Hamad Mirza's admissions essay emphasizes his personal growth from a struggling, isolated child to a well-rounded scholarship recipient and active volunteer. He attributes his development to his family's influence, international exposure, and a strong commitment to helping others, notably through working with his brother and volunteering at a hospice. Ultimately, he aims to combine his interests in technology and social impact by pursuing a master's in computer science to create meaningful change.

1. What my CV Doesn’tTell
You
IE Admissions Prompt by Hamad Mirza
-Amateur photographer and even-more Amateur Applicant

2. Introduction:
• The most important thing I want you to know is that I am not
well-rounded by nature.
• It’s paradoxical to start an application with your weakness,
but to understand me as a person it is necessary. I find it hard
to be balanced and it’s something I’ve worked towards my
whole life. I also find it painful not to be honest.
• When I first started school, I found concepts confusing. I
struggled absorbing basic concepts like letters and numbers. I
couldn’t talk to my fellow students because none of them
spoke Urdu, I wasn’t good at playing sports, or sharing toys.
• Fast forward 14 years later- I have secured a £10,000 (annual)
scholarship to go study at the University of Glasgow, play
three team-sports, and am a part of various extra-curricular
activities.
• What most people didn’t see was the transition and the work
it took to become “adequate”.

3. My family:
• My parents, according to modern psychology, were the
main sculptors of my persona.
• In order to understand my potential contribution to
this program, it’s important to understand how my
parents’ perseverance and optimism rubbed off on me.
I now see the good in life, no matter the circumstance.
• Aziz- My younger brother was diagnosed with low-
functioning ASD when I was nine. It was over the span
of six months that he went from playing and babbling
to being withdrawn in his own world. Aziz helped me
realise my full potential.The idea that I will soon be
responsible as a carer for my younger brother drives
me in ways my fellow candidates wouldn’t understand.

4. My Upbringing-
International
Exposure:
• As a Pakistani, born in Kuwait, who went to anAmerican school I was
exposed to various nationalities. In the 5th grade I won theYoung
Ambassador award because I made so many international friends.
• I have established an international network with people from Bangladesh,
Zimbabwe, Egypt,Canada, and South Korea because of my childhood. I
have learnt words I shouldn’t have, and ate foods most people don’t get to
try till they’ve had a seven hour flight. I’ve had international exposure to
diverse mindsets and cultures that other candidates may not have at this
point.
• Currently, I speak four languages:Arabic, Urdu, English, and French (and
hope to learn Spanish).
• My childhood helped me have an open mind as grown up and be willing to
try new experiences (both personally and professionally).This open-
mindedness is what prompted a multi-disciplinary academic career. It also
helped me become more tolerant and appreciative of diversity and the role
it can play in progress.

5. Volunteering:
“Give while you
can”
• My grandpa had a very simple saying in his life: “give while you can”. His mentality was that our
possessions and all the blessings in our life were a privilege, not a right. His ideals have shaped
a lot of my thoughts as an adult.
• When I was eleven, I started volunteering at my younger brothers’ special needs school. At first
I was uncomfortable. Most children were non-verbal and frequently engaged in “stimming”
(making loud low pitch noises repeatedly) and one had an emotional breakdown on my first
day.
• Over time, I started to understand that I could make a difference in these childrens’ lives. As I
got older I became more empathetic to my younger brother’s struggle. Our bond eventually
grew so strong his first word was “Hamad”.
• Now I volunteer at a children’s hospice (2014-), and try to make things easier for several
children’s parents. Most of these children are diagnosed with terminal illnesses so I try my best
to be positive and help them be as comfortable and happy as they can.
• To me, helping is more than about time. From 2016-2017, I was the accountant for Glasgow
University’s Annual Charity Fashion Show. I helped raise and manage over £16,000 which was
donated to the Scottish Association for Mental Health.
• These experiences developed my sense of empathy and emotional intelligence and that has
become an integral part of my personality. I want to be able to develop skills to change the way
people work and live, and I can only do that by learning computer science and becoming
technologically native. I also want a job where I get to maintain my sense of empathy and
goodwill and IE can help me gain the skills necessary to fulfil this personal goal.

