文书点评：Computer Science专业申请文书

I remember the day as if it were yesterday. During my second year in college, I was attempting to transmit a group of characters comprising my name from one computer to another. I connected the computers using RS-232 cable, wrote the necessary programs and executed them. I typed my name on one terminal and rushed to the other to see the results. "Wow, this is magic!" I exclaimed as I read 'Tom' on the screen. While I realized intuitively that a complex version of this elementary network could achieve much, at the time I had no real idea what. Now, four years later, I know that Networking makes possible a plethora of applications, from video-conferencing over the Internet to linking banks through private networks. It still seems like magic. Or rather, a grand adventure - one that I most certainly want to be part of.

My interest in applied science dates back to my school days. During high school, I was fascinated with electronic gadgets. Soon thereafter, designing and building basic circuits started as a hobby. Along the way, however, I realized that the problem-solving aspect of making electronic gadgets was what I enjoyed the most. Engineering was a natural career choice after this.

During my undergraduate studies at the Electronics & Communication department of M.K. College of Engineering, subjects like Microprocessors, C-Programming, Computer Networks interested me the most. I was awestruck by the potential of Intel 8086 microprocessor, more so by the manner in which its faster and more powerful cousins revolutionized the working of computers in a decade. I was now determined to focus on microprocessors during my Final Year project.

I elected to do the project at National Space Research Organization (NSRO) as it has an outstanding infrastructure setup and a stimulating, world-class research environment. This enabled me to work with some of the best minds dedicated to engineering research in my country. I gained a lot from this association - in particular, an idea of how rewarding and meaningful a career in research could be. The more tangible benefits have been a deeper insight into architecture and working of microprocessors and thorough C-programming skills. Sometimes I spent more than ten hours a day at NSRO, reading manuals and troubleshooting circuits and debugging code. I am glad to say the effort paid off in the end. Mr. Tendulkar, my project guide, deemed the results of my project to be most valuable. The interface card that I designed was later added to NSRO's Spacecraft Interface Simulator (SIS) systems. This project was the highlight of my academic career. Most importantly, I left NSRO with the decision to study advanced computing.

During my first job at Neville Engineering and Locomotive Co. (NELCO), I developed a real-time monitoring system for the Molding Line in Foundry. Success on this project gave me the confidence to provide software solutions to real-life problems. Although I liked the job, software development at NELCO was a support function. I therefore switched to Mohinder Belgian Telecom Ltd. (MBT), a multinational company providing software solutions in wide-ranging fields, telecommunications being its forte. At MBT, I have been involved with Project ART, Belgian Telecom's new front-end system providing intelligent access to its Customer Service System (CSS). Working on this project has helped me hone my programming skills on real-life problems. I developed an appreciation of 'the big picture', and conversely how important details are. I also discovered leadership skills in myself, and frequently assisted colleagues who had little or no background in computers. As an outcome of this, the company asked me to take occasional seminars on Operating Systems and C-Programming for my colleagues. I have been appointed Team Leader within a year and today, I independently look after enhancements and maintenance of three modules out of the sixteen in Project ART.

During my work on project ART at MBT and through my interaction with colleagues, I have grown to admire the role of Computer Networks in empowering end-users. I am not directly involved with Computer Networks in my job, but through avid reading of periodicals and journals like 'Network World', I have sustained my interest in the field. In fact, after reading about the immense potential of path-breaking protocols such as 'Multicast' and applications like 'Voice Over IP' and 'Virtual Private Networks', I cannot help but feel excited about the potential for new research in this area.

While my present job has helped me develop a thorough insight into project handling, the industry environment that I am currently in cannot support my desire for research. I possess industry-hardened skills in Computers, but I must build on these to achieve my goal of undertaking cutting-edge research in advanced computing, with specific reference to Computer Networks. I therefore believe that I must return to the academic world for further growth.

I wish to earn an MS degree in Computer Science. I intend to follow this up with a Ph.D., and later, a career in research and teaching. I have spoken to my professors, seniors and colleagues about my choice of University, and have applied to Princeton University because it is reputable for its research facilities and computing resources. The department web site revealed a very strong faculty involved in extensive research in the area of Computer Networks. This has strengthened my resolve to study at Princeton University.

I bring along a strong grasp of fundamentals in Electronics and Computers, an aptitude for teaching and team work, a zest for challenges and an enthusiastic desire to learn all I can. I would like to take with me, in addition to knowledge of Computer Networks, a network of strong and lasting relationships with my teachers and fellow-students. I hope that my background and qualifications are found suitable for an MS in Computer Science at Princeton University.

