Career in Biomedical Engineering
What is Biomedical Engineering all about?
Biomedical Engineering is the confluence of engineering, technology and biological sciences to improve the quality of healthcare, medicine and human life. Biomedical engineers and scientists are responsible for developing, designing and improving medical devices and procedures for efficient diagnosis, operation and treatment of diseases and other health ailments. Some examples of Biomedical Engineering innovations are artificial limbs, prosthetics, imaging machines and various other medical devices.
Biomedical Engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field. If you take a look at the curriculum of Biomedical Engineering, you will see a lot of subjects from diverse fields such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics etc. Since this field is vast and diverse, Biomedical Engineering comprises of numerous sub disciplines and some of them are as follows: Tissue Engineering, Biomedical Imaging, Systems Physiology, Bioinstrumentation, Biomechanics and many more.
Like every other engineering discipline, the foundation of Biomedical Engineering lies in the basic sciences - Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Therefore, students who are interested in pursuing a career in Biomedical Engineering must have interest in the basic sciences.
Biomedical Engineering is the confluence of engineering, technology and biological sciences to improve the quality of healthcare, medicine and human life. Biomedical engineers and scientists are responsible for developing, designing and improving medical devices and procedures for efficient diagnosis, operation and treatment of diseases and other health ailments. Some examples of Biomedical Engineering innovations are artificial limbs, prosthetics, imaging machines and various other medical devices.
Biomedical Engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field. If you take a look at the curriculum of Biomedical Engineering, you will see a lot of subjects from diverse fields such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics etc. Since this field is vast and diverse, Biomedical Engineering comprises of numerous sub disciplines and some of them are as follows: Tissue Engineering, Biomedical Imaging, Systems Physiology, Bioinstrumentation, Biomechanics and many more.
Like every other engineering discipline, the foundation of Biomedical Engineering lies in the basic sciences - Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Therefore, students who are interested in pursuing a career in Biomedical Engineering must have interest in the basic sciences.
What is the difference between Bioengineering, Biological engineering and Biomedical Engineering?
Many universities often use these terms interchangeably. In most cases, there is no difference between these terms. However, in some universities, Biological Engineering curriculum may lean more towards Biotechnology or focus more on applying engineering principles to biological sciences at the cellular and molecular level. Usage of these different terms can be very confusing and it is highly recommended that you take a look at the curriculum and syllabus of each university’s program online before you begin to apply.
Scope of Biomedical Engineering in India and Abroad:
India: Biomedical Engineering is still in the development stage in India and, therefore, scope is very limited for this field. One of the main reasons why progress is slow is due to the lack of integration between research institutions, hospitals and universities in India. In developed nations such as USA, UK and Singapore, excellent integration exists between universities and hospitals, thereby creating the perfect environment for R&D in Biomedical Engineering. In India, most of the jobs related to Biomedical Engineering are in non-tech areas such as service, maintenance, customer support, sales and management. Students interested in pursuing a career in research and core development work in Biomedical Engineering must look for jobs in universities, labs and research centers in India or pursue MS and PhD studies in USA, UK and other nations.
Abroad: The scope for this field is excellent abroad. Biomedical Engineering is doing extremely well in USA, UK, Germany, Singapore, Canada and Australia. Other countries such as Japan and China are also doing very well in this field. There has been some tremendous achievements and breakthroughs in these nations due to the excellent integration that exists between research centers, universities and hospitals, thereby enabling researchers, scientists, faculty and surgeons to work together to solve complex problems in medicine and healthcare. Pay packages are impressive for biomedical engineers in these countries. Students who are very ambitious and looking to climb up the ladder in this field will benefit immensely from a PhD degree in biomedical engineering. A career in Biomedical Engineering in the above mentioned nations will be very rewarding and satisfying, provided you work hard.
Many universities often use these terms interchangeably. In most cases, there is no difference between these terms. However, in some universities, Biological Engineering curriculum may lean more towards Biotechnology or focus more on applying engineering principles to biological sciences at the cellular and molecular level. Usage of these different terms can be very confusing and it is highly recommended that you take a look at the curriculum and syllabus of each university’s program online before you begin to apply.
