QS Academic Excellence Scholarship Winner 2021: Aryan Mehra

Definitely, I think that there should be many more scholarships that reward meritorious students. It has given me recognition for the hard work that I have done in the past and gives me the necessary incentive to pursue higher studies.

Yes, I would have gone to CMU in any case, because it is the best place to foster my interests in computer science and machine learning.

The QS scholarship was one of the few scholarships that catered to the international student community. It was appealing to me because it awarded my academic prowess and ability to bring change in the world purely based on merit. QS is a renowned organization with a great reputation, and that added to the appeal of the scholarship.

I firmly believe that computer science has the potential to empower people in every remote corner of the world. In this COVID era, it is the backbone of growth now more than ever. Hence, I have approached my studies with zeal and found computer science to be of utmost importance and interest to me. Specifically, I have found machine learning to be applicable in many inter-disciplinary fields.

I believe that there are three aspects to my academic career that have stood out. Firstly, most of my academic career is centered around solving humanitarian and environmental challenges with computer science. It leads to a sense of fulfillment and paints a broader picture in every project I took up. Secondly, my academic journey has been a diverse amalgamation of application-based problem-solving. At every step, I have tried to optimize my approach and give my best at a university, national and international scale. Thirdly, I think I have been able to show what each academic and personal experience taught me, and how it is an integral part of who I am today.

I would suggest that just you should definitely stick to the topic (prompt) and show how you can “connect the dots”. Try to make full use of the word limit to beautifully paint a picture of who you are and what experiences are behind your academics, academic personality, and academic prowess. Why you did what you did, and what you achieved, are both significant aspects to cover with your academic excellence experiences.

I would guide the students to never lose any opportunity to gain exposure, increase knowledge and treat knowledge and academics as an invaluable asset, probably the only one that no one takes away from you. Give your best in every aspect of academics, and the best will come to you. For the scholarship itself, make sure to cover each academic experience with a brief of why you did it, what was the outcome, and what you learned from it.