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Alpana Reddy (MEM Admit In Dartmouth College - IVY League)



Branch: ECE



CG: 7.6



PS-2: Credit Suisse (Credit Risk Management)



Intern at IIIT Hyderabad



GRE: 329



MEM Admit to Dartmouth College (IVY)





Q. What are you currently doing?


I have been accepted for the Masters in Engineering Management (MEM) course at Dartmouth College for Fall 21. I’ve been pursuing internships at IIIT Hyderabad this past deferred year.



Q. What is Engineering Management(MEM)?


I see it as a middle-ground between technology and business management. I feel like a lot of people do engineering just because it’s the next step to take. Still, I think a lot of people realize that while they like the tech world, and don’t want a career in something completely unrelated to tech especially after 4 years of gaining information on the field, but you don’t want to be the one building this stuff, and would rather be involved in the business aspects of tech, I feel like that’s what engineering management is. “Where tech meets business meets finance a little bit.”



Q. How is MEM different from an MBA degree?


An MBA covers all the business as well as management aspects and requires minimum work experience. On the other hand, a MEM degree is specifically tailored to the tech world for engineers. You could say it is a streamlined version of an MBA made for tech. Another factor was that I wanted a different geographical exposure for my grad school, so I chose to apply for the MEM program at Dartmouth. In my opinion, I did not want to go by the mainstream path by working in a corporate environment and then go for an MBA. Instead, the MEM program helps me take the management in tech to the next level (trying to pivot your career into a slightly different path), so it caters to that, I would say.



Q. How and when did you realize that you wanted to pursue engineering management?


In all honesty, in my first year, I was sure that I wasn’t going to do any core circuit branch-related things, nor was I sure of something management-oriented. I did many finance courses that I liked, so I did the minor and understood that I enjoyed finance. By the time PS rolled around, I knew I wanted to do something that was a mix of finance and tech. When you say finance and tech, you automatically assume there’s a third component: management. So initially, I started looking into MIM programs in the second year, but the more I looked into that curriculum, the more I realized I would be slightly bored if I decided to do this (mainstream management). It turns out, I did need some math, some numbers, to keep me going. An MIM was a bit too dry for my taste. So I figured I was more science-oriented than I realized. Around that time, Gradvine came to college and they were talking about the MEM program a lot, which is sort of their niche. So, I just remembered this program existed, and I was looking at the curriculum, and I realized this is probably exactly what I want to do. And a lot of schools I applied to, said that when you pick a specialization, they are not expecting you to pick an engineering specialization, so you can pick specializations like product management or consultancy, or data analytics. So, you’re picking the kind of work that you’ll be doing, but not the stream you’ll be doing it in. This left a lot of breathing space for people like me, who knew they wanted to be in tech but not what domain of tech. You sort of leave room for that to be figured out as you keep going.



Q. Which were the finance courses that you took up?


DRM, SAPM, BAV, FOFA, FRAM and FM. So DRM was actually my first course, I really enjoyed it plus, Thota sir, had my back the entire time. So it was a mixture of the professor, the course which really helped in cementing the fact that I liked finance. Now even though I enjoyed finance, I didn’t want to be doing hardcore, dry finance. i.e. looking at numbers, making reports kind of work. I wanted to be doing work that definitely was more than just hardcore numbers, like some sort of people person skills to come in, some part of human interaction, some sort of product management, and basically the creative aspects of tech to chip in.



Q. What were some decisions and steps you think were the best that you took?


I’ll say I figured out not too late, what I wanted my next step to be, which gave me enough buffer time to pull my portfolio together, and not stress myself at the last second, and make sure everything went smoothly. Which is an interesting thing for me to say, because it took me forever to figure out what I wanted to do. All my friends knew exactly what they wanted to do, like not just computer science, but which stream in computer science, and chose their courses accordingly. I was definitely in the environment where I was in the minority for not knowing what my next step was going to be, and I took my own sweet time, and didn’t take any rushed decisions. Thankfully I didn’t figure it out too late, but then it was still fine. I took my own time, which still gave me enough time to do the next steps properly and on time.



Q. What were some steps and decisions you wish turned out to be a little different, a little better?


What I did do right, was that I spoke to a lot of people before I made up my mind. I had spoken to people who had done an MBA, as well as those who had done the MEM program. I had spoken to people who had done the MEM from places where I wanted to do the MEM from, because I feel like it was important where you do the MEM from, and to understand the kind of opportunities other alumni who have done the program had. So I think I did a really good job of talking to enough people and to know what my options were, and I started that early enough to give myself space to go through options and say, “Oh maybe I want to do this”, sit on it for two months and then say “Actually this is not what I want to do”. I gave myself enough time to go through that entire process. Especially if you are not fully sure. I feel like it’s never going to be “Ok I am looking at one thing, this is what I like and this is what I am going to do”. You are going to oscillate a bit, and it’s good to give yourself time to go through that process and to not rush yourself. Also to give yourself exposure, connect with a lot of people, no one’s going to say no to answering your doubts and giving you advice.



Q. There's a lot of times that we feel like we are stuck in this rat race, with constant competition and comparison. Did you ever feel like you should be doing something more? How did you keep yourself motivated during those times?


