. They escape the realms of the real world and desire to live in an imaginative reality. Being their mentor helped me enter into this word and learn flexibility and creative thinking that has helped me in the real world, too.

UC Prompt 4: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

In the early years of my life, I experienced a major speech delay that prevented me from speaking normally. I couldn’t talk with my friends without a stutter, and I couldn’t form complete sentences in front of my parents.

For the five years I spent in speech therapy, a teacher worked with me for several hours a day, several times a week, on enunciation, pronunciation, and fluency. Even small progress was incredibly slow and difficult. For example, one major issue that I faced was pronouncing multisyllabic words such as “fascinating”. Every time I tried to pronounce this word, nothing “fascinating” came out of me. I had to work on pronouncing each syllable on its own for many months: fas-ci-nate-ing. Eventually, I was able to pronounce the word through relentless practice, but this was only one of many words that I struggled with for months. Although it was often difficult, I persevered, driven by the desire to express myself well.

After several years in therapy, my speaking improvements started to become noticeable. I was able to form full sentences, saying them with steady fluency and enunciation. As I spoke to everyone, I tried to remind myself of the lessons the teacher taught me: speak with plenty of zest and energy. So, I spoke to everyone confidently, even when I inwardly felt nervous. In fact, as my speaking improved, I even joined a Speech and Debate Team, where I practiced speaking with passion and conviction.

While overcoming this major speech impediment was extremely difficult for me, I was able to use it in order to learn how to speak powerfully, perhaps even better than I would have if I had never experienced this speech delay. In fact, I would even claim that this impediment pushed me to improve, to persevere, and to never give up on anything that I do. No matter the obstacles ahead of me, I know that if I work hard and push my limits, I can do anything.

UC Prompt #7: What have you done to make your school or community a better place?

Since I was a freshman in high school, I’ve been actively engaging in various volunteer activities. From preparing food for the hungry to tutoring students, these activities let me use my position of privilege to give back to my community.

I am especially passionate about helping children with their math education. I have been a volunteer math tutor at an elementary school. The students and I dove into complicated problems, and I helped them not only with math but also with developing tenacity and an open mindset. For example, when we practiced multiplication problems, the students often struggled to come up with the correct answer. So, I asked them to visualize not multiplying large numbers but adding groups of numbers. This way, the students were able to see multiplication as an extension of something they were already familiar with: addition. By giving these students various methods to solve arithmetic problems, I helped them discover creative ways to figure out the right answer.

Unfortunately, we live in a day and age where humans have made tremendous strides in many areas, but sadly, some kids still do not receive a great education - particularly if they come from underserved communities. Working with my students has opened my eyes to ways I can play a role to help close the education gap. These issues cannot be solved in the course of a day, but, by focusing on the handful that I can help, I’ve come to see that change can happen, one tutee at a time.

3. USC College Application

Short Answers:

• Describe yourself in three words. First Word: Motivated
• Second Word: Compassionate
• Third Word: Brave
• What is your favorite snack? Taro Chips
• Best movie of all time: The Shawshank Redemption
• Dream job: CEO of a Software Company
• If your life had a theme song, what would it be? Lord of the Rings Theme
• Dream trip: Teahupoo, Tahiti
• What TV show will you binge-watch next? Planet Earth 2
• Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate: Sherlock Holmes
• Favorite book: Ready Player One
• If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be: How to surf on a shortboard and ride big waves like a pro.

Prompt: What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you?

In the early years of my life, I experienced a speech delay that prevented me from speaking normally. I couldn’t talk with my friends without a stutter, and I couldn’t form sentences in front of my parents. In short, my speech setback was extremely severe.

For the five years I spent in speech therapy, a teacher and I worked for several hours a day, several times a week, on pronunciation and fluency. Even small progress was incredibly difficult. For example, one major issue that I faced was pronouncing multisyllabic words such as “fascinating”. Eventually, I was able to pronounce the word, but this was only one of many words that I struggled with for months. Although it was often difficult, I persevered, driven by the desire to express myself well.

After several years in therapy, my speaking improvements started to become noticeable. I was able to form sentences, saying them with steady fluency and pronunciation. As I spoke to everyone, I tried to remind myself of the lessons the teacher taught me: speak with plenty of energy. So, I spoke to everyone confidently, even when I inwardly felt nervous. In fact, as my speaking improved, I even joined a Debate Team, where I practiced speaking with conviction.

While overcoming this major speech impediment was challenging for me, I was able to use it in order to learn how to speak powerfully: perhaps even better than I would have if I had never experienced this speech delay.

 

Prompt: Many of us have at least one issue or passion that we care deeply about - a topic on which we would love to share our opinions and insights in hopes of sparking interest and continued conversation. If you had ten minutes and the attention of a million people, what would you talk about in 250 words?

Likes, tweets, blogs, emojis, and clickbait - is that our new universe in a nutshell? If everyone is so connected to each other, then why do the rates of depression keep soaring?

According to Vox News, an average user spends 4 hours per day online. Really? Can it be possible that instead of going for a walk, stopping for a cup of coffee, socializing with friends, or reading novels, we are tagging each other with electronic bits of fluff? Tag! You’re it!

Using the internet and social media has other negative side effects as well. It’s possible to interact with friends virtually, but it’s entirely superficial. These devices and apps don’t create relationships or connections: they destroy them. Ooh - look at my selfie! So precious! See how many likes I have? Other than breeding envy and jealousy, is there anything meaningful in these relationships?

