Georgia Tech is proud to draw students from around the United States and countries throughout the world. This unique compilation of academic interests, personal backgrounds, and various life experiences creates an exciting and inspiring educational mix. Given your personal background, what would you hope to learn and contribute through becoming part of this sort of campus community? <=== prompt
thanks for reading! with my credentials, i wont make it to GT without writing a really good essay so please be harsh or honest as you can be and tell me what i shud do to cut it. im bit concerned about the length of the essay as well. the limit is 5000 characters and mine has 4176 characters.
also do you think this is too much of cliche topic? please let me know
thanks !
I can vividly remember the first car I have ever ridden - a Hyundai Excel, which was my family's first car. It was not an ecstatic car like BMW, more of rudimentary car for a middle-class family in Korea, where I grew up. Although I was barely in pre-school, Excel was enough to fascinate me about the cars. What does gasoline do? How does steering wheel direct the car? How does car speed up? However, as I started to go to school and read car magazines, my questions became more complex. I wanted to know why BMW's engine was more powerful than Hyundai's, how computer is integrated into a car's performance, and how aerodynamics can help the speed of the car and more. My desire to learn more about the car technology intensified as time went by.
Then, I had an unexpected turn-around in my life: my parents decided to move to U.S. I was excited, as there was more variety of cars, as well as more interest groups on the cars. However, strangely, I began to have a break of my interest in cars. I became interested in environmental protection. There was much environmental protection awareness in my science classes' curriculum, which I didn't even have a single discussion about in Korea. The most intriguing environmental problem that my American teachers taught me was the peak oil theory - how once oil price reaches to the maximum and the oil production would decrease afterward. I did not know that the crude oil will run out on the earth in few decade, not few centuries as I thought, and there is a chance that oil price reached the peak already. This was alarming since humanity depends on machinery so much and the majority of machineries are fueled by gasoline or diesel.
I started to imagine how world would look like without machinery. Then, I realized that my main interest would be lost forever - the cars. I felt panicked. People would go back to riding horses for their transportation and it would take decades to reach their destination. Transportation costs would be monstrous and living won't be easy.
Thus, I hope to learn more about the alternative ways to power the car - specifically electric cars. I think that electricity is most accessible form of energy in midst of energy crisis so it would suit best for the car engine. However, there are many challenges to electric cars. It would take too long to charge all-electric cars, and time is very valuable in modern times. Batteries are too big and heavy, which decreases the mileage, and need to be replaced frequently with current technology. Also, for some car manias complain that electric cars are not so powerful and fast as conventional gasoline-operating vehicles; if electric cars are to be standardized, I think the entertainment aspect cannot be ignored.
At Georgia Tech, I will have many opportunities to fulfill my dream. One of the leading research institutions in the world, there will be numerous opportunities at Georgia Tech for me to research about electric cars, even to the master's level which I plan to pursue. Its location, Atlanta, is one of the largest cities in South where many companies are situated and I would able to earn valuable real-life experiences through Georgia Tech Research Institute.
Also, I want to take the opportunity of k-12 outreach program. Ever since I started tutoring, I found that to be enjoyable, as I like having interactions with people and I like helping people. I always think about how to explain the materials that are hard to understand easily, such as using analogies, instead of using strict and textbook-like language, which can be confusing. I'm also thinking about going to teaching careers and this program would give me insights about that path.
I'm excited to share my perspectives that come from my experiences of living in Korea and U.S with my peers. I have shared my opinions on education, marijuana, and social policies and more issued with my friends. Some disagreed with me ferociously but I felt that I influenced them and it was not ephemeral. I hope that I can change some people's philosophy positively and give them new perspectives at Georgia Tech, as well as utilize many academic opportunities I will be given.
"One of the leading research institutions in the world , there will be numerous opportunities at Georgia Tech for me to research about electric cars, even to the master's level which I plan to pursue. "
Make it independent. (e.g. Since it is one of the .. etc)
"I have shared my opinions on education, marijuana , and social policies and more issued with my friends."
IMO: I would leave out weed and use another topic.
"I always think about how to explain the materials that are hard to understand easily, such as using analogies, instead of using strict and textbook-like language, which can be confusing ."
Excess, not needed, usually when you say about making something easier it is already difficult. Its hard to explain, but that last part is unnecessary.
"People would go back to riding horses for their transportation and it would take decades to reach their destination. "
Consider revising? You don't seriously think that people would start using horses again? It would show a sense of narrow-mindedness.
I'm currently working on writing the same essay for Georgia Tech, deadlines Friday. So I have to hurry..! I actually had the essay from the first prompt - Please expand upon an aspect (s) of your academic or extra-curricular background that you feel is especially important to you and that will help us to get to know you as a person. But one of my teachers convinced me to write the second one.
