Statement of Purpose
[!ATTENTION|label:仅供参考] 这篇文章仅仅作为我的 SoP 写作思路的展示，它对其他院校的 SoP 的写作指导十分有限，其语言方面更是欠缺打磨，仅供参考。
Computers are magical but not magic. That is what Professor Peter Bui told me in the Systems Programming course. I have been studying, working, and hacking hard to comprehend how the seemingly magical box works, and now, it comes to the point where I would like to embark on graduate study, hopefully at UIUC, to further pursue a Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and to set forth to discover the principles underneath the magic of computers.
My preparation for graduate study
With the courses listed in my CV, my hybrid background in both Microelectronics and Computer Science and Engineering helps me to understand the principles of computer hardware and how to design software systems to stretch the available resources to the most.
I participated in a summer research program at the University of Notre Dame after my exchange semester there, during which I worked with Professor Douglas Thain. More details can be found in my CV. Prof. Thain impressed me with his sharp insights into sophisticated systems, and our senior software engineer, Benjamin Tovar, astounded me with his proficiency in multiple technology stacks. They galvanized me to pursue an advanced degree to become a person like them.
In addition, I am also the founder and moderator of the Python User Group in SUSTech. I have gained substantial experience in searching and experimenting to help others with technical issues. I am now eager to understand those questions as a scientist or engineer, beyond simply being a power user, and I believe pursuing an advanced degree is the way out.
My intellectual interests and scholarly questions
Throughout my study for electrical engineering and computer science and engineering, in the big picture, I found myself particularly interested in:
- Thinking about the relations between the pervasive discrete objects in the world.
- Finding isomorphism across multiple disciplines, for example, the mathematics behind music and graph data structure underneath politics and social networks.
- Designing systems that work well and look cool, as if putting LEGO bricks together.
- Most importantly, understanding the magic behind the ubiquitous black boxes collectively called computers nowadays.
These macroscopic intellectual interests crystallize into the following scholarly questions that I am interested in exploring in the graduate study:
- How to design distributed/parallel computing systems to support the escalating demand from industry and researchers?
- How do programming languages work? What are the details that provide the features we took for granted?
- How do computers work from a systems programming level?
I am also intrigued by the role that computer technologies play in modern society, and how can we utilize them to benefit our community.
Faculty members I would like to work with
After a brief search for faculties in the ECE department using my interested areas as keywords, I found the research focus of these (and more) professors align with mine:
- Daniel S Katz - Distributed/Parallel computing
- Sayan Mitra - Distributed systems, programming languages
- Steven Lumetta - Software system, parallel computing, computer architecture
- Indranil Gupta - Distributed systems
How this program helps me to achieve my goals
As mentioned in the previous section, I have a strong aspiration to understand the in-depth principles and ideas behind electrical and computer engineering, and I believe this program at UIUC provides me with a great opportunity to explore more. Interest and curiosity are my primary motivations for attending graduate school.
This program also helps me in seeking employment. Being a new grad from UIUC certainly makes my resume more appealing to employers, however, the professional training and experiences at UIUC are what I consider the most valuable, if not invaluable. I believe that to succeed in this prosperous and ever-changing field in the long run, extensive and intensive understanding is required, rather than simply being able to tinker with a breadboard or write a Python script. I would like to quote one of my Professors: "Salary itself is not enough to change your life, it's the people you work with that really matters".
In addition, this program enables me to delve into research in different areas to see where my research interest is, or maybe not be used to the lifestyle of researchers at all. Once I have more insights into my career development and if I still wish to further pursue a PhD's degree in the future, I may continue to do so at UIUC with the faculties I am familiar with.
My experience at the University of Notre Dame
I would like to emphasize my experience as an exchange student at the University of Notre Dame. It was my first time in the US, but I was surprised by how fast I got used to the new culture. Taking the classroom for example, in China, students tend not to raise or answer questions in class, though I do it a lot. In the US, however, things are completely opposite and I felt myself resonate with the lecturers as I have never been. Office hours are a new thing for me, and I utilized them to ask more questions within and beyond the course. Two of my course instructors then became my recommenders.
Outside of the classroom, I also developed friendships with both domestic and international students. I was a chef at the pizza kitchen in my residential hall, and I found serving my guests delicious pizza and chatting with them more than pleasing.
I consider my passion and capabilities for studying new things and tinkering with them as my key competence, and my experience of living and studying in a US college makes me confident that I will succeed in a graduate program at UIUC.