Personal Statements for Computer Science: 3 Great Examples of Writing
by Michelle P.
From AI to data science to cybersecurity, students have a multitude of options and interests to consider in the field of computer science.
If Computer Science is an intended college major for a high schooler, it is highly important to plan for how you may write about it for one of your later college application essays. A previous blog post covers how a student can write about computer science.
However, what if you’re still feeling stuck? In that case, an EssayNarwhal can learn from and feel inspired by analyzing 3 great examples of nonfiction articles below revolving around computer science.
Example 1:
Super Slow Computer Programs Reveal Math’s Fundamental Limits – Wired
“The recent work suggests that the search for long-running computer programs can illuminate the state of mathematical knowledge, and even tell us what’s knowable. According to researchers, the busy beaver game provides a concrete benchmark for evaluating the difficulty of certain problems, such as the unsolved Goldbach conjecture and Riemann hypothesis. It even offers a glimpse of where the logical bedrock underlying math breaks down.”
For this example, students can consider:
-How does the article explain new jargon like ‘busy beaver game’?
-Why are these types of problems important for researchers? If you’re writing about a specific project or accomplishment in CS, how can you demonstrate the same thing in your essay?
Example 2:
I Asked ChatGPT to Control My Life and it Immediately Fell Apart – Vice
“all good I hope chatgpt is letting you exercise,” my wife replies.
The comment helps me realize that while my robot had not once allocated time to physical exercise….
I’m unable to shake the exercise oversight, which, if this project were to continue on indefinitely, will make me statistically more likely to die at an early age. For some reason, my robot schedules an abundant amount of time for me to breathe deeply and drink a single glass of water for 10 minutes, but ignores the benefits of rigorous physical activity. When I ask why, it blames the “specific context” of my day. I know this to be an excuse, because it is the exact excuse I have used hundreds of times in my life.
For this article, students can think:
-How does the writer tell a personal story about the topic of ChatGPT?
-In a topic focused on tech/AI/ CS, how does this writer add emotion and relatability in this excerpt and throughout the story?
Example 3:
Return to Nib’s Knoll – Aeon
“When I was 14, I spent a huge amount of time on the internet, but not the internet we know today. It was 1994, so while the world wide web existed, it wasn’t generally accessible…
Hacker VII became not only a key source of hilarity but also my primary collaborator. Both of us sought to delve deeper into the scripting language that brought things to life in the MUSE. […]
The aim of our work was the aim of all projects in MicroMUSE, and really, the aim of most projects on that early internet: we wanted to show off.
So we built a giant transforming robot.
Of course, the robot’s size wasn’t impressive, as it was only a matter of an adjective. The transformation, though: that took some doing. We imagined a gleaming titan assembled from two smaller units.”
In this last example:
-What does the writer describe as creating with code?
-Throughout the rest of the article, how does the writer effectively use descriptive detail about a virtual space?