“Beer is proof that God loves us,” said Benjamin Franklin. Like beer, perhaps social media is delicious in small doses. Some have argued that social media offers a good venue for entertainment, interactive games, and self-expression. Especially now, with the current pandemic raging, young adults can connect to each other, even when forced to stay home.

Nevertheless, how does one reconcile the positives vs. the negatives? Does the sheer joy of interactive games balance out the fact that 45% of teens check their social media instead of sleeping (10 times a night on average)? Social media usage is a crisis that needs to be addressed.

 

Prompt: While the world as a whole may be more technologically advanced than ever before, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has outlined 14 Grand Challenges that engineers should focus on to improve life on the planet. Learn about the Grand Challenges at www.engineeringchallenges.org and tell us which challenge is most important, and why.

Providing access to clean water should be our world’s first priority. So far, sustainability projects such as Doc Hendley’s program, Wine to Water, have made tremendous strides in transporting water filters to developing countries. However, millions of people still do not have access to clean water, and over 485,000 people die each day of diarrhea-related diseases.

One possible solution to this crisis is desalination. Desalination is a method used by scientists in order to extract salt from seawater. Luckily, this type of water extraction is extremely efficient. In fact, one-quarter of Israel’s freshwater comes from desalination processing. But, as effective as desalination plants are, they are expensive to build and expensive to operate. Newer technologies such as nano-osmosis, a filter that sorts out salt with carbon tubes, could help lower the costs of operating desalination plants, decreasing the cost of clean water.

Though this technology is out there, developing countries are still not getting the water they need to survive. As our world rapidly advances, it’s essential that scientists focus their energies on solving this clean water crisis, as it could save the lives of millions.

Prompt: Engineering and Computer Science students are sometimes assumed to have personalities with shared traits or characteristics. What is a trait or characteristic you believe you share with other engineering and computer science students and another where you differ? Please tell us about these two traits and why you chose them. (250-word limit)*

MIT’s Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python class introduced me to the idea of computational thinking - a trait I share with other computer science students. I learned to engage in what my professor calls “useful abstractions” with questions like: How would I suppress the details? How would I modularize interfaces? What is it that I want to test? How would I formulate the solution? Using computational thinking, I harness the ideas of abstraction and automation in order to solve complex problems.

Unlike many other computer science students, I am also a dedicated surfer. Whether it’s night or day, I check the tides, the swell direction, and the swell size, so that I can reach an informed decision. I then begin to ask all the important questions: Is it really worth going out there? Should I use my longboard or my shortboard? If the swell size is too small, I might instead practice proper surfing balance and technique on a carveboard or do fitness training to help develop more flexibility.

Like many computer science students, I have a deep passion for computational thinking. Unlike most people, however, I have a passion for surfing, too.

Prompt: What do you personally expect to get out of engineering or computer science in college?

Imagine a world in which clean, drinking water is unavailable. This is our world. Two billion people drink contaminated water daily. Contaminated water transmits multiple diseases, such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. In fact, 485,000 people die each year from diarrhea.

As a computer scientist at USC, I can help Doc Hendley’s Wine to Water organization become more efficient with its distribution of water filters to poor countries. Computer software programs can use multiple algorithms, from Machine Learning to Artificial Intelligence, to find the most optimal water filter distribution solution.

USC has one of the world’s best Computer Science departments. If I am lucky enough to be admitted, I will take classes such as CSCI 567: Machine Learning, so that I can develop an in-depth understanding of algorithms I can use to solve water filter distribution and other complex problems.

In addition, I can learn to use Big Data algorithms to identify and predict the spread of pandemics. This information can be used to help allocate scarce healthcare resources for better protection of public health. Many healthcare organizations in the U.S. are already using Big Data Analytics to track and predict Covid-19.

To me, success in engineering is about finding practical solutions to real-world problems. At USC, I expect to develop expertise in computer science, algorithms, machine learning, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence. I hope to collaborate with my peers and professors, to solve many of the world’s top health problems. It takes more than doctors to heal the world - it takes computer scientists too.

 

Prompt: Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. 250-word count

Suppose that you’re a doctor in Kenya and you don’t speak Swahili. If a patient comes to you and says “nyoka aliniuma” - what are you to do? Perhaps you can use Google Translate to help translate some languages - but with over 6,500 spoken languages in the world - even Google Translate comes up short. It can be a matter of life or death - for a doctor to understand his patient. In this case, being bitten by a snake requires immediate attention.

As a computer scientist at USC, I will learn how to translate natural languages and improve speech recognition, so that smartphones could help people to communicate with each other. My goal is to develop a speech recognition program like Google Translate that can quickly process conversations. But unlike Google Translate, I would like to go after the less popular languages that have no translators like Makhuwa in Eastern Africa.

By studying artificial intelligence and machine learning, I could help to improve the accuracy of natural language translation. I believe that USC provides an agile academic environment for this and many other projects. I look forward to taking classes, such as Applied Natural Language Processing and Deep Learning and Its Applications. This is one of the many reasons why I would like to become a Trojan.

4. Carnegie Mellon College Application

Prompt: Consider your application as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize about your application for the admission committee’s consideration? Highlight something important to you or something you haven’t had a chance to share. Tell us, don’t show us (no websites please). (300-word maximum)

In the early years of my life, I experienced a major speech barrier that prevented me from speaking normally. I couldn’t talk with my friends without a stutter, and I couldn’t form complete sentences in front of my parents.