6. Sports:
• When puberty hit, teenage angst and social interaction became the new centres
of my life. Naturally, sports became an appropriate outlet for both
concerns. Sports have taught me three very important life lessons:
• a.) How to deal with pressure.Thanks to sports I am better able to deal
with examination stress, and dealing with juggling multiple
responsibilities (extracurriculars, academics, and personal matters).
• b.) Appreciating the process as much as the results. Sports helps you
understand that everything is gradual.You improve as a player over-time
and through hard practice and the change manifests in an observable
way.Whereas with reading, or talking your perception of your own
progress is obfuscated, with basketball it’s as simple as “last year I
couldn’t shoot from the 3-pt line. Now I do it regularly”.
• c.) Losing is okay. Failure in life helps us appreciate success more. Further,
most other people see a trophy or a #1 place. What they don’t see is how
many times the same team lost, how much they struggled to get where
they are now. Losing helped me understand that life is a one big learning
curve and it’s okay to take your time to find your purpose.
• Through these lessons I believe I have not only improved myself as an athlete,
but also personally.Through sports, I learnt the importance of self-development
and actualization which is what prompted this application.

7. Entrepreneurial
Mindset:
• HAAQ: In this start-up we give loans to struggling farmers, or livestock sellers, and ask for just
the principal amount of money back (when the borrower starts to generate profits). We also
have set up radio stations that reach rural areas within Pakistan as most people who live there
don’t have access to forms of entertainment, or methods of observing the Holy Quran. So this
provides those people with access to information (Urdu translations of the Quran/music) and
entertainment (music).
• CHL (Callum/ Hamad/ Lakshit) Investments: this project is developing a website that takes
recent news reports of various companies involved in scandals, and finds an appropriate level of
reaction to said event. This would help people understand whether the stock’s value derives
from sensationalism (cryptocurrencies) or if there are underlying mechanisms that will boost
the value back to status quo. My job is to not only research specific securities I think might be
overrated, but build+ develop my skills in Python to help code the program used to analyze
information.
• GUMENAS: A friend and I started the first Middle Eastern and North African society at the
University of Glasgow because culture and heritage is pivotal to me. It was shocking that we
didn’t have one, and we simply provided a platform for unofficially channelled demands.
• Forming connections and adapting to the needs of the environment has been fostered into my
personality which further prompted this application. Further, I’m practical and prefer
educational experiences that IE’s curriculum includes: facilitate applying theoretical knowledge
through consulting challenges, real-world cases.

8. University:
“When you
come out of
your shell”
• During my second year of University, I became more open and decided to join the Glasgow
Guardian as their Webmaster where I learnt CSS/ HTML coding. This role opened my eyes to
the underlying role of technology in every aspect of our lives. Before this role I never thought
about “how did they make that website” or “how did they make this laptop”.
• Even though I specialised in Accountancy and Finance, I always felt as if I wanted to study
everything. However I am applying to MSc Computer Science because I have a desire to be
relevant in today’s “smart world” and be able to adapt my entrepreneurial website to a specific
platform: digital.
• Furthermore, computer science and related degrees help create “tangible” results which can be
used in a variety of manners. Given the current demand for tech jobs, I understand that I
should build my IT skills as well as my level of financial literacy. This unusual combination of
expertise could give me insights others wouldn’t be able to spot.
• Through various interactions, I learnt the importance of arts/the humanities and got involved in
photography, painting, and creative `writing. These outlets have helped me better understand
people and the beauty of life.
• I want the admissions team to know about my time allocation is I have participated in several
extra-curriculars with a tech/non-tech focus that have developed my soft skills. These include
conflict resolution and building meaningful relationships via my various Sponsorship roles in
societies such as Glasgow Hyperloop, TEDx, Glasgow University Charity Fashion Show, and the
Middle Eastern and North African society.

9. Conclusion:
• I work every day to improve myself and I’m still not
satisfied.And that’s my most important asset.
• The most valuable part of my personality is my
mentality. I am constantly hungry for new
information and opportunities. I think my curiosity
has led down a path of becoming more well-
rounded.
• I hope when I look back 5 years from today, I feel
satisfied about how far I’ve come.

10. Final Note: