Meet Niraj

Name: Niraj Badhiwala

Hometown: Garland, Texas

High school: Naaman Forest High School

Major: Electrical Engineering/Pre-Medicine

Minor: Biology

Expected graduation: December 2008

Journey from India to UT Austin

My journey to UT Austin began in October of 2000 when I moved to this country from a small town in India. School was very different here and the transition was difficult. Soon, some of my high school teachers became a great influence on me. I still remember when my world history teacher suggested researching UT Austin as a possible place to go after I graduated from school.

When I seriously started looking at different colleges, UT was one of my top choices. It’s a huge place with lots of people. It’s located in Austin, which is not too far from home. Engineering and Computer Sciences departments have very good reputations and there are ample opportunities to get involved in undergraduate research. But what made me choose UT over other colleges was the energetic and diverse student life.

Building on Strengths

Ever since I was a child I have always been good with mathematics and numbers. In high school, I participated in a lot of academic competitions such as Number Sense UIL, Calculators UIL, Computer Science UIL, and a programming competition. I wanted to build on my strengths and a career in engineering seemed very attractive. When I came to UT as a freshman, I wanted to become a software engineer. I joined the Turing Scholars Honors Program, as well as the Engineering Honors Program. They proved to be very challenging but rewarding majors.

Staying Involved

Being part of different student organizations has been a major part of my university experience. I have been highly involved in the Indian Cultural Association for the past three years. We have organized numerous events on and around campus to educate and entertain UT students about Indian culture. From screening bollywood movies to serving Indian food, from hosting cricket tournaments to raising awareness and money for underprivileged children, staying involved in the Indian Cultural Association has been a great learning experience.

I had the honor of being the president of this wonderful organization last year (2007-2008). I’ve learned a lot from this experience – how to manage time, be part of a team, handle conflicts and resolve differences to work toward a common goal. I’m a much more confident person than I was before. I will never forget the day when UTLB gave us the “Most Outstanding Organization” award – the most prestigious award an organization can receive.

Studying Together

After coming to UT, I have formed a habit of studying with friends. This works great for me. I can have fun AND get a lot of work done. Whether it’s with people I am taking classes with or just people I know, studying together keeps me going.

My friends and I have formed a habit of studying in the computer lab in the PCL. Most nights, we all get together after 10 p.m. or so to start doing our work. It is easy to take a break there. There are computers in the PCL lab so we can watch a video or talk with a friend. On the other hand, almost everyone is studying there, which helps me stay focused. Usually at 2 a.m. when the PCL closes, all of us go to Ken’s Donuts to eat tasty samosas. This routine has been ingrained in my daily life so much that it’s really hard for me to study by myself past midnight. It’s a little ironic that some of the most memorable moments of my college life have occurred while studying in the PCL!!

Ready to Move On

As I experienced life at UT, I uncovered many things about myself that made me interested in different things. After a semester, I became interested in having a career in medicine. I love interacting with and helping people. After taking some biology classes and labs, volunteering in a hospital and joining a pre-med organization, I decided to further pursue my interest in medicine. Since pre-medicine is not a major at UT, I had to pick a major. After talking to my professors, classmates, friends and parents, I decided to go the hard way. Keeping my electrical engineering major was the most logical option.

In retrospect, doing one of the toughest majors wasn’t so easy–maintaining a very high GPA is a must to get into a good medical school. I have been challenged and I have had lots of opportunities to demonstrate my skills. But now I know that I will be able to handle medical school just fine and I am capable of working in teams, taking leadership and initiatives and solving tough problems. I also got the opportunity to do two excellent internships – one at National Instruments and the other at Cisco Systems. I feel ready to move on to the next phase – med school.

Send Niraj an e-mail at nirajbadhiwala@mail.utexas.edu