STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Name: Viren Vinod Vasan

Applied for: Master of Architecture

FAMILY BACKGROUND:
My family, who strongly believe in values & principles that have been passed on to us in various forms,
my dad Mr. Vinod Vasan, works in Commercial Bank of Qatar, as technical support for the Credit Card
payment machines and my mom Mrs. Sangeeta Vinod Vasan, works in Government office for censor
board. I have a younger sister, who is in grade 10. My parents have been a great source of motivation in
my life and they have always encouraged and assisted me to pursue my goals in life and help me plan a
better future for me. They are also my primary sponsors who will be paying my fee for study at
Australia.

ACADEMIC CAREER:
Reaching back to my school days, I had a good track record throughout my schooling, apart from my
parents; school played an important role in motivating me and providing direction for my future. I have
done my schooling from Ideal Indian School, Doha, Qatar. The curriculum they follow is CBSE (Central
Board of Secondary Education), which is considered to be the second most toughest after ICSE in India.
Completed my secondary schooling in March 2010 with a CGPA OF 8.6 (out of 10) and after that I did my
junior college from the same school, completed it March 2012 by scoring 71.5%. During my schooling, I
was very much interested in Art, Design, and Paintings. I used to spend hours visiting corners of the city
on my cycle & every weekend used to go for swimming with my dad and at times with my friends too.
Later I got more interested in Tennis and took classes for 2 years. After 12th, many of my friends and
relatives gave me choice to select something different but I was determined about my dreams and what
I wanted to do which is architecture. One of my close friends asked me: “Why did you choose
architecture?” I couldn’t give a simple answer for that. Maybe it was because I like painting and
construction since childhood. I also earnestly yearn to create beautiful things on my own and
architecture can satisfy my imagination in space, materials, and color. My born interest in this sector is
also because of my mother, who encouraged and introduced me in the field of art & painting, also my
journey to various cities in India help me develop this skill, influencing me gradually and unconsciously
since I was a kid and giving me perceptual knowledge in the field.
As soon as I was clear with my field, I started preparing for my SAT Subjective Test, cleared all the
requirements and got into Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India. This college was
well-known for its architecture department all over India. The campus was 231 acre of area, with lush
green forests to surround it. The university was so green that it had its own micro climate system, also
the faculties were very helpful and cooperative, they guided us in any possible way they could. I had
worked very hard during my graduation days because my thirst for knowledge would never quench.
Perhaps when a person is engaged in what his keen interest blossoms, he will never feel tired; instead
he would feel motivated and have an enriching experience. Five years' academic study in VNIT, Nagpur,
transformed my instinctive excitement and imagination about architecture into systematic knowledge
and comprehensive understanding. This transformation, first of all, lies in my skills in the fine arts.
Differing from my previous mere interest in fine arts, the study of architecture makes me begin to
ponder on how to draw using aesthetic elements from fine arts such as color, lighting and composition
to apply to architecture. I was so dedicated to such brainstorming and imagination that I would always
work around the clock in the studio for days on end. Secondly, the study of basic architectural courses,
such as architectural structure, mechanics and materials science, makes me realize that architecture not
only gives importance on aesthetics, but also on the more essential functionality and practicality. In that
process, I realized that architecture is not only an art, but also more importantly a sort of technology.
After facing so many ups and downs I was now ready to get into some practical life, June 2016 I started
my internship in Qatar Design Consortium, Qatar. They are one of the leading architectural companies
in Qatar. The job hours were a little hectic but I was very happy with my experience there. I got one on
one experience of client meetings, official office meetings with higher ups. I had got opportunity to
work on industrial projects as well as Residential. I got over with my internship on 30 th November 2016.
During my internship, I prepared for TOEFL & scored a clear 99. This was good enough for me to apply in
colleges. Now I have completed my course in May 2017 from VNIT, Nagpur with CGPA of 6.33 and also I
am very close to be a certified Architect.

WHY NOT INDIA OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY?

India has many reputed institutes, which are famous worldwide. However, I want to get experience of
studying with diverse people that come from all around the world to study. This would help me
brainstorm new ideas and techniques of architecture. Studying abroad would help me improve my
personality; inter personal skills and professional skills. I found that cost of leaving in Australia was
much cheaper and affordable. The reason for me to select Australia and not any other country was that
some of the countries have extreme climatic conditions, few countries have linguistic problems, and
some have complicated admission processes. So I decided my destination as Australia.

