STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

At the dawn of the information age, to be young, as Wordsworth said in another context, is very
heaven. Getting to know what goes inside computers, the engines of the
Information Technology revolution, and knowing how to work with them enables one to
understand the technology that makes it all possible. Understanding this, I chose to do my
undergraduate study in Electronics and Communications engineering.

Prior to that, I had a fairly normal educational career. I did well through my high school and
worked hard to get undergraduate admission in the field of my interest in one of the most reputed
engineering colleges in my state, SNIST, JNT University. It was pure joy to learn how the
Boolean logic makes computers work. I enjoyed studying computer architecture and particularly
enjoyed studying about microprocessors. I also liked programming in Java. I used to spend
hours in the lab, trying out all the programs I could write for fictitious problems.

I enjoyed reading books on my favorite subjects for reading and gaining knowledge sake, but
when I had to undergo the rigmarole of exams, the variety which just tests one’s memory, I felt
nauseated. The exams were not at all testing my interest and understanding of the subject, but
rather how much I can remember the whole semester’s study and regurgitate in three hours. To
me, education is for learning, but the tedium of exams and the rigidity in the Indian educational
system made me feel alienated and as a result my grades suffered. Through all this, I believe, I
retained the longing and interest towards knowing and working with computers.

I am currently working in Transdyne, Hyderabad, India, as a software programmer. I am known

there for being adaptable, quick learning, and hard working.

I want to pursue a Masters Program in Computer Science, as I want to upgrade my understanding

of computers and improve my programming skills. And to do it in the United States of America,
the country that still carries the spirit of the Renaissance and is the torchbearer of the triumph of
the human spirit, is exciting. The US, at this point of history, is the toast of civilization and is the
forerunner among nations in the IT revolution. The vast knowledge, human, and material
resources make the march of the technological engine possible.

I am an avid reader. I believe this helped me understand how the world came to be what it is and
what we can do to accelerate social evolution. I believe denial of access to education perpetuates
the divide between the different social classes in any society. Access to education brings
everyone onto a common pedestal through which social justice is possible. I, therefore, am
involved in literacy missions seeking to reach to the underprivileged sections of society. I am
also actively involved with Greenpeace, the international environmental organization.

The US produced people as different as Benjamin Franklin and Henry David Thoreau. The life of
the former is an education on achieving success and the latter, the hollowness of it all. I now
want to come out of my ‘Walden’ and follow Franklin and hope to be as enterprising and
successful as him. The Thoreau in me can perhaps wait. I am known for my writing abilities and
have won a few essay-writing competitions. I am also a reasonably good athlete. I enjoy playing
soccer and cricket, the de facto national game of India.

I understand the demands of a Master’s Program and am geared up to take on the challenge. I
feel the American method of education is closer to my ideal. I am sure my aptitude and drive will
help me do it creditably. I look forward to joining the university and hope to have a mutually
profitable association as a graduate student in your esteemed department.
Thank you for this opportunity to express myself.