University of California Irvine / Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering 1) What is the one thing that you think sets you apart from other candidates applying to the University of California? According to a saying, ‘curiosity killed the cat’; however in my case, it was my being nosy to the intricacies of the structures of moving machines that led to my incredible fascination in designing, calculating and building devices. My curiosity did not kill me, but fired my enthusiasm to explore my interests more. That enthusiasm is my edge as it keeps me relentlessly resilient and positive despite adversaries. And I believe that by not losing my enthusiasm in exploring the mechanical world will lead me to excellence because I intend to continue carrying that enthusiastic spirit till my old age. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In addition, I have a keen interest in math and physics, which are two of the most important subjects in understanding the principles of engineering. Overall, my interest, passion and work experiences correlate with each other, and could be the major factors in developing my creativity and innovative skills conducive to technological progress in the future. Although I believe that experience is still the best teacher, I also do not discount the fact that perfection can be better achieved by having practices perfected by your faculty experts in the field. 2) Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university. I know that opportunities do not make appointments so I have to be always ready whenever there is one. Thus, I always make it a point to seize opportunities regardless of their presentations. This is one of the reasons why I took seriously my part time job at my father’s company because not everybody is given the chance to be nosy at some trade secrets, especially in studying the machines’ structures and practical applications. That on-the-job training has provided me insights on the intricacies of mechanical engineering and the important factors that spell success and failure in disassembling, assembling, re-assembling, designing and re-designing machines and devices. That stint gave me the opportunity to have a glimpse of the possible life I will be having if ever I pursue the same career as my father’s; and had a reflection on how I could better it at my time. That part-time job also made me realize that apprenticeship is not enough to make a successful mechanical engineer out of me because I need engineering theories to better prepare me in the future. As I did not get any offers from the UCs, I decided to better myself by studying at the Rider University first. I had math classes such as Cal 1, Cal 2, Cal 3, Linear Algebra and Differential Algebra and currently taking Advanced Calculus and Research Writing classes to enhance my math and writing skills and prepare me for my upper division courses. I am aware of the increasing demand on robotics and I would like to highlight my study by learning more about robot designing and assembly--------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Everybody is unique in his own special way and my greatest talent or skills are my critical thinking skills in finding what’s possible and what’s not; what are working and what’s not and the ability to design new creations that will be beneficial, functional and useful to mankind. Having the ability to identify the reasons behind malfunctions and breakdowns is inherent with me as I was born to an engineer father who’s into maintenance, designing and restoration of machines and devices. Though my father did not articulate his desire to influence me towards engineering, making me a part-time worker at his company was more than enough to further cultivate my inherent passion and develop my ingenuity in creating designs and restoring the functions of worn-out devices. My passion for tinkering machines and devices was further boosted when I got the opportunity to lead a group of students design our own robots for a contest. That stint has further developed my skills in outlining mechanical features and understanding practical instructions on soldering and assembling robot parts. That experience has also improved my leadership skills and my ability to communicate and motivate my members to be creative and provide inputs that could improve our entry. Though our robot entry did not make it to the finals, I was still happy because it provided me the opportunity to showcase our creation as well as tested my ability to innovate. It also helped me think analytically especially in identifying the best robot part to make our creation stand out among the rest. To further develop my engineering skills, I make it a point to participate in engineering activities, read technical books, surf the internet for online tutorials and associate with other technical people who share the same interests with me. Furthermore, applying a spot in your student population will definitely help me develop my tinkering and designing skills because I will be able to study and learn with your faculty who are established experts in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering fields. 4) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? I’ve always believed that patience is a virtue but to make it more effective, patience should be coupled with a deep reflection to know if the wait is worth it or is it time to improve to move on. I have applied to the University of California twice (for 2014 fall and 2016 fall, respectively) but I did not make it. I’ve got several admissions during the 2014 fall admission but was eventually rescinded from the Irvine campus due to a grade issue. Yet, I did not lose hope and still re-applied for 2016 fall while I was still at the military, hoping to be given a chance at that time. But fate was still not at my side and I did not get any offers. That was too frustrating on my part as I only see myself studying at the University of California. But after painstakingly reflecting on what went wrong, I realized that I should not let negative events affect my future and waste my time so I tried my luck at other universities. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------