Multi-tasking her way to excellence
When software engineering grad Vijeta Patel starts work on the Internet Explorer team at Microsoft’s Seattle headquarters in September, you can be sure it won’t be a consolation job. She also interviewed with Google and Amazon and declined a second interview with Facebook.
All par for the course for a student who maintained a GPA of 4.1 while participating in extracurricular activities and co-op work terms with companies like IBM.
Patel first discovered the advantages of extracurricular projects when she was in CEGEP at Dawson College.
“I loved having that sense of community,” she says, “so when I started at Concordia I wanted to get involved.”
During her four years at Concordia, Patel held various posts in the Engineering and Computer Science Association, culminating in her role this year as Vice-President Academic. That position demanded that she plan the iron ring ceremony for her graduating class, manage the exam bank, help students find tutors, and attend meetings with the faculty to discuss curriculum changes. As well, she helped organize the Canadian University Software Engineering Conference over each of the past four years, and will chair the 2012 conference.
“My experience with extracurricular activities put me in leadership positions,” she says. “I’m really good now at delegating and dealing with people, and managing my time.”
But it wasn’t easy. When she started at Concordia, Patel’s grades were in the A+ range, but as she got more deeply involved “the Bs started creeping in.” This slippage forced her to confront her work-school balance and find an approach that allowed her to excel in both. Which, of course, she did.
A Montreal native, Patel is excited about her move to Seattle, but in the interim she’s planned a well-deserved holiday: two months travelling through Europe with friends.
Related links:
• Concordia's Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering
• Canadian University Software Engineering Conference