In Part I of my interview with Yash, some of the best
advice he gave was to colleges and universities who hope to enroll students
from India. In Part II, Yash gives concrete details of his experience in the US
and in his internship in India. His words add substance to the generalizations
that are in virtually every media source I know about how students (and not
just international students) need to learn to supplement the education they
obtain from classes with activities and experiences that equip them with real
world skills. Students who do more than just earn a degree, no matter what
their academic performance and what the name of the school, will be at a
substantial advantage compared to others in the hunt for top jobs and graduate
school options.
*******************************************************************************
1) You
have been very successful as a student in your US highly selective university.
Did it take some time to get used to university and the culture? Is the
work easier or harder than you thought? How is the teaching methodology
different than what you experienced back home?
–– In my case, I attended a summer school session
at another university for four weeks between my junior and senior year in high
school. That made it much easier for me
to settle down as it removed the first round of adjusting to unfamiliar
behavior. Culturally speaking, the
adjustment took a few weeks but it didn’t overwhelm me; I was just more aware
of the differences when I finally got used to them. Everyone will find their niche of friends and
organizations that interest them and this will make the experience much more
interesting.
Academic styles here are different in many ways than
the Indian style. One big difference is
that exams are scheduled at the end of a term in India unlike the system in the
US that assesses performance throughout the term. Also, a big differentiator is simply the
quality of teachers – in India most teachers in class try to avoid challenging
questions and don’t get too deep into the subject matter due to the way
syllabuses are designed. In the US, I’ve
noticed that professors are more accessible, accomplished, and passionate about
their course content. This makes
students curious and eager to understand their classes on a more fundamental
level.
2) The US education is often touted as
something that happens both in and out of class. Has this been true for you and
if so in what say?
–– Absolutely true. I have learned a lot through the twenty
different courses that I have finished so far. But most of my learning has come from things
that have no connection to my classes.
Since I lived in an International Residential College
in my first year, my best friends today are from Egypt, Dominican Republic,
Bolivia, China, Brazil, USA and many other countries. Words fail to describe the amount I have
learned from them about their respective cultures – not only has this made me
more tolerant to a wider set of views but also given me someone to visit at a
future date in almost every major country! In terms of organizations, I spend a large
part of my day on specific work for them. To talk about a few, I am the Managing
Director for a portfolio in the Alternative Investment Fund. We have a large amount of real money managed
by students like me for the purpose of learning and I have constantly been
pitching stocks, learning from speakers and teaching students younger than me. My father runs his own investment management
firm in India and he always took the opportunity throughout my childhood to teach
me little things about stock picking. So
I decided to put all that learning to good use here. I am also the Business Manager of the Virginia
Advocate – a student run magazine and this has taught me a lot about journalism
and the finer details of publishing, right from writing to editing and finally
to printing.
Through these activities, I have been fortunate enough
to complement what I learn in class with a whole set of skills that arise from
being engaged in a variety of organizations. I think this aspect is unique to the American
system of education and has changed who I am today by making me appreciate such
skills gained only through experience.
3) Do you
feel there is a fundamental difference between the ways Indian students
approach this part of the university experience? Are their small or large walls
between US students and international students? Between students from India and
students whose parents immigrated to the US from India and if so why is this?
Indian students can be divided by US born and
international (from India or Singapore etc.); and fortunately, or
unfortunately, that division generally sticks around. The biggest reason for this is that Indian
students who come to the US from abroad are trying to become ‘less Indian’ and
Indian students born in the US begin to feel their Indian identity getting
stronger in college and then strive to become ‘more Indian’. That mentality clash probably makes it
tougher for the two groups to mix well.
The biggest fundamental difference in the way Indians
approach college life versus American students is that Indians will tend to
have more international friends than American. Partly, this is because of dorm choices in the
first year (many Indians are put into the International Residential College)
and also partly, due to cultural and economic similarities. Some of these ‘walls’ are also perpetuated by
the strong American / low international representation in UVA’s Greek life.
This matters because you tend to hang out more with people in your fraternity
or sorority and that’s what keeps the division going. But by the time people graduate, I’ve noticed
that this division becomes hazier as one meets more people through
organizations, classes and events. This
way, Americans and internationals will notice better integration in their third
and fourth year at college.
4) This
summer you are doing an internship. Can you describe it and say what you like
about it and perhaps what is not what you expected? How did you get the
internship?
