<p>Which university in Columbia (South America)? Hehe…</p>
<p>EEE! Congrats lnnaya! :)</p>
<p>Hi
I am planning to transfer fall 2014 with double major in Mechanical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering.My current GPA is 4.00 after freshman year in community college.No internship,No extra-co-curriculum activities. I am thinking about transfer either to University of California, Berkeley or University of southern California. Can you suggest me few more Universities which offer best programs in Mechanical Engineering with concentration in Defense and Space Technology.Where I could pursue masters degree too.</p>
<p>Accepted: Purdue, University of Kansas, Michigan State University.
Rejected: MIT, Stanford, UIUC.
Going To Attend: University of Kansas </p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1850 (740M/490CR/620W)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1950 (740M/590CR/620W)
SAT II (subject, score): Math II 770, Physics 680, Chemistry 630
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (About 91.5% average)
Percentage in Class 11th and class 12th mid term: 95.5% (Final) and 96.17% (Midterm)
Major Awards (Olympiads , KVPY, NTSE etc.): 1st Dan (Senior Degree) black belt in Olympic Taekwondo, 3 State level gold medals in Taekwondo sparring competition, National qualifier for a Taekwondo sparring competition, 1 gold medal and 1 bronze medal in regional (district) Taekwondo championships, 1 gold medal and 1 bronze medal in regional inter-school tournaments.
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Honorary trophy, medal, and shield from school for distinctive performances in Taekwondo and academics. Appeared twice in school newsletters and website for the same. Secured first place in school level science fair competition and won accolades for my performances in school level table tennis, high jump, long jump, and Hindi quiz competitions.</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Taekwondo (4th grade-present)- Currently an assistant instructor at my club
- Maintaining an instructional blog
- Teaching Taekwondo to the underprivileged martial arts enthusiasts.
- Widely recognized as a Regional and State champion.
Table Tennis (8th grade-10th grade)- School champion - Self taught player
Guitar (11th grade)
Swimming (Summer sport- 9th and 10th grades)
Volunteer/Community Service: Collected funds for the victims of Tsunami.
Collected funds for the family of my Taekwondo master after his unfortunate death.
Spent quality time with orphans.
Summer Activities: Swimming.
Successfully completed Photoshop course (2008).
Embarked on an educational tour with my uncle across the country, visiting many research labs and universities en route. Had insightful and enlightening discussions with various professors and scientists. Experienced the functioning of various equipment in Nanotechnology firsthand.
Tutoring.
Orphans volunteering.</p>
<p>Essays: (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Supplement Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: Research moves and train Taekwondo, 8.
Department at MIT: Physics, 6, Lectures of Prof. Walter Lewin.
Trait Most Proud Of: Pertinacity, 8.
World You Come From: Experience with my uncle, 7, Educational tour and personal influence.
Significant Challenge: Learning good English, 7, SAT.
Intellectual Vitality: Discussions with my uncle, 7.5.
Roommate Essay: Qualities and hobbies I enjoy, 7.5.
What matters to you most and why: Wisdom and practical applications of derived knowledge.
Study objectives: Mechanical engineering, Robotics, 8.5.
Plans after education in U.S.: Contributing to the society that made me what I am by working on my acquired knowledge on Robotics, 8.
Research topics: Robotics, Energy and Sustainability, Cosmology, 7.5.
Common App Essay: The fall of a beloved Taekwondo master, 9.</p>
<p>Recommendations (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Teacher Recommendation #1: Physics, 9, Described my passion and love for science, and gave an anecdote on how I built an advanced Bristlebot. (-a cleaning robot)
Teacher Recommendation #2: Math, 8, Described how I re-discovered a formula in commercial mathematics and a theorem in calculus.
Additional Info/Rec: (From my uncle (a scientist, research mentor)) 8, Described his experience with me on the educational tour.
(From my Taekwondo coach) 8, Explained how passionate I was in Taekwondo. He gave anecdotes that demonstrate my competence in the art/sport.</p>
<p>Other
Date Submitted App: December 29, 2012.
City, State: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: Mid-low.</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Personality, sports, GPA.
Weaknesses: SAT scores.
Why you think you were rejected: Probably I couldn’t convey my passion for science effectively. Didn’t spend much time on the application and couldn’t give my 100%.
What would you have done differently?: I would have spent more time on my application had I known about the opportunity earlier. I would have paced myself for tests and hard work required to qualify as a strong applicant. I, however, learned a lot through the process.</p>
<p>General Comments & Advice: Do what you love, not what the university/college loves. Remember, you are doing it for yourselves. The admissions officers will come to realize if you’re truly passionate about your work. Do not forcefully work on something just because you think that the university will find it impressive. Even if you get admitted by doing so, chances are that you won’t thrive there. Numbers may be impressive, but there’s more to a person than that. Work on your application and delineate a vivid outline of your personality. Universities and colleges take students who they think will make the most out of their opportunities and succeed in life. They look for hints of untapped greatness if not for solid evidences.
Finally, with a positive attitude, one can succeed anywhere. Einstein and Thomas Edison didn’t go to MIT, or any school on par with the Ivy league for that matter, but they’ve still revolutionized the world.
Just do your part and write honest, heartfelt essays. Just as universities select applicants whom they think would be the best fit, we must struggle towards what we deem as our best fit. The process is mutual at best. So make sure you mean what you say and do what you want.</p>
<p>@collstu
@quiverfox</p>
<p>Have you finally decided on ucb-eecs program? if so can we be in touch on mail.</p>