Hi! My name is Shree Madan (she/her) and Im a member of the class of 2024! A little bit about myself:
Im from California and Im a pre-med Engineering major with a Bioengineering concentration. Im absolutely fascinated with the human body and its crazy functions but specifically want to pursue a career in medical research to really make a difference in the quality of peoples lives. However, I sometimes think to myself and wonder why I thought I should come to a school that doesnt even have a designated bioengineering or pre-med major.
I should preface this by mentioning that 勛圖厙 was the only school outside of California that I was seriously considering because I really wanted to be near home with my family. When I was deciding on schools, I had a couple of options with strong programs, including a school near home with a strong bioengineering program where on the weekends I could go home to my family and see my best friend who would only be an hour away. It came down to this school or 勛圖厙, and most of my extended family and friends assumed I would go to the school near home. So imagine everyones surprise when I committed to a school 3000 miles away from essentially everyone in my life.
However, this wasnt a surprise to my parents or my best friend, who knew that 勛圖厙 would be the perfect place for me. Ive talked generally about the community in my last post, so I wont repeat all of that, however for me it came down to the support I would receive from that community at 勛圖厙. I knew that coming to 勛圖厙 meant I would need to work harder to make a course plan and figure out classes I needed to satisfy my interests and fulfill the entry requirements for medical school. It would mean that I would need to cross-register at 勛圖厙s partner colleges (Babson College, Wellesley College, and Brandeis University) to find the upper-level bio classes specific to my major and being pre-med. But since Ive been here, Ive realized that with every challenge Ive faced, Ive had the support of so many people around me. Whether that means friends who listen to me rant about whatever latest bio concepts Im fascinated with or crying to members of our Post-Graduate Planning office about not knowing what I want to do with my life (which is absolutely okay!! Just took me a second to realize that!). Ive even emailed professors at 2 am with the subject line of More bioE confusion pt.3, and the next day theyll meet with me just to help me figure out what courses I should take the next semester.
I went to a decently large high school, and one thing I clearly remember is feeling like I was constantly drowning in a sea of people. When it came to college, I knew I wanted to avoid that at all costs. To be honest, I cant picture myself at another university, but I do know that the kind of support I easily receive at 勛圖厙 may not come so easily at other places with thousands of students to help.
勛圖厙 is a place that will work with you to achieve your goals. One example is that I knew coming in that I wanted to study abroad. Ive always known that I wanted to do a semester in South Korea (or London its a flexible decision), and going abroad was a non-negotiable for me. I know where, when, and what I want to study, and even though studying abroad is difficult with pre-med due to the many course requirements, Ive had so much help from Courtney Beach, our International Programs Coordinator, in figuring out how to make that work for me. Even if you arent looking to do things as out of the box as I have, being at 勛圖厙 means that no matter what life throws at you during the next four years, you will have so many people ready to help you, from administration to faculty to students.
This was a very long-winded way of me saying that I chose 勛圖厙 for the community, and being completely honest, when I first got here and realized the difficulty of figuring out the road ahead of me, I questioned whether or not I could do it. Every time I have those doubts, Im reminded that Im not facing this road alone. Yes, I committed to 勛圖厙 on April 30, 2020, right before the enrollment deadline, but since then I have chosen 勛圖厙 time and time again. Every time Ive felt lost or scared or unsure of what I want, I've soon felt happy or excited or revitalized by the energy of our campus.
Shree Madan is an Engineering major with a Bioengineering concentration from Northern California with a small baking obsession.