Reflective Essay

Writing for engineering reflect

How a course shapes a student 

A course is always taught to a student to give them knowledge about a specific subject, usually associated with their major. But how much change can a course do, how much can it truly affect a student. Well writing for engineering is a course taken by stem, generally engineering majors. Stem students learn everything about code, physics, and math, but these disciplines cannot prepare a student for things such as resumes, interviews, and other real world career related tasks. Writing for engineering is here to build a student into a presentable, business ready adult. Build a student into someone who is able to apply, interview, and present for jobs. Everything from cover letters, to grammar fixing, to socialization skills. It makes engineers, more than just robots who can solve complex problems.

Our first major assignment was to write up a mock job application. We searched and found a real job posting online that we would consider applying for one day, and we wrote up a cover letter, resume, and copied the job description. I believe this assignment was crucial, not because we will need it post graduation, but right now. As a freshman, I along with many students I know are desperately applying for internships, and entry level college aid jobs. This workshop/assignment we did, not only helped us get our foot into the door, but pointed out the mistakes we were making, and how to fix those mistakes in order to have higher chances of success applying.

Second up, was a lab report. Everyone had the same concept, write a lab report on dice rolling probability. This project not only had us improve our paper writing capabilities, but also allowed us to think like engineers on probability of dice. A combination of the best of both worlds. I have written many lab reports before, but this one allowed me to discover something very important as an upcoming engineer. Always, always think outside the box, no matter how much confidence you have. Certain things can always be different than they seem, especially in math and logic. In math, there are always unlimited possibilities.

Other smaller assignments we as a class completed were an introducing ourselves discussion board. This wasn’t anything major, but it certainly helped my nervous self feel a little more comfortable, and social with the students in one of my classes. It is good to have someone I can reach out to when questions about assignments arise. Or even just someone to talk to throughout the day. Having at least one interaction with a student can make all the change.

To conclude things, the reason why writing for engineering is different when compared to all the other courses is, it builds us in a way where other courses wont. Citations, drafting, and trial and error experiments aren’t something we can or will learn elsewhere, especially at the college level. The use of technology helps us feel a little more comfortable when entering other classes, so its important for a change in flow in the life of a student.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Technical description

A rarity in the United States: Being able to walk in your town

Importance of walkable cities. –  The United States is unlike many Western nations in a lot of ways. It horizontally covers an entire continent, and has different internal structures throughout, unlike countries in Europe. Living in New York City truly is an experience. We all walk, take the train, and explore the city mostly without driving, I’m sure we can somewhat relate to that. But how shocked were you when you first went to upstate NY, or PA, or any crazy suburban/rural state and realized, you literally cannot go ANYWHERE without driving. Well unfortunately, that’s what the majority of the US looks like, let’s take a look into it.

What defines a walkable city, and what is not? – A walkable city has a quite simple definition. It is pedestrian friendly, you can walk to the store, school, Gym, etc. without necessarily needing a car. Now an unwalkable city would be the opposite, you cannot do those things. You would need to drive to those places we just named. It isn’t pedestrian friendly, and you’re more or less in trouble if you don’t have a vehicle available to use.

Visual representation – Walkable cities:

Unwalkable Cities:

What are some examples of walkable cities, NY? – Some fantastic examples of walkable cities are London, Paris, and as we know and love New york. These are some of the most famous and iconic cities on the planet, and something they all have in common is that they are walkable. You can live here without driving. You can access what you need simply by taking a stroll. Matter of fact, many residents prefer not to use cars, due to the traffic, expenses and inconvenience.

What are the benefits of walkable cities, compared to unwalkable cities? – Now let’s get into some of the facts. Studies show that having a neighborhood to walk in, on average boosts moral and mental health. Walking is good for our brains, and it has great potential to bring a community together. Residents tend to be healthier due to more exercise, and despite being more crowded, due to less drivers, there is less carbon emission in the air, ultimately benefiting the planet as well. When pedestrians walk, there is a increased chance according to data that they will shop, elevating businesses and ultimately boosting the economy. 

What are some of the disadvantages of walkable cities? – Of course with all great things comes flaws, walkable cities like the examples I gave are arguably the most expensive and crowded places in the world. It costs a fortune to live here and that doesn’t inclusively involve rent. Food, clothing, and day to day items and expenses are far higher in price due to the demand of living here. It also tends to be very crowded, and ultimately higher crime. Cities like paris, and New York are some of the crime capitals of the world. More people, unfortunately results in higher rates of violence, theft, and illegal activity. Another aspect that is generally thrown under the rug are the likelihood of diseases spreading. Realistically, when you have people walking in close proximity, diseases can and will spread. This was especially prevalent during Covid -19

Facts – Walkable cities result in improved health, a cleaner environment, stronger economy, and far less risk of health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases via American cities and counties. Less carbon emissions, and better morale in residents. They are very costly to construct and live in, have higher crime rates, and spread diseases far quicker than what are considered “non walkable” cities and areas to live. Road closure is meant to benefit pedestrians, and restaurants that benefit from this see a profit in outdoor dining as well. Decreased noise pollution due to less automobiles results in desirable living conditions for residents.

What can we do about it – Now what is something we can do about this. Well, pushing for better transportation is a start. Cities in the US such as Los Angeles are as crowded and large as New York, but the transportation options there are strictly limited to cars. If we could get better transportation, it would force cities to be more walker friendly. Signing petitions is a start. It is also important to weigh the disadvantages, and consider the fact that some people won’t prefer to live in these cities, hence why they don’t. 

