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Free Sample Personal Statement in Engineering
Program: Electrical Engineering
As early as a senior middle school student, I held in great adoration of
Chengning Yang and Tsung-dao Lee, two most prominent Chinese-born
physicists to have won Nobel Prizes. Thenceforward, I have cherished the
constant aspiration of becoming a renowned physicist myself the way
these two Nobel laureates did. Even one decade later, I can still recall
the first experiment I did in the physics course. When a transmitter in
one corner of the lab was connected with electricity, a little bulb
connected to a reception antenna in another corner lit up. Though by no
means dazzling in itself, this light with its stunning magic ushered me
as if into a wonderland, a world replete with intriguing mysteries that
only belong to the realm of physics. I believed that I belonged to this
special world. That marked the turning point in my life and with it I
commenced my quests for answers capable of unraveling those mysteries.
With an unusually solid foundation in physics laid during senior middle
school (I received straight A’s in virtually every physics exam), I
entered the Physics Department of Dalian Marine University. By the time
I graduated in four years, which could only be described as transitory,
I found that I had become emotionally attached to this discipline.
Realizing that undergraduate studies had only exposed me to the
relatively fundamental knowledge of this subject, I embarked on a
Master’s program, through very competitive entrance examinations, in
fiber-optical communication at the College of Telecommunication
Engineering, the University of Beijing Posts and Telecommunications (UBPT).
The moment I came into contact with this brand-new field represented by
telecommunications(China tends to lag behind western countries in
scientific and technological develop in any given field by many years or
even decades), I was filled with excitement over the wonderful prospect
that this industry could enjoy. I yearned to be satiated with new
concepts, new knowledge, and new expertise and I devoted myself to my
program with indefatigable efforts. To my regret, after completing our
share of research responsibilities in the 863 Project under the
direction of my supervisor, we had no further opportunities to
participate in any meaningful projects. I had no alternative but to
duplicate the Nonlinear Optical Loop Mirror and its Applications in OTDM
System which had already been completed by scientists abroad and to
verify their research findings by means of computer simulations. It was
precisely those backward research conditions and the lack of challenging
projects that prompted me to generate the idea of seeking further
studies abroad. I believed that the status quo would impose serious
restrictions on the development of my intellectual capacities and on the
exploitation of my academic potential.
But for two years before I could bring my overseas studies into a
reality, I worked at the leading enterprise in the country’s
telecommunications industry—China Telecom Beijing Branch Company. As
broadband networks engineer and as technical support engineer, I was
responsible for the design and operation of four major
projects—Construction of Broadband Integrate Services Experimental
Network, Experiment and Construction of Broadband DSL Network in
Beijing, Test of Timing Clock of Beijing SDH Networks and Equipment
Selection for Beijing CDMA Wireless Network. My distinguished work
performance resulted in my being sent to Marconi Company’s American
headquarters to receive professional trainings in ATM technology.
Nevertheless, I still felt that in a company environment work was
routinized and technology lacked innovativeness, falling far short of my
passions and ambitions. The work was meaningful only to the extent of
serving as a means of livelihood. Refusing to be mired in a mediocre
condition, I decided that the time had come for me to pursue research
work that I had always loved.
Relying on my solid foundation in physics, my well-trained experimental
skills and hands-on abilities that I developed over the heretofore
studies and work, I succeeded in entering the University of Texas at
Arlington (UTA). In the superior laboratory conditions, for the first
time in my life I had a proud feeling of being involved in real
scientific research. When I see how my inspirations turn into reality in
the laboratory, once again for the first time in my life I feel that I
am creating a kind of wealth far more precious and valuable than money
–knowledge. I realized that I had made an absolutely correct decision to
come to the United States. At the Center of Nanostructure Materials and
Quantum Device Fabrication and Electro Optical Research Center, I have
done two years coursework and one year and half lab research. They have
significantly enhanced my ability to solve research problems
independently. Since last year, I have conducted extensive experiments
in the field of nanotechnology and Semiconductor and optoelectronic
elements. Although the approaches and solutions I generate during those
experiments frequently differ from those of my supervisor’s in many
important aspects, I have merited positive comments from him. I am fully
confident that by the end of this year my research efforts would come
into full fruition.
Nevertheless, I still feel discontented. In retrospect, I developed a
commitment to scientific research very early and have persevered under
the spirit of this commitment. After my arrival in the United States, I
realized that there is tremendous research potential in me to be tapped.
All I need to do is to find an appropriate academic environment. Even
UTA disappoints me in that I have been kept waiting for nearly four year
before I could embark on a major research project that promises
important research findings. I have come to the conclusion that whether
in China or in the United States it is simply a waste of time passively
waiting for research projects. Consequently, the best course of action
for me to take is to pursue seek a Ph.D. program at one of the top
American universities.
The University of # # # comes on top of my priorities because it is a
top ranking university in the United States itself and in the entire
world. In the field of Electrical Engineering, in particular, it enjoys
an unparalleled position. It offers many research-intense programs and
the research environment is impeccable. I am deeply aware that for a
person who seeks excellence and who wishes to achieve some innovative
research results in Electrical Engineering, it is imperative that he or
she plunge into an environment which is as challenging and competitive
as it is stimulating, promising the realization of one’s ambitions. If
admitted, I plan to take advantage of the research resources to their
fullest extent and within 4 to 5 years achieve major breakthroughs in
research based on what I have so far accomplished. I expect that this
may lay a solid foundation for me to undertake lifelong research at some
reputed research institutes of American universities or world-class
companies like Intel and IBM.
The conventional technology based in communication, control, date
processing, signal processing, medical instrumentation and in mainstream
computers is in a transition from electronics to optoelectronics and
optically enabled technologies. Future generations of integrated
circuits, the foundation of current high technology infrastructure, are
expected to incorporate significant optical functionality. I hope that
my prospective studies at your prestigious universities can solidify my
knowledge and bring into full play my latent intellectual capacities. I
have experienced too many disappointments and frustrations and what I
look for is some truly creative and innovative research work that can
lead to important breakthroughs, which can permit me to join the rank of
elitist scientists exemplified by Prof. Cheng ning Yang and Prof.
Tsung-dao Lee whom I idolize. |
