Essay Prompt
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
Colleges I'm Applying To
- Rensselaer Polytechnic University
- Standford University
- Colorado School of Mines
- Bates College
College Essay
Metal gears grinded against each other, following the guidance of a whirring motor. Electricity flowed through colorful wires, encased in a carefully crafted plastic arm. Power surged through the robotic limb, willing it to rise. This would be the moment when dreams and efforts would come to fruition. This would be the moment when the robotic arm would come to life. This was the moment when the motor snapped in half.
My entire life, I dreamed of being an engineer. I was enraptured by the sheer enormity and power of technology, inventions that could build and cultivate the world we live on or launch into space and find a new one. Following this passion, I took an internship at Unlimited Tomorrow, an engineering company desiring to make technology accessible to those who need it. There, I worked to improve upon the designs and coding of a prosthetic arm. I was enthralled by what I could accomplish at the company, what I would create. I had my eye set on the final product. However, what I didn’t realize was that finishing the robotic arm was just the last phase of a long, enlightening journey.
The first day of my internship, I was shown previous models of the robotic arm. Black plastic formed a shell around motors, gears, and sensors, all working in harmony to emulate a real, human arm. I was absolutely mesmerized by the mechanical beauty of each robotic limb. The only thing that broke the enchantment was the thought that I would be building my own model. From there, I blazed through my work. Every single day, I sprinted as many steps possible towards completion of my project. Following each completed task was the question: “What’s next?”
After weeks of long, arduous work, I finally reached what I thought was the end of my journey. A trembling, calloused hand pressed enter on the keyboard, challenging a plastic arm to show what it could do. Rising to the call, the gears in the arm began to rotate, clinking to the rhythm of a silent drummer. My eyes sparkled as I gazed upon the invention of my making. Under the pressure of my gaze, the motor snapped. Following the rotten fruits of my work, my dream crumbled before me. Looking down in despair, I glanced at my computer monitor. Lines of code worked in unison to work towards a shared destiny, the goal I had set for them, to run the robotic arm. At this moment, I realized that I hadn’t failed. I had simply written down the first chapter in my story of success. Every mistake I made would work towards an end goal, to complete my dream. Straightening my back, I opened my CAD program. I began drafting a new model of the robotic arm, a new chapter.
Engineering is a story. It’s a crusade of creative insanity and sleep deprivation. However, most people only know about the ending, the part where a finished product appears out of thin air. During my internship, I learned the rest of that story. With every completed project, there is a memoir of how it got to be there. Behind every finalized design, there are countless failed drafts that can’t function, regardless of how many tantrums are thrown. Between every line of code, there’s a derisive bug report, reading “syntax error: Yay, you failed!” I’ve learned that technology has a story. Even more than that, I’ve created my own story, a story more enlightening than the product itself.
I’ve made some mistakes. Okay, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I managed to miscalculate the pressure angle of a single gear three times. I apparently switched the 3D printer from “print properly” to “BURN EVERYTHING!” The first time I tried to test my robotic arm, a gear became loose a crooked, causing the motor shaft to bend and snap off. Throughout the project, I blundered my way from trial to trial, but I don’t regret a thing. The most pointless story is a tale of success without failure.
When I started my internship, I was a little kid, skipping to the end of books I hadn’t read. Now, I’m an engineer, a storyteller of technology. Every mistake I’ve made has lead me to where I am. Like lines of code, they influence every decision I make and direct me to the path onwards. My life is a story of success amidst failure, and I can’t wait for the next chapter.
My entire life, I dreamed of being an engineer. I was enraptured by the sheer enormity and power of technology, inventions that could build and cultivate the world we live on or launch into space and find a new one. Following this passion, I took an internship at Unlimited Tomorrow, an engineering company desiring to make technology accessible to those who need it. There, I worked to improve upon the designs and coding of a prosthetic arm. I was enthralled by what I could accomplish at the company, what I would create. I had my eye set on the final product. However, what I didn’t realize was that finishing the robotic arm was just the last phase of a long, enlightening journey.
The first day of my internship, I was shown previous models of the robotic arm. Black plastic formed a shell around motors, gears, and sensors, all working in harmony to emulate a real, human arm. I was absolutely mesmerized by the mechanical beauty of each robotic limb. The only thing that broke the enchantment was the thought that I would be building my own model. From there, I blazed through my work. Every single day, I sprinted as many steps possible towards completion of my project. Following each completed task was the question: “What’s next?”
After weeks of long, arduous work, I finally reached what I thought was the end of my journey. A trembling, calloused hand pressed enter on the keyboard, challenging a plastic arm to show what it could do. Rising to the call, the gears in the arm began to rotate, clinking to the rhythm of a silent drummer. My eyes sparkled as I gazed upon the invention of my making. Under the pressure of my gaze, the motor snapped. Following the rotten fruits of my work, my dream crumbled before me. Looking down in despair, I glanced at my computer monitor. Lines of code worked in unison to work towards a shared destiny, the goal I had set for them, to run the robotic arm. At this moment, I realized that I hadn’t failed. I had simply written down the first chapter in my story of success. Every mistake I made would work towards an end goal, to complete my dream. Straightening my back, I opened my CAD program. I began drafting a new model of the robotic arm, a new chapter.
Engineering is a story. It’s a crusade of creative insanity and sleep deprivation. However, most people only know about the ending, the part where a finished product appears out of thin air. During my internship, I learned the rest of that story. With every completed project, there is a memoir of how it got to be there. Behind every finalized design, there are countless failed drafts that can’t function, regardless of how many tantrums are thrown. Between every line of code, there’s a derisive bug report, reading “syntax error: Yay, you failed!” I’ve learned that technology has a story. Even more than that, I’ve created my own story, a story more enlightening than the product itself.
I’ve made some mistakes. Okay, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I managed to miscalculate the pressure angle of a single gear three times. I apparently switched the 3D printer from “print properly” to “BURN EVERYTHING!” The first time I tried to test my robotic arm, a gear became loose a crooked, causing the motor shaft to bend and snap off. Throughout the project, I blundered my way from trial to trial, but I don’t regret a thing. The most pointless story is a tale of success without failure.
When I started my internship, I was a little kid, skipping to the end of books I hadn’t read. Now, I’m an engineer, a storyteller of technology. Every mistake I’ve made has lead me to where I am. Like lines of code, they influence every decision I make and direct me to the path onwards. My life is a story of success amidst failure, and I can’t wait for the next chapter.