By: Graduate School Candidate

Subject: Stanford Engineering Masters

Evera since I can remember, I have heard older people complain about being tired of this thing or that thing. With the increasing complexity of technology and career skills, they have to do more and learn more with every passing day. Until now, technology has perpetuated itself not by giving the average person more time to pursue humane concerns, but by increasing efficiency. People can turn out more widgets in an hour now than they ever could, but they also work more than ever learning new things. For example, the average employee spends an hour a day writing and receiving email, but still must accomplish everything else she used to do. There is now more to do in less time, and adults are right to complain that they wished they had more hands or more time to accomplish their daily chores. From this simple observation, I became interested in robotics and in Stanford.

Early on in my education, I started reading and learning about software and hardware engineering. An Engineering Institute in Madras yielded the first but almost incredible qualification in hardware engineering. It has been my objective since then to identify with an institution that shares my vision and ambition to lead the global march towards environment induced solutions to day to day living. Stanford is this institution, and now is the time for me to follow my vision.

Certain that this is the ideal time to pursue college education in computer engineering, I see technology becoming increasing pervasive and important and wish to now make the next important step to helping technology make life easier, rather than harder. With my demonstrated aptitude for computer hardware engineering, I am confident that Stanford will hone my skills and turn me into a world class researcher / inventor. With my interests and a Stanford background in computer engineering, I will be able to pursue research in robotics and realize my career goals.

I am certain that modern-day technology can alleviate, rather than add to, the tasks of the average person. In the foreseeable future, I envision affordable robots that can do all the tiresome day to day chores in our households and free us to focus on the humane aspects of life. With dedicated input from the curriculum developed at Stanford, we will invent robots that can understand the human moods from tonal variances and for application in the industrial and medical world. By employing technology to save time rather than to absorb it, people will have more time for love and relationships and children. Rather than humans becoming the robots in an increasingly mechanical, technological world, we will regain our humanity. Stanford is important to me because I cannot find a better place to work with world class faculty; Stanford will provide me the tools for creating time-saving advancements.

2. Write about a book/idea that is intellectually exciting. ( 175 words)

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" written by Stephen R. Covey is an interesting and thought provoking book. Covey identifies these habits as the qualities of personal vision, personal leadership, personal management, interpersonal leadership, empathic communication, creative cooperation and balanced self-renewal. Covey believes that with these qualities, the reader can also become a highly effective person.

I found the book intellectually exciting because the principles would give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. The author emphasizes that the principle of interdependence has a higher value than independence, and uses "paradigms" to explain his theories. I found this approach to problem solving interesting, and something I hope to use at college.

By centering our lives on correct principles and creating a balanced focus between doing and increasing our ability to do, we become empowered in the task of creating effective, useful and peaceful lives … for ourselves and for our posterity. Since I am constantly striving to improve my own personal effectiveness, I found this book intellectually exciting and would recommend it to everyone.

3. Write a letter to your future room mate telling him about a personal experience revealing something about you. (150 words)

Dear John While I don't want to worry you into thinking I'm some sort of single-minded engineering student who never discusses anything other than engineering, I'd like to tell a story about the time that I made a useful and inexpensive gadget by applying some simple classroom knowledge. My mother often used to complain that whenever it rained, all the clothes got wet before she could retrieve them from the cloth line fixed in our garden. To solve this problem, I made a rain alarm using water's property of electrical conductivity. My project had two metal plates placed very close together and was connected to a battery, buzzer, and a switch. It also had two transistors forming a high gain direct amplifier along with two resistors, a relay and a diode. Whenever the first drop of rain fell on the sensor plates of my gadget, the buzzer would raise a shrill alarm, and my mother would hurry to collect the clothes. A hobby of mine is to apply engineering knowledge to solving everyday problems and helping to put people at ease.