In this one part episode, Sanjana walks us through her college application process that got her into all except one of the schools she applied for. And despite only being a sophomore, she shares the college experience she has had (including 8 months of research).
Transcription
Kamila
Hey college kids. Welcome back to my podcast who cares about college? Today’s interview is with Sanjay Anna from Drexel University. I’m just here to remind you to make sure you subscribe and check out my blog college reality check COMM For more college related content. Hope you enjoy
Hey, college kids, welcome back to my podcast who cares about college and today’s interview? I’m going to be interviewing Sungenis. So if you could introduce yourself.
Sanajana
Hi, everyone. It’s great to be here. I’m Sanjay Shah, I go to Drexel University. I’m an incoming sophomore. And I’m originally from New Jersey, but I’ll be living on campus soon. And I’m studying finance and business analytics.
Kamila
Alright, so let’s quickly get your like demographics sorted out. Can you tell us you know your race, your gender and socio economic status? Like what? What did colleges see when they opened your application?
Sanajana
Yeah, so I’m a South Asian American. My parents are from India. They immigrated here and I was born here. And I’m from Princeton, New Jersey. So right by Princeton’s campus, actually the university. So I’d say we’re middle class, but we definitely have done well. And, yeah, I’ve gone to public school all my life. I went to South Brunswick High School for high school, and then we have two middle schools. So I went to the south middle school, but there was a north as well. I mean, it’s pretty much overview.
Kamila
Alright, so going into high school. Were you ever creating like a game plan for college? Were you ever thinking, Okay, I’m in freshman year, I need to start focusing on my extracurriculars, make sure my grades are maintained. So going into high school, were you like very college focused, or were you more like, just kind of going in free flowing.
Sanajana
Um, so I was always pretty involved in extracurriculars like just not, you know, not even just focused on college, but just like personal interest. So I did borrow the knock Doom, which is a Indian classical dance form for like nine years of my life I learned. And then basically, the the track for that dance form is you start learning and then you sort of gain like a repertoire of dances. And once you’re like fairly high school, you do this, like solo debut performance in front of like, all your friends and family and all that. So I reached that level in 10th grade. And then after that, I decided to just kind of take a break from classes like after that point, you can go back and learn more, but you’ve kind of reached like a high point. So a lot of people tend to stop. So I did that. And then I ended up joining the Asian club at my school, and there were dance teams. I’m a part of that. So I was on like a few dance teams, I was a captain of one. And you know, that was kind of like a major thing that I talked about in my college application as well. And aside from that, I was involved in the business club at my school. So it was called Future Business Leaders of America. It’s like a national thing. But we had a chapter at my school. So I joined pretty late, I joined as a junior, but straight off the bat, I ended up competing in the state competition and won first. So then I got to advance to Nationals. And that was kind of like, a big moment for me, because it made me realize, you know, business is really something I could do. Like, I was taking business classes in high school. And I was like, okay, like, this is interesting, I could totally do this. But winning the competition, and then going to Nationals was what really sort of set that spark for me. So, you know, as I said, like, it was never like, a huge pressure, like, oh, you need to figure out what to do. And like you needed to do all this, you know, and I know that’s something that might be common in a lot of Indian households having that like early college pressure. But it wasn’t really like that for me. But once I came into high school, I kind of figured out what I wanted to do through just like extracurriculars and all that. And from there on, I was able to just kind of independently go about applying and figuring out what I want to major in and all of that.
Kamila
So I usually go into like GPA test scores and stuff and then extracurriculars. But you’re like you told me all your extracurricular, so we might as well do it, like, have a deep dive into those. So number one, you mentioned traditional Indian dancing. So can you tell us like when you started, like, you know, when you finish and then I don’t know about traditional Indian dancing. So were there like competitions that you went to? Or the how was it sorted out? How much time did it take from you?
Sanajana
Yeah, so I started I think, in first grade, and
Kamila
like six, seven years old.
Sanajana
Yeah. Yeah. And I did it all the way up until 10th grade When I had my orange atrium, which was the solo debut performance that I mentioned, so, basically, I didn’t really like compete, I know, some dancers do compete, but with my dance teacher and dance school, we basically would have these, like annual day performances where we would just like, you know, a group of us would be like in a, in a, like, a batch together, I guess. And we would like, sort of grow up together, we’d learn all the dances together and all that, and that would be the group that would like perform together each year. And it would just be like, at a random school or something like that. But it would just be like a exposure, I guess, you know, to performing and then. So we would do that, and then it would all just kind of lead up to this big performance. And not everyone does it, because it is a huge investment financially, and, you know, just mentally, like, as I said, you’re kind of preparing for all your life by gaining like a repertoire of dances, but that one year, right before you’re engaged, and that is like super intense, you’re like only training for that you’re training hours and hours each day. So it is a lot, but it honestly taught me a lot. You know, it’s very, it’s very draining, but at the same time, it’s a huge accomplishment. Like, I think I’ll look back on my life. And like, that will be such a huge thing that I’ve done. So it was great in that sense. And it taught me a lot of discipline, and you know, just like leadership at a very young age. So it’s definitely an amazing thing. And I’m super happy that my parents put me into it so young, because I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get into it myself. And at the same time, you know, it, you know, growing up in America, I was able to sort of stay close to my Indian roots. And I think that was very important to my family. And it ended up becoming super important to me as well, I think I’ll definitely carry on the tradition. If I have daughters.
