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- Do I Belong? Do I Belong? | Purdue USB
For as long as I can remember, I was sure I would pursue a career in a technical field. Growing up in a family full of software engineers, I was familiarized with technical terminology and computers very early on. While I never really pursued computer science seriously until high school, it was definitely a subject I was fond of throughout my schooling.
I was so sure that this was what I wanted to do – that is, up until I stepped into the classroom of my first official CS class in high school. At first I thought it was just because attendance was low on the first day of classes, but by the time week 2 of 11th grade rolled around I realized that I was only one of 2 other girls pursuing CS at my high school.
The lack of representation made me question whether I was really cut out for the classes I was taking. Even though I would consistently be among the highest scoring students in class, there was a thought at the back of my mind that made me wonder when I would run out of “luck”. Most A+’s felt like flukes and every failed code block would reinforce my fear of not being good enough. I guess that’s quite dramatic but unfortunately it’s not something I’m concocting for a blog post. Thankfully, this attitude really began to shift when I attended Purdue.
Walking into CS180, the sheer number of women in the room greatly encouraged me. It made me feel capable and the gender gap in STEM suddenly seemed far less formidable. Even when taking difficult CS courses, I felt like my struggle was not just specific to my individual experience. The representation in CS, even if it is lesser than I would hope it to be, allowed me to approach difficult concepts without feeling the need to prove my worth and letting every minor mishap be a discouragement. For the most part, I don’t think the discomfort of being a minority in tech really resurfaced until I had my first internship offer letter in hand.
Confused? So was I. Getting an internship was supposed to be a happy thing, right? After a busy application season and many trying interviews, I was happy to see that all my efforts paid off. I felt so encouraged and motivated…until I was called a diversity hire. I was shocked. I thought I was past the stage of feeling insecure, I’d assumed the imposter syndrome had gone away. But at that one comment, old fears rushed back and I suddenly felt undeserving of that offer letter.
Following that experience, it took me a while to straighten my shoulders and face the world confidently again. I’ll spare you the details, but it involved a lot of pep-talking, Doja Cat, and solving LeetCode to convince myself that I belong. As a woman in today’s STEM corporate landscape, you may find yourself in situations where you’ll have to remind yourself, like I had to, that you are where you are because of your hard work, and not just luck.
I’m grateful that over the years I’ve had the chance to be a part of incredible organizations, like Girls Who Code and The Girl Code, who are working very hard to bridge the gender gap in computer science. While I worked as an instructor/coordinator at these organizations, I noticed that women in tech tend to question themselves and their ability far more than their male counterparts. Hopefully, this mentality will change as trends in representation shift. However, I believe that it is essential for us to encourage ourselves and lift each other up along the way.
I know that this fear of not-being enough or being out of place will surely crop up again, but it is up to us on how we want to react. The world is filled with inspiring individuals who belong to underrepresented communities in the fields they shine in. I look to them for inspiration and strive to emulate their resolve while I work towards carving out my own career path. This has greatly helped me and I encourage you to do the same. To all the students who may feel out of place at Purdue CS, to you I say: you belong.
Boiler Up!
Category: belonging
Thank you for your feedback!
Read More Blogs Do I Belong? Do I Belong? | Purdue USB
For as long as I can remember, I was sure I would pursue a career in a technical field. Growing up in a family full of software engineers, I was familiarized with technical terminology and computers very early on. While I never really pursued computer science seriously until high school, it was definitely a subject I was fond of throughout my schooling.
I was so sure that this was what I wanted to do – that is, up until I stepped into the classroom of my first official CS class in high school. At first I thought it was just because attendance was low on the first day of classes, but by the time week 2 of 11th grade rolled around I realized that I was only one of 2 other girls pursuing CS at my high school.
The lack of representation made me question whether I was really cut out for the classes I was taking. Even though I would consistently be among the highest scoring students in class, there was a thought at the back of my mind that made me wonder when I would run out of “luck”. Most A+’s felt like flukes and every failed code block would reinforce my fear of not being good enough. I guess that’s quite dramatic but unfortunately it’s not something I’m concocting for a blog post. Thankfully, this attitude really began to shift when I attended Purdue.
Walking into CS180, the sheer number of women in the room greatly encouraged me. It made me feel capable and the gender gap in STEM suddenly seemed far less formidable. Even when taking difficult CS courses, I felt like my struggle was not just specific to my individual experience. The representation in CS, even if it is lesser than I would hope it to be, allowed me to approach difficult concepts without feeling the need to prove my worth and letting every minor mishap be a discouragement. For the most part, I don’t think the discomfort of being a minority in tech really resurfaced until I had my first internship offer letter in hand.
