These are the essays that allowed me to receive 3,000 CAD in funding for the 2-month Germany exchange program. For all the essays I write, I strive to speak from the heart and try to connect with the reader on a deep level. This is how you can stand out from other applicants that submit AI-generated essays
When writing essays, I also take it as an opportunity to reflect and align more with my current and future plans. I hope you enjoy going through my essays :)
FYI: The questions are in the left-most bullet point and its answers are in the right
Essays
Please provide a brief description/overview of the proposed activity. Approx. 200 words
I will be going for a summer exchange program at TU Berlin. As described in my essays below, my main focus and reason for taking this program is to take Software Entrepreneurship courses. These courses will be running from July 1st till August 23rd and split into 3 terms.
How does this activity further your personal and/or professional goals in your discipline and/or area of interest? Approx. 300 words
I have several reasons for pursuing an exchange in Berlin but It all ties back to two deep-rooted principles I follow: the desire to learn and gain unique, diverse experiences. I believe that there is no better time to embrace these principles than now. Just as a rising stock, the earlier you buy, the greater the compounding benefits.
Ever since I fell in love with technology, Iāve held the belief that Germanyās tech sector operates like a stealth aircraft flying under the radar, making significant advancements without drawing as much attention as USA. But when it matters most, it rises to the occasion. This was particularly evident during Expo 2020 in Dubai, where Germany showcased a plethora of futuristic technologies, further fueling my fascination.
Regarding my choice of picking TU Berlin, I knew it was a match made in heaven upon looking at the courses offered. Reading the descriptions of āEngineering Entrepreneurshipā and āStartup Crash Courseā, filled me with such excitement that I couldnāt help but jump in my chair like it was a trampoline. Iāve always wanted to learn about software entrepreneurship and the process of building a startup. Unfortunately, as a CS major, such courses are not available for me at UCalgary. Therefore, these courses are integral to my ambition of pursuing software entrepreneurship after graduation.
Additionally, I now have a reason to learn a new language. After years of avoiding it, I finally picked up the storage space to install Duolingo and embark on the journey of learning German.
Additionally, after years of avoiding it, I finally have a reason to learn a new language
How will your participation in this activity aid in your development as a scientist and/or leader? Approx. 300 words
I believe there is no better time to learn something new than being in an environment thatās new. Thereās something about us where if we change one aspect of our external world, we become less resistant to change and growth within ourselves.
I experienced this firsthand when I first traveled to Calgary. Before arriving, I was a shy and socially awkward person who valued everyone over myself. In all honesty, I didnāt like the person I was back then. I attempted to change, but unfortunately, when an environment expects you to act a certain way, you tend to subconsciously conform to those expectations, especially as a people pleaser.
Traveling to Calgary presented me with a fresh opportunity to mold myself into the person I desired to become. Looking back at it now, I am certain that this was the best decision Iāve ever made in my life.
Now, I have been given another opportunity to radically transform who I am by traveling to Berlin, where Iāll be enrolled in Software Entrepreneurship courses, with the hope of being able to transform myself to the kind of person who excels in entrepreneurship.
One thing I discovered about myself during my transformation is that I find profound purpose in improving peopleās (mental) health through building software products that are heavily influenced by the latest scientific/psychological research. Upon graduating, I aim to become a startup founder for a product that does just that.
Give Back Activity - How will you share your experience with the Faculty of Science and the UCalgary community?
The best way to learn and master something is by teaching it. Following this philosophy has been one of the most influential things I have done in my life. It has led me to start a YouTube channel where I share the unique knowledge that I obtained through my experiences.
As mentioned in my previous essay, I aspire to transform myself into the kind of person who excels in entrepreneurship. I donāt believe my transformation would be complete until I share what I learned there with the world, just as I did when I first traveled to Calgary and underwent a personal transformation. I then created a video outlining what I learned through that journey (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0YsCYqh0aY&list=PL31PgFrDdJlz75Z_zz1hnY7pBpSltjKpe). This video remains one of my favorites because it encapsulates the most significant lessons that shaped me into the person I am today.
Creating a video about my experience will also help me refine the lessons I learned and explore ways to apply them to my life.
In addition to creating a video about what I learned, I plan to document my experience through vlogs in the hopes of inspiring others, including my friends and the UCalgary community, to pursue their dreams relentlessly.
I specifically love to create videos on topics that I understand deeply, but at the same time I donāt truly live by it even though I do want to.