Kamila
Alright, so next thing you mentioned you after you had your solo debut, so you eased off a bit, and you join the dance team or to the Asian team at your school. So can you tell us why you joined that? And what were your like responsibilities? What roles did you hold on that?
Sanajana
Yeah, absolutely. So we have this Asian culture club at my high school. And I know a lot of neighboring high schools have one as well. And basically, like, the club itself is just a bunch of teams. So the overall, like objective of the club is to host an annual event each year. And the event is a play. And it usually resembles some sort of like Bollywood, like movie, plotline, essentially, but within the play a lot of dancing. Yeah, within the play, they incorporate, like, these little like competitions or something like that, where like, they can bring in the dances. So like, for example, they’ll have like, some, like love plot, and it’ll be like a guy and a girl. And then like, you know, the guy like needs money, and oh, suddenly, there’s a dance competition where he could win money. And that’s kind of how like, they bring in the dances. And the dances are like our actual dance team. So we have like, different styles of Indian dance. We have like a singing team. And then there was, there was also a classical dance team, like what I did in my childhood, but I just decided not to do it, because I was like, I’ve been doing it for like nine years might as well try something new. And then they have more like folk styles like garba and Bhangra and South Indian and things like that. So honestly, like joining that club was just like, a hobby type of thing for me, like I was like, Okay, let me try something new. And let me spend time with people because our school was like, majority Indian kids, and like, pretty much everyone is in that club at some point. So it’s kind of just like, really,
Kamila
you’re like a foreigner was, yeah, big. Oh, wow. Yeah.
Sanajana
Yeah, we were definitely the majority. So it was just like, a fun time. It wasn’t like, seen as like, a weird thing. You know, like, there was no like, stigma. Like, all the teachers knew about it, they’d come to the show every year. And like, all of that, it was like a, it was seen as like a cool thing, right? So and all like the dance practices would happen like on the side, like after school, like on people’s own time. So that would be like fun too. Because it would just be like, you know, a bunch of high school kids getting together and like we’d choreo and we dance, but we’d also just like have fun and you know, watch movies and eat pizza and like it’d be a good time. So
Kamila
join us here for a sec. So I mean, it’s very rare like my school is very close to being majority Asian as well, but that’s like very, very uncommon. And Princeton, New Jersey. I’ve been there before and like I don’t know much about it, but I thought it was like more predominantly white. So is there like a large Indian community in Princeton. Yeah, so
Sanajana
actually, I’m from South Brunswick, New Jersey, but I’m like, on the outskirts of Princeton, I guess, like my house address is Princeton. But I live like, essentially across the school. So I’m not necessarily in Princeton, like what you’d think of it, or what anyone would think of it. Um, yeah, so I’m in like South Brunswick. And it’s like, majority Indian people. Oh, wow.
Kamila
Okay, back here. Yeah, cuz you’re explaining?
Sanajana
Yeah, so I was, I think, oh, so basically, it was just kind of like a fun thing. And I just joined it to, like, have a fun senior year, junior year and stuff. But I ended up getting a leadership role in it. I was like the captain of the Bhangra team, along with one other captain. So that also taught me a lot, because then I had to, like lead a group of high schoolers, and it’s a lot harder than it seems like I definitely come in high school teachers, any teachers out there, but um, yeah, so it was definitely a fun time.
Kamila
Okay, now FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America. Okay, so you said that you started and you went to the state competition? So can you explain to those because I know how the layout is because I remember going to interest meeting your freshman year, I just didn’t know I couldn’t afford going to the competition. But can you explain to us like how FBLA works, how the competitions work? You know, you do go to like different states to compete as well. So can you explain how it works?
Sanajana
Yes. So basically, once you’re in FBLA, you’ve signed up, you’re in the club, you get to start thinking about the state competition. And for us, it was held in Atlantic City in like a hotel, like a convention center type of thing. But I know it differs across the country. But um, so basically, there are a bunch of events. So they’re all like pretty business and tech focused. And they’re also exams. So I was never part of the exams. But basically, you could like, study and take these like exams. And that is also a way you could like place in the competition. But there were mainly events, and basically, um, so me and two other girls, we ended up picking this event called E business. And each event has like a prompt. So like, just directions for what you have to do. And for E business, we had to make a hypothetical e business, but primarily make a website for it. It was very media focused. And then there were like, requirements that we had to fulfill within the event. So like, for the website, we had to have, like videos, we had to have pictures, we had to have, you know, all the information for our business, like, you know, requirements like that. And so basically, we had, like, did
Kamila
you guys create a whole business idea from scratch? Yeah, basically.