WHY AUSTRALIA?
According to me, Australia has many universities that are ranked in top 300 colleges according to QS
Top universities website. Also it has various course available for different field in Graduation as well as
Post Graduation sectors too. The country is very well organized and has a very healthy and motivating
environment to study. They have well equipped facilities that are open for students and are easy to
reach. The people are very helpful and kind. While studying in Australia, I will be motivated to work in a
team, which will help me to learn various skills, how to communicate effectively and intellectual
abilities. The Australian universities encourage students to take initiative and think of innovative and
practical solutions to the real-world problems. It is very safe and student friendly country that
encourages diversity. Also university provide 2 years post training period after completion of my degree
that will be very help full for me to gain experience. Last but not the least the Degree from Australia will
help me to gain good job opportunities after return back to my home country.

WHY DEAKIN UNIVERSITY?

Deakin is a very reputed and recognized university all around the world. It is ranked among the top 300
universities in QS Top universities website. Browsing through the University's web page, I was extremely
impressed with campus. In addition, Deakin has won many awards for its faculties and research
departments; this has even caught my attention more because I will have the opportunity to work with
renowned faculty. Also the university is very supportive of their international students. They have well
designed and top grade amenities for the studies.
Deakin University is amongst the top 200 college ranks for architecture in world, which makes it a great
opportunity for me to gain advanced knowledge and skills in the field. With so much at my disposal I will
manage to gain a lot of knowledge on how to combine art and technology. It will also help me prepare
for the challenges that I will face in future.
WHY MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE?
I am not satisfied with mere textbook knowledge. I believe architecture is not only a skill but also, more
importantly, a combination of creativity and imagination. An excellent architect needs not only solid
architectural skills and knowledge, but also needs nourishment from fine arts, materials science,
engineering and culture. Learnt from works of modern and contemporary architectural masterpieces,
and gained insights on their design conceptions that are full of creativity and connotation. The
knowledge I have gained from these efforts heightens my interests and my desire to pursue further
study in this field.

The course structure of Deakin University consist of 16 credits points, of which 14 are core subjects and
2 are elective units. Major subjects in the course and some of my personal favorites include
Architectural Design and Resolution, Architectural Design in Urban Contexts and Urban Design Studio.
I look forward to join these courses for widening my perspective towards architecture. These
experiences will give me insights into the relationship between a building's space and its functionality,
as well as architectural design's feasibility, which is an important factor to consider when designing.

FUTURE GOAL:
I believe in that by little hard work, little determination, little focus and ability to tackle problems
practically and theoretically. I will be able to get a post study work in Australia, where I will have a new
office environment, along with new set of tasks, people to tackle and great new projects. At the same
time, show off my skills as well as learn something new and add it to my set of skills I already have. Post
study work permit will prepare me for all type of situations in professional as well as personal life.
After completing my post study work period I will be coming back to my natives then take up a job and I
have feeling that I will be able to gain attention of the employers very soon because of my experience
and degree from Deakin University. I look forward to work in major league companies like Hok, Gensler,
KEO, CEG, PARSONS, LACASA etc. these companies have huge number of people applying every year.
But after my masters my chance of getting a good job and pay will increase drastically. An Architect gets
around QR 1,50,000 per annum and in India will be getting 30 lakh to 40 lakh rupees per annum. Also
Deakin can assist me to find appropriate jobs after my course completion. The prestigious Times Higher
Education Index has ranked Deakin third in Australia when it comes to graduate employability.

HIGHER EDUCATION VISA SUBCLASS 500:

This Visa is specially design for international students who want to study in Australia. There are some
obligations, which I have to follow:
 My visa duration is same as my course duration.
 With SUBCLASS 500 visa I can work up to 40 hours a fortnight.
 Moreover, with this student visa I must maintain 80% attendance in my course duration and
 If I change my address, I have to inform my university within 7 days.
 Before applying visa, I have to pay Student Overseas Health Cover.
 I have to maintain enrolment in a registered course and satisfy my providers requirements for
attendance and course progress.
 I have to maintain sufficient financial capacity to support my study and stay in Australia.
 I will not be eligible to lodge a new visa application in Australia and must return to my home
country.
 I cannot change my course without approval from the department.
Summarizing all written above, I assure you that I would keep up my good demeanor and diligence
during the course. Given an opportunity, I shall strive to channel my unquenchable efforts into more
productive avenues.

I am grateful for this opportunity given to me to express myself.

INCENTIVES TO RETURN TO HOME COUNTRY:

I am going to Australia purely for academic purpose. I am planning to my native country with a set skills,
expertise and experience to be an asset to the architecture industry. Also my parents are my sponsors
for my study and they will be needing my support as well. Anyways, Qatar and India have a booming
economy and they are in look for people such as me. Architecture is most gained by exposure to new
styles and techniques, which has lead me to your esteemed university where I want to learn all aspects
of architecture and design through your Master of Architecture program. It will enrich my knowledge of
architecture and carve me into a precisely finished architect, just like a beautiful sculpture, and will gain
me worldwide acknowledgment.

Thanking you,

Viren Vinod Vasan

Date: 10 July 2017