Maha Nawaz, Stanford University

Maha was in an enviable position as the final university selection deadline approached on May 1. The Dubai College student had been accepted to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and other universities. She says she ultimately chose Stanford because it felt like the place where every part of her—engineer, artist, athlete, and advocate—could thrive. She provides insights into how she made her decision, and the extracurriculars she pursued in high school to achieve her college application success.

IO: Wow, what an application season! You had so many great options: Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and others. How did you decide? 

Maha: I made my final decision the day before the deadline, but it was the culmination of a month’s worth of discussions with students at all three universities. I wanted to understand the type of atmosphere as well as the type of student that each university embodied. Of course, all three are amazing, but I was looking for a collaborative, maker, and innovative environment as I felt that was where I would thrive and learn the most. Stanford always won in this category. In addition, I am very interested in translational brain-computer interface (BCI) pathways like utilising brain chips to convert thought to text to help patients of paralysis; the labs at Stanford are research leaders in this field. 

IO: What made you decide to apply to Stanford using restricted early action (REA)?

Maha: Stanford felt like the place where I could develop all my interests from engineering and art to athlectics and advocacy. The university’s culture of innovation, openness to interdisciplinary thinking, and strong focus on impact resonated deeply with my work in brain-computer interfaces and accessible prosthetics. Beyond the academics, I was drawn to the community: collaborative, forward-thinking, and deeply curious. It wasn’t just about what I could study, but who I could become alongside people who dream boldly and build fearlessly. 

IO: What do you plan to major in, or what academic areas do you want to explore?

Maha: I plan to major in electrical engineering, computer science, and neuroscience.

IO: What do you think were your unique traits or strengths that helped you achieve admissions success? 

Maha: I never took failure to heart and had faith that hard work would pay off. 

IO: Could you share more about the extracurriculars and projects you pursued? 

Maha: Throughout high school, I immersed myself in a range of extracurriculars that combined my interests in engineering, neuroscience, and social impact. I created multiple prosthetic arms, including muscle, eye-movement, and mind-controlled arms that used EEG signals and deep learning to interpret user intent in real time. I designed the hardware using 3D printing, printed circuit board design, and iteratively refined the control system through hundreds of hours of research, ultimately presenting the work at top-tier graduate engineering conferences.

Beyond that, I founded an initiative to teach engineering and robotics to underprivileged girls in Pakistan, distributing DIY robotics kits with a product I made from scratch, and I co-founded the Middle East’s largest national student-run AI hackathon to teach children how to utilize AI APIs for effective solutions in the education and psychiatry fields. I also served as Deputy Head Girl at my high school, leading school-wide initiatives and speeches, and was the captain of the basketball and football team. Finally, I’m the drummer in an all-girls rock band, and love to paint and draw—my creative outlets.

IO: You were so ambitious from a young age and made products/devices that students often don't even think of trying to make. What inspired you to take on these projects?

Maha: I think what really pushed me wasn’t just ambition—it was a mix of curiosity and frustration. I grew up watching my older brother, who’s autistic, nonverbal, and epileptic, struggle to communicate his needs. I remember wishing I could build something that could translate his brain signals into speech or action. That idea stuck with me.

Later, when I discovered brain-computer interfaces and saw how they could bridge the gap between thought and technology, I felt like I had found my purpose. Each project, from my first clunky robotic hand to my EEG-controlled prosthetic, was a step toward that bigger goal: creating technology that gives people a voice, a way to move, or a way to be understood–actions we take for granted. 

IO: Give us a sense of your college application process: when did you start seriously thinking about applications and what did you find to be the most useful ways to research universities so you could write excellent essays?

Maha: Watching specific videos on the universities’ YouTube channels was very useful as there were niche nuggets of information that I couldn’t really find on websites. I also researched professors whose work matched my interests and read some of their top papers on Google Scholar to be more knowledgeable on their work. I did not visit any universities in person, and instead dedicated my summers to passion projects: internships and funded research opportunities. I didn’t really see the need to travel to the US to visit colleges that I hadn’t got into yet. I’m glad I used my summers very productively as I think my main talking points in my essays stemmed from my independent summers.

IO: Do you feel there was a theme that came across in your essays? 

Maha: I think my passion for helping people with disabilities through the use of technology is what bled through the majority of my essays.

IO: Looking back at your admissions journey, what was the most challenging part of the process? What was the most helpful?

Maha: The most challenging part was probably the sheer quantity of essays you have to write. However, by creating a robust and sustainable schedule to stick to and starting over the summer, the essay writing process can be quite manageable. 

IO: Given your experience, what advice would you give to younger students, particularly rising 12th grade/year 13 students who will apply this fall?

Maha: Find your passion. You may not be the best at what you like, but if you stick with it, you will eventually excel because you enjoy what you’re doing–and that’s what’s important. In year 11, I hated when people would say “find your passion”: what does that even mean? How do I even find my passion? But by year 11, you definitely have hobbies whether it’s art, music, sustainability, debate, or even playing FIFA. What am I supposed to do with FIFA? Try building a smaller scale version of the game using Unity development platform, or try and make a Game Theory simulation of your favourite players. What am I supposed to do with art? Participate in competitions to allow your work to be showcased in art galleries or document your work and post a narrative of it on YouTube. You don’t have to know where your passion will take you–you just have to follow it. For me, I liked robotics so much I made a vending machine, then a clock, followed by a robotic hand. From there, I started making prosthetic arms. When I started being a maker early on, I never dreamed I’d be building prosthetic arms in year 11, but I created what I enjoyed and ended up on the right path.