Sanajana
So yeah, actually still have the link, I can send it to you, if you want. What was that? What was it about? It was basically so like with our school, right? We have a bunch of like games and events like this Asian show, and, you know, concerts and things like that. So all the tickets for all those events are handled in person. So I think it was me who came up with the idea. I was like, why don’t we have like an online ticket business, right? Where all these like transactions could happen through our website, and we develop the website, and all that. So we actually made it and then our town. This I know, I did make the title. Our town is South Brunswick, right? So we’d abbreviate it as SB. So I was thinking of a name for the company. And I was like, speedy tix tickets would be a good name, right? Because it’s like tickets fast online. And then since our town is as V, I decided to make it, speedy tics like SB II, DUI ticks. So it’d be kind of clever. And that actually was like a huge thing that the judges really liked at the competition when I explained it, because I explained it like that. They really liked it. But yeah, so we had the idea. We made the website and everything. It was like full fledge really good. Honestly, we could have made it like a legitimate like business, I think, but it just would have been a lot with like coordinating with the school and all that. So it was just like a good hypothetical. And then we presented at the conference. So I think the timeframe we had was like, like winter, early winter, that’s when we started, I think, quite like soon after school started, and then the conferences in March. So we had that time we worked on it. We had to come up with like an oral presentation. And then basically at the competition you have like days where you have like these actual events happening. Like not everyone is going to do everything at the same time, right because they’re different events, but Do you have like a time and a day? So we went in, and you go into like a room. And it’s like, I think three judges and you’re just like standing, you have your computer and you basically just present to them. And yeah, so we did that. And then they have like a final ceremony thing where like, everyone in the conference comes to this room, and there’s a stage and they’re announcing all the winners. And that’s where you like, find out if you’ve placed so it’s, it’s really cool. It’s a long ceremony. But it’s crazy, because then they just kind of announce your names, and everyone goes on. And then they tell you like, you know which place so at that point, you’re on the stage. When you figure out you know what place you’re in? Yeah. So it’s just like, it’s kind of like process of elimination, because they’ll go like fifth to first. So once we were standing, then we realized, like, we’re first we were like freaking out. Everyone. There’s like they’re always like very composed, and like serious people. But we were like jumping for joy. So it was great.
Kamila
And you said you guys moved on to national? So was it like you carry the same idea and moved on? Or did you have to like start completely from scratch?
Sanajana
Yeah, so we carried the same thing. And we presented at Texas, that’s where they held the competition. So it was over the summer, like one school it ended. And it was cool, because we actually got to go there with one of our advisors who was also a lot of our, like, teachers for accounting, because a lot of us were business kids. So it was pretty cool. We got to go with her and her husband, and it was a small group at that point, cuz it was only the kids who qualified for nationals. So we went from like a whole bus of kids to just like, maybe like two rows on the plane. So it was a it was pretty cool.
Kamila
How do you How far did you guys make it in nationals?
Sanajana
Oh, nationals was a it was a funny story. So the Wi Fi like cheaped out on us. So as we were trying to present our website, we couldn’t and it’s timed, like your presentation to the judges is timed. So we lost the time because, yeah, it was really stupid. But it’s fine. At least.
Kamila
You said, do you still wonder where you would have placed if the Wi Fi was fine?
Sanajana
Yeah, for sure. Because at first in the state was really crazy. So maybe we could have at least made it like, somewhere in the top five. But that’s alright, happen for a reason.
Kamila
All right, any other extracurriculars that you want to mention?
Sanajana
Um, those are like my main main ones in high school. Other than that, I did the, you know, traditional tennis in elementary school and clarinet in middle school and all that, but these were the ones that really stuck.
Kamila
Okay, so, and for college app purposes, because like the explanation you Kate gave me, you don’t give that to colleges, they see like three lines for your extracurriculars. So for college app purposes, what did you write on for the colleges to see with what you did with those extracurriculars.
Sanajana
So it was pretty much what I summarized to I highlighted FBLA and the competition. And I also highlighted being a captain of the dance team. And also, I forgot to mention, I played lacrosse, but it was very short. So I don’t really like to think of it as like a huge thing. And it was always just like a fun thing for me, I never thought of it as like, oh, I have to do a sport for college or anything like that. So I did that ninth and 10th. And actually, it clashed with the Asian Cultural Club, like timings of it all, because it would be lacrosse season was in the spring, and then the Asian Club was around that time, that’s when we would have the show, like the annual show. And since it’s all just leading up to that one event, you know, it’s very important that like, everyone’s, like, all hands in and like, you know, every meeting and whatever. So after 10th I was like, Well, I have to make a decision. Like, I know lacrosse is just like a fun thing for me. And it’s not like, you know, I’m going to college for lacrosse or anything like that. So I definitely could drop it. And you know, like, the Asian Club is only a once in a lifetime kind of thing. Like, especially with high school, like, there’s, there’s clubs in college, that dance and all that but like having that atmosphere of like, all these kids and all these different dances and you know, whatever. I knew it’d be like a rare thing. So I decided to go with that for 11th and 12th grade.
Kamila
Alright, alright, so let’s go on to the more like GPA, LSAT stuff of high school. Can you describe your high school to me? Was it like a competitive environment? Did you Did your high school send many kids to, you know, selective universities every year?
Sanajana
Yeah. South Brunswick is the definition of a competitive environment. But I’m really grateful for it because it kept me on my toes and I think it kept everyone on their toes. But I was nowhere near like, As I guess, you know, like active and just like school school school as I am now. So like, back then I was like, pretty, like average, and especially considering the competitive environment, it was really hard to, you know, kind of soar up the ranks. So I was just like I would, I would have my strengths. And like, for me, it was always English and that type of thing, but I don’t know, it’s kind of hard because like, the kids at South Brunswick, like, those who are really up there, they’re like, super all rounded. So like, your strengths won’t even match to like someone who’s like, up there is that make sense? So yeah, I was kind of like, you know, three, eight students just kind of would work hard, but like, it just didn’t compare. You know what I mean? So now, like, being in the environment that I’m in at Drexel, I feel like the hard work and everything, like it really pays off, like I can see it paying off. So that’s just a good thing. You know, it can get a little toxic, especially because with not to be like stereotypical, like, with, like, Indian kids, like, their parents are very involved. And everything. So, you know, I can get a little like, you know, in the neighborhood, like, people will be like, Oh, what’s your kid doing? What’s this kid doing? And it’s like, very, you know, toxic. Right. But I guess that’s just it just made the made the school go round, you know, and made everything work.
