我是第一代大学生。When I was a child, my parents moved from India to the U.S. to give me and my younger brother better opportunities.My dad started working at a gas station and later started a laser business. Watching his business prowess inspired me. My goal is to become an industrial engineer. Later, I see myself as CEO of my own company that makes fast, eco-friendly cars. That would make my dad the proudest man ever. My parents worked so hard to get me here. They sacrificed a lot to put me through school. I also have a brother in middle school, and I want to be a good role model for him.
I was set on attending the University of Illinois as a freshman, but a week and a half before confirming that I was going there, I saw an email for CLC’s Engineering Pathways program.It showed how CLC courses can transfer to the U of I’s engineering program.我心想:“为什么不是CLC?于是我申请了，并被录取了。与四年制大学相比，CLC学费具有竞争力，这是一个巨大的优势。
在“工程路径”课程中，罗布•特瓦多克(CLC工程学教授)和伊利诺伊大学学术顾问乔•瓦兰尤瓦特(Joe Waranyuwat)是非常好的合作伙伴。他们会尽快回复邮件，并确保你参加了正确的CLC课程，为I大学工程学院打下基础。这种支持很重要。
罗布和乔鼓励学习小组，这对我很有帮助。在我的第一个学期，我自学。但在小组学习后，我的考试成绩从低90分提高到高90分。小组合作也能提高你解决问题的能力。
The quality of education at CLC is high, and it has prepared me well for the University of Illinois College of Engineering. At CLC, you have top-of-the-line professors, and some have taught at very prestigious schools such as Harvard or the University of Chicago. They are very passionate about helping you learn. All of them are very willing to meet with you in free time between your work schedules. That’s very admirable. Some math teachers will meet with you every day. Besides math courses, the engineering courses have provided hands-on learning opportunities. In one class, we used a 3D printer that printed out keys and locks that we designed using CAD software.
In my first semester at the U of I, I attained a GPA of 3.8after completing an introductory electronics course in addition to 400-level courses in differential equations, statistics, operations research and statics. Considering that the GPA was the same as what I had earned at CLC, it means that CLC did a great job of preparing me for classes at one of the top engineering schools in the world.
在课堂之外，我是工程俱乐部的副主席，在那里有很多不同工程学科的人一起工作。In one project, we tried to drive funding for an electric car project. We used 3D printer to print a model of the car’s frame and conducted a stress test. That was a great experience, because electric cars are an emerging technology. Serving as a VP helped me develop leadership skills. I have learned to delegate, match tasks to the person’s talent and develop a budget. Everyone wants to reach for sky on projects, but you need to build consensus, set realistic goals and then build steps to get there.
If you’re new at CLC, don’t just come to class and then go home.Talk to people and see what services are available, from the library and tutors to study rooms. Talk to advisors from here and where you are looking to transfer. Join clubs. If you don’t get involved outside of class, at the end of the day, you may have knowledge, but not know people. The more people you know, the more they help you. That’s how life works.
工程是一个具有挑战性的领域，所以你必须学会如何管理你的时间和平衡一切。One semester, I had three higher-level math classes. Since I was studying with others in all three, we partitioned each other’s time and kept each other on track. Finding that support group was important. If you build camaraderie, it helps you keep going rather than dropping out.