Alum Spotlight - Yixuan Qiu '22 (Harvard University)
Written on May 25th, 2023 by Naser
Photo by Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash
This post is part of a student spotlight series highlighting the work of exceptional students. The series aims to facilitate knowledge sharing among students on topics such as internships, jobs, and graduate school. Today, I have the pleasure of talking to Yixuan Qiu ‘22, who will tell us about her experience as a graduate student at Harvard University and a Colby alumna.
Naser: Can you tell us about the program at Harvard you are joining this fall?
Yixuan: Master’s in Computational Science and Engineering.
Naser: Why did you apply for this program? How does this degree fit into your career goals?
Yixuan: Honest answer? Because it’s Harvard.
The second year of this program is doing research, which allows me to consider whether I want to do a PhD (which I didn’t figure out as an undergraduate).
Rather than the program itself, what the school has to offer is more important to me. As a student, I can take classes at MIT. Both Harvard and MIT have great resources in the areas (not limited to CS) in which I’m interested.
Naser: Can you tell us about the way you prepared for the application process? And how early did you start?
Yixuan: I started to prepare in August last year after I finished my summer job. I studied for the GRE, but it was not worth the time, since Harvard did not accept GRE scores. The most time-consuming component of my application process was to figure out what I want to study and where my passion lies. I spent two weeks just reading blogs, articles, and papers to understand subfields of CS that had interested me and to profoundly reflect on my goals and passions. This self-reflection helped me write my statement of purpose in a genuine tone that mirrored my personality and aspiration.
Naser: I often see students who are not sure if they want to go to grad-school, despite succeeding in research. So when did you know that you wanted to go to grad school? Was there a trigger or an event that helped you set your mind?
Yixuan: I never knew if I wanted to go to grad school, but I knew that I didn’t want to get into the industry right away… At the same time, I’m interested in many subjects including Linguistics, Architecture, and Chinese Literature… Most people go to grad school because they want to gain expertise and specialize in a concentration… I want a broad education that opens up my mind and prepares me for more possibilities. At Harvard, I’m continuing my liberal arts education in a sense.
Naser: What tips do you give students interested in joining a graduate program in the future?
Yixuan:
1- Don’t join my program if you’re not interested in applied math. It’ll be painful.
2- Know what you want. There’re a lot of factors to consider when you choose a program, for example, professors, courses (especially core requirements), class size, location, weather, reputation, etc.
3- If you’re interested in applying for a Ph.D. program, think carefully about whether you’re truly enthusiastic about doing research.
Naser: Thank you for sharing your experience Yixuan, and good luck to you in your new degree.
Yixuan: Thank you!
