EDUCATION SPECIAL FOR THE RECORD - Ivy secret? Be driven by passion, and not desire to pad up resume

FOR THE RECORD - Ivy secret? Be driven by passion, and not desire to pad up resume





Indian-American high-school graduate Pooja Chandrashekar, 17, recorded the stunning achievement last week of getting acceptance letters from all eight Ivy League schools in the US and six other elite universities.

She talks to Chidanand Rajghatta about how she went about it and her views on high-value education

Why is Ivy League education, or for that matter studying in highly ranked schools, important?

It's not so much about the rank or the fact that a school is in the Ivy League that makes these colleges so fantastic. It's the opportunities they offer, the resources they make available to undergrads, and the network of alumni they have that makes them such amazing schools.

What do you say about people who are dropouts or have had modest education, like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg?

I think it's absolutely fine! People should follow the path that is best for them and the path that works for one person doesn't have to necessarily work for everyone else. Those who have a modest education or drop out of college like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg do so because they have an idea they want to pursue full-time. A highly rated college degree doesn't equate to success; it's not so much about what school you attend, but more about what you make of it and how you take advantage of the opportunities around you.

What in your view explains the high rate of success of immigrant children? 
This time there are three high schoolers, all of immigrant stock (you, a Nigerian and a Somalian) who were accepted in all eight IVS (Ivy League Schools).

I'm not entirely sure if being children of immigrants contributed to our college acceptances, but if I were to assume that it did then it would probably be because children of immigrants tend to really recognize the value of hard work. In many cases, our parents immigrated to the US to pursue higher education, as mine did, so we may see education as something that is very predominant and valuable, although not being a child of an immigrant certainly doesn't mean that you don't value education.

Why are Indian-origin students particularly successful in events like Spelling Bee, Geographic Bee, IntelGoogleWestinghouse talent contests?

In my opinion, it's because the Indian community places such a large emphasis on education and that drives students of Indian origin to really excel academically . Also, many students of Indian origin come from STEM (science, tech, engineering, math) oriented families -their parents are in STEM professions -so they grow up in an environment that encourages STEM education and research.

What does it take to get accepted at an IVS? Is there a secret recipe?

There's definitely no secret sauce! It's a combination of doing well academically and putting time and effort into doing extracurriculars that you truly care about. You should never do anything just for the sake of getting another line on your resume or impressing the admissions committee. Instead, putting time into doing work that you are passionate about will not only make high school enjoyable, but your passion will also naturally come through in your application. The process of applying basically consists of filling out the Common Application and writing supplemental essays that are unique to each school.

How much time did you spend and what was the hardest part?

I worked on my essays throughout this past summer and the first couple of months of the school year. The application process is certainly time-consuming, so it was a huge benefit to have gotten the majority of the work done during the summer. The hardest part of the process was probably waiting for decisions in the weeks before they came out!

What role did your parents play?

They helped me narrow down a list of schools to apply to and looked over my essays before I submitted my applications. I think it's good for parents to be involved with reviewing their child's essays and help with the initial stages of the application process, but making the decision is something that should be left completely to the student.

As a first generation Indian-American, what is your impression of India and its education system? Do you ever visualize living there?

I love India and everything about it, from the diversity and colorfulness of the country to the sense of community and togetherness that permeates society . I think the quality of education in India is fantastic and have heard great things about it from my family , but I would love to one day work on improving education and healthcare access in India's rural areas.

Now that you have been accepted in so many top colleges, what will be your final pick and what will guide your call?

I'm not entirely sure yet -I have until May 1 to make a final decision! I'm deciding between Harvard and Stanford right now. I'm visiting both schools during their admit weekends to get a sense of the campus feel, talk with current students, and get an idea of the opportunities available on and around campus. I'm hoping to do research, write for a college newspaper or literary magazine, continue my work with promoting women in computer science, and study abroad, to name a few, so those are just some of the things I am considering now.

You've been a champion of girls in tech. Why is it important to have more women in this field?

A diverse team means a greater variety of perspectives -when you're building a product, it's essential to have people who think differently and see things differently . Women make up 50% of the population, so we need to see that same statistic represented in tech companies and engineering teams. I started ProjectCSGIRLS as a result of my own experiences facing the tech gender gap and because I wanted to build a national platform for encouraging more middle-school girls to pursue computer science and technology.

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