Electrical & computer engineering personal statement (embedded systems)

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Published: 4th July 2019
Word count: 746 words
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As a school student, I have had a strong aptitude for Science related subjects with a constant urge to experiment and try out new things. My first tryst with electronics started with experiments I performed on measurements and electrical circuits during my high-school days. This coupled with my predilection for Mathematics and Physics made me pursue my bachelors degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from a reputed University. I was rewarded for my hard work and sincere efforts when I secured district 2nd rank in my 12th grade examinations for which I was bestowed with a scholarship from the Central Government of India.

Motivated by good scores and academic performance I was able to grasp fundamental concepts in electronics with ease in my sophomore year through subjects like Solid State Devices and Solid State Circuits. The paper I presented on Brain Controlled Artificial Leg was an eye-opener for me. The study on the components that were employed to realize the artificial leg enlightened me on the diverse application areas of electronics.

Courses such as Digital Logic Circuits and Microprocessors and Microcontrollers in the pre-final year helped me to acquire a deep insight into microcontroller based systems and encouraged me to develop micro-controller based projects. Thus began my passion in Embedded Systems. I developed a mini project titled-Footboard Safety Mechanism for Buses’ using PIC16F877A. The coding was written to send a warning message through loudspeaker to alert the driver whenever a person stood in the footboard of a moving bus. This project not only made me more receptive to these subjects but I also began translating the significance of high-level languages to program electronic components. Apart from the project work I undertook, I also performed well in my coursework. I obtained a GPA of 8.67 on a 10 point scale.

I have also been exposed to a two day workshop on Sixth Sense Robotics which was conducted by Robotech Labs at PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore. It helped me understand how the program embedded in the processors formed the brain of robots. I was fascinated by the utility of electronics in controlling electrical components such as motors.

As an initial step towards my final year project I did a short term course on LPC 2148 microcontroller based on a 32-bit ARM7TDMI-S CPU. I studied it’s reduced instruction set architecture and focused on individual modules such as Analog to Digital Converter, Phase Locked Loop, Timer, UART, SPI, I2C. I am presently doing a project titled-Implementation of Vehicle to Vehicle Communication for Collision Avoidance. A model will be created to propose a method of communication between vehicles. It involves constant monitoring of vehicular parameters through sensors which are interfaced with a primary ARM LPC 2148. Through Serial Peripheral Interface the primary microcontroller communicates with another ARM LPC 2148 which aids the communication process through a Zigbee module. When a vehicle faces technical problems and is about to stop, a warning message will be transmitted to other vehicles around it to avoid potential collisions. I am sure the various skills I develop during the course of this project will help me perform better in my graduate studies.

I personally believe that acquiring soft skills are as important as ones academics. To demonstrate my leadership credentials I involved myself in organizing events in national level technical symposiums conducted in my college. I have also attended a National level leadership summit held at Coimbatore. To express my excellent communication skills I volunteered to be the Master of Ceremony for various events held in college and my department. Being the placement coordinator of my department has also helped me improve my interpersonal skills.

The work being done by research groups in Centre for High Performance Embedded Systems in your university excites me and I am sure working in it would provide me the ideal platform for my future endeavors. Even though undergraduate degree has introduced me to Embedded Systems I firmly believe a graduate degree is essential to explore its closely related areas such as Computer Architecture, VLSI. This will not only aid me in comprehending the vast application areas of Embedded Systems, but also provide me with the right guidance to pursue an area of specialization in future. I am sure the congenial environment offered in your university augmented by cutting-edge research and a rigorous coursework will prepare me well for any postgraduate endeavors, be it academic or corporate.

Thank you very much for spending your precious time and considering my application.

Why this example works — strengths and ways to improve

This postgraduate statement from a final-year Electrical and Electronics Engineering student has genuine technical substance, especially the two microcontroller projects and the ARM course. Its weaker passages rely on chronological listing, inflated phrasing and asserted soft skills. The embedded-systems direction is coherent, but reflection on problems solved and the specific fit with the named research centre need development.

Subject motivation

Thus began my passion in Embedded Systems.

Your motivation is clearest where it follows concrete coursework and project building, which makes the embedded-systems interest believable. The opening on aptitude and an urge to experiment is generic, though, and the step from undergraduate work to wanting Computer Architecture and VLSI is asserted rather than explained through a question you want to pursue.

Academic preparation

focused on individual modules such as Analog to Digital Converter, Phase Locked Loop, Timer

Naming relevant modules, the ARM7TDMI-S core and your GPA shows suitable preparation for graduate study. The list would carry more weight if you briefly explained what you could do with one module, such as configuring SPI or timers, rather than only naming what you studied.

Evidence and reflection

began translating the significance of high-level languages to program electronic components

This is your closest attempt at reflection, but the meaning is unclear. Elsewhere, phrases such as eye-opener and enlightened describe impact without content. Say what you learned from a specific difficulty, such as detecting footboard occupancy reliably or handling timing on the communication link.

Relevant experience

a warning message will be transmitted to other vehicles around it

The vehicle-to-vehicle project is strong, relevant evidence and you explain its architecture clearly. Because it is ongoing, state your own role, the current stage and any design decisions or testing so far. The two-day workshop adds little beyond what your projects already show.

Credibility and voice

To express my excellent communication skills I volunteered

Self-awarded praise like excellent communication skills and leadership credentials weakens credibility, especially next to your measured technical writing. The leadership paragraph lists roles without outcomes. The placement coordinator role could become evidence if you described one problem you handled or one thing you organised.

Structure and format

Thank you very much for spending your precious time and considering my application.

The chronological structure is easy to follow, but it reads like a CV narrative, and the closing thanks is unnecessary. Language issues such as it's, ones academics and acquiring soft skills are need correcting. The final paragraph names a research centre without saying which work excites you or why.

What you’ve done well

Two concrete microcontroller projects show steady progression from a PIC-based safety device to a multi-controller ARM and Zigbee system.
Technical details are specific and plausible for a final-year undergraduate, which supports your stated embedded-systems focus.

How this draft could improve

Replace the soft-skills list with one example showing what you did and what changed as a result.
Identify a specific research theme or group at the Centre for High Performance Embedded Systems and connect it to your V2V or ARM work.
Cut inflated phrasing such as tryst, bestowed and eye-opener, and use the space to explain a technical problem you solved and what you learned from it.

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