During the five years I spent in speech therapy, a teacher and I worked for several hours a day, several times a week, on pronunciation and fluency. Even small progress was incredibly slow and difficult. For example, one major issue that I faced was pronouncing multisyllabic words such as “fascinating”. Every time I tried to pronounce this word, nothing “fascinating” came out of me. I had to work on pronouncing each syllable on its own for many months. Eventually, I was finally able to pronounce the word through relentless practice, but this was only one of many words that I struggled with for months. Although it was often difficult, I persevered, driven by the desire to express myself well.

After several years in therapy, my speech improvements started to become noticeable. I was able to form full sentences, pronouncing them with steady fluency and enunciation. As I spoke to everyone, I tried to remind myself of the lessons the teacher taught me: speak with plenty of energy. So, I spoke to everyone confidently, even when I inwardly felt nervous. In fact, as my speaking improved, I even joined a Speech and Debate Team, where I practiced speaking with passion and conviction.


While overcoming this major speech impediment was difficult for me, I was able to use it in order to learn how to speak powerfully: perhaps even better than I would have if I had never experienced this speech delay.

Prompt: Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity, or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieving your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience?

Basic Ideas for Essay:

1. Discovering my very own learning limits, and how far I can take them

2. Learning something new that is beyond the scope of humanity, and create a positive impact on society

3. Making connections and discovering  internships that could  lead to my eventual career

Imagine a world in which clean, drinking water is unavailable. This is our world. Two billion people drink contaminated water daily. Contaminated water transmits multiple diseases, such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. In fact, 485,000 people die each year from diarrhea.

As a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon, I can help Doc Hendly’s Wine to Water organization become more efficient with its distribution of water filters to poor countries. Computer software programs can use multiple algorithms, from Machine Learning to Artificial Intelligence, to find the most optimal water filter distribution solution.

Carnegie Mellon has one of the world’s best Artificial Intelligence research centers. If I am lucky enough to be admitted, I will take classes such as 15-381 AI: Representation and Problem Solving to develop a broader and deeper understanding of artificial intelligence.

In addition, I will learn to use big data algorithms to identify and predict the spread of pandemics. This information can be used to help allocate scarce healthcare resources for better protection of public health. Many healthcare organizations in the U.S. are already using Big Data Analytics to track and predict Covid-19.

To me, success in engineering is about finding practical solutions to real-world problems. At CMU, I expect to develop expertise in computer science, algorithms, machine learning, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence. I hope to collaborate with my peers and professors, to solve many of the world’s top health problems. It takes more than doctors to heal the world - it takes computer scientists too.

 

Prompt: Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300-word maximum)

Suppose that you’re a doctor in Kenya and you don’t speak Swahili. If a patient comes to you and says “nyoka aliniuma” - what are you to do? Perhaps you can use Google Translate to help translate some languages - but with over 6,500 spoken languages in the world - even Google Translate comes up short. It can be a matter of life or death - for a doctor to understand his patient. In this case, being bitten by a snake requires immediate attention.

As a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon, I will learn how to translate natural languages and improve speech recognition, so that smartphones could help people to communicate with each other. My goal is to develop a speech recognition program like Google Translate that can quickly process conversations. But unlike Google Translate, I would like to go after the less popular languages that have no translators like Makhuwa in Eastern Africa.

By studying artificial intelligence and machine learning, I could help to improve the accuracy of natural language translation. As a world leader in artificial intelligence research, Carnegie Mellon provides the most advanced academic environment for deepening my knowledge of computer science and artificial intelligence.

I look forward to taking classes, such as Concepts in AI, to develop a broader and deeper understanding of the many algorithms used in AI. This is one of the many reasons why I would like to attend Carnegie Mellon.

 

5. Cornell University Application

Prompt: Tell us about your interest in engineering or what you hope to achieve with a degree in engineering. Describe what appeals to you about Cornell Engineering and how it specifically relates to your engineering interest or aspirations.

Imagine a world in which clean, drinking water is unavailable. This is our world. Two billion people drink contaminated water daily. Contaminated water transmits multiple diseases, such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. In fact, 485,000 people die each year from diarrhea.

As a computer scientist at Cornell, I can help Doc Hendley’s Wine to Water organization become more efficient with its distribution of water filters to poor countries. Computer software programs can use multiple algorithms, from machine learning to artificial intelligence, to find the most optimal water filter distribution solution.

Cornell has one of the world’s best Computer Science departments. If I am lucky enough to be admitted, I will take classes such as CSCI 467: Introduction to Machine Learning, so that I can develop an in-depth understanding of algorithms I can use to solve water filter distribution and other complex problems.

In addition, I can learn to use Big Data algorithms to identify and predict the spread of pandemics. This information can be used to help allocate scarce healthcare resources for better protection of public health. Many healthcare organizations in the U.S. are already using Big Data Analytics to track and predict Covid-19.

Suppose that you’re a doctor in Kenya and you don’t speak Swahili. If a patient comes to you and says “nyoka aliniuma” - what are you to do? Perhaps you can use Google Translate to help translate some languages - but with over 6,500 spoken languages in the world - even Google Translate comes up short. It can be a matter of life or death - for a doctor to understand his patient. In this case, being bitten by a snake requires immediate attention.

