Zhong Liang approached me and asked my about my MIT admission decision. I was like, “Not out yet what…”

Then he said, “But hey, my friend already knows that he got waitlisted through e-mail.”

“Huh, I never received any e-mail…” (still skeptical) Blur me…

So my heart jumped and I went directly to mitadmissions.org to track my application status. Entered my username and password twice and then THIS page popped out:

Dear Ern Sheong,

The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application, and I am so sorry to tell you that we are unable to offer you admission to MIT.

Please understand that this is in no way a judgment of you as a student or as a person, since our decision has more to do with the applicant pool than anything else - most of our applicants are not admitted simply because we do not have enough space in our entering class. This year we had almost 13,500 candidates for fewer than 1,600 offers of admission, from which will come our 1,000 freshmen. Since all of our decisions are made at one time and all available spaces have been committed, all decisions are final.

I am very sorry to bring you this disappointing news, and I wish you the very best as you continue with your education.

Sincerely,

Stuart Schmill
Interim Director of Admissions

No wonder I did not get any e-mail from them yet…

Haha… no comments… 1 down 4 to go. Come on Stanford…!!!!!

(Yes, despite despising the bond that is attached to most, if not all, scholarships, Ern Sheong is embarking on a Malaysian Scholarship ATTACK while ignoring the bond part, at least for now during the application stage. Good thing for him that SPM results were already released, so there are abundant scholarship options NOW. Many of these still accept post Pre-U students (A Levels in my case).

His options, after his not-so-comprehensive and not-so-encompassing research online and input from his dear mummy, are 12 Malaysia overseas scholarships: Name of Scholarship (Deadline)

1. Biasiswa Khazanah Global (26 March)
2. Shell Malaysia Scholarship (31 March)
3. Yayasan Telekom Malaysia Scholarship (31 March)
4. Securities Commission (31 March)
5. Bank Negara Scholarship (11 April)
6. Yayasan Sime Darby Scholarship (31 March, only for selected UK and Aus universities, sorry US ppl)
7. Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (16 March, I discovered this at the last minute!)
8. Felda Scholarship Programme (22 March)
9. Gamuda Scholarship Awards (15 April)
10. Great Eastern Scholarship Award (31 May)
    
11. Astro Scholarship (20th April)
12. CIMB Scholarship (only for CIMB employees’ children)

Yeah so if you guys heard of any other OVERSEAS scholarships around here in Malaysia which is not listed above kindly comment here. And yeah I purposely omitted Petronas and JPA (don’t think they take in A level students anyway, and I was already rejected by them earlier).

Why BNM or SC or CIMB would accept a person intending to do an electrical engineering degree is anyone’s guess. Though with a Management Science or Operations Research course they might still accept me somehow.

Hope this helps those with the same situation as mine too: Want to go overseas but too expensive to pay on your own. ACT NOW!

UPDATED: Yayasan Sime Darby Scholarship added (No. 6); Yayasan Tenaga Nasional deadline and link updated (No. 7); Felda Holdings Berhad Scholarship added (No.8); Gamuda Scholarsip Awards (No.9); Great Eastern Scholarship (No. 10); deadline for BNM Scholarship added; status of CIMB scholarship added; Astro Scholarship updated

I don’t know why I did this, or what made me do this in the first place, but I recently set up a website seeking donations/sponsors/loans for a Stanford education in the event that I am accepted.

I have not been accepted yet, and Stanford has said that it has received a record number of applications this year. Tough competition. More here.

“We have received nearly 25,000 applications for admission (the largest in Stanford’s history), which means that we will be able to offer admission to just 10% of those students who have applied.”

Stanford has also recently announced “the largest increase in its history for its financial aid program for undergraduates” but this need-blind policy only applies to US Citizens and Permanent Residents. This, unfortunately, is not very good news for me, a potential international student. But anyway I did not apply for Stanford’s financial aid since it would affect my admission chances as Stanford is not need-blind for internationals. (It means that they see my financial needs and would take that into consideration when making the admission decision. ‘If you can’t pay, I will admit someone else who can pay.’)