Scope of Biomedical Engineering in India and Abroad:
India: Biomedical Engineering is still in the development stage in India and, therefore, scope is very limited for this field. One of the main reasons why progress is slow is due to the lack of integration between research institutions, hospitals and universities in India. In developed nations such as USA, UK and Singapore, excellent integration exists between universities and hospitals, thereby creating the perfect environment for R&D in Biomedical Engineering. In India, most of the jobs related to Biomedical Engineering are in non-tech areas such as service, maintenance, customer support, sales and management. Students interested in pursuing a career in research and core development work in Biomedical Engineering must look for jobs in universities, labs and research centers in India or pursue MS and PhD studies in USA, UK and other nations.
Abroad: The scope for this field is excellent abroad. Biomedical Engineering is doing extremely well in USA, UK, Germany, Singapore, Canada and Australia. Other countries such as Japan and China are also doing very well in this field. There has been some tremendous achievements and breakthroughs in these nations due to the excellent integration that exists between research centers, universities and hospitals, thereby enabling researchers, scientists, faculty and surgeons to work together to solve complex problems in medicine and healthcare. Pay packages are impressive for biomedical engineers in these countries. Students who are very ambitious and looking to climb up the ladder in this field will benefit immensely from a PhD degree in biomedical engineering. A career in Biomedical Engineering in the above mentioned nations will be very rewarding and satisfying, provided you work hard.
B.Tech Biomedical Engineering:
Biomedical Engineering is a highly specialized course and for this reason many students tend to pursue this field for graduate studies such as MS, MTech or PhD. An undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering and Biotechnology will give students a strong foundation for further studies in Biomedical Engineering. When compared with other engineering disciplines, very few Indian universities offer a BTech degree in Biomedical Engineering. Following is a list of top institutes that offer this course at the undergraduate level in India:
o NIT, Raipur
o NIT, Rourkela
o TSEC, Mumbai
o DJ Sanghvi College of Engineering, Mumbai
o GEC, Gujarat
o SSN College of Engineering - Anna University
o BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore
o VIT, Vellore
o Manipal Institute of Technology, Bangalore
o Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune
o BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore
o MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore
Higher studies options in India - MTech and PhD in Biomedical Engineering
Many universities in India offer MTech and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering. Considering how limited job opportunities are for this field in India, it is very important for aspiring biomedical engineering students to do their graduate studies from reputed universities such as the following:
Many universities in India offer MTech and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering. Considering how limited job opportunities are for this field in India, it is very important for aspiring biomedical engineering students to do their graduate studies from reputed universities such as the following:
o IIT Bombay (MTech and PhD)
o IIT BHU - MTech only
o IIT Hyderabad (MTech and PhD)
o IIT Kanpur (MTech and PhD)
o IIT Kharagpur (MTech in Medical Imaging and Image Analysis)
o IIT Madras (MTech in Applied Mechanics with specialization in Biomedical Engineering)
o IISc, Bangalore (Interdisciplinary PhD in Bioengineering)
o MNIT, Allahabad (MTech only)
o NIT, Rourkela (MTech & PhD)
o Manipal Institute of Technology (MTech in Biomedical Engineering)
o COEP (MTech in Biomedical Instrumentation)
o SCTIMST, Trivandrum (MS & PhD in Bioengineering - affiliated programme of SCTIMST offered at CMC, Vellore)
o SCTIMST, Trivandrum (PhD in Biomedical Devices Technology - Joint programme of SCTIMST, CMC and IIT Madras)
MS & PhD Abroad:
Most Indian students who apply for MS and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering abroad are from backgrounds such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Biotechnology. USA, UK, Germany, Australia and Singapore are doing very well in Biomedical Engineering with the United States at the forefront of research in this field.
Upon completion of MS or PhD, students usually join industry or work in research institutions and universities as biomedical engineers. If you are ambitious and want to climb up the ladder in this field, then a PhD is imperative for creating your own niche in this field. A PhD degree will give you the ability to lead a team of researchers on projects, start your own research lab or become a professor and work in academia.
