425-word version: Princeton - Engineering
...Had I not noticed the seemingly unnoticeable effects just as the Wright Brothers had not noticed the seemingly unnoticeable scenery of birds in flight, I would not have discovered my interest in engineering and the Wright Brothers would not have engineered the means to defy the law of gravity...

261-word version: U Michigan - Engineering
Riding on a plane, I was often jerked back to my seat whenever the pilot decided to accelerate. Riding on a bus, I was often jolted out of my seat whenever the driver chose to be mean. Until recently, I disregarded such phenomena as mere routine effects...