Kamila
Yep. Okay. So if you don’t mind sharing, in does your school do like any AP IB programs? Yeah, we had AP classes. So if you don’t mind sharing the not the AP classes you took, but like, how many you took? And then what did your unweighted and weighted GPA come out to be?
Sanajana
So, for AP classes I took Let me see. I probably took like, four overall, like not a lot at all. And I don’t even know what the unweighted weighted I know weighted. I had a three eight, overall, like, my whole GPA. So on, we did actually have no idea.
Kamila
So you mean 3.8? Yeah. Okay. The point. That’s the one that mainly concerned about, you know, weighted, it’s very subjective. Yeah. So and one more thing before we move on to like, the college portion is sh t vs. AC T. You know, when did you start? What was the process? What was your preparation? And then in the end, what did your superscore end up being?
Sanajana
Yeah. So I actually decided to go with the AC t, because I just was doing so bad at the SAP, I was never a standardized testing person at all. So I went with the AC T. And I started preparing. I don’t know when exactly, but I was taking some classes. I took like, I think two different, like classes from different places. And I was doing that. And I was also just like self studying, like with books and stuff like that. So yeah, and I ended up like, taking it until I want to say, like the very beginning of senior year, I think
Kamila
you’d like took it up until then.
Sanajana
Up until then. Yeah. Because I remember. Like, I think yeah, I wanted to keep trying. So and since I was I originally started with the LSAT and then move to the AC T. It was like, more. So
Kamila
what about the AC T made it easier for you? Was it the lot like less English part?
Sanajana
Um, I think it was the just like the, you know, how they say, the questions are more like straightforward, even though there’s not that much time for each. So it was just kind of that I think maybe, honestly might have been just like a mental thing where I was like, oh, like, if the questions are easier, it will be fine. But it just kind of ended up working out. Like I realized, like, Okay, I have to do this. Like, even though testing is not my thing. Like, I have to do it right. Like otherwise, I’m screwed. So I kind of went at it. I understand
Kamila
the way they’re able to word questions on the LSAT, like, yeah, very creative people behind those questions.
Sanajana
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so that was kind of the journey with it. I’m just glad that it’s over. If
Kamila
you don’t mind sharing, what did your AC t score end up being like, the final final one?
Sanajana
Yeah. So it was a 30.
Kamila
Okay, and was that like, below average average or above average for the schools that you were applying to?
Sanajana
Um, it was average. It was like, it was fine. But it wasn’t like the, you know, end of the spectrum by any means, like the high end of the spectrum. But it was like, it works like For the scores that I was applying to.
Kamila
Okay, so now on to actual college, I guess we could say application preparation. When did you actually seriously start thinking about college? And this can be anything, you know, taking thinking about the schools that you’re going to apply to going on college tours, or maybe starting your application. When did you start all of that?
Sanajana
Yeah, so with applications, I actually got everything in by like the November 1 deadline. I was like, let me just do everything early and get it done. I’ve always been that kind of person to just kind of like, do my work, like when I can, like not leave things and procrastinate, so I did that. So the summer before. That’s when I was really just like, Alright, let me sit down. Let me do this. So I got that done. And then I actually couldn’t, I went to a pen tour. But I couldn’t go to a Drexel one, which is ironic, because I do now go to Drexel. Because then COVID had hit for like admitted students day. And I couldn’t actually go, so that sucked, but I knew like, I knew that it was like a good campus. And obviously, like, the location, you get, like the city vibe, and all of that. So I was definitely like, aiming for that versus like a Rucker is like sort of a mellow campus. So that was kind of like my main goal. I wanted like a lively campus. And even though I couldn’t visit it, I definitely made the right decision.
Kamila
And can you tell us the you kind of mentioned what you were looking for in school? So can you tell us the schools that you did end up applying to like what made it onto the final list?
Sanajana
Yeah, so basically, I had like a lot to begin with. But my parents were like, we don’t even want you applying anywhere, like super far. So then that really easily shrunk my list. So I was limited to like a very close, you know, list. So I think I ended with, of course, drugs, so UMD, pit rockers. And then my dad really wanted me to apply to Princeton, because we live here. You know, he’s just like, oh, I have a house in Princeton. Like, why don’t you just apply? I was like, okay, but that of course, did not go favorably. And where else? I think? Yeah, it was it was like six or so schools. Temple. Alright, that was what I forgot. Yeah, so it was like, very, like limited and very much like, in my range. I wanted to keep it, you know, safe. Because I knew like I knew, like high school wasn’t the best for me. So I knew like, you know, I can’t be like super unrealistic. Princeton was obviously that for me. But yeah, so I just kind of kept it within range. And I’m definitely happy with the turnout.
Kamila
And one thing Drexel will talk about this a little later when we get to the actual college. But Drexel has a Co Op program. So when you were looking for colleges, were internships, like on the front of your mind.
Sanajana
Yeah, I’ve always been like a person that likes actually like having the hands on experience and working out of place. So when I found out about the Co Op program, when I was applying for schools, I was like, Okay, this is great. Like, this is definitely something I want to consider and given, you know, the fact that it’s in a lively place and the class sizes are small. All these factors. I was like, okay, like, this is it for me.