An MS or PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering gives students the opportunity to specialize in any one of the sub disciplines of Biomedical Engineering such as: Tissue Engineering, Neuroengineering, Biomedical Imaging, Computational Modeling, Biomechanics etc.
Most Indian students who apply for MS and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering abroad are from backgrounds such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Biotechnology. USA, UK, Germany, Australia and Singapore are doing very well in Biomedical Engineering with the United States at the forefront of research in this field.
Upon completion of MS or PhD, students usually join industry or work in research institutions and universities as biomedical engineers. If you are ambitious and want to climb up the ladder in this field, then a PhD is imperative for creating your own niche in this field. A PhD degree will give you the ability to lead a team of researchers on projects, start your own research lab or become a professor and work in academia.
An MS or PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering gives students the opportunity to specialize in any one of the sub disciplines of Biomedical Engineering such as: Tissue Engineering, Neuroengineering, Biomedical Imaging, Computational Modeling, Biomechanics etc.
Companies in India:
o L&T
o General Electric Global Research, Bangalore
o Stryker Global Technology Center
o Deloitte Consulting India Pvt Ltd
o Texas Instruments Inc.
o Phillips Healthcare
o Orbees Medical
o Siemens
o Covidien
List of Biomedical Engineering Research Centers in India:
o Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay
o Centre for Biomedical Engineering, IIT Delhi
o School of Biomedical Engineering, IIT BHU
o Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering (BSBE), IIT Kanpur
o Department of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad
o Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras
o Department of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Ropar
o Centre for Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering (BSBE), IIT Indore
o School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur
o Department of Bioengineering, CMC Vellore
o Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore
o General Electric Global Research, Bangalore, India
Note: Students interested in doing Biomedical Engineering projects can also try their luck in places such as National Physical Laboratories (NPL), NCBS Bangalore, TIFR Mumbai etc. Even though these institutes and organizations may not have an exclusive department named Biomedical Engineering, they also do work related to this field.
Research Areas: Biomedical Engineering has many sub-disciplines and research areas which goes to prove how diverse and vast this field is. Following are a few sub disciplines within this realm.
o Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials
o Biomechanics
o Biomedical Imaging
o Biomedical Electronics
o Neuroengineering
o Cardiovascular Engineering
o Bioinformatics
o Systems Physiology and many more
Some examples of Biomedical Engineering Innovations:
Minimally invasive surgeries: This is a type of surgical procedure where instead of cutting open the human body, surgeons instead make a few small incisions, insert a tube fitted with a tiny video camera into the body through the incisions and use the images sent back by the video to perform the surgery using specially designed surgical instruments. Minimally invasive surgeries are less painful, results in fewer scars, lesser infection and recovery is much faster.
Robotic surgeries: Robotic surgeries are similar to minimally invasive surgeries in that smaller incisions are required to complete the surgery. In this type of surgery, doctors control the robotic arm, which performs the actual surgery, using a computer or a remote control. The robotic arm consists of various surgical tools and cameras that gives surgeons excellent vision, precision and movement within the body, thereby making this more efficient than conventional surgeries. This type of surgery is currently available only in a few countries.
Non invasive medical devices: Non invasive medical devices are those that treat a particular problem without the requirement of needles and invasive procedures. A good example of a non invasive medical device that is currently being developed is needle free diabetes treatment. Instead of constantly drawing blood for tests, regular insulin injections etc. researchers are developing a biosensor that does all the testing without the need for drawing blood or giving shots routinely.
Minimally invasive surgeries: This is a type of surgical procedure where instead of cutting open the human body, surgeons instead make a few small incisions, insert a tube fitted with a tiny video camera into the body through the incisions and use the images sent back by the video to perform the surgery using specially designed surgical instruments. Minimally invasive surgeries are less painful, results in fewer scars, lesser infection and recovery is much faster.