Key words 

  • Traffic
  • noise pollution
  • Diseases
  • Higher Crime
  • Crowded
  • carbon emission
  • Driving
  • Suburban
  • Rural

References

2023, 20th July. (2023, July 20). The many benefits of more walkable streets. American City and County. https://www.americancityandcounty.com/2023/07/20/the-many-benefits-of-more-walkable-streets/ 

Walkable cities can benefit the environment, the economy, and your health. The Climate Reality Project. (2021, July 8). https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/walkable-cities-can-benefit-environment-economy-and-your-health 

Dickinson, K. (2021, April 27). Better neighbourhoods: Benefits of Walkable Cities. CityChangers.org – Home Base for Urban Shapers. https://citychangers.org/case-for-walkable-cities/ Mader, A. (2022, July 31). Health benefits of Walkable Cities. Keppel Health Review. https://www.keppelhealthreview.com/spring2022/walkable-cities

Resume and Cover Letter

Kerem Ozdemir

224-20 64th Avenue

Oakland Gardens, NY 11364

646-642-5467

Enderkerem1@gmail.com

Profile

Excellent interpersonal communication skills, confident and poised in interactions with individuals at all levels, readily developing rapport with clients and colleagues.

Education

Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY

  • 9/19 – 6/23

LaGuardia Community College, Long Island City, NY

Early College Student: Earned 24 college credits

  • 9/21 – 6/23

The City College of New York, Harlem, NY

Expected Date of Graduation: 5/27

Experience

Meridian Strategies

  •  6/21-11/21, New York, New York

Canvasser

  • My responsibilities were to vaccinate and protect my community from

Covid-19.

Techie Youth

  •  6/22 – 8/22, New York, New York

Entrepreneur Intern

  •  Completed online entrepreneurship program where I learned how to buy

and sell goods.

100 Days of Code

  • 6/22 – 8/22, New York, New York

Programming Student

  •  I was a student at a Udemy Python course named “100 Days of Code”

where I learned the functions of the Python programming language. The course 

consisted of online lectures, quizzes, classwork assignments, and larger scale

 projects.

Middle college high school

  • 2/23 – 6/23

High school Intern

  •  Intern who worked with assistant principal, where I organized supplies,as well

 as working with Google sheets.

Kerem Ozdemir

224-20 64th ave

Oakland gardens, New york, 11364

(646-642-5467)

enderkerem1@gmail.com

September 17, 2023

One Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052

To The Head of Admission,

I am responding to the opening of the software engineer intern position at Microsoft in Redmond Washington. Being a computer science student, I am quite familiar with web development, as well as front end and back end code. I am familiar with the programming language python, which will assist me in being a valuable asset to your back end team. I believe due to my qualifications, as well as my knowledge in tech, I would be an excellent match for the position, as well as having over an additional semester(s) of school remaining, which would also qualify myself for this role.

I am a creative, hardworking, responsible, and motivated student. I have a passion for code, and am eager to learn more each and every day. Over the course of my time as a computer science student, I have learned quite a lot about the process of working as a software engineer, and through this internship, I strongly believe I will fit the role. As well as programming and building code, I am also eager to help Microsoft advance in the tech world. I would like an interview with the head of admissions at Microsoft, to present my qualifications as well as skills for this position.

I look forward to hearing back from you in the near future to discuss next steps. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Best,

Kerem  Ozdemir

Job description

Come build community, explore your passions and do your best work at Microsoft with thousands of students from every corner of the world. This opportunity will allow you to bring your aspirations, talent, potential—and excitement for the journey ahead.

Software engineers (SWEs) work with teammates to solve problems and build innovative software solutions. You are passionate about customers and product quality, and you provide technical guidance to Technical Program Managers and Product Managers they consider user needs and product requirements. You will also be expected to demonstrate an ability to learn and adopt relevant new technologies, tools, methods and processes to leverage in your solutions. As a SWE, you are dedicated to design, development and testing of next-generation software which will empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.

At Microsoft, Interns work on real-world projects in collaboration with teams across the world, while having fun along the way. You’ll be empowered to build community, explore your passions and achieve your goals. This is your chance to bring your solutions and ideas to life while working on cutting-edge technology.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Please note this application is only for internships based in our Charlotte, North Carolina office. For internships in other offices in the United States, please see our Careers site .

Responsibilities

  • Applies engineering principles to solve complex problems through sound and creative engineering.
  • Quickly learns new engineering methods and incorporates them into work processes.
  • Seeks feedback and applies internal or industry best practices to improve technical solutions.
  • Demonstrates skill in time management and completing software projects in a cooperative team environment.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

  • Pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering, computer science or related field.
  • Must have at least one additional quarter/semester of school remaining following the completion of the internship.
  • One year of programming experience in an object-oriented language.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Ability to demonstrate an understanding of computer science fundamentals, including data structures and algorithms.

The base pay range for this internship is USD $5,090 – $10,120 per month. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $6,690 – $11,030 per month.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-intern-pay

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

Introduction

Hello, my name is Kerem Ozdemir, I am 18 years old, pronouns (He/Him), and am born and raised in New York City. I am currently a first semester freshman, and despite how nervous I am about it, I am an intended Computer Science major. I’m a huge athlete. I love to play soccer, as well as practice muay thai, boxing, and other contact sports. Other than that, a few interests/hobbies of mine are cars. I absolutely love cars. All sorts of cars. I havent been able to attain one yet, but Im working on it I promise. I love going on late night drives, listening to music, working out, and just vibing. Im also a big foodie, so let me know if you ever want to grab a bite to eat. I am currently quite overwhelmed with the workload at CCNY right now, but hoping to get through it in the best way possible.