On January 14th, in the winter of my sophomore year, Foster the People — my favorite band — released a single named "Coming of Age". The lead singer later described how his time in the Czech Republic, my second home, influenced the song. I could never have foreseen the preternatural accuracy with which the song would narrate my life that year. Earlier that winter, just as the cold winds began to bear soft, delicate snowflakes, my father was diagnosed with cancer of...

A metronomic roar of iron and oak suddenly comes to a clamoring halt: the two armies are now within stone's throw, within arrow's touch. They stare one another down, impatiently; their ranks ripple with unease. The generals rein in their mounts and exchange glances. Grey, wrinkled eyes look curiously into fiery orbs of brown: their flame flickers. The young commander knows: he charges first. Indecision leadens his legs. Should he first send in his infantry? That's the safe move — the...

public class Hello { public static void main(String[] args) { System.out.println("Hello Carnegie Mellon!"); } } Early last spring I received a thick letter from Carnegie Mellon: "Congratulations, you've been accepted to the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences." To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement; spending five weeks at CMU, learning from some of the best professors in the world, and doing lab work in state of the art laboratories —a far cry from the bunsen burners we...

The University of Pennsylvania was designed to be, in Benjamin Franklin’s words, a university that would put knowledge to use in the service of Mankind. As technology now advances at blistering pace, it takes a profound foundational technical education, complemented by a strong humanities background and channeled through excellent research opportunities, to make an engineer knowledgeable, flexible, and experienced enough to have a meaningful impact on the world. It takes a Penn education. In my experience, the inspiration for...

Scientific exploration begins with theory, but it certainly doesn't end there; the real fun begins when you apply that understanding to create. During my time applying quantum physics to develop novel superconductors at Carnegie Mellon, I experienced this first hand. Duke is the perfect place to take my engineering to the next level: not only is Pratt highly regarded, but it's on the rise. No other school has so much momentum; Duke is quickly becoming the premier engineering institution, and...

Someone's set my legs on fire. I ignore the screams of pain coursing up from my calves through my back and into my arms, and set my eyes on the prize: the telephone pole at the top of the hill. My legs are moving on their own; I started this workout running in perfect form, but now it seems as if my entire body is in a mad scramble to make it up the hill as fast as possible — at...

Philosophy: I often ponder whether I'm living life to its fullest, living in good faith. Reading intellectually varied perspectives on what's truly important gives me a greater appreciation for the crucial role seemingly commonplace aspects of life - friendship, humor, distrust - can play. Linguistics: I've always had an affinity for languages, beginning with Czech, and I find exploring the relationships between them, analyzing structural differences, and appreciating dialectal diversity very rewarding. Chemical Engineering: The theory behind why substances exhibit...

Yale stands out in her commitment to providing a shamelessly liberal arts undergraduate education. It's clear that while she has grown a strong engineering program, it's Yale's liberal arts foundation that has guided its sciences. It's not good enough to master theory, one must apply it to better the human condition. Yale's focus on the context, provided by an unparalleled humanities regimen, is exactly what I look for in a college. I'm certain that a humanities-heavy engineering education will serve...

I find it crazy that we've developed means to create limbs and organs out of flesh and steel that are able to be controlled by the mind. My future in this revolution, transcending nature, inspires me.

Ed Leedskalnin made Coral Castle out of huge stone slabs, without any machinery. He spoke of using a "perpetual motion holder" and witnesses claim they saw slabs floating. I'd like to know his secret.

Archeological Linguistics. Many civilizations have left few traces, save their impact on modern language; this course would examine how to use these linguistic features to understand how they lived.

I do my best to enjoy the unexpected - midnight soccer, I've learned, is an absolute blast - so I see myself mixing things up, being quirky and adding a little spunk to the mix.

"Krystof, come on, I found one." He promptly turns away from the blueberry patch from which he'd been nimbly picking, and runs over. "Just what I'm looking for." I flick-out my knife blade and take my quarry by surprise. I sink my blade into its flesh, and with a flick of the wrist, wrest the prize clean, all in one swoop. "Wow, Josh, way to mess up its cap." "Okay, I'm not perfect, and at least I wasn't busy stuffing...

Adam and I entered the lab break room and sat down. Our research mentor sat over coffee, digesting some chemical periodical. I took a risk and broke the silence. "Dr. Butera, before we start, what exactly are superconductors, anyway?" Adam looked at me, unsure. He looks up from his paper. "Well, I'm glad you asked. You see, when lattices are cooled to -270 degrees Celsius..." The risk paid off, and the excitement with which he spoke indicated that it'd be...

Humans need water. As demand grows and water tables shrink, ensuring water access has become a defining challenge of our time. Already, dire problems have begun to emerge: heavy municipal and agricultural use has caused water shortages in arid areas around the world, notably in the Sahel and California. A future increase in demand, coupled with climate change-exacerbated desertification, shows that these problems will only grow with time. Fortunately, water is present in some form in most of the world,...