I am not being overconfident that I would be accepted, nor am I going to ignore admission offers from other universities should I be accepted as well. But somehow I felt very motivated to establish this website since getting the inspiration for it a week ago. It would also not be wrong to say that I felt rather led to set up this website.

So, without further ado, the website is as follows: Ern Sheong’s Stanford Campaign. Do give me some feedback by commenting here.

Yes I know this is crazy. Yes go ahead and laugh at such a notion. I’m laughing too. But wonders can happen. You guys who read my blog are my closest friends so I don’t mind sharing this with you.

Worse comes to worse, I am not accepted into Stanford and I delete the website. Or I am accepted and take up another admission offer with financial aid. Or I am accepted but suddenly God blesses my family with a large financial gain and I delete the website. Period.

Constructive feedback is much appreciated. =)

Posting here to share with others who were deferred in the Restrictive Early Action round what I wrote in the Optional Update Form. Deadline is March 1st guys, and it is not a postmark date!!! Hurry up!

Please list and elaborate upon any major awards or honors for academic or nonacademic achievement you have received since submitting your application.

I recently received the College Values Special Award in National Junior College and included it in the additional information within the Common Application form but did not get the opportunity to elaborate further. Hence I am attaching with this Optional Update Form a write-up detailing the story that led to this award. (Sorry I will not publish this essay here, not yet)

Please indicate any new areas of interest. What new activities (in or outside of school), jobs or hobbies have you been involved in, and what have you learned from your participation?

After returning from Singapore to Malaysia, I took up a sales job to sell a new wireless broadband based on ‘iBurst’ technology which was developed by ArrayComm of the Silicon Valley (iZZi Wireless Broadband). Selling it to customers was a grueling job given the fact that there is an existing established competitor (the national telecommunications company) providing wired broadband nationwide. Furthermore, there were limitations to iZZi’s wireless broadband coverage, as well as a rather burdensome upfront payment upon registration. There were also other mobile network providers offering HSDPA or 3.5G speeds for a much wider coverage, albeit at inferior speeds in many regions. From this job experience I’ve learnt that no matter how good a product or service is, it will have its flaws and drawbacks. No product can please everyone or make everybody happy, especially at the early stages of development. Sales is about highlighting the strengths of the product and maintaining a standard of integrity coupled with a steadfast belief in the product. I learnt to let go of customers whom I cannot please while pursuing other potential ones. I believe that such a mentality is essential in the establishment of a start-up, where version 1.0 may not and will not be perfect. My experience can be summed up in one sentence: Get it going while it is still coming in, and build momentum from there.

Are there unusual circumstances or is there other pertinent information that you think we should be aware of in evaluating your application for admission?

This is definitely not pertinent but I think the Admissions Officers should be aware of this: Stanford is my FIRST CHOICE and I want to spend my next four years there!!! (I just had to say this even if it is not supposed to help at all)

Stanford. The best place for nurturing entrepreneurial innovation.

It is always easy to say that I’ll leave things to God to control and let Him take care of everything. But it is always a constant struggle between Him and myself battling for control over my life and its course. No matter how I want to surrender control to God, a part of me yells to go that way and this way and that way… Yet there is nothing that I can do about the circumstance but wait and wait… I plead to God to go that way, but it may not eventually be so. Why am I not giving up control?

A recent MSN chat with a friend highlighted this conversation:

Friend: One book once asked me this… imagine you’re hiring someone to take control of your life, and there are two applicants, yourself and God. Who are you going to choose?
Me: Of course the right answer is God right
Friend: Yea lar… So why keep fighting for control…
Me: Aiya… True also

It’s so easy to say that God will take care of it and lead to the best possible path. But internally things are rather different, albeit I must say that the anxieties are exponentially diminished with the realization that God is in control. It just takes a mustard seed of faith to believe so. Truthfully, my eyes are myopic and too focused to see the big picture. But thank God that He has that weakness covered up for me.

