Keji Lai, Electronic Engineering, Princeton University
Personal Statement
A familiar vigor grasped me the first time I read about Princeton's graduate program on microelectronics. I instantly realized what my next destination is.
This special vigorous feeling can be traced back to my high school days. Bored with the unchallenging contents taught in class, I was by chance introduced to Subject Olympiad, the competition of intelligence. Though it seemed rather like a dream for a first-year high school student, this goal constantly urged me to contest with the most outstanding students around.
Through a chain of screening tests, I finally became one of the five-member team to attend the 28th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) on behalf of China. On the airplane, our director said, "IPhO is a kind of experience, not a career. But this particular experience may explore one's potential to complete any career in the future." Impressed and inspired by that spirit, I earned a gold medal in Sudbury, Canada, ranking first among my teammates. Several days later when I stood in front of the Niagara Falls, I experienced the peacefulness of seeing one dream come true. It was then that I decided to dedicate my life to scientific research.
The same aspiration also contributed to my choice of electrical engineering in Tsinghua University, whose EE department was reputedly the best in China. Needless to say, all my fellow schoolmates are excellent students. Again I experienced the vitality of competing with them, and the joy of learning from them. Tsinghua provides its students with remarkable theoretical lectures and empirical training, which makes me feel just like a fish in water. I soon adjusted to the pronounced academic atmosphere here. My solid foundation in physics and mathematics also added to a particular interest in theoretical research work. All of my academic records are ample proof of my dedication to studying: straight "A" in physics courses, highest scores in many difficult courses of my major etc. I demonstrated my academic potential in raising my class rank from third in my freshman year, to second as a sophomore, and finally first in my junior year. My total ranking over the past three years is 2nd in 58. Every year I also won top scholarships in Tsinghua.
Experienced tutors often say that a high-score-only student is seldom a fulfilled one, and that success highly depends on one's personality in which the ability of working well in a group is the most important. I have always enjoyed popularity and trust in class and was elected class monitor in my sophomore year. In addition, I led my undergraduate years in a colorful way: playing badminton in a school sports meeting, publishing poems in school journals, winning the second prize in the Tsinghua University's Contest of Traditional Chinese Culture Knowledge, etc. These extracurricular achievements surely diversified my talents and contributed to my confidence.
My internship in the Beijing Radio Instrument Factory and my research work in the Institute of Microelectronics of Tsinghua University also helped to focus my objective. These experiences formed a window through which I glanced at the frontier of science and technology. My major, microelectronics, is quite a sophisticated subject. It has led the revolution of science and technology for the past 50 years, and will continue its substantial influence on the IT industry in the future. Any initiating achievement in this field demands sturdy theoretical basis and profound insight of experimental phenomena. And that is why Princeton's research areas about novel semiconductor devices and materials attract me greatly.
In this stage of my life, I have many ambitions, the first step of which is to carry on my study until the doctorate level, and then to do research work in the acme of technology. Attending Princeton is surely a dream for distinguished students all over the world, especially the ones who love physics. The intense competition for this opportunity is a new challenge for me and I face it with strong confidence. I believe that, given the chance, an education from Princeton will provide me with invaluable experiences for my long-term goal of becoming a first-rate researcher in the new millennium.
