Recently I have received a lot of questions about my experiences during the MEng program, including study and job seeking. I feel really honored to be asked about my past stories while at the same time I found these questions pretty similar and they can be mainly summarized into 15 questions.
- Who are you?
Hello, new Bears!
I am an alumna of MEng class of 2020, majoring in IEOR (Industrial Engineering & Operations Research) with a track in Intellectual Property & Data Analysis. I am currently working full-time in the US and I feel thrilled about my job every day, which is mainly about technical support and customer service.
2. What is your background?
Wow this is a good question!
When looking back, my journey till now is relatively versatile. I was on the track of literature in high school and studied supply chain management in undergrad. I also went to Harvard University for a summer session and Columbia University as a visiting student. Meanwhile, I worked as a researcher in junior and senior year under the supervision of the associate director of my department. And it is needless to say how challenging it was to pursue a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering at UC Berkeley.
All of these experiences gave me different perspectives and they are the reason why I’m who I am today. (INTERSECTION, You’re The Reason)
3. What did you focus on during the MEng program?
Well, to be honest, my greatest focus and my first priority was how to successfully graduate from this program. The whole process was full of rolling and crawling. I mean it.
As you may already know, the program consists of courses (technical & leadership) and capstone projects. I had a lot of pressure and struggled hard in literally ALL technical courses. Leadership bootcamp was another tough story about communication. Speaking of my capstone project, intellectual property was a completely new concept to my little brain and I was afraid of getting overloaded and finally crashed. Luckily I was able to get through all the obstacles and create miracles, if I may say so myself.
The rest of my list was job hunting and doing exercises and having enough sleep. Nothing was really positive during my first two semesters (Yes I extended to a 3rd term), although I would say I was extremely lucky to land a full-time position before my graduation in 2020 Fall.
4. Can you talk about some of your highlights in the program?
No problem! This is probably one of my favorite questions!
I would like to start from my capstone project, which was to commercialize Ion Accelerators from LBNL. I owed all my contributions to the faculty advisor Prof. Lee Fleming, Industry advisors Bowman Heiden and Matt Rappaport, together with my lovely teammates: Cinyi, Demi, Jessica and Remi. Our project brief is as follows:
Next highlight would be my participation in the Health ++ Hackathon at Stanford University.
Our project was to improve detection of healthcare fraud via machine learning. And just as my team member and best friend Dennis put it, this was a great opportunity full of exhilarations and surprises.
“Last weekend, I had the pleasure to participate at Health++, an annual hackathon on health-related topics hosted by Stanford University. As this was my first hackathon, I didn’t know what to expect, but the two days turned out to be both exhilarating and full of surprises.
Together with my fellow Cal students Katja, Yilin (Elsa), Melvin and Mihir, we developed “Perspicio”, a tool that improves the detection of Medicare fraud via Machine Learning. Specifically, our algorithm analyzes publicly available payment data to group physicians and healthcare service providers into risk groups, thereby facilitating the detection of fraudulent claims and augmenting the often opaque claim review process.
Thanks to Major League Hacking for making this event possible and UC Berkeley Coleman Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership for connecting me to this wonderful opportunity!” — Dennis Zhang, MEng’ 2020 BIOE
I also want to mention my partaking in Mars Wrigley Sustainability Packathon 2020. I did not enter the final round but I tried my best to innovatively apply the supply chain knowledge to real life. The whole process was brain-storming, brain-burning and brain-boosting.
5. How to get these opportunities?
Please check my article “UC Berkeley MEng 101: Social-Study-Sleep”.
The first and closest resource is friends from other departments. I was able to join my first ever hackathon in Stanford University because Dennis, my neighbor and friend from bioengineering, forwarded me the message and I signed up. Great thanks to him!
Second is program-wise and college-wise platforms and activities. As far as I know, Fung Institute would usually have alumni brunch, FI Connect, coffee chats, and MEng Jobs & Events Digest, etc. MEng students can also go to career coaches for help (e.g. making an appointment through MEng student portal). Even your capstone project can be a good opportunity to socialize with professors, industrial advisors and students from other departments.
Last but not least is career resources provided by the university, such as Career Center, Spring/Fall Career Fairs, HandShake, SkyDeck (UC Berkeley startup incubator), SCET, study-abroad program, school organizations and clubs, etc.
6. Which professor do you recommend?
Well I guess the answer is pretty clear. As I commented in the article “Fung Institute celebrates 10 years with Lee Fleming”:
“Lee has been one of the most inspiring professors for me in Berkeley. He is a very humble and extremely talented individual as demonstrated through his support and care for students. He has a very unique trait to make students feel like he is always there with any support necessary. In fast-paced environments it is often rare.”
7. Why did you extend the program to a third term?
Because of the COVID which broke out in the US last March. At that time, the job market was trending down to the possibly lowest point, while flying back home was very risky as well. After consulting with advisors, parents, friends and almost all other resources accessible to me, I decided to take the extension, during which I mainly interned at a startup and prepared myself for employment.
8. What is your biggest gain from the MEng program?
I would definitely say “communication” because I had the perfect chance to practice communication skills, especially English.
Yes, trust me, it is English. I had a TOEFL score of 109 and GRE 325. I can talk with people in English and they can understand me without a problem. But that doesn’t mean I am good at it. Language is a medium of communication and that is the foundation of almost 90% of my whole life here at UC Berkeley. And the thing is, I cannot express myself in English as accurately as I do in my mother tongue. Yet for better communication, accuracy is indispensable.
I felt like I was always thinking about one specific question: ”Is there a better way to say that?” I do want to make a clear, concise and correct description so the listeners can understand me effortlessly.
9. How did you prepare yourself for employment?
So first, I was trying my best to seize all opportunities I could access. Also, I received a lot of help and guidance from my distinguished classmates. And then “practice makes perfect”.
I myself would like to recommend the Plan-Do-Check-Act method, also known as PDCA Cycle, for continuous improvement.
10. Do you have any tips for a good timeline for the master program, job seeking and OPT?
Please check the official website and consult with your advisors as well as Berkeley International Office for accurate details.
11. Tips for choosing courses and capstone projects?
Well first, please check the official website and consult with your advisors for graduation requirements.
Next, maybe you can start from your interests, major and past research/internship experiences to draft your own plan and write it down. Sometimes you may need to challenge yourself and walk out of your comfort zone.
Last but not least, uncertainty is everywhere so please relax if you have done all you could do.
12. Do you know anything about Data Analyst and Product Manager?
Not really because I am not working as a data analyst or a product manager. You may search for job descriptions for more details.
It may also work if the students request some panels where the alumni talk about a typical day as data analysts and/or product managers.
13. Where do you go for groceries?
I usually go to WholeFood Market, Trader Joe’s and Target for groceries and daily necessities. I also do a lot of online shopping. And Oakland Chinatown is a great addition to all above.
14. Do you know any attractions in Berkeley?
Yes, here are some of my favorite places to visit in Berkeley:
Berkeley Hills, Rose Garden (on Euclid Ave), Berkeley Botanical Garden, Aquatic park, etc.
P.S. You can also check DailyCal for more local news.
15. Do you think your answers are really helpful for the incoming students?
To be honest, I don’t know but I hope so.
What I mentioned is only from my personal opinion. And you know, life does not have a standard answer and thus it does not allow for a copy.