Confused? So was I. Getting an internship was supposed to be a happy thing, right? After a busy application season and many trying interviews, I was happy to see that all my efforts paid off. I felt so encouraged and motivated…until I was called a diversity hire. I was shocked. I thought I was past the stage of feeling insecure, I’d assumed the imposter syndrome had gone away. But at that one comment, old fears rushed back and I suddenly felt undeserving of that offer letter.
Following that experience, it took me a while to straighten my shoulders and face the world confidently again. I’ll spare you the details, but it involved a lot of pep-talking, Doja Cat, and solving LeetCode to convince myself that I belong. As a woman in today’s STEM corporate landscape, you may find yourself in situations where you’ll have to remind yourself, like I had to, that you are where you are because of your hard work, and not just luck.
I’m grateful that over the years I’ve had the chance to be a part of incredible organizations, like Girls Who Code and The Girl Code, who are working very hard to bridge the gender gap in computer science. While I worked as an instructor/coordinator at these organizations, I noticed that women in tech tend to question themselves and their ability far more than their male counterparts. Hopefully, this mentality will change as trends in representation shift. However, I believe that it is essential for us to encourage ourselves and lift each other up along the way.
I know that this fear of not-being enough or being out of place will surely crop up again, but it is up to us on how we want to react. The world is filled with inspiring individuals who belong to underrepresented communities in the fields they shine in. I look to them for inspiration and strive to emulate their resolve while I work towards carving out my own career path. This has greatly helped me and I encourage you to do the same. To all the students who may feel out of place at Purdue CS, to you I say: you belong.
Boiler Up!
Category: belonging
Thank you for your feedback!
Read More Blogs Considering Graduate School at Purdue? Considering Graduate School at Purdue? | Purdue USB
Considering Grad School at Purdue CS? If so, this blog post is just for you.
A little bit about me(or why should you listen to me…). My name is Pinaki. I am a second-semester Master’s student in the CS+STAT Joint Masters at Purdue. I graduated from Purdue in May 2021 with a Bachelor in Computer Science with specializations in Machine Intelligence, Database and Information Systems, and Theory. I also minored in Math and Statistics. During my undergraduate years at Purdue, I have been a part of Association of Multicultural Computer Scientists(AMCS), Reach Out for Computer Science(ROCS), Global Science Partners(GSP), and of course Undergraduate Student Board for Computer Science(USB). I have been a part of USB, actively and passively, for more than three years. I have contributed to initiatives like TA Training and Virtual Office Hours. Advocating on behalf of students is something I enjoy doing and that is why I am here to help! A key concern amongst undergrads, often echoed via student forums, here at Purdue is the lack of knowledge about grad school. I am here to advocate why you should consider Purdue CS for an MS degree, especially if you are finishing/finished your undergrad at Purdue. What prompted me to go for an MS? I wanted to learn about topics whose discussion was beyond the scope of the classroom; I wanted to augment my knowledge. Also, I enjoyed school in general and wanted to explore research. I started applying for master’s programs sometime around September 2020. I had all my decisions in by February-March 2021. Despite some really competitive offers, I decided to pursue my MS at Purdue owing to the following reasons.
Cost of Living for some locations was 2-3x more than that of West Lafayette Teaching Assistantship: This was a big one because often MS programs do not offer assistantships. At Purdue, my tuition was covered, and I got a stipend once in two weeks. Taking a wide variety of courses at Purdue equips you with the knowledge of ‘how to run the course’. This also ensures constituency and quality. Keep in mind, being a GTA comes with a lot of responsibilities; you are in charge of the quality of the fabric of the curriculum. Also, my medical insurance was covered. I was essentially staff now. Familiarity with the department was another one. Purdue has been my home for 4 years. Saying goodbye can be hard :’) Influx of New Faculty (especially in AI, ML) made me stay at Purdue with the prospect of research collaboration Purdue’s CS MS Program offers MS Degrees in many flavors: General/Vanilla, CSE (Computational Sciences and Engineering), CLS (Computational Life Sciences), and CS+STAT. This factor made me strongly consider Purdue as this kind of flexibility was not available everywhere. Other than that, there is the 5 Year BS+MS combined degree program, which can help you save a year. This does not apply to me as I took 4 sweet years to complete my BS and then separately applied for an MS. If you are at the junction of deciding on grad school, I hope these pointers would make Purdue look like an attractive option. I also serve as the Undergraduate Committee Representative at the Graduate Student Board for Computer Science (GSB). If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Boiler Up!
Category: belonging
Thank you for your feedback!
Read More Blogs Considering Graduate School at Purdue? Considering Graduate School at Purdue? | Purdue USB
Considering Grad School at Purdue CS? If so, this blog post is just for you.
