Supplemental Essay

Supplemental Essay Although it is not long compared to some papers you have written by now, your essay must possess a depth of self-understanding that your high school research papers probably do not. Be sure to give yourself enough time to write a meaningful essay. Do it yourself, but feel free to ask a friend who loves writing or English to read your essay and provide feedback. Likewise, I feel that my time at State University would make my potential similarly limitless. I, like State University, constantly work to explore the limits of nature by exceeding expectations. Long an amateur scientist, it was this drive that brought me to the University of Texas for its Student Science Training Program in 2013. Up to that point science had been my private past time, one I had yet to explore on anyone else’s terms. As a matter of fact, it’s best to ask a few different people. Everyone has an opinion, but if you hear the same critique from a number of individuals, then you should probably take their advice into consideration. The essay should be a personal journey of getting to know yourself better. Please submit a one-page, single-spaced essay that explains why you have chosen State University and your particular major, department or program. Participating for the first time in a full-length research experiment at that level, I felt more alive, more engaged, than I ever had before. Learning the complex dynamics between electromagnetic induction and optics in an attempt to solve one of the holy grails of physics, gravitational-waves, I could not have been more pleased. Thus vindicated, my desire to further formalize my love of science brings me to State University. Thanks to this experience, I know now better than ever that State University is my future, because through it I seek another, permanent, opportunity to follow my passion for science and engineering. In a department where education and research are intermixed, I can continue to follow the path that towards scientific excellence. Long-mesmerized by hobbies like my work with the FIRST Robotics team, I believe State University would be the best choice to continue to nurture my love for electrical and computer engineering. I have only scratched the surface in this ever evolving field but know that the technological potential is limitless. To me, science projects were a special joy that only grew with time. In fact, it was this continued fascination for hands-on science that brought me years later to the sauna that is the University of Alabama in mid-June. Participating in the Student Science Training Program and working in their lab made me feel like a kid in a candy store. Just the thought of participating in a project at this level of scientific rigor made me forget that this was supposed to be my summer break and I spent the first day eagerly examining every piece of equipment. At the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at State University, I will be able to do just that. They already know your life story, or much of it at least. A college admissions representative does not have that luxury. This process should not only be revealing to a college admissions representative, but to you as well. We write to discover, and the college essay should be a lens through which you can see yourself a bit more clearly. Don’t fill your essay with every single personal accomplishment. You want to highlight yourself without sounding like a braggart. Don’t brag about your GPA or your standardized test scores. Actually, you should not write about anything that already appears in detail somewhere else in your application. Don’t rely on your parents or your best friend to be the only people who provide feedback on your essay. They know you so well that they can “read between the lines,” that is, they can infer what is not written from reading the words on the page.