As a computer scientist at Cornell, I will learn how to translate natural languages and improve speech recognition, so that smartphones could help people to communicate with each other. My goal is to develop a speech recognition program like Google Translate that can quickly process conversations. But unlike Google Translate, I would like to go after the less popular languages that have no translators like Makhuwa in Eastern Africa.

To me, success in engineering is about finding practical solutions to real-world problems. At Cornell, I expect to develop expertise in computer science, algorithms, machine learning, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence. I hope to collaborate with my peers and professors, to solve many of the world’s top health problems. It takes more than doctors to heal the world - it takes computer scientists too.

 

6. Columbia University Application

 Prompt: List a few words or phrases that describe your ideal college community. (150 words)

In my ideal college community
I’d like to see some ingenuity
Ideas flowing for discussion
With no shouting or percussion
Everyone’s helpful and quite kind
To ease my nervous state of mind
A student body with real diversity
At a world-renowned university
Rich in intellectual tradition
Searching for truth as the main mission
Teachers who love to teach their courses
Don’t run away like wayward horses
With counselors who provide real guidance
Acting on behalf of divine providence

Prompt: List the titles of the films, concerts, shows, exhibits, lectures, and other entertainments you enjoyed most in the past year.

1. Hamilton at The Orpheum Theater, San Francisco
2. Fiddler on the Roof, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
3. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Uptown Theater, Napa
4. Inception directed by Christopher Nolan
5. Interstellar by Christopher Nolan
6. Batman Begins by Christopher Nolan
7. The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan
8. The Dark Knight Returns by Christopher Nolan
9. Our Planet directed by Sophia Lanfear
10. Planet Earth II presented by David Attenborough
11. Band of Brothers based by Stephen Ambrose
12. The Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont 
13. The Godfather directed by Francis Coppola

 
Prompt: List the titles of the print, electronic publications, and websites you read regularly.

1. The Wall Street Journal
2. The Economist
3. The New York Times
4. Forbes
5. National Geographic
6. The Atlantic
7. Reuters

 

Prompt: List the titles of the required readings from courses during the school year or summer that you enjoyed most in the past year.

1. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
2. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
3. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
4. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
5. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
6. Grendel by John Gardner
7. Beowulf by Seamus Heaney
8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
9. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
   The Great Gatsby by F. Scoot Fitzgerald

 

Prompt: Columbia students take an active role in improving their community, whether in their residence hall, classes, or throughout New York City. Their actions, small or large, work to positively impact the lives of others. Share one contribution that you have made to your family, school, friend group, or another community that surrounds you. (200 words or fewer)*

I am especially passionate about helping children with their math education. I have been a volunteer math tutor at the elementary school for the past two years. When practicing multiplication problems, the students often struggled to come up with the correct answer. So, I asked them to visualize not multiplying large numbers but adding groups of numbers. This way, the students were able to see multiplication as an extension of something they were already familiar with: addition. By giving these students various methods to solve arithmetic problems, I helped them discover creative ways to figure out the right answer.

Although we live in a day and age where humans have made tremendous strides in many areas, some kids still do not receive a great education - particularly if they come from underserved communities. Working with my students has opened my eyes to ways I can play a role to help close the education gap. These issues cannot be solved in the course of a day, but, by focusing on the handful that I can help, I’ve come to see that change can happen, one tutee at a time.

 

Prompt: Please tell us what you most value in Columbia and why - 200 words

At Columbia University, I will not only be a part of a rich and diverse intellectual community but I will also receive a truly well-rounded liberal arts education through Columbia’s Core Curriculum.

With students coming from over 30 different countries, Columbia has unparalleled diversity. As a Jew, I will join the Jewish Activist Collective where I could learn about core social issues surrounding Jewish identity today and discover intriguing aspects of my culture. Additionally, I could also join the Japan Society where I could embrace Japanese culture, which I have had an interest in ever since I visited Japan.

Columbia is also located in the heart of a-multicultural mecca: New York City. I am especially excited to visit the world-famous museums (American Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art), view the most prominent Broadway musicals, and stroll through Central Park.

As a student at Columbia, I will seize the opportunity to interact with the incredibly diverse student body, sharing and discussing complex ideas in computer science, philosophy, art, literature, or politics. This is exactly why I would like to attend Columbia University.

 
Prompt: For applicants to The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the field or fields of study that you noted in the Member Questions section. (200 words)

Suppose that you’re a doctor in Kenya and you don’t speak Swahili. If a patient comes to you and says “nyoka aliniuma” - what are you to do? Perhaps you can use Google Translate to help translate some languages - but with over 6,500 spoken languages in the world - even Google Translate comes up short. It can be a matter of life or death for a doctor to understand his patient, and being bitten by a snake requires immediate attention.

As a computer scientist at Columbia, I will learn how to translate natural languages and improve speech recognition, so that smartphones could help people to communicate with each other. My goal is to develop a speech recognition program like Google Translate that can quickly process conversations. But unlike Google, I will focus on the less popular languages that have no computer translators, like Makhuwa in Eastern Africa.

I believe that Columbia provides an agile academic environment for this and many other projects. I look forward to taking classes, such as Computer Science Theory COMS W3261, that covers regular languages, context-free languages, and Turing machines. This is one of the many reasons why I would like to become a Lion.

 

7. Duke University Application

Prompt: Please share with us why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular about Duke’s academic or other offerings that attract you? (200 words maximum)

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” said Benjamin Franklin, but it’s not the reason I’m applying to Duke. Although I hear that social activities at Duke are quite varied and having fun is an integral part of the college experience, I am applying to Duke because I am extremely passionate about computer science and Duke has one of the best computer science departments in the world.

