[NFB-Science] Blind Students interest in Chemical Engineering at MIT

[Bhavya shah]

Dear Dr. Konda,

I am a rising sophomore currently studying discrete mathematics and
theoretical computer science at Stanford University. While I did not
apply to MIT or the University of Illinois, I did apply to - and
receive acceptances at - Stanford and Harvard. Please find my
responses to your questions below:

1 There is no brief answer to this question. Different schools look
for varying traits but are not transparent about those, and even the
best applicants - I know of some exceptionally meritorious students
myself - can get rejected from top schools. Rigorous online research
and receiving extensive feedback can go a long way in preparing a
solid college application. One word of caution though would be to
recognize that a great SAT score enough means very little; far too
many students score in the 1500s so admission officers require much
more than that to differentiate a student from the pool.

2 The unique aspect of US higher education is that at many
institutions, students have as many as two years of their
undergraduate career to experiment with different fields before
needing to declare their major. Coming into Stanford, I was actively
considering Chemistry as a prospective major; as my freshman year
nears its end, I can report that my interests have completely pivoted
towards the Mathematics and Computer Science majors. I would encourage
your student to not feel pressured to finalize a field of study right
now.

3 As an international student myself (I am Indian), I empathize with
the confusion about the accommodation process at American colleges. I
believe most, if not all, institutions have a dedicated office that
serves students with disabilities and handles the accommodation
process. Getting a sense of the relative levels of accessibility on
different campuses was a challenge that I, too, faced during the
application cycle. I suggest that your student apply to all
institutions of interest based on parameters other than disability
services for now, and compare and contrast disability services once
application results are out and they know their acceptances.

Please feel free to reach out offlist in case of further questions.
Best wishes to you and the student you are working with!

Thanks.

On 5/25/21, Murthy Konda via NFB-Science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Dear All,
>
>
>
> I am new on this mailing list and would like to introduce myself. I have a
> PhD in Chemical Engineering from Singapore and worked at Imperial College
> London before moving to the US in 2011. Since then, I worked at two Federal
> Labs under the US Department of Energy prior to moving to industry
> recently. As a low vision Engineer and Scientist, I rely heavily on several
> assistive technologies including Windows Magnifier, Voice Over in iPhone,
> and a Cane.
>
>
>
> Currently, I am helping a blind student in deciding between Chemical
> Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering. The student secured a good SAT
> score and considering, among others, MIT and University of Illinois. Some
> of the specific questions that I am hoping to help this student with
> include:
>
>
>
> 1)      Is there anything the student can do to maximize his chances of
> admission any given school? (since I have not studied in the US, I am not
> quite sure about the admission process and best practices).
>
> 2)      Are there any websites and other resources towards helping
> prospective blind students to take informed decisions while choosing
> undergraduate engineering disciplines and Universities?
>
> 3)      How to find out how ‘accessible’ an engineering discipline is at
> any given University? What types of accommodations available at the
> Department- and/or University-level. For instance, I am aware of a
> campus-wide accommodations center at Imperial College London. Not sure how
> these work here in the US. I have reached out to the Chair of the Chemical
> Engineering at MIT and hoping to hear from her.
>
>
>
> While I am currently focusing on helping this student from Chicago area, my
> long-term goal is to guide many such talented students interested in
> pursuing Engineering Education.
>
>
>
> I hope I am able to make myself clear. Any of your advice would be greatly
> appreciated. As needed, I am also available to speak on phone.
>
>
>
> Sincerely
>
> Murthy Konda, PhD
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-- 
Best Regards
Bhavya Shah
Stanford University | Class of 2024
E-mail Address: bhavya.shah125 at gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavyashah125/