Robotic surgeries: Robotic surgeries are similar to minimally invasive surgeries in that smaller incisions are required to complete the surgery. In this type of surgery, doctors control the robotic arm, which performs the actual surgery, using a computer or a remote control. The robotic arm consists of various surgical tools and cameras that gives surgeons excellent vision, precision and movement within the body, thereby making this more efficient than conventional surgeries. This type of surgery is currently available only in a few countries.
Non invasive medical devices: Non invasive medical devices are those that treat a particular problem without the requirement of needles and invasive procedures. A good example of a non invasive medical device that is currently being developed is needle free diabetes treatment. Instead of constantly drawing blood for tests, regular insulin injections etc. researchers are developing a biosensor that does all the testing without the need for drawing blood or giving shots routinely.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Undergraduate Degree?
Undergraduate years are truly golden, be it making great friends for life, developing one’s personality or forging your own career path. However, most students tend to take the first two years of their college life relatively easy and then start thinking (panicking??) about their future in their third year of engineering (or second year, if you are in commerce, arts or sciences). By then a whole host of amazing opportunities in the form of learning and developing knowledge would have been missed. There is SO much you can do in these 4 years of under graduation that can make your resume sparkle, help you develop immense knowledge and accelerate your education and learning process in your chosen field of major. In this article, we have outlined 8 critical factors that makes a significant difference to your education and career.
Internships/projects: Most students look at internships as a way to add a few impressive lines in their resume. This kind of an approach towards internships and projects is not going to serve you very well. In order to get the maximum out of your internships and projects, you first need to understand why you need to do internships in the first place. The goal of internships is to help you gain knowledge through practical experience in a real world setting. That pretty much sums up the importance of an internship. Working on a project for 3 to 6 months will help you develop valuable skill sets in your field of interest. These skill sets will later help when it comes to finding a job, getting admission with funding for MS or PhD degrees or getting into prestigious institutions for an MBA. Whatever your goal is, internships aid you in the process of attaining that goal. Apart from developing skill sets, you create a strong network by interacting with professors, engineers and managers from various institutions, universities and companies. A strong network will help you immensely when it comes to job hunting, specifically during hard times like recession. Now, many students tend to get confused with 2 to 3 week courses where you pay a certain amount of money, get trained for a particular duration, do a small project and finally get a certificate. This is really not an internship, this is simply a way to learn a new tool or a new programming language or some scientific technique that can help with your studies and projects. You can call it a certification but not an internship. An internship is where you work on a problem for 3 to 6 months of duration under the supervision of a professor in academia or a manager in industry and are actively involved in contributing towards their work in some form or another, be it developing a software, writing an algorithm to solve a complex problem etc. Some students go on to publish papers while some end up doing great work and getting recommendation letters from their supervisors for further studies. Apart from internships, you can also work with professors from your college on a particular topic. This is called an independent study and you get to work with a professor from your college on a one-to-one basis for an entire semester. Your responsibilities will involve reading research papers and articles on the pertinent topic and coming up with ideas and ways to solve the problem.
Unpaid/volunteer work: Volunteering is a great way to bag future internships and jobs provided you impress your supervisors by doing great work. Volunteering also gives you the opportunity to work on projects that you may otherwise not get to work on. Many students doing their master’s in the United States volunteer with professors in order to get funding in the form of research assistantships or teaching assistantships. It is routine for american undergraduates to volunteer in various research labs right from high school. Look up various universities, research labs and companies in your city or nearby and email the professors working there requesting more details about volunteering positions. You can volunteer during your semester (weekends) or during your summer/winter holidays. Apart from universities and research institutions, you can also volunteer in startups or small companies where there is a need for smart and talented students. At the end of the day, your goal should be to get practical real world experience where you can apply all the concepts that have been taught in class.
Networking: Networking is very important in today’s world and having a strong network of contacts helps immensely during hard times like recession and economic fluctuations. Create your profile on Linkedin, the most popular website for professional networking. Join alumni networks in your college, if there is any. Don’t hesitate to talk to your professors and seniors for advice or help regarding anything. Be social, be a team player and be open to asking for help and help others when the need arises.
