Ankit Dubey SOP

How I wrote my way into Stanford, Cornell, Purdue & UCLA .
Having been born and brought up in the intellectually stimulating environment of the
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, I have always been fascinated by
technology and research. As an impressionable teenager, I used to frequently visit my
father, Dr. R.N. Dubey (Assistant Professor in the Department of Earthquake
Engineering at IIT Roorkee) at the Shake Table facility, where he was involved in the
testing of conventional and earthquake resistant masonry building models as a part of
a research project. A majority of the Indian population lives in low strength masonry
houses. Seeing the conventional masonry building models collapse whereas the
earthquake resistant building models holding their ground, when subjected to
earthquake motion on the Shake Table, I became completely infatuated with the world
of Earthquake Engineering and the possibility of saving thousands of lives through a
robust design. I learnt that earthquakes dont kill, buildings do. Owing to this
predilection and after ranking in the top 3% in the All India Engineering Entrance
Examination, I opted for Civil Engineering as my major at one of the most prestigious
engineering institutes of the country, National Institute of Technology (NIT),
Kurukshetra.
I was a meritorious student throughout my undergraduate years and owing to my
impressive record, I was selected for a 6 week summer internship at Petrofac
International Limited, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. I worked on the design of a Piperack structure and made a comparison of the interaction ratios obtained from the
British and Indian Codes. I was also introduced to the different methods of seismic
analysis of a structure i.e. Equivalent Static Method, Response Spectrum Method and
Time History Analysis. Free vibration analysis of a trial structure was also carried out
and the mode shapes and deflection patterns were observed for different modes of
vibration. I adapted to the international working practices and gained valuable insights
into how the companies operate. People passionately discussed the concepts of
effective length and vibration mode shapes even during the lunch break. I absorbed all
I could. I evolved. As I submitted my internship report, there was absolutely no doubt
left in my mind that I wanted to pursue Structural Engineering as a career.
After returning to college, I decided to further explore my interests in Structural and
particularly Earthquake Engineering by opting for a challenging Major Project, involving
the Analysis and Design of a 14-Storey Building with Shear Walls. I compared values of
parameters like base shear and nodal displacement using two different software i.e.
SAP2000 and STAAD Pro v8i. During this project, I got deeply engrained into the
concepts of Equivalent Static Analysis, Dynamic Analysis and the codal provisions for
Earthquake Resistant Design. The teenaged infatuation with Earthquake Engineering
had metamorphosed into a passion. The project was awarded the Best Major Project in
the Civil Engineering Department for the graduating class of 2012. During the
graduation ceremony, with my beaming family watching on, I received a Gold Medal
from the Chief Minister of State, in the presence of the President of India. I learnt in
that moment that if I stayed true to my dreams and followed them with a dogged
determination, success would surely follow.
Throughout college, I also maintained an active interest in extra-curricular activities. I
was Secretary of the Music and Dramatics Club and Convener of the National Level
Cultural Festival of NIT Kurukshetra, Confluence. I led a team of 26 committee heads
and reported directly to the Professor-In-Charge of the cultural festival. I honed my
leadership and team-work abilities throughout this experience and learnt to deal with
different stakeholders and meet their expectations. I was also an active student
member of the Indian Concrete Institute (ICI) during the academic session 2011-2012
and participated in its activities throughout the year. I graduated from NIT Kurukshetra
with a GPA of 8.84/10 and job offers from L&T- Ramboll Consulting Engineers and WSP
Global. I joined WSP Global in July 2012.
As a Graduate Engineer at WSP Global, I applied the concepts learnt at college to solve
real world engineering problems. I was exposed to the workings of Structural and
Public Health Engineering departments and mastered commercial software packages
like ETABS, SAP2000 and Hevacomp. I learnt to work under the pressure of a tight
deadline. Being part of a reputed multinational design firm, having a diverse work
force, I considerably improved my people skills. I also learned to effectively manage
time and made it a point to be decisive and efficient in my workings. Owing to these
learnings, I have always regarded my stint at WSP as an education and not just a job. I
believe these skills will help me to excel in the Graduate School.
During my trips home while working at WSP, I would inevitably end up comparing my
job profile with that of my father. I realized that as an academician, he was enjoying
the best of both worlds-Industry and Education. He was travelling around the world
presenting his research papers at conferences, guiding graduate students at IIT and at
the same time acting as a peer reviewer for practicing design engineers. Having worked
in the industry for almost 2 years, I knew that not many jobs in the world offered this
diverse experience. I remembered Randy Pauschs lines from his Last Lecture in which,
among other life lessons, he encourages students to join academics- If you are such a
great salesman, why dont you sell something that is worth selling? Why dont you sell
education? And so, with an eye on entering academics and with an inherent desire to
expand my skills and learn more about structural and earthquake engineering, I
resigned from my job in May 2014 to put my heart and soul into the graduate school
admission process.
Stanford University has one of the most elite Structural Engineering Programs in USA
and also has a very strong alumni base. The facilities and research at The John A.
Blume Earthquake Engineering Center are ideal for me for furthering my interest in
Earthquake Engineering. I am particularly excited about attending the courses of
Structural Dynamics, Performance Based Earthquake Engineering and Earthquake
Resistant Design & Construction. I believe an MS and possibly a PhD degree in
Structural Engineering from Stanford will be a major step towards my goal of being at
the forefront in academics while simultaneously maintaining strong ties with the
industry.
With the confidence of having the appropriate background, interest and commitment
to learn, I seek admission to MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering program with a
specialization in Structural Engineering at Stanford University. If accepted, I would
strive to continue for a doctorate degree and involve myself in research and
development. I hope you find my credentials commensurate with the impeccable
standards of Stanford.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Ankit Dubey

Ankit Dubey SOP

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How I wrote my way into Stanford, Cornell, Purdue & UCLA .

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