Right from the start, I can pursue Duke’s many undergraduate research opportunities such as C-SURF and CS+. I could take AI for Networking over the summer and launch a Research Independent Study project in machine learning with professors such as Kamesh Munagala.

In addition, Duke’s renowned alumni network will help me to establish core connections with potential employers and to sustain lifelong friendships with my classmates and faculty. I am excited about the possibility of studying under some of the world’s best professors. My ultimate goal is to leave the world better than I found it - and Duke can make it possible.

Prompt: Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies a wide range of human experiences; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had that would help us understand you better, perhaps a community you belong to or your family or cultural background, we encourage you to do so here. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 words maximum)

In the early years of my life, I experienced a major speech delay that prevented me from speaking normally. I couldn’t talk with my friends without a stutter, and I couldn’t form sentences in front of my parents. In short, my speech setback was extremely severe.

For the five years I spent in speech therapy, a teacher worked with me for several hours a day, several times a week, on pronunciation and fluency. Even small progress was incredibly difficult. For example, one major issue that I faced was pronouncing multisyllabic words such as “fascinating”. Eventually, I was able to pronounce the word, but this was only one of many words that I struggled with for months. Although it was often difficult, I persevered, driven by the desire to express myself well.

After several years in therapy, my speaking improvements started to become noticeable. I was able to form sentences, saying them with steady fluency and pronunciation. As I spoke to everyone, I tried to remind myself of the lessons the teacher taught me: speak with plenty of energy. So, I spoke to everyone confidently, even when I inwardly felt nervous. In fact, as my speaking improved, I even joined a Debate Team, where I practiced speaking with conviction.

While overcoming this major speech impediment was challenging for me, I was able to use it in order to learn how to speak powerfully: perhaps even better than I would have if I had never experienced this speech delay.

 

Prompt: If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as a first-year applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering AND why you would like to study at Duke. (Please limit your response to no more than 250 words.)

Imagine a world in which clean, drinking water is unavailable. This is our world. Two billion people drink contaminated water daily. Contaminated water transmits multiple diseases, such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. In fact, 485,000 people die each year from diarrhea.

As a computer scientist at Duke, I can help Doc Hendley’s Wine to Water organization become more efficient with its distribution of water filters to poor countries. Computer software programs can use multiple algorithms, from machine learning to artificial intelligence, to find the most optimal water filter distribution solution.

Duke has one of the world’s best Computer Science departments. If I am lucky enough to be admitted, I will take classes such as CompSci 590: Algorithmic Aspects of Machine Learning, so that I can develop an in-depth understanding of algorithms I can use to solve water filter distribution and other complex problems.

In addition, I can learn to use Big Data algorithms to identify and predict the spread of pandemics. This information can be used to help allocate scarce healthcare resources for better protection of public health. Many healthcare organizations in the U.S. are already using Big Data Analytics to track and predict Covid-19.

To me, success in engineering is about finding practical solutions to real-world problems. At Duke, I expect to develop expertise in computer science, algorithms, machine learning, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence. I hope to collaborate with my peers and professors, to solve many of the world’s top health problems. It takes more than doctors to heal the world - it takes computer scientists too.

 

8. Rice College Application

Prompt: Rice is lauded for creating a collaborative atmosphere that enhances the quality of life for all members of our campus community. The Residential College System and undergraduate life are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What life perspectives would you contribute to the Rice community? (500 words)

For the past few years, I’ve volunteered at Sacred Heart Community Services. Packaging food into paper bags and sending them off to people’s cars for several hours proved to be more tiring than I ever thought possible, and it gave me the chance to truly enhance my teamwork skills.

On one particular occasion, as our team began to prepare food onto the delivery carts, hundreds of people flocked to the tables. We were extremely unprepared. As more and more people came to the table, we began to feel overwhelmed that we couldn’t deliver all the food to each customer. Therefore, we had to completely change the dynamic of our process. Rather than individually preparing one bag of food at a time, we consecutively worked on all bags of food. Like an assembly line, as one person placed cans of tuna and protein at the bottom of the bag, another person would then place fruit, bread and grains on top. Once the food bag was complete, another person would place each bag onto a delivery cart. That cart would directly travel to a customer’s car. By creating a synchronous work ethic with my team, we were not only able to establish a fast-moving assembly line, but we also maximized efficiency of food delivery.

While establishing efficiency is essential for any team, communication is even more important. Sometimes, paper bags break at the bottom due to a food’s weight. As a result, my team and I had to prioritize all of our resources on replacing that specific bag. It could’ve meant food or no food for a customer.

Packing food into bags isn’t the most satisfying process: it can certainly be dull. But, no matter how grueling the task is, it’s still important to do these jobs: hundreds of peoples’ lives depend on us as a team. It’s important to help out our communities whenever we can.

Although, while packaging food at Sacred Heart isn’t as complicated as dissecting an algorithmic problem, there is still a lesson to be learned: teamwork is absolutely essential to any operation. Volunteering at Sacred Heart helped me learn what teamwork means.

 Prompt: Rice is lauded for creating a collaborative atmosphere that enhances the quality of life for all members of our campus community. The Residential College System and undergraduate life are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What life perspectives would you contribute to the Rice community? (500 words)

In the early years of my life, I experienced a major speech delay that prevented me from speaking normally. I couldn’t talk with my friends without a stutter, and I couldn’t form complete sentences in front of my parents.

