If your childhood was anything like mine, you remember endlessly asking your parents “why?” to unravel fundamental truths. You remember transforming your Tyson chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes into a Continental Army troop (nuggets) crossing the icy Delaware River (mashers.) If you think back hard enough, you recall chopping up your older sister’s CDs for ducted fans in your latest quadrotor helicopter. But, if your childhood was anything like mine, you also remember the aftermaths: your sister screamed “I...

As you have likely already concluded from my range of extracurricular activities, I hold a wide variety of passions. But the Common App doesn’t accurately reflect the sheer variety of interests I have fielded over the years. In my bedroom, for instance, you’ll find documentary awards hanging next to soccer trophies; a hydraulic mechanical hand I built last year firmly gripping my tennis racket; and an extra processor from my last computer project lying on a stack of...

Dissatisfied with my school’s lack of hands-on STEM opportunities, I single- handedly established a robotics program at the end of my sophomore year. First, I gathered student support and synthesized a curriculum from various online resources. Then, I presented my proposal to Bullis’ administration and rose funding from various alumni networks. Finally, with several students on board and ten thousand dollars in hand, I furbished our newly endowed robotics lab with a range of materials and equipment. The focus...

Ever since I can remember, the quintessential Silicon Valley dream has driven my ambition and sense of purpose. Like my heroes – Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Sergey Brin to name a few – I yearn to innovate for a better tomorrow and improve the lives of others in the process. While I attribute the imaginative and selfless spirit of the tech entrepreneur to Silicon Valley, the best undergraduate education for my dream is not on the West Coast – it’s in...