This is best explained through providing an example. One of my recent videos titled āThe Surprising Truth About Belongingā, I claim that: No matter how different we are, we humans can still bond with each other. During the time before creating this video, I was finding it hard to bond with certain groups of people who I was going to be around for a while. Creating this video served as a reminder to myself of what I know about belonging. Other benefits that Iāve experienced through making a video on a certain topic include:
I feel more responsible to follow what I share to the world
I get different opinions of people who share their thoughts to me on the video
If I want to get better at something, the first thing I ask myself is: āIf I wanted to help someone facing the same issue as me, what would I tell him?ā. From there, I get to have a different perspective on the issue at hand, where I am not clouded by my personal biases or emotions.
Global Learning is shown to provide numerous benefits, including the opportunity to take courses not available on campus, build valuable personal and professional networks, and develop essential skills such as communication, teamwork, flexibility and self-awareness. Please describe your personal reasons for participating in your intended global learning experience and outline the specific academic, personal and professional benefits that you hope to gain from your experience
I have several reasons for going for an exchange in Berlin but It all ties back to two deep-rooted principles I follow, the desire to learn and gain unique and diverse experiences. I believe that there is no better time to follow these principles than now. Just as a rising stock, the earlier you buy, the more compounding benefits you obtain.
Ever since I fell in love with technology, Iāve always believed that Germanyās tech sector is like a stealth aircraft flying under the radar, making significant advancements without drawing as much attention as USA. But when it matters most, it rises to the occasion.This was evident during Expo 2020 in Dubai, where Germany showcased a plethora of futuristic technologies, further fueling my fascination.
As for the reason I specifically want to go to TU Berlin, well I knew it was a match made in heaven when I looked at the courses offered. Reading the descriptions of āEngineering Entrepreneurshipā, and āStartup Crash Courseā, got me so excited that I couldnāt help but jump in my chair like it was a trampoline. Iāve always wanted to learn about software entrepreneurship and the process of building a startup. Unfortunately, as a CS major, I donāt have access to these courses in UCalgary. Hence, these courses are pivotal for my ambition to pursue software entrepreneurship after graduation.
Additionally, I now have a reason to learn a new language. After years of avoiding it, I finally picked up the storage space to install Duolingo and begin the process of learning German.
Additionally, after years of avoiding it, I finally have a reason to learn a new language.
Please tell us about the commitments, responsibilities and involvement (i.e., work, volunteering, clubs, sports, caregiving, etc.) that you navigate outside of academics. Please make note of any leadership positions you hold in relation to these activities.
For the past year, improv has been a prominent area of my life. While attending an improv course, I noticed that learning improv is learning about oneself, and how to deal with unexpected hardships coming your way. Since that day, Iāve been on a mission to introduce and teach the art of improv to everyone around me. Itās remarkable to me that something can be so enjoyable yet profoundly useful in every aspect of our lives.
I began by introducing it to my closest friends. Initially, they were all resistant to the idea of learning it, but after weeks of persuasion, they finally accepted. To ensure I didnāt overwhelm them, I made sure to gently introduce them to the foundational concepts in a fun and precise manner. While some were eager to perform, others were apprehensive, but I was determined to provide everyone with the experience of performing on stage. Thus, I continued to encourage, provide reasons, and, most importantly, set an example until I convinced everyone to participate. I found immense joy in sharing the art of improv and giving others the chance to spread joy through it, while also learning how to become a better human.
After successfully teaching my friends, I started hosting classes every week in my current internship workplace - IBM Toronto. Iām looking forward to spread the art of improv in Berlin as well
How will it help you achieve your academic, professional, or personal goals?
As mentioned in the previous response, growing my entrepreneurial mind is among my top priorities during my time in university. I find profound purpose in connecting with people, and this philosophy seeps into every area of my life. My way of providing value to the world is by building software products that do just that. During November 2023, I came up with an application idea that aligns with my purpose. Fast forward to now and Iāve built that app but Iām not really ready to launch my idea to the world. The idea is quite unique and itās impact can be profound in the realm of face-to-face communication and human connection. Unfortunately, if I launch this application to the world now, It would likely fail like my other projects Iāve built(https://github.com/psycho-baller). This project though, it holds a special place in my heart and would love for it to actually be used by everyone around the world. Traveling to Germany and learning about entrepreneurship would provide me with the perfect hands-on experience to learn and grow my entrepreneurial mind, which would help me with launching my app and for the remainder of my life as an entrepreneur.
I would like to also mention that I have a deep love for exploring new countries and cultures for several reasons. One of them is because of the fact that I believe that everyone has something I can learn from. No matter how stupid or smart they are. I always try to find the best trait in people and learn from that and possibly apply it to my own life. Iām extremely eager to see what Germany and itās people will teach me. I will start preparing a list of questions to ask them to get to know them more lol.
My entrepreneurial mind is also always on the lookout for solving problems with technology. Pairing up these entrepreneurship courses with the fact that Iām in a new countryā¦ I mean continent, Iāll prolly come up with countless amounts of ideasš