“While scientists yearn to discover the world that exists, Engineers and Computer Scientists seek to create the world that never was. Our faculty and students believe collaborative teams are the key to great accomplishments. Please describe a time in your life (academic, co-curricular, or otherwise) where you had to collaborate to accomplish more than you could alone.”
I understand that this question is geared towards an academic experience, but if I wanted to talk share my experience making a prom proposal video with a group of friends last year would that be acceptable or looked down upon?
Also I’m sorry if this is the wrong board
My daughter (freshman at Viterbi) did exactly what you talked about - she wrote about a collaborative experience in her high school leadership position. Viterbi is BIG on collaboration and doesn’t seem to want people who are independent, competitive, solo working brainiacs. They want people who want to work together on teams, collaborate with professors on research, and branch out to learn other fields of study outside of the engineering major. (Read this article that quotes USC President Nikias on this subject - http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2016/10/02/why-every-undergraduate-should-pursue-a-minor/). She also really emphasized her background in the arts and desire to combine arts and engineering - her grades and AP STEM classes spoke for themselves about her intellectual ability, and her essays elaborated on that and showed her personality. USC likes personality - speak outside of your grades and test scores and field of study so that they see YOU.
Good luck and fight on!