For the five years I spent in speech therapy, a teacher and I worked for several hours a day, several times a week, on enunciation, pronunciation, and fluency. Even small progress was incredibly slow and difficult. For example, one major issue that I faced was pronouncing multisyllabic words such as “fascinating”. Every time I tried to pronounce this word, nothing “fascinating” came out of me. I had to work on pronouncing each syllable on its own for many months: fas-ci-nate-ing. Eventually, I was finally able to pronounce the word through relentless practice, but this was only one of many words that I struggled with for months. Although it was often difficult, I persevered, driven by the desire to express myself well.

After several years in therapy, my speaking improvements started to become noticeable. I was able to form full sentences, pronouncing them with steady fluency and enunciation. As I spoke to everyone, I tried to remind myself of the lessons the teacher taught me: speak with plenty of zest and energy. So, I spoke to everyone confidently, even when I inwardly felt nervous. In fact, as my speaking improved, I even joined a Speech and Debate Team, where I practiced speaking with passion and conviction.

While overcoming this major speech impediment was extremely difficult for me, I was able to use it in order to learn how to speak powerfully: perhaps even better than I would have if I had never experienced this speech delay. Now I am eager to use my new confidence to help others find their voice, something that I would do as a student at Rice by creating a startup team in Rice’s OwlSpark where every team member would feel valued and heard.

Prompt: Please explain why you wish to study in the academic areas you selected above. (150-word limit)

Computer science is a field that satisfies my desire to solve complex problems and improve people’s lives.

Suppose that you’re a doctor in Kenya and you don’t speak Swahili. If a patient comes to you and says “nyoka aliniuma” - what are you to do? Perhaps you can use Google Translate to help translate some languages - but with over 6,500 spoken languages in the world - even Google comes up short. It can be a matter of life or death - for a doctor to understand his patient. In this case, being bitten by a snake requires immediate attention.

As a computer scientist at Rice, I will learn to translate natural languages and improve speech recognition, so that smartphones could help people to communicate with each other. Unlike Google Translate, I would like to go after the less popular languages that have no translators like Makhuwa in Eastern Africa.

Prompt: Based upon your exploration of Rice University, what elements of the Rice experience appeal to you? (150-word limit)

As a future Computer Scientist, I am looking for a university that has exceptional academics, caring professors, contacts in the industry, and strong values. Rice’s mission to educate with responsibility, integrity, community and excellence suits me well.

When I learned that Rice hosts HackRiceX, I was excited to know that if I am lucky enough to be admitted, I could collaborate with my classmates on inspiring projects. Previous winning teams built HiveWork, a Facebook application that allows collaboration with your peers on homework assignments, and HeyRice, a Facebook application that focuses on providing geographic information about events occurring on Rice’s campus. Perhaps I could also build something as useful with my fellow classmates.

Finally, the uniqueness of Rice’s residential college system with its family culture and long-standing traditions will make my experience at Rice unforgettable. I can’t wait to become an Owl!

9. UT Austin College Application

Prompt: Leadership can be demonstrated in many ways. Please share how you have demonstrated leadership in either your school, job, community and/or within your family responsibilities. (300 words) 

For the past two years, I have been a counselor at a Jewish summer camp. Working with young kids proved to be more challenging than I expected, but it gave me a chance to harness and develop my creative leadership skills.

Despite their excitement about swimming, 7-to-10-year-olds are as slow as turtles getting in and out of their bathing suits. Recognizing their competitive spirits, I turned the act of changing into a game with fun rewards. The quickest one, for instance, might get to lead the line or receive extra good-behavior stickers. Experiences like this one showed me how to creatively motivate others by playing to their strengths, rather than trying to force compliance. I also discovered that I could encourage collaboration among the campers by inspiring them to aim for a common goal. “If we all get out of the pool in the next five minutes, we will have time to read another chapter of Dinosaurs Before Dark” worked like magic.

When it comes to taking care of kids, it’s important to inspire them because they haven’t developed the discipline to see the significance of what they are doing. They usually want to escape the realm of the real world to live in an imaginative reality. Being their role-model helped me learn flexibility and imaginative thinking in leadership. For example, if the children behaved raucously, I could play “Sneaky Statues” so that they would quiet down for their next activity. If campers were arguing over Pokemon Cards, I could sing famous camp songs so that they would all settle down. Creating innovative plans to motivate campers and entering into their point of view helped me learn what it means to be a leader.

 

Prompt: Please share how you believe your experiences, perspectives, and/or talents have shaped your ability to contribute to and enrich the learning environment at UT Austin, both in and out of the classroom. (300 words)

In the early years of my life, I experienced a major speech delay that prevented me from speaking normally. I couldn’t talk with my friends without a stutter, and I couldn’t form complete sentences in front of my parents.

For the five years I spent in speech therapy, a teacher worked with me for several hours a day, several times a week, on enunciation, pronunciation, and fluency. Even small progress was incredibly slow and difficult. One major issue that I faced was pronouncing multisyllabic words such as “fascinating”. Every time I tried to pronounce this word, nothing “fascinating” came out of me. Eventually, I was able to pronounce the word through relentless practice, but this was only one of many words that I struggled with for months. Although it was often difficult, I persevered, driven by the desire to express myself well.