Kamila
And let’s go on to recommendation letters, and then we’ll go into your big like, common. So recommendation letters, who did you get them from? Basically, yeah, who did you get them? How much? You don’t know what they said, right?
Sanajana
Yeah, so I got one from a business teacher that I pretty much like, like so he started teaching when I was a freshman. So we kind of like went through high school together. So he knew a lot about me I had in freshman year and senior year, so that was super full circle. So he wrote a letter and then my English teacher from junior year, he was also one of the advisors for the Asian Club. So he knew what I was like in an extracurricular setting as well as in the classroom. So he wrote my second letter.
Kamila
Oh, I thought for a recommendation letters, at least most colleges expect one stem you know, science math teacher, and then one humanity like English social studies teacher. So where you find submiting, one from English, one from English, and then one from your other teacher, the first one that you mentioned.
Sanajana
Yeah. I mean, I guess it kind of does work in that logic, because the first one was business and the second one was English. So I guess like, if you want to count businesses, like more stem than like humanities then yeah, but um,
Kamila
cuz I was gonna like your get your count or something? No, I mean, I think
Sanajana
as a business major, it made sense to have one of my business teachers give me a letter. But I wasn’t even really thinking about it like that I was thinking about, you know, who really knew my character, and could really, you know, speak to me as a person and me as a student as well. So it just made sense. They’re a great fits.
Kamila
Alright, last thing before we get on to like which colleges you got accepted for new rejected from? What was your common FSA about like the really, really long one, you don’t need to give every word of detail, just like what was the main idea? And what were you saying, if you need to be funny, something more creative, relatable. Now,
Sanajana
it was actually, it was about my struggles, like it was about how 10th grade, I kind of had put a lot on my plate with a bunch of, you know, just actually all honors classes. And at South Brunswick, they’re like, notoriously hard. They’re like, kind of like APS, and how I was also balancing that with lacrosse, and you know, dance. And then I talked about how that really had an impact on me, academically, and just like mentally. And then junior year, I had a complete change. I was like, A, in sophomore year, I had like a three, six or something like, not good for my standard. And then junior year, I turned it around and had a four Oh, 4.0. Sorry. So I just kind of talked about how I was able to grow through that struggle, and like, learn about myself and learn about what works and all of that. So I just kind of, you know, not the straightforward. I put it into like a nice essay, as I said, I love reading and writing. So I loved writing the essay. And then yeah, so that’s kind of what worked. The colleges liked it, to say the least. So I’m happy with that.
Kamila
All right, and of the colleges that you apply to and you said you apply, you got your applications done by November 1. So did you apply early to everything? Yeah, I
Sanajana
did. Early action.
Kamila
Okay, so which colleges you get accepted? I guess differed from and rejected from?
Sanajana
I got accepted into all except UMD and Princeton.
Kamila
Once you got accepted into everything, almost. And how did you? So Drexel was like, you’re all like, I guess top? You got accepted? You’re like, Yeah, I’m going to Drexel.
Sanajana
Yeah, so a lot of it was just like proximity and distance and stuff. Oh, Penn State was another school I forgot. Also got accepted. But yeah, it was just like, you know, distance. And also, again, a huge thing for me, I keep saying it, it was just like the vibe of the school, the location. I really needed that, you know, sort of active environment, lively, that type of thing. And it’s definitely there at Drexel with, you know, the city right there. And so once it came down to it, it was pretty much Rutgers or Drexel. And just looking at everything I was like, it’s definitely Drexel. And luckily, my parents were fully supportive. They weren’t like, you have to go to Rutgers, or, you know, you have to like, do anything. They were totally fine. And where I am now.
Kamila
Alright, so we can get into the college stuff now. So number one, I’m going to ask you about like Drexel, as a school and then to we can go on to your own experience that you’ve had, you’ve only been there one year, but we can tell you that experiences there. So tell us about Drexel. As a school, like where is it located? You said it’s a city but get like, you know, what kind of area is it located in? What are like famous like, I guess well known majors. What programs do they have that are like, I guess top in the nation or something? So can you tell us a little bit about Drexel?
Sanajana
Yes. So Drexel is in Philadelphia, and it’s specifically in university city, so it’s not directly in like Center City or like what you would think of as Philadelphia, but it’s just a short scepter right away. So with Drexel, I mean, majors wise, there’s a lot of majors there. A lot of people go for, like engineering or anything in the sciences because they do have a eight year med program. So people that get accepted into that can do their undergrad and their med school at Drexel. So that’s great. So that’s definitely very popular, but also, they offer like such a wide variety of majors, like there’s a whole you know, the art school where there’s all these like film majors like TV making and like, also just like actually To like art and design and things like that, their business school is really on the come up now, with co ops, like a lot of business majors land really, really good co ops at like Goldman Sachs and like JP Morgan and all these, like huge name companies. And yeah, so pretty much Overall, it’s a great school. But it is very rigorous because of the quarter system that I was mentioning to you earlier. Basically, like, you would think of like the terms of seasons, so instead of like semesters, like fall, and spring, it would be like all seasons. So our fall starts in our September 20, right. So that’s because we have a summer term. And basically how that works is in alignment with co ops. So there are two Co Op cycles, fall, and winter and spring in summer. So if you have a fall winter Co Op, you’ll be doing Co Op during those terms, while other students are in school. And then you’ll come back in the spring and summer and take your classes. And then the spring and summer Co Op people will be doing their Co Op. So that’s kind of why the quarter system is there.
