Empowerly

Student profile

Please submit a one page, single-spaced essay that explains why you have chosen Carnegie Mellon and your particular major(s), department(s) or program(s). This essay should include the reasons why you’ve chosen the major(s), any goals or relevant work plans and any other information you would like us to know. For freshmen applying to more than one college or program, please mention each college or program to which you are applying. 

As a young child, I was much more interested in my trains and trucks than the subjects of most presentations my parents often brought me to, until the one technology conference where [name], a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, took the stage and talked about his work on autonomous vehicles. It truly captivated me almost as much as my favorite Thomas the Tank Engine episode. After the talk, my parents and I had a conversation with him during which he told me all about his experiences in engineering at Carnegie Mellon and handed me a small toy car as a goodbye. His stories about self-driving cars and how they work spawned in me a newfound interest in engineering that I didn’t forget. A few months later, on my birthday, I received a small programmable robotic vehicle called BoeBot. I didn’t have any experience in building or programming robots at that age, but I was excited to try it out right away. It was difficult at first, but I enjoyed the satisfaction of overcoming the challenges. Inspired by [name], I added different sensors and eventually made it able to avoid obstacles. This exciting experience drew out the beginning of my passion in STEM, which has led to some of the most fulfilling experiences and interests that I hope to continue to pursue throughout my career. 

The major I hope to pursue at Carnegie Mellon University is Computer Engineering, or the intersection of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Just like the BoeBot, the combination of these two types of engineering is truly enticing to me. Since that experience, I have explored this field through many projects, like when I decided to put together my own quadcopter but was disappointed by their limited battery life. I created a robotic battery replacement system where a quadcopter could land whenever its battery is low and a robotic arm would replace its batteries, envisioning a limitless network of stations to revolutionize the applications of quadcopters. Drone delivery, medicinal delivery, and disaster relief using drones could all be possible. Through each new curious adventure, my love for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has grown immensely. One of the most impactful experiences was my internship at Cisco. I worked on a project applying Blockchain to network security and a project pertaining to connected vehicles. Starting from the basics, these projects and the culture at Cisco helped me truly understand what engineering was and further refined my focus in Computer Engineering.

Carnegie Mellon is a natural choice for my dream school. I had visited the campus during a trip to Pittsburgh for a science competition and fell in love with the beautiful greenery and inspirational statues like “Walking to the Sky.” More than that, the pure engineering spirit of Carnegie Mellon really entices me as it did with [name]. In every aspect of technology and every cutting-edge research finding, Carnegie Mellon’s fingerprints are visible. I’ve also noticed how students at Carnegie Mellon carry that passion outside of the classroom as well with clubs like CMU Blockchain and Solar Racing, providing an opportunity for students to pursue their intellectual passions. The inquisitive and untamed soul of Carnegie Mellon University draws me in and I would love to spend the next four years soaking it all up.