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” (Prov 16:9)

With that I want to say that I have submitted all that can possibly be submitted for my US University applications, including the Stanford Optional Update Form (with an additional “insightful” essay attached. Kiasu eh?). Just completed the Financial Aid forms and FeDex-ed it to the other side of the globe. I have planned and executed to my fullest ability. It is now a waiting game. I now wait for the Lord’s direction.

Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Berkeley or Princeton? Or none at all?

Yet another in Ern Sheong’s series of revealed Stanford Essays. This one is rather nonsensical and if it does not make sense to you, don’t bother. Some understanding of physics may be required. To be frank, until now, I have no idea what intellectually engaging means. Could be anything, really.

Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging. (1800 characters)

The Physics essay prompt asked, “What would happen if the Planck’s constant, h, were ten orders of magnitude larger?” As I pondered, I realized that such a notion was preposterous! Changing this important constant by even a millionth of a decimal would obliterate life or render the existence of the Universe impossible! For that matter, so would the change in any other physical constant! But suppose I were in a resistant-to-the-outside-world control room filled with circular dials that control the physical constants of the Universe. What would happen if I decided to be naughty and tinker with the Planck’s constant dial? Turn it clockwise a little? …a little bit more? From a Physics equation (E=hf), I deduce that a light photon would carry a lot more energy. Sunlight would resemble lasers which “shoot holes” into earth’s matter—a relentless roasting of the planet! Thanks to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, random holes would appear in the living room caused by energetic photons emitted from the Sony Plasma TV screen. Radio waves would have fried bacon and eggs without a stove. A cup of Starbucks coffee held in hand would have caused serious third-degree sunburns. But all this assumes that the world existed until I came along one day to tweak an omnipotent dial. If the dial were in a tinkered position all along, atoms would not have existed due to the lowered ionization energies. The Big Bang would not have happened, and even if it did, the Universe would be destroyed moments after its creation. The precise values of the physical constants illustrate a not-so-random Universe. Be it the gravitational constant, the Planck’s constant or any other physical constant known to man, all apparently worked together to create human life. Thought-provoking? Definitely!

Stanford: My Dream School

Disclaimer: This is by no means a model Stanford essay. I was deferred in EA for admission in fall 2008.

Quoted from Chen Chow’s blog:

This year, total applicants (Early Decision + Regular Decision) to top US Universities have been increasing by quite a lot!

Harvard University increases by 19% to 27,278.
University of Chicago increases by 18%. (International applicants grew 23% to 1,826)
Amherst College increases by 17%.
Northwestern University increases by 14% to more than 25,000.
Dartmouth College increases by 10%.
Cornell University increases by 7.5% to 32,655.
Princeton University increases by 6% to 20,118.
University of Virginia increases by 4% to 18,776.

For Early Decision, Cornell University has 3,095 students (up 3%). Cornell has accepted 1,142 of them, representing 37 percent of the Class of 2012. The acceptance rate for Early Decision is 36.8%, matching thwe rate from last year.

For total applicants from Malaysia to Cornell University, as of now, there have been at least 55 people and am expecting this number to increase further, as not all applicants have contacted me. Last year was 45 applicants, so it is up by at least 22%.

———————————————–

Quoted from The Boston Globe

Harvard had the most dramatic spike, which it attributed in part to its announcement last month that it was greatly boosting financial aid for students from middle- and higher-income families in the 2008-09 school year. Harvard said yesterday it received 27,278 applications by Jan. 1, a 19 percent increase over last year. Princeton, with 20,118 applicants, had a 6.2 percent increase, and UVA, with 18,900 applicants, reported an increase of 4.5 percent …

… Yale and MIT, which have early admissions, had higher numbers of early applicants this year. Officials at the schools said it could be because of the changes at the other schools. Yet, Yale expects its overall applicant pool to remain about the same size, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had a 4 percent increase in overall applicants.