Kamila
Can you explain what a Co Op program is?
Sanajana
Yes, yes. So it’s basically just an internship, but its first six months versus like three months over the summer. That’s like what traditional college students do. But with Co Op students, you would do it for like a longer period of time. And it’s basically the same thing as an internship. It’s just called a co op, and it’s longer. And with Drexel, they have like, a whole like tool that you can use to find coops and it’s like within their database, but you can also do cop search outside of that. So you just apply for companies like internships like you would regularly. So yeah, they’re very helpful with that. And it’s definitely like a huge reason as to why people come to Drexel.
Kamila
And with so I interviewed someone from Northeastern and they also have a, I think one of the oldest coops in the country along with Drexel. And the guy was interviewing from Northeastern he said that during the six months that they were doing their Co Op, they weren’t doing schoolwork, and I think Northwestern pays them, or either requires the company to pay them or Northeastern pays them for their Co Op. So is that the same situation? Drexel?
Sanajana
Yeah, so you’re basically hired by the company during your co op time. So for that six months, you are fully an employee, like you’re a full time worker, you’re like, literally an adult, like working. Some people do take classes on Co Op. But there’s a limit to that I think you can only take like two classes or something or it’s like a certain amount of credits. But typically, people will just focus on their Co Op, because that itself is a lot of work. It’s literally a full time job. So yeah, the company will typically pay you. But there are some coops that are like Drexel Co Op, where you can work at certain like Drexel departments or something. So then in that case, Drexel would pay you or if you’re in like a special circumstance where like your co op doesn’t like pay co ops, then you would like you could apply for like, Drexel funding or something to have that. And if you get that then Drexel is paying you but yeah, typically the company itself will pay.
Kamila
And you are part of this special program for biggest like business centered majors. So can you the five year track? So can you explain that? And you said, there’s some sort of like application like you got in, but then there’s the application. So can you explain that whole situation to us? Yeah. So
Sanajana
basically, I guess somewhere on my application, I had expressed interest in their accelerated MBA program. I honestly don’t even remember doing it. Or maybe they like can just like select you like from your application, something like that. But once I got my acceptance, it said, I was in the accelerated MBA program, which is basically you get your MBA in one year, along with your undergrad. So with that program, you would do four years of undergrad, one year MBA, so that’d be a five year program. But they also have two types of co op programs. So there’s a four year one Co Op program where you’re fully in school for three years, and then your junior year, you’re on co op for two terms. So two seasons, and then the five years three Co Op program is you’re in school fully your freshman year, and then starting your sophomore year. And then your pre junior year, which is a year they added and then junior year, you’re going to be doing co op for two terms, and then classes for two terms. And then senior year is like a regular year and then you graduate. So those are like the two programs. So with that accelerated MBA program I I, like accepted admission into the school, whatever, right. And then I started talking to my advisor about it. And she said, basically, it was like provisional acceptance. So like, I’d still have to apply for that program. But like, it’s like a 99% guarantee that I’ll be in it, essentially. So what I did was then I switched to a five year three call program, because originally I was just for year one Co Op, I switched. And a lot of business majors are in this program, because then you get three different, you know, working opportunities at three different companies, or maybe the same company if they like you, and you like them. So it just gives you more work experience. And you know, as a business major, you can never go wrong with more work experience. So I switched to that. And I could, after two co ops, apply for the MBA program. And if I get in, I could like, switch back to a four year one Co Op, and then just kind of, and, you know, undergrad, and then go to the MBA program. But I’ll see I still have to start my first Co Op to begin with, so I’ll see where that goes. But yeah, it’s a little confusing, but it’s pretty cool.
Kamila
That was your first Co Op. Are you planning to do it like the last spring and summer term of sophomore year? Because you’re going into sophomore year now?
Sanajana
Yeah, so basically, you’re assigned these Co Op cycles. But so you don’t choose, you don’t get to choose, but you could like switch with someone. Or like there’s this one program at the business school that I’m doing. And it’s basically like, I’m a TA for like the university 101 class, which is only offered in the fall. It’s like just like the what struck so like, what resources do we have? Like, how do you schedule is that type of class. So that’s obviously only in the fall for freshmen. And there’s like a program within the business school where you get paired with someone else. And you guys are basically like the TAs for that class. So because of that, since it’s only offered in the fall, you’d have to be like on campus and doing classes for that. So they automatically switch whoever is a fall winter Co Op to a spring summer Co Op. So I was fall winter, but then I got into that program, they switched me. So now I’m spring summer. So I’ll be in class this fall in winter. And during that time, I’ll be applying for co ops, and then interviewing and all of that. And then spring summer, I’ll be working, fingers crossed. Everything happens like that, like that.
Kamila
And how does Drexel help their students find clubs? What resources do they have? Do they have, like, you know, connections to companies that students have worked with in the past?
Sanajana
Yeah, they have a whole database where you can like search for companies and apply right on that database. So you wouldn’t even have to do it through like, you know, a company’s website or something like that. But if you do want to try to go for a company that doesn’t have a partnership with Drexel like that, then you could do it in like an outside search, but they do have that database, which is really great.
Kamila
And is it like is it a database of spots? Do companies reserved like spots for Drexel students? And are you guys like competing for a spot?