After several years in therapy, my speaking improvements started to become noticeable. I was able to form full sentences, pronouncing them fluently. As I spoke to everyone, I recalled the lessons the teacher taught me: speak with plenty of zest and energy. So, I spoke confidently, even when I inwardly felt nervous. As my speaking improved, I even joined a Debate Team, where I practiced speaking with passion and conviction.

While overcoming this major speech impediment was extremely difficult for me, I was able to use it in order to learn how to speak powerfully, perhaps even better than I would have if I had never experienced this speech delay. In fact, I would even claim that this impediment pushed me to improve, to persevere, and to never give up on anything that I do. No matter the obstacles ahead of me, I know that if I work hard and push my limits, I can do anything.

Prompt: Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major? (300 words) (300 words)

Suppose that you’re a doctor in Kenya and you don’t speak Swahili. If a patient comes to you and says “nyoka aliniuma” - what are you to do? Perhaps you can use Google Translate to help translate some languages - but with over 6,500 spoken languages in the world - even Google Translate comes up short. It can be a matter of life or death - for a doctor to understand his patient. In this case, being bitten by a snake requires immediate attention.

As a computer scientist at UT Austin, I will learn how to translate natural languages and improve speech recognition, so that smartphones could help people to communicate with each other. My goal is to develop a speech recognition program like Google Translate that can quickly process conversations. But unlike Google Translate, I would like to focus on the less popular languages that have no translators like Makhuwa in Eastern Africa.

By studying artificial intelligence and machine learning, I could help to improve the accuracy of natural language translation. As a world leader in artificial intelligence research, UT Austin provides the most advanced academic environment for deepening my knowledge of computer science and artificial intelligence.

I look forward to taking classes, such as CS 343: Artificial Intelligence, to develop a broader and deeper understanding of the many algorithms used in AI. This is one of the many reasons why I would like to attend UT Austin.

Prompt: Texas CSB is an innovative dual degree program looking for students who are dedicated to both computer science and business. Why do you see this as a powerful combination of skills for your career goals? What have you done in high school to prepare you for computer science and business coursework? Please limit your response to no more than 500 words.

Suddenly, the lights went out. Fumbling around for a way out of my darkened room, I was shocked. What happened? I was in the middle of finishing my Economics Honors homework, and now everything was dead - no electricity, air-conditioning, or wifi.

Emerging outside, I asked my parents about the power outage but I could see that the whole neighborhood was in the dark too. Three letters were being mumbled: P-G-E. Although I knew that PG&E had a virtual monopoly on power generation and distribution in California, I always took it for granted that it was a perfectly fine, respectable company.

Until this point, my understanding of monopolies was mostly theoretical. Economics classes often discuss topics that don’t seem relevant to me directly, but not this time. Over the next few days, I learned about multiple PG&E failures: gas explosions due to negligence, improper maintenance of power lines, and other mistakes. In San Jose, I have no other choice for power. Even, if solar panels were installed, PG&E would still be required to supply power (at night).

Being a monopoly, PG&E had no incentive to improve infrastructure. As discussed in my Economics Honors class, monopolies need to be regulated (to prevent abuse of monopoly power) or split apart to encourage competition. As someone with entrepreneurial aspirations, the PG&E failures showed to me what happens when companies grow too big and complacent. When I run my own company, I will take to heart a couple of lessons from PG&E outages: don’t cut corners, fix infrastructure, be transparent and honest.

During the summer, I had the opportunity to complete MIT’s Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python class. This class introduced me to the idea of computational thinking. I learned to engage in “useful abstractions,” questions like, How would I suppress the details? How would I modularize interfaces? What is it that I want to test? Should I use recursion or iteration?

At first, solving some of the complex challenges, like Towers of Hanoi, was extremely difficult for me. Iteratively, it was nearly impossible. However, using recursion, accompanied by its simplest base cases, allowed me to intelligently solve these complicated puzzles. During the process of taking the class - I had an epiphany - I really loved Computer Science! As I became more proficient, I realized that becoming a Computer Scientist had to be my goal.

Both Computer Science and Business interest me greatly. On the one hand, I love the idea of solving complex programming problems and developing better software. On the other hand, I also enjoy the challenge of running a business. I believe that UT Austin’s dual major CS/Business program would fit me well.

10. Santa Clara University Application

Jesuit Values Prompt: Driven by the Jesuit values outlined in our mission statement, Santa Clara University promises to educate citizens and leaders on competence, conscience, and compassion. We strive to cultivate knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world. How do you plan to live out and implement these values in your own life to create a more equitable society? (between 150 - 300 words)

“Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire” is a famous saying in the Talmud. At first glance, it may seem that studying Computer Science has nothing to do with saving lives. But for me, the ability to develop programs and algorithms can help to heal the world.

Suppose that you’re a doctor in Kenya and you don’t speak Swahili. If a patient comes to you and says “nyoka aliniuma” - what are you to do? Perhaps you can use Google Translate to help translate some languages - but with over 6,500 spoken languages in the world - even Google comes up short. It can be a matter of life or death - for a doctor to understand his patient. In this case, being bitten by a snake requires immediate attention.

At SCU, I will learn how to translate natural languages and improve speech recognition, so that smartphones could help people to communicate with each other. My goal is to develop a speech recognition program like Google Translate that can quickly process conversations. But unlike Google Translate, I will focus on the less popular languages that have no translators, like Makhuwa in Eastern Africa.

By studying Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, I could help to improve the accuracy of natural language translation. I believe that SCU provides the best academic environment for this and many other projects I have envisioned. Healing the world takes more than doctors - it takes computer scientists too.