———————————————–

All the best to those who applied to these top US universities! (including myself!) The competition is so tough it kills me just to think about it! But God opens doors which no one can close. =)

Perhaps people who don’t get why I want to study engineering can gain some insight here: 

In all frankness, I aspire to be an entrepreneur, not an engineer. Nevertheless, I realized that I needed the right technical and specialized engineering skills if I wanted to establish a high-tech innovation-based start-up in my home country. Given my strength in mathematics and in physics, engineering seemed the best field of study for me. Although I am strongly interested in business management, I felt that an engineering background would be a solid stepping stone towards setting up a company; the methodical and systematic techniques in engineering bolster decision-making and priceless innovation.

I was also influenced by the fact that many high-tech companies today were founded and built by engineers, without whom the seamless integration between the business world and the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs would have been absent. Of course, there are many well-known examples like Apple Computer, Dell Inc., Google, Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Merck, Boeing, etc., but there are also thousands of other non-engineering-based companies relying on engineers to function effectively and flawlessly in this age of information technology. Companies today employ complex systems and networks, making engineers thoroughly indispensable in the running of businesses. Indeed, engineers are versatile and adaptable, evolving themselves into business leaders when the need calls. (The Google Guys, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and the founders of HP, Bill Hewlett and David Packard, never went to business school but nonetheless emerged as admired business leaders)

Such a wide range of options and customizability in engineering excites me to no end. My brush with raw engineering came during an attachment at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Singapore in 2006, where I conducted research on how tensile stress affects the characteristics of strained silicon monosilicides. It deterred me from a research career (I didn’t want to be kept in a laboratory all day), but otherwise it offered me a very fulfilling experience which boils down to this: limitless possibilities of discovery. Engineering is a potentially powerful tool that, when harnessed well, can introduce novelties yet unseen. Merging engineering with business ensures continuous marketable milestones for the world.

Although the notion of starting a high-tech company is ubiquitous in the United States, it is rare in Malaysia. Many businesses in Malaysia are users of technology instead of being its creators. As tech innovation is lacking in my home country, I intend to use the experience and education that I will attain in Cornell University to establish such a venture in Malaysia. Cornell’s Strategic Plan to emerge as a hotbed of innovation in the six strategic areas may open many doors to Blue Ocean markets in the near future. With Cornell’s unwavering commitment to be the pioneer and leader in these exciting fields, I am gung-ho about the exploration opportunities offered by Cornell. Cornell’s commitment to ensure on-going improvements in its faculty, facilities, undergraduate curriculum and even its staff through its Strategic Plan speaks volumes about its single-mindedness in pushing existing barriers toward ground-braking technology. I am deeply interested in exploring Engineering’s new era of discoveries. Indeed, I regard Cornell’s strategic framework in the 21st century as an ideal incubator for a tech start-up in an uncharted field.

Disclaimer: This is by no means a model Cornell essay.

A whacky essay (a continuation of Ern Sheong’s series of revealed US essays)

Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or thait will help your roommate–and us–know you better. (1800 characters)

A big “Hello!” to my Stanford Roomie! I hail from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and I’m ethnically Chinese—although I can’t speak fluent Mandarin because I did not attend a Chinese-medium school. Weird, isn’t it? At home, I am known as the “Banana Chinese” (Chinese who can’t speak Mandarin fluently) but I can speak the Cantonese dialect pretty well, not to mention Malay and “Manglish” (Malaysian English, though it sounds like Mangled English). Of all things Malaysian, I love its food best. Eating a.k.a. food-venturing was my pastime. Malaysia is home to Chinese, Malay and Indian food: chicken rice, prawn noodles, Briyani rice, “satay” and oh, so much more. On another note, whle I am generally affable and caring, it wasn’t always so when I was younger. I remember punching a kid (I was a little kid too) because he irritated me. I also recall buying a packet of rubber bands and shooting them one by one at a female tuition teacher in the day-care centre I went to, who just stood there photocopying obliviously while I unleashed my elastic fury! Those were my mischievous days indeed. Thankfully, I have since grown up and shed my naughty self-image. Ironically, people know me in school as Ern Sheong (serious student, tough Head Prefect, geeky) but elsewhere (in church, extra classes, etc.) they know me as Jonathan (good-natured joker). One day, a guy who knew me as Jonathan wondered if I knew Ern Sheong because “we” went to the same school. Was he in for a surprise! So, Ern Sheong isn’t as nerdy as people think! Well, I hope that we can be good buddies. In fact, we already have something in common—a passion to study in Stanford, don its Cardinal red apparel and experience its delightful milieu. See you in Stanford! Your Potential Best Stanford Buddy, Ern Sheong. (call me Jonathan!)