Final year project: The goal of a final year project is to apply concepts and theories that you have learnt during your undergraduate years in practice. Final year project is also a great way to start specializing in a particular area within your field of interest. Most final year projects are of 6 months duration, but there are universities that give students the option of starting their project in the beginning of the final year, thereby giving them one full year to complete the project. If your college does not allow one full year, you can start doing groundwork by deciding the logistics like which topic to work on, where to do your project etc. However, even though the final year project is very important most students are very lax about their projects. The reason being, by the time final year rolls by, most students are usually placed or admitted to universities abroad for higher studies and therefore become very complacent with their project work. Given the significance of a final year project, one can always turn it around to suit their future needs. If your aim is to go for a masters degree, then do a project that will help you in graduate school. Since graduate school is all about research work, develop useful and indispensable skills like reading research papers and journals and implementing the methods from the research papers in your project and producing great results. This will help you with funding in graduate schools as you can impress professors with your research abilities. If you have been placed in a software company, then talk to people or seniors in that company and do a final year project that will help you develop skill sets the company you are placed in needs. Many students also do their final year projects abroad as well. This is a great idea as you will get the opportunity to be a part of a research paper or an international conference paper, provided you do good work. Papers published in journals or conferences will be very beneficial if you are planning to do your master’s or doctorate studies, specifically in terms of getting scholarships and funding for your graduate studies. At the end of the day, take your final year project seriously as it can really benefit you in more ways than you can ever imagine.
Courses: Having the right skill sets is extremely important when it comes to finding jobs. Finding an employee with the right skill sets is a major bottleneck for organizations. How can you make their lives simpler? Start by researching about the kind of work you want to do. If you want to work in a software company, look at the various programming languages and software tools they use. Yes, it is difficult to predict where they will put you but having a general idea helps and is a great starting point. If it is a master’s degree you are aiming at, you can do some short term course to develop practical skills in the area you are interested in specializing in. A great way to build skill sets would be through the 2-week or 3-week certificate course offered by companies and institutions that will give you an overall view on how to use a particular tool or a programming language. However, please remember to add these skills in your resume only if you feel qualified in that topic. Do not add skills just to impress employers. When they start asking you questions in the skills you have listed in your resume, you don’t want to be tongue tied. Another great option to enhance your skill sets is by taking free courses from online MOOCs.
GPA: Considering how competitive today’s world is, a good GPA does make your resume stand out. Think about it, when you read someone’s resume and it says “Gold medallist”. Doesn’t that sound impressive? It sure does. A great GPA helps immensely when it comes to admissions, funding and scholarship for your master’s and doctorate degrees and admissions for MBA as well. If you take a look at the profile of students from top institutions, you will notice that many (not all) students are gold medalists or university rank holders from their undergraduate institutions. However, please remember that a great GPA is just a means to an end, not the end itself. Yes, it may get you into a prestigious university or a company, but beyond that you need to prove yourself by performing well at work. There is very little point in being bookworm but not being able to apply your knowledge in real world problems that you will be facing at work or in graduate school. Learning how to apply concepts taught in class in a real world environment will benefit you in the long run.
GRE/GMAT/CAT Exam scores: Again, like the GPA, great exam scores also help with funding and scholarships for graduate schools. However, just because someone has a great GRE score doesn’t mean they will be successful in graduate school. A good score helps in giving your resume an edge over others but please remember that GRE or GMAT is just a part of the application package, not the entire package itself. Your GPA, research experience, statement of purpose, internships etc. will also be given equal importance in order to be considered for admissions to graduate programs. For exams like CAT/GATE, you need to get a great score as that is the only way you can clear the cut off for interviews.
Extracurricular activities: This is a very tricky subject because it is often misunderstood. Most students have no clue what to put in this section and end up writing something that sounds superfluous like “participated in cultures, volunteered in old age homes” etc. This is what you need to know the most about extracurricular activities. They are there for a reason and that is to give you an edge over other applicants in today’s highly competitive environment. Students include this section in their resume and statement of purpose primarily to stand out from others. So write activities that are in relation with your academics. If you have learnt piano, then talk about how it taught you discipline, focus and concentration. This will show you as a dedicated student with great work ethic and will help you stand out from hundreds of other profiles. So, whatever activities you want to put down in your resume, make sure it aligns with your professional goals and does not look like a last minute addition.
