Engineering College Application Essay

Penn Engineering’s interdisciplinary approach to education filled with penchant for invention, dedication to creating solutions to real problems around the world, commitment toward global citizenship, intellectual rigor, and bountiful resources will not only allow me to discover, develop, and deepen my multifaceted interests in engineering but also transform me into a socially aware engineer who is “without borders.”

When I was sixteen years old, I met engineering for the first time. Rather than blushing from shyness, I was daunted by the challenge it held: constructing a physical model of the caspase-3 protein based on the atomic coordinate data and its alpha carbon backbone display on Jmol (an online computer visualization program), as a participant of Science Olympiad competition. Thinking in 3-D might be a mindless task for most people, but recognizing the third dimension was one of the most grueling assignments for me. Spending hours rotating the 3-dimensional representation of the protein on Jmol, however, helped me break out of my two-dimensional bubble. Although there were times when I missed an amino acid in chain and I had to begin unwinding my work, observing the finished product boosted confidence in my ability to become a hands-on engineer.

In addition, the Biomedical Program at University of Maryland taught me how cellular and molecular techniques are changing the way we diagnose and treat disease. These experiences not only boosted confidence in my ability to become an engineer but also deepened my interest in cell and tissue engineering and microbial pathogenesis.

Taking the Cousera programming class “Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Computer Science Applications” helped me use concepts and methods of...

... middle of paper ...

...ke some difference that you have lived and lived well.” “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” These quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Albert Einstein, respectively, summarize what Penn Engineering will allow me to achieve. At Penn, I will not only enrich my own educational experience by practicing the skills I have learned and the ideas I have garnered inside lecture halls and labs but also channel these into positive action, making an impact and making a positive difference on global community. Penn’s uniquely integrated campus will allow me to integrate knowledge from different disciplines and my engineering skills with entrepreneurial insights, global service, and professional development opportunities to achieve my goal of making my mark on the Penn community and the larger world and address the world’s multifaceted problems.