College essays that made a difference - Princeton Review 2010
Rishabn Chandra
The applicants
Along with being valedictorian of his high school’s graduating class, Rishabh was also the captain of the tennis team, a member of the Arista honor society, and helped in the guidance department for two years. After school, he was a volunteer worker in Central Park and also campaigned for Mayor Bloomberg’s reelection.
Stats
SAT: 2080 (640 Critical Reading, 800 Math, 640 Writing)
SAT Subject Test(s): 800 Math II, 800 Physics
High School GPA: 4.0
High School: John Bowne High School, Flushing, NY
Hometown: New York, NY
Gender: Male
Race: South Asian
Applied To
City University of New York—Macaulay Honors College
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Columbia University
Cornell University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Essay
Rishabh used the following essay in his application to the schools listed above.
Common Application: Topic of Your Choice.
My Educational Journey
I remember feeling really small. The occasion was a visit to the military airbase in Gwalior, India. As the teacher led us through rows of airplanes on the concrete hangar, my sense of awe grew beyond the space among jostling children that I physically occupied as an eight year-old. The whirring engines and the offer of transporting me to a different world had me hooked to planes and engine technology from that day on. While I remember my first response to technology, I am now beginning to realize my growing intellectual curiosity and scientific appetite. To me, Mathematics and Physics are not a succession of courses taken at school and standardized tests, but a way of organizing my thoughts around an otherwise overwhelming world of science-led breakthroughs.
My years of formalized education have opened doors for what I view as a quest. Sometimes, I have felt the need to please my parents with exam scores and subsequently gain their praise, but the scientific quest has always been mine alone. The internalization of scientific concepts in high-school has provided me a “base” with which to begin. However, I still have to understand the economic and social issues that might be involved in the advancement of science.
The global debate on the “impending energy crisis” has got me thinking about the future utilization of fossil fuels and the development of energy alternatives. The long-term challenges facing the aviation industry make me wonder about the future of globalization. How will the “global village” be a reality without efficient transportation? Can we respond to disasters such as the hurricane Katrina, the tsunami, the earthquake in Kashmir without adequate means of transportation?
Living in a multi-cultural community, I also appreciate that human relationships cannot be sustained through virtual networks alone. Longing to see one’s family or the transportation of consumer merchandise i.e. global commerce, remain important to sustaining both irreplaceable human bonds and improve standards of living.
The framework for my quest, however, will always remain scientific. I believe that efficiency in design is the right approach to deal with issues of productivity and resource utilization in the world. I seek in the American scientific community the free exchange of ideas and tolerance for exploring new frontiers that have made it diverse and famous. Therefore, formal training in mechanical engineering in your institute would help me accomplish my goals.
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