Writing the UNC CHAPEL HILL Admissions Essay

 UNC Chapel Hill Excerpt

by Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing

TIP:  “We’re working to build a talented and inclusive community at Carolina, and we hope you’ll take this opportunity to share how you’d contribute to that community.”



According to UNC admissions (via their website):

“Your personal essay and short answers give us the chance to hear your voice and see you as a whole person, not just a student. When you respond, we hope you’ll be yourself and sound like yourself.” UNC believes that students can only achieve their best when they learn alongside students from different backgrounds. Your essays should reveal what being a part of the Carolina community would mean to you. Focus on how your unique contributions to Carolina, your skills and perspectives, will become part of an “undeniable energy you’ll feel wherever you go.” Show how your perspectives and experiences make YOU a Tar Heel. Show how you have pushed your intellectual and inquisitive boundaries and how you have pursued your interests and absorbed life outside the classroom. Your responses should reveal how you participate in your community and feed your curiosities: Show that you ask how things work and how you explore the world around you.


In IvyMind history, the types of students admitted consisted of: applicants who can express what they have learned about being a part of a broader community. They express ways they have been vulnerable within an intellectual context and how they aspired to achieve through peer competition, debate, and mutually beneficial discussion. Admitted students express that they do not necessarily have all the answers, but that they know how to ask the right questions: they are strong thinkers. They show these realizations through moving and meaningful stories. They show how the story taught them something important. 


Supplemental Essay Example:

Prompt: Discuss an academic topic that you’re excited to explore and learn more about in college. Why does this topic interest you? Topics could be a specific course of study, research interests, or any other area related to your academic experience in college. (250 words)


Like people, computers are hardwired and soft-wired. I intend to design and make computer systems or, on a larger scale, robots that may one day be an asset to society. With today’s advances in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence algorithms, I want to combine high-tech hardware like sophisticated robots with the new algorithms of Artificial Intelligence to solve problems that might have been challenging before, such as improving autonomous vehicles so that driving can be easier and safer. Areas like autonomous vehicles would be impossible without our Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence technologies breakthrough. 

During the summer of 2022,  I conducted a research where I utilized three different Machine Learning models to analyze the hardware data from more than 200 computer CPU models on the market today. Surprisingly, the Machine Learning models successfully produced accurate predictions of the CPU performance when later given some testing hardware data as input. With this personal experience that reaffirmed my notion about the power of AI and Machine Learning, at the University of North Carolina, I want to explore the software side of Machine Learning algorithms combined with the hardware components of computers and robots. Specifically, courses like Programming Intelligent Physical Systems at University of North Carolina will help me gain an understanding of both the software and hardware aspects of computer and engineering. With that knowledge in mind, I could explore the countless possibilities of applying Machine Learning to machine hardware to solve “impossible” challenges. 

by Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Write a Letter Requesting a Recommendation for College By Sarah O'Neill Teacher Coatesville

Image
  By Sarah O’Neill Chester Co. Supreme Editing Applying to college can feel like an uphill journey, with multiple challenges to overcome before reaching the summit — an acceptance to your dream school. As a former English teacher, I was on the other side of this process, frequently receiving student requests for recommendation letters. While some were easy to write, others posed a dilemma: What if the student struggled in my class? What if they lacked daily enthusiasm or effort? These questions weighed heavily on me because, while I wasn’t legally obligated to write a letter, I knew my response could influence a student’s future opportunities. To avoid putting your teacher in a difficult position, set yourself up for success well in advance. Your goal should be to make it nearly impossible for a teacher to decline your request — rather, you want them to be eager to write you a strong letter. Who Should Write Your Recommendation Letters? Typically, students request recommendations f...
Read more

COMMON APP ESSAY: FINDING YOUR VOICE AND AUTHENTICITY Sarah ONeill

Image
  (with Sample and Analysis)  By Sarah ONeill Coatesville, Supreme Editing  Finding Your Voice College essays are about being authentic.  College admissions officers care about WHO the students are.  The essays should reveal their personalities, passions, dreams, weird talents, favorite foods, coolest playlists, inexplicable loved ones, and undeniable quirks.  As essay specialists, we are constantly reminding applicants that their essays need to be authentically YOU as possible. What you choose to write about and how you choose to write it is as individual to you as your fingerprints.   You need to hold on to the authenticity and honesty that you uncovered in your essays.  Your personality must shine through!  The Personal Essay is not about your accomplishments or a restatement of your recommendations and application.  The prompt you choose isn’t as important because the topic is YOU.   Rules for Presenting Authenticity...
Read more

The Year Before: How to Prepare for Applying to College By Sarah O'Neill Supreme Editing Coatesville

Image
  Ah, it’s that time! Sandwiched between the carefree younger days and the college countdown, everyone dreads the year (before applying to college). But fear not! If you’re overwhelmed by SATs, GPAs, and acronyms that seem like secret codes, here’s a guide to help you prepare for college without losing your mind. 1. Embrace Your Inner Detective: The College Search Begins Think of this time as you are on a detective mission. You’re Sherlock Holmes (plus the large magnifying glass), and your task is to amplify the perfect college fit. Start by haunting college websites — check out virtual tours, read about their traditions (like Tufts University’s campus llama visits), and stalk their social media pages like CSI. Bonus tip: Create a “College Crush List.” It’s like a bucket list but with schools, you’re swooning over. Just remember: You’re looking for a healthy relationship, not a toxic one. No one wants to be ghosted by their dream school. 2. Turn Your Hobbies into Hustles (A.K.A. Re...
Read more