Sanajana
Um, I think within the database like within, like just for co ops, it’s like be potential co ops competing against each other, like us Drexel students competing among each other. But companies do still do, you know, their internships or whatever. Like I’m thinking like, you know, for example, like a Goldman Sachs, for example, right? Like they still have interns from other colleges, but they also have like, co ops from Drexel, or from Northeastern or wherever. So I don’t know that they have a set number, but they definitely do have like a separate sort of link, because we have like a separate database and all that. So it’s not even like through their traditional way of applying.
Kamila
Okay, I think we’ve gone through enough of coops, let’s go on to your actual college experience. Freshman year was last year. Oh, I guess we are starting sophomore year now. So last year, you were a freshman, tell us about your experience. And tell us about how Drexel handled the COVID situation. Like were they good communication and providing students what they needed when they asked for it? So can you tell us about your freshman experience? That was nearly entirely virtual?
Sanajana
Yeah, so start off with my experience. It was completely virtual, because I actually could have gone on campus for the Spring term or even the winter term. But since I’m just like an hour away, I was like, You know what might as well just, you know, save money, spend time with a family so I decided to just stay at home the whole year. And honestly, with doing that, I thought it was a good idea because I ended up just staying completely focused. I wasn’t distracted by like, a new environment and like new people, you know, none of that and I mean anyways, the classes were all virtual, so all I had to do was just kind of Yeah, exactly. So, you know, it wouldn’t have been a huge difference. But I think it was definitely a move for me to stay at home. And even despite being home, I was able to meet a lot of people through like clubs and just like get involved. So I ended up joining the Women in Business Club, which is like a popular club among like all colleges. And I’m now on the board for that for this year. So that’s pretty cool. And then I also joined student government, which was great, because then I was able to work hands on and do things that directly impact the university. So it just felt good. Like, I felt pretty like useful even though I was at home and like, disconnected from the university, you know, I was not really disconnected. And I also did research for like, eight months, I’d say. So that was about that
Kamila
was a lot of research time. Tell us what did you do research on? You know, what is something like Drexel helped you find? Or did you find it on your own? Experience everything.
Sanajana
So this is actually kind of a crazy story. So it was winter of 2020 to set the scene. And I got pretty interested in AI, kind of out of nowhere. And I was like, wow, like, this is really cool. And I’m a business major, like, you know, business and tech are like, brothers, I should definitely know about it. So I ended up taking a course on Coursera. And it was just like, an AI for everyone like basic artificial intelligence course type of thing. But I took it, and I just like did it in one sitting, like six hours. I think I just did it. Yeah, it was pretty long. But it was it was meant to spin over like weeks. But I was just that interested that I did it. And I was like, wow, like, this is great. Like, I want to learn more. So I ended up randomly seeing this flyer for an event. And it was held by the Women in Computing society at Drexel. So kind of similar to women in business, but for the computer, like majors. And I saw the event and it was called research opportunities. And at that time, I was thinking, okay, like, maybe I’ll do some, like actual research with a professor to further my knowledge. And I saw the event and I was like, wow, like, this is great timing. Let me go. So I went. And there were two professors that were like speaking about, you know, their research and like, what they look for, and an assistant and just like all everything about research, and I ended up just like following them on LinkedIn. And I didn’t really think much of it. And then I was like, You know what, like, I should definitely like follow up with them, and be like, hey, like I was at this event. And like, I should read up on like, their publications from the past and see if maybe they have opportunities. You know, even though I don’t know anything about computers really. Like I literally have never taken a coding class or anything in my life. I don’t know anything about computer science, I was like, let me just reach out. So I reached out to one professor first, his name is Dr. Hevron. And I just kind of dissection, like two weeks after the event too. So, like time had passed. But I spent the time really like reading his old publications and seeing his work and like, figuring out, you know, would this actually work for me if it were to work out? And all of that. And I was really fascinated with what he did. So I wrote like a long email. And I was like, hey, like, this is me, this is the situation and like, whatever. And I was like, Would you like to, you know, set up a Zoom meeting sometime to talk. And he’s like, the best professor ever very responsive, he replied, like pretty quickly and was like, hey, like, you know, thanks for reaching out. You seemed great. Like, yes, let’s definitely set up a meeting. So we did. And we pretty much like clicked instantly. Like, we were just having a casual talk. But he could like sense my enthusiasm. And I could tell he was like a great professor and person to work with. So essentially, like at the end of that call, I think it was established already that we’d be like working together. Because then he mentioned he had like a project kind of ongoing. So I was like, Oh, I’d like love to help if I can. And from there, it just kind of went and it’s crazy, because that was probably in like, December. And in February. We ended up submitting a conference paper and it was 10 pages to this European Conference on cyber warfare. And that got published and I and I presented virtually at that conference to just in June. So yeah, so it’s from like December up until now because I told you I did a research program over the summer. That was like a Drexel thing that I applied for. And they basically like once you apply for that, and you get in you like, find a mentor, who’s like a professor, like a faculty member, someone, and you work with them for the summer. So since I was already working with Dr. Hubbard, we ended up just continuing. We just like expanded what we did for the publication. So we just did like more research, we delve deeper into it. So I actually just finished the program. And I was like, you know, we both agreed, I should like, take a break and like, see what like fall will be like, and all that like in real life. So yeah, it’s been like eight months of that. So that was like, insane. I never thought I would say you’re not
Kamila
a computer person. Like I understand you were you were not a computer person.
