NSA Scholarship Supplemental Information Suggestions
Hello HBH. I've been a member of HBH for about 2 years now, and as I am now a High School Senior, I am in dire need of assistance with a particular issue.
I've recently begun my Application for the Stokes Educational Scholarship Program. NSA describes this program in the following way.
The Stokes Educational Scholarship Program (formerly known as the Undergraduate Training Program) was proposed and introduced into legislation in 1986. Its purpose is to facilitate the recruitment of individuals, particularly minority high school students, who have demonstrated skills critical to NSA. For more info visit http://www.nsa.gov/careers/opportunities_4_u/students/stokes.shtml
I would ***REALLY ***love to become a part of this program, and so I consult HBH for assistance.
In the list of components necessary in order to complete the application packet is listed:
- Three (3) pages of supplemental information, if desired. This information can be anything that would enhance your applications, such as an original essay, math problem, etc.
Now, both my sisters (in college) have made it clear to me that if any application pertaining to college gives you the option of submitting any additional information about yourself, take it. Now the decision to accept this "challenge" of theirs is no issue, however the question of exactly what should be included in these 3 pages of supplemental information is not as simple.
The obvious ideas have occurred to me already. I've thought of sending examples of code I've written, but any code that I have written is either not 100% mine or not 3 pages. I've also thought of appending a network intrusion write-up to my application, but I've never exploited a vulnerability in a manner sophisticated enough to complete 3 full pages.
As I have until Nov 20th (10 day grace period) for my application to be completed, I am in no rush, nor am I taking a casual approach in regards to the situation, and I'd like to begin as soon as possible.
Idealistically, I'd most like to submit a 3 page malware analysis write-up of a modern piece of malicious software, as I've planned to write one for some time now, however I doubt this would benefit in any way as It would be my first formal malware analysis and write-up. Also, I'd like something to exhibit what I've invested long hours into these past few years rather than scrape something up in a month. Realistically, I've considered a 3 page report covering a sophisticated security exploit, as this best exhibits what I've done in my spare time (theoretical technological security research). The only problem with this is that I had planned, since my freshman year, to study theory until I had become a senior, then to apply what I had learned to technological security development and exploitation (If you would like to know the reason behind this method, just ask). If I were to send material based on what I've done in the past, then they'd base their decision on what I've done in the past rather than on my current focus.
And so that is my predicament, and although I recognize HBH is not the greatest source for assistance with this issue, I confront you all for your opinions and/or suggestions pertaining to this matter. If you have any questions, simply ask. I visit HBH regularly, and given the situation, I will answer any question and reply to any statement A.S.A.P.. As I've stated before I'd REALLY love to be admitted into this program, so in all seriousness, please assist me to the best of your abilities.
Thank You. :happy:
Thanks ynori7 for the quick reply as well as for this additional information. Actually, I'm African-American. According to the 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (http://bit.ly/bFoTRX), about 12.4% of the American population is African American. Although this makes me a member of one of the largest racial minorities (Wikipedia), the Hispanic/Latino population remains the largest ethnic minority. Did they specify whether they were pursuing members of a specific brand of the American minority?
KvK wrote: Did they specify whether they were pursuing members of a specific brand of the American minority? I don't really recall, but I do remember that one of the things they were most interested in was people who were studying the Arabic language.
EDIT: I'd still apply regardless, I'm not saying not to (I still applied), just don't get your hopes up too high. I think they get a ton of applications every year and they only choose a few people.
Thank you for the tip in regards to learning Arabic. Someone I know who is in the Navy, is being taught Arabic and will be working undercover in the Middle East. Perhaps the NSA is seeking out minorities who are studying Arabic for the same reasons as the NAVY. Nevertheless, I'll call and ask how learning Arabic would impact my application packet later this week.
As for getting my hopes up, I understand that only about 3% (15-25) of all applicants get accepted into the program, and that there are anywhere from 500 - 1500 applicants each year. I believe that optimistic persistence could do nothing more than enhance my chances of being selected. I am, however, applying for several other scholarships, and have several different plans as for my life choice. Working for the NSA just happens to be pretty high up on the list, and becoming a member of this program would put me on the fast track to achieving this goal.
spyware wrote: Wow, you'd really sell out to up their non-white numbers? Helps if you're a girl, too.
Despicable. NSA is a terrible organization anyway, I can think of a thousand reasons why you shouldn't want to work there.
This is almost exactly what I had expected your response to be. In all seriousness, spyware, would you mind listing 10?
spyware wrote: What possible reasons could I have for hating an organization that will do pretty much anything for the current regime. Spying, stealing, lying, you name it.
I distrust anyone dealing in kryptos, an entire money-controlled, political-steered organization that is in that business is just… spooky.
Fair enough of an opinion, but I didn't post this thread so that I may receive criticism in regards to my decision. I have thought about whether this is what I wanted to do for quite some time, and have already made a decision. I need assistance in determining what sort of material would best benefit me by appending it to my application. If it is of any help, I plan to major in Computer Science.
Personally, I'm very impressed with how much information you seem to know about this and your level of dedication to it. Considering that half of the applications are probably half-assed attempts, you might have a not bad chance.
As for your 3 page writeup, my recommendation would be a walkthrough of the typical process of penetrating the network of a large company. It covers a massive variety of topics throughout the attack, so there is definitely three pages worth of content. It also gives you the flexibility to cover many different areas of interest, such as Social engineering, web based attacks, network based attacks, rootkits, and targeted attacks (like weaponized email, etc). In my opinion, it's one of the best ways to "show off" the variety of information a person knows. Cover the tools used, explain the exploits, and go as in-depth as possible.
When it comes to the NSA, yes they might not be the most trustworthy organization to the general public, however it would definitely be a amazing place to work.
stealth- wrote: Personally, I'm very impressed with how much information you seem to know about this and your level of dedication to it. Considering that half of the applications are probably half-assed attempts, you might have a not bad chance.
As for your 3 page writeup, my recommendation would be a walkthrough of the typical process of penetrating the network of a large company. It covers a massive variety of topics throughout the attack, so there is definitely three pages worth of content. It also gives you the flexibility to cover many different areas of interest, such as Social engineering, web based attacks, network based attacks, rootkits, and targeted attacks (like weaponized email, etc). In my opinion, it's one of the best ways to "show off" the variety of information a person knows. Cover the tools used, explain the exploits, and go as in-depth as possible.
When it comes to the NSA, yes they might not be the most trustworthy organization to the general public, however it would definitely be a amazing place to work.
Thank you very much for your response, stealth-. As I've stated in my original post, most of the obvious ideas had already occurred to me, however I am surprised that I had not thought of the idea you have presented sooner. This is a wonderful idea for 3 pages worth of supplementary information, and I still can't believe I completely overlooked one of the first few things I began to research so long ago.
At this point in time, I have more than enough information to write 3 pages worth of valuable, fluff-less, information. In fact, I am beginning to consider what must be left out in order to keep the walkthrough within the three pages limit. Anyhow, thank you very much, stealth- , for presenting me with your idea. I will begin the walkthrough's outline tomorrow, so If anyone has any further suggestion pertaining to this idea, please reply within the next 24 hours. Also, Admins, expect a rough draft of my walkthrough submitted as an article within the next two weeks.
Thank you. :happy:
(P.S. After pondering the idea a third time, I'm going to have to leave out a shitton of information, and I probably won't be able to include diagrams… :angry: )