Now that we are done looking at how to maximize your undergraduate studies, let us take a look at some of the things that you dare not do during your undergraduate years.
Internships/projects: Most students look at internships as a way to add a few impressive lines in their resume. This kind of an approach towards internships and projects is not going to serve you very well. In order to get the maximum out of your internships and projects, you first need to understand why you need to do internships in the first place. The goal of internships is to help you gain knowledge through practical experience in a real world setting. That pretty much sums up the importance of an internship. Working on a project for 3 to 6 months will help you develop valuable skill sets in your field of interest. These skill sets will later help when it comes to finding a job, getting admission with funding for MS or PhD degrees or getting into prestigious institutions for an MBA. Whatever your goal is, internships aid you in the process of attaining that goal. Apart from developing skill sets, you create a strong network by interacting with professors, engineers and managers from various institutions, universities and companies. A strong network will help you immensely when it comes to job hunting, specifically during hard times like recession. Now, many students tend to get confused with 2 to 3 week courses where you pay a certain amount of money, get trained for a particular duration, do a small project and finally get a certificate. This is really not an internship, this is simply a way to learn a new tool or a new programming language or some scientific technique that can help with your studies and projects. You can call it a certification but not an internship. An internship is where you work on a problem for 3 to 6 months of duration under the supervision of a professor in academia or a manager in industry and are actively involved in contributing towards their work in some form or another, be it developing a software, writing an algorithm to solve a complex problem etc. Some students go on to publish papers while some end up doing great work and getting recommendation letters from their supervisors for further studies. Apart from internships, you can also work with professors from your college on a particular topic. This is called an independent study and you get to work with a professor from your college on a one-to-one basis for an entire semester. Your responsibilities will involve reading research papers and articles on the pertinent topic and coming up with ideas and ways to solve the problem.
Unpaid/volunteer work: Volunteering is a great way to bag future internships and jobs provided you impress your supervisors by doing great work. Volunteering also gives you the opportunity to work on projects that you may otherwise not get to work on. Many students doing their master’s in the United States volunteer with professors in order to get funding in the form of research assistantships or teaching assistantships. It is routine for american undergraduates to volunteer in various research labs right from high school. Look up various universities, research labs and companies in your city or nearby and email the professors working there requesting more details about volunteering positions. You can volunteer during your semester (weekends) or during your summer/winter holidays. Apart from universities and research institutions, you can also volunteer in startups or small companies where there is a need for smart and talented students. At the end of the day, your goal should be to get practical real world experience where you can apply all the concepts that have been taught in class.
Networking: Networking is very important in today’s world and having a strong network of contacts helps immensely during hard times like recession and economic fluctuations. Create your profile on Linkedin, the most popular website for professional networking. Join alumni networks in your college, if there is any. Don’t hesitate to talk to your professors and seniors for advice or help regarding anything. Be social, be a team player and be open to asking for help and help others when the need arises.
Final year project: The goal of a final year project is to apply concepts and theories that you have learnt during your undergraduate years in practice. Final year project is also a great way to start specializing in a particular area within your field of interest. Most final year projects are of 6 months duration, but there are universities that give students the option of starting their project in the beginning of the final year, thereby giving them one full year to complete the project. If your college does not allow one full year, you can start doing groundwork by deciding the logistics like which topic to work on, where to do your project etc. However, even though the final year project is very important most students are very lax about their projects. The reason being, by the time final year rolls by, most students are usually placed or admitted to universities abroad for higher studies and therefore become very complacent with their project work. Given the significance of a final year project, one can always turn it around to suit their future needs. If your aim is to go for a masters degree, then do a project that will help you in graduate school. Since graduate school is all about research work, develop useful and indispensable skills like reading research papers and journals and implementing the methods from the research papers in your project and producing great results. This will help you with funding in graduate schools as you can impress professors with your research abilities. If you have been placed in a software company, then talk to people or seniors in that company and do a final year project that will help you develop skill sets the company you are placed in needs. Many students also do their final year projects abroad as well. This is a great idea as you will get the opportunity to be a part of a research paper or an international conference paper, provided you do good work. Papers published in journals or conferences will be very beneficial if you are planning to do your master’s or doctorate studies, specifically in terms of getting scholarships and funding for your graduate studies. At the end of the day, take your final year project seriously as it can really benefit you in more ways than you can ever imagine.