点评：

这篇文章主要是以对专业认识的逐渐深入、专业技术掌握水平的逐步提高为主线进行写作的。所以整篇文章容易给人一种很紧凑，中心鲜明突出的感觉。而另一方面，作者想要出国读的具体专业方向（网络）也是在工作中逐渐发现和培养出来的。虽然作者在这个方向没有在工作中频繁的接触，但是作者的计算机技术与丰富的经验已能给读者一种感觉:即使是换一个小方向，以作者的专业基础也能够很快掌握好的。而这正是一个申请专业方向与原有的研究经历不是很相符的申请者特别需要在PS中花心思雕琢的部分。这篇文章是非常值得这些申请者用心体会的。

译文：

仿佛是昨天刚发生过一样，在我大二那年，我尝试把包含我名字的一组字符从一台电脑传输到另一台电脑。我使用RS-232电缆连接两台电脑、编写了相应的程序并执行程序。在一台终端机器上打完自己的名字后，我马上跑到另一台电脑前看有什么反应。当我看到屏幕上显示出“Tom”的字样时大声叫道：“哇！真是不可思议！”凭我专业上的直觉，我相信更复杂的网络结构将会很有意义，不过它具体会如何发展，我当时也不知道。四年后的今天，网络的应用范围已十分广泛了，不仅有网络视频会议，还有网络个人银行。这一切都是那样的神奇，同时，我十分想成为为了网络发展的每一项伟大创举而奋斗的一份子。

我对应用科学的兴趣要追溯到我在中学读书的时候，高中时我就对各种电子配件很着迷。从那时起，我就培养起了设计和编排基本电路的兴趣爱好，我最喜欢做的事就是解决电子配件制作中的各类问题。因此，我选择了工程学作为以后的职业目标。

我本科是在Milton Keynes大学工程学院读电子与通信专业，其中，我最感兴趣的专业课是微处理器、C语言编程和计算机网络。我十分惊讶于因特尔8086微处理器在近十年内的发展潜力以及其部件的快速而强大的变革对计算机性能的改善，因而决定就以微处理器作为我毕业设计的项目。

我选择在国家太空研究所做毕业设计，因为那里有十分杰出的科研团队和一流的科研环境。我可以从中吸收到许多有关我国工程研究的很好的想法。从中我受益匪浅，尤其是它使我认识到工程研究会是一份很有意义、很有价值的职业。我深入探讨了微处理器的结构、工作方式，以及C语言编程技术，因此对微处理器有了更直观的了解。有时候我会超过十小时呆在研究所里阅读指导手册、排除电路故障、调试代码。我很高兴付出了这些努力能够获得回报。我的毕业设计导师Tendulkar先生认为我的研究成果很有价值。我设计的接口卡后来被研究所的航天器对接模拟系统所使用。这个项目是我在学术研究中最为突出的一个。但我对研究的追求并没有在此停步，离开研究所以后，我开始学习更先进的计算技术。

我的第一份工作是在Neville工程与机车公司，为铸模流水线开发了一个实时监控系统。这个项目的成功使我对运用软件解决实际问题更有信心。虽然我喜欢这份工作，但是软件开发在Neville公司只是出于一个支持性的位置。所以我后来去了MBT电信公司，这是一家为客户提供广泛的软件解决方案的跨国公司，其优势在于无线通信。我在这家公司里参与了一个ART项目，主要是为客户服务系统提供一种新的、前沿的智能登陆系统。这个项目很好地锻炼了我解决实际问题是需要的编程技术。我对程序项目的整体规划有了认识，另一方面，也明白了各种细节的重要性。这同时也培养了我的领导才能，我经常帮助一些计算机知识薄弱的同事。由于我的表现很好，公司有时会要我去参加有关操作系统和C语言编程的同事们的讨论会。我担任研究小组组长迄今为止已经一年了，我还独自负责ART项目的16个模块中3个模块的维护与更新工作。

在MBT公司的ART项目期间和同事们交流了许多，我开始对计算机网络给客户端授权的这一权力产生了兴趣，我的工作没有直接接触到这方面的任务。但我自己比较好奇地阅读了一些期刊杂志，如“网络世界”，我一直很喜欢这些研究。事实上，看了这些正在发展中的网络协议广阔的前景（如：多点传送）和 应用范围（如：网际协议和虚拟私有网络），我不禁为这一领域的发展前景激动不已。

我现在的工作培养了我研究、开发项目的能力，但是我现在所处的生产环境无法满足我对科学研究的追求。我拥有能够落实到生产上的扎实的计算机技术，而我还想在这个基础上进行更前沿的算法的研究，尤其是有关计算机网络的。我很清楚自己必须回到学校接受深造。

我想要获得计算机科学的硕士学位，随后攻读博士学位，然后在教育或科研领域发展自己的事业。我和我的教授、领导和同事交流过我的选校。申请普林斯顿大学是因为它在研究设备和计算机资源上很出众。计算机系主页上能看出它在计算机网络研究方面有很强的师资队伍，这更坚定了我要去那里读书的决心。

我掌握了很扎实的电子和计算机原理知识，有较强的教导别人和团队协作的能力，还有对学习与各种挑战的热情。除了能学习到计算机网络技术，我还希望能认识许多优秀的学生和老师，与他们一直保持很好的联系。希望我的学术背景与技术水平能够适应在普林斯顿的硕士学习。