A not so plain photo-frame A plain, black photo-frame sits on my desk with a picture of me in my current school uniform. Rather than vanity, I see it with introspection. When I open the photo-frame, behind the picture in front, I find frail photos of me from my old schools in the UK, Oman, Spain, Singapore and UAE. My memory starts from the third picture of me in Spain, with me sat down with my friends in a thick...

Early, every morning my parents sit down in our houses prayer room. They ring a small bell, light an oil lamp and place flowers next to little statues that represent Hindu gods. When I was young, I saw my parents watching religious shows before I went to school; the programs showed our gods walking on clouds. The next time we went on a plane, I asked why can't I see the gods? The amusement my parents had laid the foundations...

Why Harvey Mudd: The education I wish to have in engineering may become outdated, but the engineering skills and outlook Harvey Mudd would instill in me will not. Harvey Mudd acknowledges engineering is an advancing field, and thus it will not confine me to conventional boundaries. Harvey Mudd’s broad and unique engineering program is the highlight for me, because I believe that the best ideas are a synthesis of broad diverse fields. I realized I want a broad education...

Why Carnegie Mellon: The Kalundborg Eco-industrial Park is an example of why I want to study electrical engineering, as it is composed of advanced farms and factories that capture by-products and distribute those by-products to other members of the eco-park. Engineered to create a system that is greater than the sum of the parts, the Eco-Park connects not only factories but also ideas. Carnegie Mellon’s Carnegie Institute of Technology is also a community that connects ideas with people. The...

Stanford Room mate Essay: I can usually place people I meet into two categories: Jobs' and Wozniaks'. Their partnership revolutionized personal computing, the laptops or desktops you and I use are defined, at least partly, by their partnership. Wozniak once said without Jobs he would have probably end up in the back room of some software company coding, and Jobs said without Wozniak there would have been no foundation for Apple we see today. Nevertheless, they were distinct personalities, one...

Why Brown: When I tell people that I want to study engineering, and then go to law school to become a patent lawyer, most are surprised and ask why that combination? But I tell the ones who are impressed, that after I become a patent lawyer, I want to enter Indian politics, then everyone is surprised. But I feel Brown will think differently. Brown is a university that is fundamentally different from the others; it is more open and accepting...

Why Michigan: The electric telegraph is an example of why I want to study electrical engineering, as it encompasses elegant technology composed of conductors, circuits, and electromagnets. Engineered to create a product greater than the sum of the parts, the electric telegraph not only connects components, but also society. Combined with the societal purpose it has served, the telegraph is a testament to the power of technology. Michigan's College of Engineering is the ideal location for me to harness that...

I tried to be as efficient as possible my recycling a lot of the general concepts in my essays. This also turned out to be effective because the standard template I used could be polished as much as it could be. Although I wasn't accepted to some top colleges, I still think my essays are not far off par from what is accepted.

Interviews are generally about the personality you convey to the interviewer...

I would not recommend having a bucket list of activities you can list...

I think my school has the total package. Great social life and...

If you go o summer school, make...

The application process can be very stressful. But with so many brilliant applicants, you really need to shine if you want a top college. Your essays must have immaculate grammar. Some think it is not a big deal if you make a few...