Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? When I started at my current high school, I was placed into American History and Literature. I thought the low course code and the combined nature of the course meant it was a humanities filler, meant to fulfill college requirements and nothing more, since I was a STEM-focused student. On the first report, I received a...

I really enjoy playing Ingress, a smartphone-based GPS augmented reality game that combines outdoor activity and collaborative, competitive strategy. I visit ‘portals’, interesting pieces of artwork that I would otherwise probably miss in my environment. Ingress also encourages me to walk outside and collaborate with team members to achieve goals together. I continue to improve as part of this global game of capture-the-flag to claim each portal and perform other strategic moves in real-time. I enjoy this greatly because I...

Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program appeals to you and why? The molecular biology and computer science program appeals to me with its interdisciplinary breadth and depth. I love learning about natural systems but also love high-level math concepts. I have immensely enjoyed learning computational medicinal chemistry and want to keep these tools in my repertoire for tackling biological questions and targets. My research in chemical biology has fueled my...

Since starting high school, I have spent my summers and my weekends volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. Before senior year, I was able to work as the leader of the media department at a ReStore where I improved the retail system for books, CDs, and DVDs, trained new volunteers, and raised money towards funding the building of houses for deserving low-income families. I realized my own privilege in having the ability to help others through community service. This experience connected...

My family has always encouraged me to pursue what I love. As a child, I drew chemical structures on my painting easel with my dad, and my mom and I used Harry Potter to learn geometry. The passionate explanations of everyday phenomena delivered by a medical doctor and a theoretical chemist sparked my interest in the intricacies of natural science. For years, I wanted to be a doctor, using medical science and technology to help others live healthier lives. I...

My parents were raised in China and traveled separated to the U.S.A. to complete their educations. I have been raised in a mix of Chinese and American culture. Our family functions similarly to Chinese tradition and we speak a mix of English and Mandarin at home. I consider myself a Chinese American, as I was born and have lived most of my life in the US but was raised immersed in Chinese culture and I am ethnically Chinese.

I learned that research is a lot more than straightforward proving and disproving solid facts. Natural mechanisms and systems are much more complex and require incredibly in-depth analysis before a small step can be made. Before something can be assumed and built upon, it must be proven and proven again with near certainty. It's not enough to know the science behind a procedure or even to know the steps - technique is everything. Most of the time is spent preparing...

I believe that Caltech will fuel my intellectual curiosity not only in the classroom but in academic and social forums as well. Being in classes with advanced students encourages me; knowing other people who are just as passionate about learning will give me even more confidence and increase my desire to learn new material well and share this knowledge with others. Caltech clearly provides a rich, intellectual environment outside of the classroom. When I visited campus, I saw students discussing...

As a Physics TA, while grading lab notebooks, I noticed that two students who had collected data together had very similar analysis diagrams and paragraph responses to questions, though their answers were not exactly the same. I noted their anonymous aliases and spoke with the teacher I work for about this, but I also let her know that perhaps the lab handout should specify which parts of the lab could be collaborative and which ones should be each person's own...

My independent research in chemical biology expanded my view so that I realized not just how much we have learned about the science within and outside our bodies, but also how much we have yet to learn. My experience with research in chemical biology would contribute to the plethora of interests, prior knowledge, and passions at [university]. Additionally, I am a senior leader of the Women in Science and Engineering club, part of a national organization encouraging women to study...