Label free - Yale - Example college admissions essay
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Year: First-Year
College: Trumbull
Major: Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Extracurriculars: Yale Precision Marching Band; Saint Thomas More’s Undergraduate Council
Example college admissions essay
Profile
A strikingly articulate electrical engineering & computer science major, Kaitlynn Sierra hails from sunny San Jose, California. What sets her apart, in her own eyes, is her bright personality and positive attitude.
An accomplished public speaker and debater, Kaitlynn earned a reputation in high school as someone who managed to do everything. Whether she was golfing, playing the drums, acting as an ambassador for her Catholic all-girls high school, or working at her school’s peer ministry, Kaitlynn excelled. She did not do much engineering work in high school, instead deciding to save that for college. Her true métier in high school, speech and debate, taught her to be personable and independent. “One thing that I really gained from speech and debate is a sense of confidence,” she said. These skills have helped her in manifold ways, as a person and also as an engineer.
Kaitlynn set many goals for herself as a high school student. At the outset, attending Yale or a similar school was a desired yet distant aspiration and by no means a certainty. “I had no idea I was going to get into Yale,” she says. Hard work in the classroom and behind the lectern at tournaments motivated her. At one point in her high school career, she was known as the girl who would talk to lockers, since she would get to school early and practice her remarks in front of her locker.
Reflecting her breadth of interests, Kaitlynn is hard-pressed to pick one favorite subject in high school, finding fond memories for mathematics, history, Spanish, and English. So when it came to deciding where to attend college, Kaitlynn knew she wanted variety. “I knew I wanted to do engineering, but I also wanted a college that had a strong liberal arts background,” Kaitlynn says. “Also, I wanted a campus that had a college feel.” While Kaitlynn feels that she always knew deep inside that Yale was the college for her, in the end, it was Yale’s residential communities, beautiful campus, and unique combination of her engineering major with a liberal arts environment that won her over.
At Yale, Kaitlynn participates in all sorts of extracurricular activities. She continues to play the drums in the Yale Precision Marching Band and is involved in Saint Thomas More’s student council. She has helped out with Yale admissions outreach at high schools over the break and hosted prospective students for Bulldog Days. As a first-year representative and drummer, the band has been one of her main activities on campus. Next year, she will serve as a production manager, helping to plan the halftime shows at the Yale–Princeton game and at Fenway Park for the Yale–Harvard football game.
Altogether, Yale has exceeded Kaitlynn’s expectations, offering a friendly and diverse community of individuals. This past summer, she joined the STARS program, working on a project measuring how humans put their trust into robots. In her free time, Kaitlynn enjoys marching band social activities and doing intra-murals such as broom-ball. Around campus, her favorite spots are the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design and the Starbucks near Vanderbilt Hall. This year, she will try out rugby for the first time.
Katilynn’s essays include her Common App personal statement and six of her Yale supplemental essays.
ESSAY 1 (COMMON APP):
Personal Statement
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.
Nine hundred curious eyes look toward the center of the gym, peeking over chairs and gazing down from high upon the bleachers. Everyone was focused upon one sophomore student, about to present an informative speech for ten minutes about the color blue. Intrigued about how a person could say so much about a simple color during this period of time, the audience kept their ears wide open. As this student began speaking, their minds were introduced to the world of the color blue. Its origins range from its discovery with the ancient Egyptians to its association with the Danish king nicknamed Bluetooth, the man whom Bluetooth technology is named after. Blue’s influence upon our culture not only involves the prevalence of the color blue amongst the works of Picasso, but also of blue’s association with gender stereotypes. In all, this seemingly standard color had indeed left a profound impact on our world.
At the end of those ten minutes, I received a standing ovation. The student body and faculty of my school had loved my presentation so much, that I was no longer solely recognized by my name. From this day forward, I was given the identity of the “blue girl” due to the topic of my speech.