Disclaimer: This is by no means a model Stanford essay. I was deferred in EA for admission in fall 2008.

This is a continuation of my series of US admission essays which I promised to post from time to time. I have not been admitted yet, and I have been deferred by Stanford already actually.

Why did I ever want to go to Stanford in the first place? This essays reveals something about that. Enjoy!

Tell us what makes Stanford a good place for you. (1800 characters)

Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by successful entrepreneurs and read a great deal about them. Now I want to learn how to be one. I believe that Stanford’s Management Science and Engineering major will offer me an excellent technical foundation in business, most notably in the ability to conceive systems, resolve management problems and conceptualize frameworks from the engineering viewpoint. I am amazed at the relevance and breadth of Stanford’s Management Science courses which range from the hardware of complex mathematical computations and entrepreneurial establishment to the software of influence, leadership, negotiation and creativity. Stanford’s commitment to equip its undergraduates with an encompassing variety of must-have expertise on the ground of solid engineering principles makes Stanford a good place for me, mainly because of my passion for systematic organizational management coupled with core values (my Head Prefect experience). In addition, I am eager to explore innovations in other departments within the School of Engineering to harness potential business ideas. Stanford’s inclination towards interdisciplinary learning would also imbue in me the versatility to amalgamate various engineering disciplines and extract new answers from them. The intense mode of self-discovery and the environment of intellectual diversity in Stanford would catalyze this search for novel methods. Furthermore, Stanford’s vibrant social atmosphere and vivacious School Spirit would provide an unpretentious platform to exchange ideas freely. The Stanford motto, “The wind of freedom blows,” is an apt metaphor of why Stanford is the best place for me. To be unrestrained, unfettered and unimpeded to explore the desires of the heart—that is the beauty of Stanford.

Disclaimer: This is by no means a model Stanford essay. I was deferred in EA for admission in fall 2008.

FINGERS

I

My guitar lessons began when I was 10 years-old. It was not the love-at-first-sight fascination with the sounds of an Eric Clapton or a John Williams guitar that compelled me to learn it; instead, it was the urge of my devoted mother—who never had the opportunity, much less the means to learn music—that brought me to literally embrace this curvaceous wooden body, slender-necked and hollow on the inside, yet full of rich resonating tones.

I hated it. I detested lugging this oversized instrument around. My fingertips would numb, swell and peel after a prolonged pressing of strings on the fretboard. I had to keep my fingernails at an ideal length and shape them round with sandpaper to produce that distinctive sound quality. They would chip at times. Although I pleaded with my mum—sometimes in tears—to let me forgo guitar lessons, it was to no avail.

She persevered. She brought me to symphonic orchestral performances in an attempt to inculcate the appreciation of music in me. However, I only became more disenchanted as the guitar was not an orchestral instrument. I would hear Maksim Mrvica and Richard Clayderman’s piano instrumentals, or Vanessa Mae’s violin, and ponder, “Why not the immobile piano, or the smaller violin?”

Her response: “You will never be alone with the guitar. It can accompany you everywhere. You can perform solo and sing with the guitar, but with the violin you can never do that. The guitar is complete by itself.”

Perhaps there was truth in this. Unless I learned to love the vibes of this stringed instrument, how could I discover its hidden beauty?

I examined my fingers. Ten of them grinned back at me. They were indeed an exceptional handiwork of the Creator. They looked animated and eager to dance on the fretboard, ready to craft crisp, vivid sounds that breathe energy into my dull soul. They implored me to let them boogie, ballet and tap on the strings of the guitar.