Sanajana
You know why?
Kamila
And I’m not saying this to me, like, I’m just saying, like, yeah, why did he choose you when you don’t have like, much experience to do research with him?
Sanajana
Yeah, so this is where like, just you your character as a person goes a long way. He literally could just sense that I was so eager to learn. Like, that’s pretty much what it was. And I, you know, I didn’t know anything, as I said. So right when he like, took me under his wing, he taught me everything. And I was able to, like, pick up and like, I learned how to ontology model, which is like a whole thing. And I had to learn how to use a software called proto J. And then I learned a little bit of querying. So that’s like, a little bit of calm sigh I guess not really, but kind of is. So I learned that language called sparkle. So I just basically, like, was very eager to learn I kind of always am. But at that time, especially, I was like, Whoa, like, this is so cool. So I just kind of ran with it. And he really enjoyed working with me, so I so gratefully. So yeah, just kind of worked out.
Kamila
That’s amazing to do research freshman year.
Sanajana
Yeah, no, I’m just gonna say, it’s kind of strange. I don’t even know how I got the opportunity. But I’m just grateful. As I said, like, he’s an amazing professor. Like, he really does look at people’s potential. And, you know, their eagerness and enthusiasm. So what did you guys do research on. So it was basically, initially it was about ethical hacking, and how, you know, there are certain like tasks that ethical hackers have to go through in order to like holistically evaluate a target. And so we wanted to automate some of those processes to make it easier for them. So that was kind of the focus of the paper that we put out. And then over the summer, we looked at programmable logic controllers, which are like a certain type of device. And we looked at how we could make the decision making processes and tasks for cyber defenders easier. Also, through automation. That’s where I’m in both times, we use ontology modeling and semantic queries and things like that. But this time, I got to do more of like, the actual queries and like actual hands on work with that and using like, this database called Graph dB. So it was cool. I got to like, make my own queries, which basically just like extract data from like, whatever data you have in the ontology, which is like a knowledge graph. Pretty cool. sounds incredible.
Kamila
Incredible. So like now I would ask, what are the dorms like at Drexel? What’s the food like at Drexel, but you don’t know? So I actually do. Oh, you do? Okay. Yeah,
Sanajana
I was in a dorm for the summer program because they gave us housing. Yeah, so I was in the Honors dorm, which is like the best room I’m so grateful because there’s a private bathroom. There’s two on each floor. So there is communal, but there’s private so I never used the communal because a private one was there there’s a whole shower in there too. So that hall is really great. And overall, I’ve heard like good things about the halls. Obviously they’re not as amazing as like an apartment or something like that. But they’re, they’re not the worst by any means. And food wise, I actually don’t have much to tell you because the halls were closed over the summer. But they did give us sort of like a food stipend. So we have like Dragon Dollars which can be used at some like the on campus like restaurants and things like that, to like insomnia, cookies, and like places like that. So they gave each person in the program 500 So that was cool. I pretty much had like free food at the summer. But yeah, good experience overall.
Kamila
Alright, so let’s wrap up here. One more thing to do is advice. So number one advice for high school students. And this can be anything this can be life advice you want to give or something specific to college apps. And then number two, I mean, you’re still new to college, you haven’t been through much of it. But if you do have any advice to share for incoming college students, that as well, so number one, high school students, and number two college students, if you have any advice,
Sanajana
so, for high school, I’d say, in terms of college applications, I definitely recommend getting things in early, I’m just that type of person. But honestly, it just took a lot of stress off my plate, and it just made the rest of the year better, you know, not having to worry, while all my peers were worrying. So definitely get things in early if you can. And, you know, this might sound cheesy, but I definitely mean it, have fun while you can. Because, you know, once all the college applications are in and stuff, you then have like a lot to decide, after you get your acceptances or whatever. And life from then on just flies, you know, like you just suddenly are propelled into adulthood. And it’s like, where did the time though, literally, so definitely have fun, like, enjoy the small moments. I, like, you know, with COVID I just kind of was taken away from the high school scene. But now that like things are coming back, like literally just enjoy, like the walks in the hallways and like the interactions with people at lunch and like small things like that, because seriously, you’ll never get that back. Like, even though I am still a student. Like there’s no like walking in the hallway feel or like, you know, meeting up with this person and like faking going to the bathroom or anything like that, you know, and like just like the small things, the the cute little things that make high school high school, like just enjoy everything while you can. And for incoming college students. My biggest piece of advice is to definitely get involved. It changed my life. Like I literally, me being on this podcast right now, because I was involved, I’m sure you never would have found my LinkedIn if I hadn’t done whatever I had done now. So definitely get involved. And you know, make the most of all of that, like all your connections, like if you can reach out to professor’s, like, be bold and do that, you know, you never know what’s out there. Like I once again have never taken a coding class don’t even still don’t know how to code even though I’ve done all this research. But, you know, that door was open for me because I was bold and I took that initiative. So definitely don’t be afraid. And especially with all these clubs and things like that, like you never know who you’ll meet and you’ll be connected with. Overall, they’re a fun time too. So why not just go for it? Right? So definitely be involved college kids.
Kamila
Yep. Alright, so that wraps up our episode.
Sanajana
Thank you so much. This is great. Okay.
Kamila
That’s it for my interview with sun Jenna. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you subscribe. Next week I’ll be releasing an interview with Seth from Brown University. He is a sophomore. You do not want to miss that. Other than that, I hope to see you then.