At first, I didn’t mind. I thought it rather flattering when my school principal would say to me, “Hey, Blue!” in the hallways. But over time, I realized that the way my school community had come to identify me was similar to the way my speech and debate community had. In the speech and debate world of expository speaking, the speech event which I participate in, I am known among my fellow competitors by whatever speech topic I am presenting on for that school year. Thus, as a I freshman, I was known as the “coffee girl,” followed by the “blue girl” my sophomore year. But interestingly enough, during my junior year, I was not known as the “cheating girl” (thankfully) but rather as the “bunny girl” due to the use of a bunny stuffed animal during the introduction of my speech (yes, props are allowed). Nevertheless, the tradition remains. I am branded by my speech topic every year.
Although these annual labels will haunt me until I graduate, they will truly never define me. I have to admit, my speeches did help me gain some excellent public speaking skills over the years, but my presentations on coffee or the color blue do not make me who I am. My passions, my daily actions and relationships with other people are what define my character and the person who I’ve become today. I love Calculus, know how to program, and am capable of soldering micro-components onto a motherboard. On the other hand, my involvement in speech and debate has led many of my classmates to assume that I am interested in public policy or business, when in reality, my true passions involve me pursuing computer science and engineering.
Throughout this experience, I have come to realize that the rest of the world tends to function in a similar manner. People often make assumptions of others or give them labels that don’t correspond with their true character. But for me, it is essential to seek the value and character within each individual in an attempt to live label free.
ESSAY 2 (YALE SUPPLEMENT):
Why do these areas appeal to you? (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)
Ever since taking a coding camp during eighth grade, I’ve been attracted toward CS. Sequential pursuits with APCS and a CS class at Stanford University over the previous summer quarter only fostered my curiosity in this field. I’m baffled by the endless opportunities this discipline presents, including the fact that a computer’s power and potential are dependent on the hardware and instructions we are able to give it. Because I don’t know whether or not I would prefer hardware or software, I believe that EECS is the perfect match for me as it incorporates the integration of these two fields.
ESSAY 3 (YALE SUPPLEMENT):
Why does Yale appeal to you?
During Yale’s engineering tour, I learned how Yale truly cares about all of its undergraduates. The guides spoke of how even freshman participated in important high-tech research with professors, demonstrating how Yale supports all of its students’ passions, even the newcomers. Furthermore, I admire Yale’s special program of small sized seminars specifically for freshman. Some that interest me are titled “Science of Modern Technology” and “Blue.” Coming from a smaller sized HS and middle school class of eleven students, I strongly value Yale’s prioritization of close relationships between students and faculty for all undergraduates.
ESSAY 4 (YALE SUPPLEMENT):
What is a community to which you belong? Reflect on the footprint that you have left.
Although my school does not require service hours, I am part of a community of students who live out the motto, “Not words, but deeds.” Although I prioritize my education, I also value the work I’ve done for others. Almost every Saturday, through an organization called Teach Seniors Technology, I volunteer at my local community center to teach seniors how to use technology. Requests from seniors range from learning how to make Facebook posts, use tablets, check emails, and use Windows
10. Many of the seniors I’ve assisted don’t have others to teach them how to use their devices or go on websites. If they do, these people easily grow impatient with the task. And for some of these seniors, the ability to connect with family members or maintain their jobs requires them to be capable of using webbased interfaces. Although I often feel as if technology just brings unnecessary hassles when it fails, society often treats seniors as unnecessary hassles when they are unable to interact with technology. I appreciate having the opportunity to assist this forgotten generation in the tech world learn how to interact with new technological developments.
ESSAY 5 (YALE SUPPLEMENT):
Reflect on a time in the last few years when you felt genuine excitement learning about something.
