Guys!! Can you please review my Statement of Purpose for Virginia.

[GauravSharma]

Applicants are asked to provide a 1 - 2 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following:

• Why do you want to undertake graduate work?
• Why do you qualify to pursue a graduate degree at Virginia Tech?
• What do you expect to derive from your program of study?
• If you have a concentration or area of interest in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area.
• What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession?
• If you have not previously indicated in your application the names of faculty members you are interested in working with, please include that information in this statement.

                                                                                                                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Seeing my father drive, the concept of mobility in machines, shifting gears, accelerating, judgment to take a pass or to turn & all this controlled by a human seemed like magic to me. Since I started driving this fascination grew into a passion. This passion has been responsible for my inclination towards engineering. I have been an automobile fanatic right since my primary schooling days. Shows like Super Cars & Mega Factories gave me motivation. Motivation and passion, in my opinion, have a strong correlation. This correlation led me to pursue undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering.

I have completed my undergraduate course in Mechanical Engineering from Manipal University Jaipur, India. My undergraduate course has given me numerous opportunities to learn what I enjoy. However, moving ahead, I desire to study Mechanical Engineering further by undertaking graduate work as it would give me more insight into the field, do something constructive in the field with much better understanding as well as provide me with more career opportunities. 

During my undergraduate subjects like Mechanical Engineering Sciences, manufacturing processes engineering, Theory of machinery, Internal Combustion Engines, gave me a clearer view of what I wanted to do. I seek to design and engineer something new in a developing segment of mechanical. But sadly there were very few subjects relevant. So whenever & wherever I got any chance to follow my passion, gain more knowledge and practical skills I took it. I chose Automobile Engineering, micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS), Computational Fluid dynamics (CFD), sustainable development & optimization technique as my elective courses even when only as much as 10% students of the department chose to study these subjects.

The final year project considered in my undergraduate program was titled “Long Stroke Engine Development” & it gave me the opportunity to be a part of a team to design and develop something new.  It was one of the most original, challenging & insightful project & was appreciated with good grades. We developed a 4 Cylinder Vertical In-Line Engine to achieve higher horsepower than all existing engines at MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA. Being the only student selected for project & I needed to have a thorough knowledge of most of the operations and structure of the IC engine. Working toe to toe with experienced Industrial Experts has improved my knowledge & skills in engine assembly, engine testing, time management & teamwork.

I have attended several workshops, seminars and internships organized at different institutions which helped in having hands on experience of the various machines that are the backbone of mechanical engineering. Having these valuable experiences have shown me the value of practical exposure. To learn what other institutes offer I joined and completed many MOOC courses like Machine Design from Georgia Institute of Technology & I am currently finishing A Hands-on Introduction to Engineering Simulations from Cornell University using ANSYS Mechanical & ANSYS Fluent. It has increased my knowledge in structural mechanics, fluid dynamics and heat transfer through finite-element analysis, computational fluid dynamics and structural mechanics simulations. I did my summer internship at NBC. This training at undergraduate level has helped me identify the various manufacturing processes, issues underlining each sector of the industry.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                              Apart from the academic learning at the university level, I was elected as member for Student Council of the University by the university students & at the departmental level, I was voted as Class Representative. These two huge designations have given me a sense of commitment and responsibility toward the community of which I am a part of.  I had been a part of organizing teams of the annual technical festival, cultural & sports festival of my university. I was campus and hostel committee member of University's joint admission counseling & have worked 210 hours each summer for past three years. These all have helped me in building my organizational skills, management, reasoning skills, team management & problem-solving skills & this helped me overcome my social barrier. These developed skills proved to be the foundation for many other skill developments. I have also worked as customer care executive for two and half months during my summer break of the 3rd year of undergraduate, giving me command over my communication skills and various quick problem resolving skills.

My academics declined when I met two life threatening accidents. I had to be away from lectures for months due to prescribed bed rest, progressive surgeries and was dependent on others for attending classes for a substantial period. I had to miss 2 midterm examinations in different semesters resulting in my inferior GPA. Those were massive emotional, physical & mental setbacks for me. I have overcome those now. I have been trying with all what is within my capability & capacity to compensate those setbacks. I got certified in diesel management system and vehicle dynamics from BOSCH, developed a Go-Kart vehicle with a primary objective to design a safe & functional vehicle based on a rigid and torsion –free chassis, I was the design & material coordinator of the team & worked really hard for my project.  These have enhanced my skills and knowledge even further.

Research is a very important part for the growth and sustenance of both the university and its students. It allows us to give something back to the society in terms of new findings or better solutions to a potential problem. Virginia Tech has pioneered this area. We all know where the power supply for Intel chips was designed. The accomplished research work of department professors like Douglas Nelson, Joseph Meadows fascinates me, and if provided with the opportunity I would like to work under the combined guidance of both of them in investigating CFD &combustion systems application in hybrid vehicles. Also, other factors to be considered for choosing Virginia Tech as my top choice are that the faculty to student ratio is good, the campus looks very institutional and what I have gathered is that the institute is focused on preparing the student for a lifetime of service no matter their academic discipline.

With my Master’s degree in place, I would want to pursue a further in-depth research where I can find novel ways and techniques that would help the industry to develop, for this I need to have a thorough knowledge which is possible at your institution. Once I have the field proficiency in the job I wish to make an impact in the field. For me to achieve this, education and experience are the stand up pillars. I can then combine my experience and knowledge to develop a stable & prosperous future.

Learning in a well-organized institution in the USA with powerful pedagogical resources, vibrant intellectual environment, and a comprehensive curriculum will be a great step for me to achieve my aims and through working in a community having very large number of international students will give me a chance to interact with people from different & diverse cultures. It would give me a wider perspective of the world. I would be honored if you decide to accept my candidateship for Master studies. At the same time, I am aware of possible challenges and the high investment of efforts which I will have to put in order to successfully complete this course. I am looking forward to new experiences at the university. I am sure that the university will give me chances and challenges which will assist me in my all round personal growth
GAURAV SHARMA
 

Edited August 19, 2017 by GauravSharma