I eventually relented. So the fingers danced on the vibrating strings. They gripped chords with a bold, steadfast stance while I strummed. They ran across the fretboard nimbly as I played scales and arpeggios, hopping from one fret to another in a bouncy, haphazard yet precise manner as I plucked. They exhibited flawless timing and hammered on the frets in orderly succession, one after another or together in one accord.

I struggled to keep up with their liveliness. My fingers convinced me to convey more feeling—and effort. They ushered me into a world where black and white musical notes resounded the poetry of melody.

Suddenly, I understood. Everyone has fingers. But not all decide to do great things with them.

Now, no longer do my fingers exert all by themselves; my body also responds and entrenches itself in the music. Be it the cheerful or the melancholic, the sluggish or the accelerated, the entire body toils in unison to support the fingers in their endeavor of evoking a matching musical mood for each composition.

It all began with the fingers. Power and might lies hidden in small things which we already possess.

II

Guitar requires discipline, painful fingers and hours of practice. But once the right chord strikes, the euphoria emanating from the soulful music overwhelms my senses. The music seems to sing, each vibrating string painting a different color and humming a different voice.

My guitar consoled and comforted me when my fingers froze during guitar performances. When I was angry with myself, it tolerated my furious downward strokes of rage and expressed anger in unison. It hugged me after a bad day at school. It caressed me after I failed a test. It lifted my spirits and sang to me when I felt overcome by defeat. I wonder how many could find such a friend as this—so undemanding, forgiving and quick to love.

The time has come for me to leave home. My mum was right; my guitar would keep me in good company. Together, we would entertain and mesmerize Stanford with our camaraderie.

Disclaimer: This is by no means a model Stanford essay. I was deferred in EA for admission in fall 2008.

I have spent countless hours doing essays for the universities which I have applied to. To save it solely for my eyes and the eyes of the admission officers would be rather selfish and wasteful. Hence soon I will be posting selected essays here in my blog. Kindly do not copy (no point anyway since it does not reflect you in the first place) and do use your own style when writing your essays. Be true to yourself and make sure you portray something about yourself in the essays that you write. Give true accounts of your life and entertain the admission officers while giving them deep insight into yourself beyond the academics and co-curricular activities.

Alright, watch this space soon!

I just started a countdown on my Facebook profile.

Yes, it’s 90 days (roughly) to the DECISION Day and this day would totally change my outlook for the future.

No doubt, the altitude of a man is not defined by the school that he goes to, and I believe that one does not need to go to a prestigious U to do well in life. For an aspiring entrepreneur, I believe that what matters the most is the willingness to take risks and fail, for failures will be all but inevitable.

OK, I am rambling about nothings; I would love to go to the Entrepreneurship Us such as Stanford, but we’ll see how the drama unfolds next.

It is FINALLY DONE! What a relief!

Yes I may have been a little too optimistic. I only applied to the HARDEST-to-get-into universities (for engineering) in the US.

After all the thinking, I ended up applying to FIVE Universities in the United States:

1) MIT (Applying financial aid)
2) Stanford
3) UC Berkeley
4) Princeton (Applying financial aid)
5) Cornell

(Why no Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth? Engineering is not their forte IMO)

I don’t get how some people can apply to so many (10, 13, 15?) I am already very tired at five. So much time and late nights went to the essays. So much double checking, so much peer reviews. So sick of it. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. FIVE.

As you can see, no safeties there. It is very likely that I might be rejected by all five. When that happens, I would say “Hello Singapore” again. (NUS) Yup, thinking big and acting on it won’t hurt. At the end of the day, I believe that an education does not equal where you went to for university. Frankly, I would rather earn respect through my own character than from my alma mater’s big name.

But… just try lah… no harm

After long discussion and debate with my mum, we have come to a list of five universities which I would apply to:

1) Stanford University (already applied, notification on Dec 15th)
2) University of Berkeley (already applied)
3) MIT
4) Cornell
5) Princeton (my mum was intent on this university, although I felt that it’s engineering department was not too solid compared to the rest above)
6) University of Pennsylvania? (I might add this in)

The list might not end here, but at least for now, it is this. No safeties, but if God really wants me to attend any of the above, He would help me to enter no matter hard it is to gain admission.