Kanchan Gyani is currently pursuing an M.S. in Applied Analytics. She is the president of the School of Professional Studies Product Management Club and a student at-large representative for the Columbia Student Government.
I am Kanchan Gyani, a current international student in the Applied Analytics program. I had worked professionally for 10 years before I finally decided to give up that life to return to school and attend Columbia University. I also hold a Masters in Software Engineering and have worked both in India and the U.S. before beginning my life at Columbia.
My new journey began with the thought of moving to New York City, a place that I had always avoided for its crowds and limelight. With no friends around in the city, I turned to the Off-Campus Housing Association (OCHA) for housing options. Luckily, I found a beautiful apartment right next to Riverside Park with amazing roommates. OCHA is an incredible resource for housing options, and I highly recommend students to use it.
Columbia welcomed me on orientation day with campus resources, swag, and Insomnia Cookies (lots and lots of them). New York City welcomed me with rain! On orientation day, I met a few students from my cohort at Alfred Lerner Hall. I now had friends to hang out with on campus and to cherish the city with. Columbia gave me a family to remember for the coming years.
Within a few weeks on campus, I realized there was a lot of pressure to get an internship and that big firms recruit well in advance. The internship fatigue kicked in and the additional stress of managing assignments, coursework, and the new way of learning in an international institution continued. Besides my coursework, I wanted to engage in more activities that the university had to offer. Hence, I joined Columbia University Life as a Sexual Respect Ambassador. I learned a lot from this experience. There are incredible resources available that show how deeply Columbia cares about its students and affiliates.
On the professional front, I learned to network and improve on building connections. I joined the School of Professional Studies Product Management Club when it started last year in 2019 and have been part of it since its creation. I am glad to have been an original member overlooking its growth, connecting to various resources around Product Management, and acting as the standing President.
The Career Design Lab (CDL) has many resources available to students to start focusing on their career path. Their sessions helped me realize where I would like to head professionally in the future. The professors value their students and are always ready to help and answer any question no matter how trivial it is. Resources at the School of Professional Studies are evolving with student feedback, and that is a healthy sign of belonging in the Columbia community.
I attended many events on campus during my initial semesters until we adjusted to the pandemic. I packaged and distributed food to the homeless for the Day of Service, designed lanterns for the Morningside Light show, and tabled for various other events. Two of the most memorable events were Summer in December and a silent disco at Low Library. Speaking of Low Library, my memories of Alma Mater, Butler, and Low Library are as fresh in my mind now as they were on my first day on campus. These monumental landmarks define Columbia and what it stands for.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any other person or entity.