A little bit about me(or why should you listen to me…). My name is Pinaki. I am a second-semester Master’s student in the CS+STAT Joint Masters at Purdue. I graduated from Purdue in May 2021 with a Bachelor in Computer Science with specializations in Machine Intelligence, Database and Information Systems, and Theory. I also minored in Math and Statistics. During my undergraduate years at Purdue, I have been a part of Association of Multicultural Computer Scientists(AMCS), Reach Out for Computer Science(ROCS), Global Science Partners(GSP), and of course Undergraduate Student Board for Computer Science(USB). I have been a part of USB, actively and passively, for more than three years. I have contributed to initiatives like TA Training and Virtual Office Hours. Advocating on behalf of students is something I enjoy doing and that is why I am here to help! A key concern amongst undergrads, often echoed via student forums, here at Purdue is the lack of knowledge about grad school. I am here to advocate why you should consider Purdue CS for an MS degree, especially if you are finishing/finished your undergrad at Purdue. What prompted me to go for an MS? I wanted to learn about topics whose discussion was beyond the scope of the classroom; I wanted to augment my knowledge. Also, I enjoyed school in general and wanted to explore research. I started applying for master’s programs sometime around September 2020. I had all my decisions in by February-March 2021. Despite some really competitive offers, I decided to pursue my MS at Purdue owing to the following reasons.
Cost of Living for some locations was 2-3x more than that of West Lafayette Teaching Assistantship: This was a big one because often MS programs do not offer assistantships. At Purdue, my tuition was covered, and I got a stipend once in two weeks. Taking a wide variety of courses at Purdue equips you with the knowledge of ‘how to run the course’. This also ensures constituency and quality. Keep in mind, being a GTA comes with a lot of responsibilities; you are in charge of the quality of the fabric of the curriculum. Also, my medical insurance was covered. I was essentially staff now. Familiarity with the department was another one. Purdue has been my home for 4 years. Saying goodbye can be hard :’) Influx of New Faculty (especially in AI, ML) made me stay at Purdue with the prospect of research collaboration Purdue’s CS MS Program offers MS Degrees in many flavors: General/Vanilla, CSE (Computational Sciences and Engineering), CLS (Computational Life Sciences), and CS+STAT. This factor made me strongly consider Purdue as this kind of flexibility was not available everywhere. Other than that, there is the 5 Year BS+MS combined degree program, which can help you save a year. This does not apply to me as I took 4 sweet years to complete my BS and then separately applied for an MS. If you are at the junction of deciding on grad school, I hope these pointers would make Purdue look like an attractive option. I also serve as the Undergraduate Committee Representative at the Graduate Student Board for Computer Science (GSB). If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Boiler Up!
Category: belonging
Thank you for your feedback!
Read More Blogs USB Blog Posts USB Blog Posts | Purdue USB
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Interested in Degree+? Taking languages classes unlocked a different perspective
Keys for Success in CS180 CS180 is a Purdue CS rite of passage, but with these tips, you can get through!
One thing I learned from my freshman year Freshman year taught me to how to find balance between school and my social life
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Do I Belong? Self doubt: it plagues us all
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Purdue Technical Projects Struggling to start personal projects, we can help.
Balancing CS and Exercise Health and Fitness @ Purdue
Interested in Degree+? Taking languages classes unlocked a different perspective
Keys for Success in CS180 CS180 is a Purdue CS rite of passage, but with these tips, you can get through!
One thing I learned from my freshman year Freshman year taught me to how to find balance between school and my social life
Navigating My Freshman Year Navigating my Freshman Year comes with its own set of challenges, but with the help of clubs and friends, I was able to find a home at Purdue
My Experience as a First-generation and Low-income Student at Purdue The financial aid process isn't the easiest to navigate, but here are some tips for students with a similar background as me.
Getting started in Computer Science Research as an Undergraduate Research in the CS department isn't the easiest to get involved in, but here we answer some common questions.
Do I Belong? Self doubt: it plagues us all
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Considering Graduate School at Purdue? If you are considering graduate school at Purdue, here are some incentives to apply.
Purdue Technical Projects Struggling to start personal projects, we can help.
Balancing CS and Exercise Health and Fitness @ Purdue
Interested in Degree+? Taking languages classes unlocked a different perspective
Keys for Success in CS180 CS180 is a Purdue CS rite of passage, but with these tips, you can get through!
One thing I learned from my freshman year Freshman year taught me to how to find balance between school and my social life
Navigating My Freshman Year Navigating my Freshman Year comes with its own set of challenges, but with the help of clubs and friends, I was able to find a home at Purdue
My Experience as a First-generation and Low-income Student at Purdue The financial aid process isn't the easiest to navigate, but here are some tips for students with a similar background as me.
Getting started in Computer Science Research as an Undergraduate Research in the CS department isn't the easiest to get involved in, but here we answer some common questions.
Do I Belong? Self doubt: it plagues us all
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