Growing up, I was always fascinated by architecture and construction, so that led me to study civil engineering at undergraduate level.
After graduating, I co-founded a company in India, designing various structural elements. During this time, I encountered a problem at work that I was unable to resolve with the knowledge I had at the time. I was working on design checks for structural elements of a sewage treatment plant. I realised that it was not general practice to design these important structures under seismic loading, even though the structures lie in an active seismic zone, according to the seismic zone map of India. And even though there were codal procedures that could help with the seismic design and analysis, the values given were too conservative.
I decided that in order to bring necessary changes to the procedures in the future, learning more about earthquake engineering research is a good path to take. Therefore, I decided to apply for the Master’s in Earthquake Engineering at Imperial College London, which is, in my opinion, one of the best institutions offering this course.
Starting at Imperial
The first week at Imperial was a bittersweet experience for me. I was excited to explore a new place and interact with new people, but I was also homesick. However, I was fortunate to find kind flatmates who were also doing their Master's at Imperial, and they helped me settle in.
During the first few months at Imperial, I met lots of new people through activities hosted by the Students’ Union. One of my favourite events was the Winter Ball.
Course learnings
Studying a course at Imperial is challenging. Your ability to manage your time effectively will be tested several times over the course's short, one year duration. Nonetheless, the knowledge you get through the course is highly beneficial and widely recognised in the industry.
The people on my course are from all over the world, bringing diverse cultures together under one roof. One of the benefits of this course is the opportunity to learn about various cultures and engage with individuals from all parts of the world.
Transitioning to life in London
Although living in London is fast-paced and different from what I'm used to, I still find it to be a wonderful city. The main concern is the cost of living in London. To keep my spending under control I cook daily, it might be challenging sometimes but it helps me to save a lot. Living here is also enjoyable since there are constantly new locations to discover and things to do.
Future plans
I aim to continue my academic career by pursuing a PhD in earthquake engineering.
Given how excited and enthused I have become about the subjects I enjoy studying, my decision has been more firmly established with my time at Imperial.
To be on the safe side, I have also applied for graduate roles using the Imperial Careers Service website, and my applications are under review. I would suggest that future students make their decision on what they want to do after their Master's degree as soon as they can, and have a backup plan in place.