Join us for some insights into MIT's Engineering Program [Show Summary]

Syed Shayan Zahid moved to the United States from Pakistan to pursue an education in engineering. He shares his journey from an undergrad at Purdue to a master’s at MIT and his next step, a career at Apple. 

Interview with Syed Shayan Zahid, student body vice president at MIT [Show Notes]

Hello and welcome. Thanks for joining me for this, the 460th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. Before I dive into today's interview, I want to invite you to download Applying To Graduate Engineering Programs: What You Need To Know. This free guide will complement today's podcast and show you how to select the right engineering program for you, differentiate yourself from your competition in a positive way, and present yourself effectively as a talented, innovative future engineer and problem solver. One who will bring credit to any program that accepts you. Download it for free.

I'd like to welcome to Admissions Straight Talk, Syed Shayan Zahid. Shayan grew up in Pakistan and came into the United States to study at Purdue University in Indiana and graduated in 2019 with distinction. While there, he pursued multiple internships at Cummins Inc. and also worked there full-time briefly. In 2020, he began his Master's in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT. Now that's the skeleton of his story. Let's put some meat on those bones in this conversation. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your background? Where did you grow up? How'd you get interested in engineering? [2:17]

My name is Shayan, that's how I usually go by. Some people prefer calling me Syed, but whatever you prefer. I'm originally from Pakistan. I grew up in this metropolitan city called Lahore. It's one of the busiest cities, I would say, in Pakistan and is known for its historical significance and cultural heritage. We have, from the Mughal Empire dated centuries ago, a lot of historical monuments and buildings, and the city is divided into two parts. One is called Old Lahore, and the other is called just New Lahore, or Lahore in general. I am from the more modern part of it, but it was really interesting growing up in a place where you have a lot of history embedded in your day-to-day life.

What do you like to do for fun? [3:10]

That's a very good question. It depends on the time of the year, honestly. And then depending on how much time I have outside of my academic commitments. But mostly I like skiing. I've been doing ballroom dancing since 2015, since I moved to the US. I've been competing as well but COVID has stopped that spree of competitions. Hopefully they're going to start back up soon. I like to also pursue interests such as hiking, anything that involves being outdoors and traveling.

How did you get interested in engineering? [4:20]

That's a question I had a lot of difficulty answering for myself when I was applying to the US and undergrad. The main key thing that I looked to was what my experience was like in childhood and what I truly enjoyed. There were a few options. I took biology, chemistry,