Why Santa Clara Prompt: Briefly describe what prompted you to apply to Santa Clara University. If you have had the opportunity to visit campus or experienced Santa Clara virtually, please share your impression of SCU. (Maximum 200 words)

As a future Computer Scientist, I am looking for a university that has exceptional academics, caring professors, contacts in the industry, and Jesuit values. Santa Clara’s mission to educate with competence, conscience, and compassion suits me well.

When I learned that Santa Clara hosts Hack for Humanity, I was excited to know that if I am lucky enough to be admitted, I could collaborate with my classmates on inspiring projects to heal the world. The previous winning team built an interactive health diagnosis application using Amazon Alexa in just 24 hours. Perhaps I could also build something as useful with my fellow classmates.

I count myself among the fortunate students who were able to tour the Santa Clara campus prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. I enjoyed the talk given by Randy Wang, who highlighted the many wonderful aspects of SCU. After the talk, I enjoyed walking on the beautiful campus, visiting classrooms, dining halls, and residence halls. Listening to current students discuss their college life gave me a deeper understanding of campus life. I look forward to a time when I can also dash to the Bronco for a quick bite, or visit Mission Santa Clara for inspiration and reflection.

11. University of Washington Application

Prompt: Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it. (550 words)

In the early years of my life, I experienced a major speech delay that prevented me from speaking normally. I couldn’t talk with my friends without a stutter, and I couldn’t form complete sentences in front of my parents.

For the five years I spent in speech therapy, a teacher worked with me for several hours a day, several times a week, on enunciation, pronunciation, and fluency. Even small progress was incredibly slow and difficult. For example, one major issue that I faced was pronouncing multisyllabic words such as “fascinating”. Every time I tried to pronounce this word, nothing “fascinating” came out of me. I had to work on pronouncing each syllable on its own for many months: fas-ci-nate-ing. Eventually, I was able to pronounce the word through relentless practice, but this was only one of many words that I struggled with for months. Although it was often difficult, I persevered, driven by the desire to express myself well.

After several years in therapy, my speaking improvements started to become noticeable. I was able to form full sentences, pronouncing them with steady fluency and enunciation. As I spoke to everyone, I tried to remind myself of the lessons the teacher taught me: speak with plenty of zest and energy. So, I spoke to everyone confidently, even when I inwardly felt nervous. In fact, as my speaking improved, I even joined a Speech and Debate Team, where I practiced speaking with passion and conviction.

While overcoming this major speech impediment was extremely difficult for me, I was able to use it in order to learn how to speak powerfully, perhaps even better than I would have if I had never experienced this speech delay. In fact, I would even claim that this impediment pushed me to improve, to persevere, and to never give up on anything that I do. No matter the obstacles ahead of me, I know that if I work hard and push my limits, I can do anything.

Prompt: Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. The community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. (300 words)

Since I was a freshman in high school, I’ve been actively engaging in various volunteer activities. From preparing food for the hungry to tutoring students, these activities let me use my position of privilege to give back to my community.

I am especially passionate about helping children with their math education. I have been a volunteer math tutor at the elementary school for the past 2 years. The students and I dove into complicated problems, and I helped them not only with math but also with developing tenacity and an open mindset. For example, when we practiced multiplication problems, the students often struggled to come up with the correct answer. So, I asked them to visualize not multiplying large numbers but adding groups of numbers. This way, the students were able to see multiplication as an extension of something they were already familiar with: addition. By giving these students various methods to solve arithmetic problems, I helped them discover creative ways to figure out the right answer.

Although we live in a day and age where humans have made tremendous strides in many areas, some kids still do not receive a great education - particularly if they come from underserved communities. Working with my students has opened my eyes to ways I can play a role to help close the education gap. These issues cannot be solved in the course of a day, but, by focusing on the handful that I can help, I’ve come to see that change can happen, one tutee at a time.

Prompt: Consider two very different subjects you have previously studied; tell us how you imagine bringing those together at UW to engage with a pressing societal concern. This could be a local, national, or global concern. (300 words)

MIT’s Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python class introduced me to the idea of computational thinking. I learned to engage in what my professor calls “useful abstractions,” questions like, How would I suppress the details? How would I modularize interfaces? What is it that I want to test? How would I formulate the solution?

On the other side of the spectrum, taking Spanish I, II, III taught me how to understand languages in a different perspective. From transitioning to unique sentence structure to learning the many roots of common words, I learned the transitional relationships between Spanish and English.

As a computer scientist at UW, I will learn how to translate natural languages and improve speech recognition, so that smartphones could help people to communicate with each other. I could use my knowledge of Spanish to adequately enhance the translation algorithm. My goal is to develop a speech recognition program like Google Translate that can quickly process conversations. But unlike Google Translate, I would like to go after the less popular languages that have no translators like Makhuwa in Eastern Africa.

By studying computer science and language, I could help to improve the accuracy of natural language translation. As a world leader in computer science, UW provides the most advanced academic environment for deepening my knowledge of computer science and language.

Prompt: What is your understanding of the UW Interdisciplinary Honors Program and why do you want to be a part of it?  (300 words)

UW’s Interdisciplinary Honors Program wouldn’t only enable me to pursue computer science diligently, but it would also guide me to exclusive academic opportunities, only available in the honors program.

With small, rigorous interdisciplinary courses, UW’s Honors Program would push my intellect to the greatest extent.