Most people aren’t thrilled to find out that they’re attending summer school for eight weeks. However, I was ecstatic; jumping out of my seat without gaining the attention of my teacher standing across the room. With the opportunity to enroll in Programming Abstractions at Stanford University as a summer quarter high school student, I was able to continue my computer science studies after taking APCS. As I eagerly listened to the course material during lectures, I was fascinated because I learned about various processes of computational logic that I didn’t even know existed. For example, I learned about Big-Oh notation, which completely changed my strategy for writing code as I started to consider its efficiency. When it came time to test these concepts I learned on homework assignments, I spent extra time completing them. This was not just because the assignments were difficult, but because I wanted to apply the newly learned concepts to the best of my abilities, attempting to make my code as neat and efficient as possible. Truth be told, I never felt like I was in school this past summer (besides on exam days) because I have never been more genuinely excited to learn about a subject.
ESSAY 6 (YALE SUPPLEMENT):
Short takes
Who or what is a source of inspiration for you?
My mother; her unwavering unconditional love for me and the actions she takes because of it such as driving two hours every day to work round-trip.
If you could live for a day as another person, past or present, who would it be? Why?
Joe Thornton. He’s my favorite San Jose Sharks player and I would have fun playing in a real NHL ice hockey game with a significant amount of ice time (and most likely score points through assists).
You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called?
Communication for Engineers
Most Yale freshmen live in suites of four to six students. What would you contribute to the dynamic of your suite?
As an organized person, I’d help make sure the suite never gets too messy. Also, I’d promote respect by never blasting music loudly and encouraging others to follow, primarily if others are studying.
ESSAY 7 (YALE SUPPLEMENT):
If you selected one of the computer science or engineering majors, please tell us more about what has led you to an interest in this field of study, what experiences (if any) you have had in computer science or engineering, and what it is about Yale’s program in this area that appeals to you.
My family background and exposure to educational activities at my high school have significantly increased my desire to pursue computer science and engineering. My mother’s family moved to the United States when she was fifteen years old. Even though she did not speak any English, Math quickly became her favorite subject and the foundation of her career while she pursued civil engineering. Because of my mother’s inclination toward mathematics, I was more exposed to the world of math and engineering throughout my childhood. Additionally, my enjoyment of courses such as APCS and AP Calculus have led me to develop an interest in engineering. To pursue this interest, I became an engineering intern at QOLSYS, a home security company, and worked on their home security panels, sensors, and alarms. Also, to build upon APCS knowledge I learned, last summer, I took a CS class at Stanford University called Programming Abstractions.
I believe that Yale’s program is perfect for my interest because of its facilities, close relationships with faculty, and research opportunities. During Yale’s engineering tour, I was blown away by the CEID. I was mesmerized by the CEID’s accessibility to all students, including non-engineering ones. Furthermore, I was enchanted with the idea that students could work on whatever projects they desired. I plan on using the CEID to turn the technological ideas I have at Yale into a reality through the use of available 3D printers and microcontrollers.
Also, the tour guides spoke of small engineering classes, particularly with labs. They explained that Yale’s intention with smaller classes is to ensure students’ sufficient access to professors. I value Yale’s support for its students in the classroom so that they can develop closer relationships with professors. Moreover, the tour guides mentioned that Yale highly encourages undergraduate student research. They even referred to freshman who conducted research with professors. I hope to have the opportunity to conduct research with a faculty member for an area I’m passionate about such as online privacy.
I first learned about this topic on my high school debate team when we debated the resolution: The “right to be forgotten” from internet searches ought to be a civil right. While conducting research for both sides, I learned about the complexity behind the issue of privacy and internet searches. Because of the curiosity I developed from this debate topic, I hope to conduct research with Professor Joan Feigenbaum. Professor Feigenbaum is interested in various areas of computer science, including security and privacy. In the past, she gave a talk titled “Security and Privacy in the Information Economy.” Also, one of her publications titled “Privacy Engineering for Digital Rights Management Systems” discusses ways to distribute digital content so that the rights of the parties involved are protected. Her paper continues with approaches to privacy engineering through privacy audits and the Fair Information Principles. Conducting research with Professor Feigenbaum would provide me with a unique opportunity to explore the issue of privacy and security in the world of CS.
From 50 Yale Admission Success Stories: And the Essay That Made Them Happen, edited by the Yale Daily News Staff. Copyright © 2020 by the authors
and reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Publishing Group.