Courses: Having the right skill sets is extremely important when it comes to finding jobs. Finding an employee with the right skill sets is a major bottleneck for organizations. How can you make their lives simpler? Start by researching about the kind of work you want to do. If you want to work in a software company, look at the various programming languages and software tools they use. Yes, it is difficult to predict where they will put you but having a general idea helps and is a great starting point. If it is a master’s degree you are aiming at, you can do some short term course to develop practical skills in the area you are interested in specializing in. A great way to build skill sets would be through the 2-week or 3-week certificate course offered by companies and institutions that will give you an overall view on how to use a particular tool or a programming language. However, please remember to add these skills in your resume only if you feel qualified in that topic. Do not add skills just to impress employers. When they start asking you questions in the skills you have listed in your resume, you don’t want to be tongue tied. Another great option to enhance your skill sets is by taking free courses from online MOOCs.
GPA: Considering how competitive today’s world is, a good GPA does make your resume stand out. Think about it, when you read someone’s resume and it says “Gold medallist”. Doesn’t that sound impressive? It sure does. A great GPA helps immensely when it comes to admissions, funding and scholarship for your master’s and doctorate degrees and admissions for MBA as well. If you take a look at the profile of students from top institutions, you will notice that many (not all) students are gold medalists or university rank holders from their undergraduate institutions. However, please remember that a great GPA is just a means to an end, not the end itself. Yes, it may get you into a prestigious university or a company, but beyond that you need to prove yourself by performing well at work. There is very little point in being bookworm but not being able to apply your knowledge in real world problems that you will be facing at work or in graduate school. Learning how to apply concepts taught in class in a real world environment will benefit you in the long run.
GRE/GMAT/CAT Exam scores: Again, like the GPA, great exam scores also help with funding and scholarships for graduate schools. However, just because someone has a great GRE score doesn’t mean they will be successful in graduate school. A good score helps in giving your resume an edge over others but please remember that GRE or GMAT is just a part of the application package, not the entire package itself. Your GPA, research experience, statement of purpose, internships etc. will also be given equal importance in order to be considered for admissions to graduate programs. For exams like CAT/GATE, you need to get a great score as that is the only way you can clear the cut off for interviews.
Extracurricular activities: This is a very tricky subject because it is often misunderstood. Most students have no clue what to put in this section and end up writing something that sounds superfluous like “participated in cultures, volunteered in old age homes” etc. This is what you need to know the most about extracurricular activities. They are there for a reason and that is to give you an edge over other applicants in today’s highly competitive environment. Students include this section in their resume and statement of purpose primarily to stand out from others. So write activities that are in relation with your academics. If you have learnt piano, then talk about how it taught you discipline, focus and concentration. This will show you as a dedicated student with great work ethic and will help you stand out from hundreds of other profiles. So, whatever activities you want to put down in your resume, make sure it aligns with your professional goals and does not look like a last minute addition.
Now that we are done looking at how to maximize your undergraduate studies, let us take a look at some of the things that you dare not do during your undergraduate years.
o Do not fail in your semester exams. It does not look good when you apply for graduate school or jobs.
o Take internships seriously. Do them for the sake of learning.
o Many students take the first two years lightly thinking they can catch up later on. Please don’t do this as it will bring your GPA down. You can still have fun while being disciplined and dedicated right from day one.
o Maintain a proper balance between academics and extracurricular activities. Try out different activities that help you relax and destress, like playing an instrument, singing, dancing, arts etc. Too much stress and work can burn out many students and you will end up with no energy or motivation soon.
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