Sample Cornell University Undergraduate Admissions Supplement Essay

Engineers turn ideas (technical, scientific, mathematical) into reality. Tell us about an engineering idea you have or your interest in engineering. Explain how Cornell Engineering can help you further explore this idea or interest.

Living in an era where human population has reached 6.5 billion and is still exploding up exponentially, we find ourselves amidst a crisis that our forefathers could never have predicted. We are running out of resources. If we stay our course and continue as we have, by the year 2050 there will be a staggering 9 billion people sharing the already strained resources and cramped living space.
I have engineering ideas that will help to sustain future growth and to improve quality of life for those people that live in dismal conditions. There are a myriad of free energy sources including the sun and the wind that can be harnessed. Along with these are less intuitive sources such as the energy from the tides. However, these forms of energy are not available to every region of human population. My plan is to tap into energy that is available wherever there are people: energy that is given off from an average person's daily life. In any average day, a person will walk and perform other forms of work, expending energy. Useful energy can be gleaned from devices installed in the floors in buildings that convert the vibration of a footstep into electrical energy. Installing generators in revolving doors accomplishes a similar effect. As people turn the door, a conductive wire will move in the presence of a magnetic field, causing flux variations that induce an electromotive force. Even the sway of skyscrapers due to the force of the wind at high altitudes can be harnessed as energy. Not only will these ideas gather currently unused energy, they also do not require people to change their habits or schedules. Also, with the number of people, these ideas are feasible. However, implementation of these ideas will be expensive so only the most densely populated areas would require these ideas.
It is difficult to imagine, living privileged and sheltered lives in the United States, that there are areas of the world without electricity or running water. However, I had a firsthand experience with this startling fact two summers ago when I visited my family in rural China. Not only was the water undrinkable without being boiled, but also there were few amenities that we have come to live by such as central heating and cooling. The summers are sweltering and the winters, unbearable. My dream is to improve the quality of life for people living in impoverished regions of China (especially for my family) and I believe Cornell Engineering will provide me with the skills necessary to accomplish such a task. However, my core interest in engineering has humble beginnings.
My favorite toy as a child was K'nex. I would build everything from bows that actually fired projectiles to boxing gloves and bridges. At the toy store, I would buy boxes that contained parts and instructions to make a specific structure, but when I went home, I would never build it. Instead, I used the parts to create something of my own invention. One time, when I received a box with pieces and instructions to make a carousel, I discovered the part that would change my life, the battery-powered electric motor. My one burning desire at the time was to take many of these motors and create a vehicle that could actually be driven. However, it was not long before I discovered that these motors are too weak to power anything significant. Despite this disappointing realization, I have retained my interest in engineering.
Cornell is my first choice for many reasons. First, I am interested in the Kessler Fellows Program that provides engineering students with the technical expertise to market their ideas. By participating in this program, I will acquire the skills to raise the capital necessary to help struggling families in China. Also, being able to take classes outside of the major is very appealing because I have interests that lie in other subjects. Finally, I am interested in computer science at Cornell. The program offers strong foundations in computer science to those students who have primary interests elsewhere. I plan to take the knowledge and skills acquired at Cornell and apply them to interdisciplinary areas such as finance. An education at Cornell will not only advance my career and bring me closer to my dreams, but also allow me to become a well-rounded individual.