It just so happened that many of my friends did have their stuff figured out, which left me and a couple of other friends in the minority by far. But I feel like at no point did we really freak out a lot. One of the reasons is that at the moment, you know that you’ll be graduating with a degree from a reputed college means that you’re already halfway there, so the pressure isn’t that high right now. It’s fine to take a moment, to breathe, pause, look and figure out your next step. It’s ok; you’ve made it until here. It’s fine to pause for a second, really figure out what it is that you want to do. I also feel like it’s good to take inspiration from the people who know exactly what they’re doing because I believe that any information you learn or pick up at some point comes back to help you. So it’s fine if you are not as proactive as ten other people around you as long as you take a little inspiration and move ahead. I think the idea of college is just trying out a bunch of things and shaping yourself up for the world. Coming to the cope, I’d say there is no cope; I feel like college and the last year makes you realize if you pause for 2 minutes, you’re not going to be left behind. Now that I sit here, I can’t be happier that I took my time in the process. It’s really important to remember to calm down. You guys are doing great.



Q. How important would you emphasize keeping in touch with professors and seniors?


Keeping in touch with seniors is enormous. We have a great network of Alumni. People have your back in this network. I could be talking to someone who graduated ten years ago who might not have even been from the Hyderabad campus, but the fact that we’ve all graduated from BITS makes us all a very close-knit community. It is crucial to keep in touch with seniors, not just from an academic viewpoint, just in general. I have just seen how the alumni network still keeps in touch. It’s not like they talk to each other all the time, but if someone is going through some problems or tough times, for that matter, everyone just comes together trying to pool their resources and contacts to help this one person that they might not even remember. It’s the Bitsian spirit that binds us so closely together. If you are into tech, sciences, or any course-oriented fields, it is essential to keep in touch with your professors as their resources are vast in their respective fields. This can help you explore different avenues and grab new opportunities (projects, research, internships, etc.). Also, staying in their good books will help you get the critical LOR’s which are required for college, job, or research applications.



Q. What advice would you give to your juniors in college, year-wise, on how to tackle college and make the most of everything they have access to?


1st year: I strongly think everyone should try to explore and get their hands dirty in as many avenues as possible. It may be departments, clubs, sports teams, cultural clubs, etc. Try them all out and find your groove. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t interested in that particular avenue. Just trying it out gives you a platform to connect with people. You do discover yourself in college. Just explore and meet people. Professionally, there’s not much; relax. Don’t get complacent, though, because I feel like a lot of times, you’re so stressed from 2 years of intense coaching, etc., that once you’re in, it’s just tough to keep up because you’re so mentally exhausted. So use the first year to unwind, but don’t get out of the game.

2nd year: Use your 1st-year experience and platform to start getting your stuff together. I’ll say this, though, someway somehow, your stuff is going to get together. Use your senior’s guidance and your interests to explore the open electives and DEL’s offered, and try finding that academic liking or any other thing that interests you and start working towards it. It may be tech, core, finance, management, humanities, anything. Just try finding your interests (a little bit at least).

3rd year: Use those DEL’s and OEL’s as a springboard to try and choose your niche.

TRUST THE PROCESS: You could be in the third year thinking, “ I haven’t taken an elective that may be useful to me in my life.” Somehow, magically, miraculously, by mid-fourth year, you’ll have your stuff together. It just happens; trust the process is what I’d say, and while you’re trusting the process, meet new people, try new things, and be calm in knowing that you have this.

4th year: It is like breathing space, but you need to get your stuff together and focus on placements, college applications, entrance exams, SOP's, etc. But relax and don’t stress out that much. It’s the end, enjoy it and trust in the process.



Q. What was your college application process like?


So first, I figured out what degree I wanted to do. Then, I had a mind-map of what I wanted to and by what time—for example, knowing what schools I was applying to and when. I feel like making your list is essential. Also, the MEM degree is such that it's not the same at every school. The way the program is structured is different for most of the programs, the duration, the kind of semester systems they follow, varying a little bit with each college. So being clear with which schools I wanted to apply to, gave me clarity of what I wanted to do. If it’s not stressful for you to do, I’d also say apply to a good number of schools. It’s essential to have some dream schools, which are your long shots. It's important to have the main list of schools you think you have a shot at, and just so you sleep better at night, have those safe schools so that even if hell breaks loose, you’ll have those to fall back on. It’s just calming to have that last option. And even getting my list together had concrete reasonings and apparent reasons I chose those schools. Any factor that determines how happy you’ll be at that school is critical to look at. I also think it’s crucial to finish off GRE as early as possible because it’s not a stressful test to take. You don’t want to be dealing with GRE, putting together your SOP and LORs simultaneously because that’s stressful. So summer of the third year or by 4-1 end should be a good enough time to give your GRE, that’s when I gave it. Also, you want to give yourself some buffer time for a second shot if you’re not satisfied with your score the first time around.



Q. How much time would you recommend for GRE preparation? And any tips for SOP writing?


I started doing the words section in my 3-2 because it’s tough to learn 500 words in a week, so I did about ten words a day, took my time, and didn’t stress myself out. But about 2-3 months is all you need for GRE. It is easy to score 170 in math but pay close attention to comprehension. Again, it’s always better to get your two months in as early as possible. Start writing your SOPs early on. 2 things that gave me absolute clarity on what I wanted to do were picking my schools and writing my SOP. Putting into words why you are doing it? What are you doing? What do you expect to get from this? What do you think you might want to do next? What brought you here? All these are important points to be mentioned in your SOP. Stick to the topic and stay true to yourself. I feel like all these points help paint a better picture of yourself.



Disclaimer: The points given above are the views and steps taken by the individual. They are not fixed steps and guidelines to base your college upon. Our hope is to inspire students so they can take the necessary steps hereafter. We hope you like it!


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