–– I interned as a Summer Analyst in ING’s
Investment Banking Division in Mumbai. My
hours were very long for Indian standards but I expected this to be the case
when I chose it. Since I want to
graduate and enter a similar field, this internship has given me the most
appropriate experience and knowledge to help me as I approach similar firms
later. I have always been quantitatively
strong so the quantitative nature of my work – building valuation models and performing
financial analysis – is what I enjoyed most here.
About such work experience in India, here’s an
interesting fact – companies don’t usually have ‘internships’ especially for
undergraduate students. To get it, you
almost always have to know someone high in seniority. My case was no different. Additionally, the work you are given by
default is the work that no one wants to do because of the unstructured nature
of your internship. It’s almost as if
you are cheap (free) labor for them. I
still remember my first few days when I was told to copy up financial
statements. Then by finishing it faster
than expected and constantly being curious about the better work available, I
was made to do what I wanted to work on. So if you take some serious initiative during
your time there, they will involve you with better responsibilities and you
will finish having added useful skills to your collection.
5) How
have you changed since you left home? Does it seem a bit odd sometimes being
around friends who stayed in India and if so why?
–– I’ve changed in many ways since I came here to
study. I think I’ve grown more mature in
understanding people: partly due to my coursework, and partly because of my
exposure to such a wide variety of people. I’m now aware of a lot more cultural
differences and the conditions that allow their existence. Also, the last two years has made me much more
professionally minded – I could hardly even name 10 companies I would want to
work for when I was in high school. Now,
a successful professional career is probably my biggest drive in college. Then, coming from a family in Mumbai that has
a good level of help at home and even outside, I’ve learned to adjust and
appreciate the American life of doing your chores yourself.
I’m not sure if it’s odd being around old friends, but
it’s certainly not the same. Sometimes,
the feeling can be a bit distant because unlike earlier, you are not seeing
each other as much. Yet – you remember
everyone and everyone remembers you – and when you get back, you feel welcomed
so at the end, very little truly changes.
6) What would you change about the education you have
received either in secondary school or at university? What would you change
about some of the decisions you have made in those places?
–– Very tough to answer this, Parke. Whatever I can think of is so personal that I
would prefer it not to be in the public eye. We could always chat about this over coffee or
lunch though!
7) You
attend a highly selective university and this means the competition is high as
well as the stress. Would you say this is accurate and if so should university
be stressful for those who wish to do well?
–– There’s a bit of truth in it, yes. Constantly staying in the top x percent of a
class is no joke especially when everyone around you is intelligent and trying
to do the same thing.
‘Should university be stressful?’ – I think it depends
on why you feel the stress. If it’s
because of momentary late nights, tough deadlines, challenging concepts or
meeting commitments, then I think in hindsight you will always cherish the
effort and enjoy the stress! But if one
is constantly stressed about something that will happen at a future point
(grades, job etc), then I think that the ‘stress’ is totally useless and is
only taking up your mental energy, which you can put to something productive.
 |
| Yash and friend |
8) Are
you going to try to secure a job in the US after graduation Are you looking at
graduate school? Or are you going to go home? Can you explain why you would
choose one of these options over the other?
9) Can
you give some advice to students and parents about how to approach the
application and selection process?
–– To parents – I would suggest giving your child
as much freedom as possible because the college decision is a very big one. In
addition, speaking to other parents who have sent their children abroad can be
helpful too, in alleviating any fears that you may have.
To students – I believe that applying to twenty schools
and slogging to write those many essays at the cost of your grades in school is
something that cannot be justified. It
makes more sense to choose a smaller list of colleges, most of which you are
fairly confident of admission. Do not
choose schools purely by reputation because that will include a large number of
meaningless modes of reasoning. Instead,
research schools thoroughly – look at courses offered, search for alumni in
what interests you and try to find something unique that could be of personal
gain to you. That way, you will actually
choose colleges based on your personal needs without blindly accepting those
that have had past glory.
10) Can
you think of any other topic that might be helpful to readers around the world?
Sports – they differ big time by country: think cricket and
American football.
Yash’s comments should be in a book advising students how to
get the most out of US education. Education comes from above, below, and the
sides too. It exists out there but also in the heart of the person pursuing his
dreams. Yash dreams big and works hard. He is also incredibly kind and helpful.
In other words, any company would be lucky to have him decide to join them. I
am grateful for his efforts here done for no other reason except to share his
story in hope that others can follow their dreams too.
No comments:
Post a Comment