So I had my 15 minutes of fame at Drexel University, courtsey The Triangle (the weekly student newspaper at DU.) This of course makes the assumption that The Triangle is famous. Anyway, I was featured in the paper as a part of the “Graudating Student Profile.” I had the entire 4th page dedicated to me. I’m going to try and replicate it here, picture and all. The article itself can be found here. I hope I’m not violating any copyrights or anything, because the article is about me, afterall. I’m also dedicating the source. All credit goes to The Triangle, the author of the piece Abigail Raymond and the photographer Mellisa Ronan.

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Graduating Senior Profile: College of Information Science and Technology

Abigail Raymond

Posted: 4/28/06

Prior to 2001, graduating senior Krishna Srinivasan had never stepped foot in the United States.

Srinivasan will be graduating in June as a part of the accelerated B.S.-M.S. program with his B.S. in information systems and his M.S. in software engineering.

He is an international student from Bangalore, India, and was attracted to the University because of its co-op program. His reason for coming to Philadelphia was his origin from a city and the desire “to keep that big city atmosphere.” The only other school he seriously considered was the University of Miami.

Early in high school, after taking a few computer-related courses, Srinivasan decided that he wanted to work in the computer industry, and chose information systems based on reading the program description in the University’s catalog.

During his time at the University, Srinivasan participated in two co-op experiences. His first co-op involved database and scripting work with Flint Ink in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a job which he found through an independent search. It was the first time that he has left Philadelphia, and he enjoyed the “small town atmosphere.”

“I was more than happy to get out of here for a bit and see a new place, experience new people,” Srinivasan said.

His second co-op experience was in Newtown Square, Pa. with SAP America, a German business software company. SAP is the third-largest software company in the world. At this job, he performed tasks such as scripting and database work but had an increased level of customer interaction, which Srinivasan particularly enjoyed.

“That was a fantastic work experience, mainly because SAP is a huge company,” Srinivasan said. “Working in that environment, where you know you’re contributing to a company that has a global presence, is a good feeling.”

The most rewarding part of his co-op experiences was working with large multinational corporations such as Flint and SAP.

“I [like] working in an environment where you’re interacting with people around the world around the clock,” Srinivasan said. “There were times when I’d be on conference calls with people across the country and across the world, which was really interesting.”

After graduation, Srinivasan will be working with Deloitte Consulting in Glen Mills, Pa. as a consultant and an incoming systems analyst. He found the position through a career fair held at the University this past fall.

It was as a result of his co-op experiences that Srinivasan realized he wanted to work in consulting.

“With my two co-op experiences, by the end of my six months there, I found myself getting very restless doing the same thing repetitively, over and over again,” Srinivasan said. “And with consulting, the fantastic thing is that you work on a project six months or nine months, and then it’s time to get moved on to a different project, a new project, and get started again. That’s the nature of the consulting business in general and there tends to be a lot of traveling involved, which I think I won’t get bogged down or bored by.”

Within the IST program, those in the B.S. program take about two or three IS courses per term. These students must also take various courses in humanities and behavioral science as well as introductory math and science freshman year.

IS courses are heavily lecture-based and include many projects and papers that require independent research. The more hands-on projects come later in the curriculum.

Freshman year is mostly introductory courses, which explain the fundamentals of IS and also set the basis for areas such as human-computer interaction and software systems design. In their sophomore year, students get more into the specifics of systems design, databases and human-computer interaction. In their pre-junior year, students get to choose a more concentrated line of coursework, although it is not an official concentration. Srinivasan chose to focus on database-related coursework.

Since Srinivasan was a part of the B.S.-M.S. program, his coursework during the last two years varied from other students. He accomplished in four years what most in the major do in five. Junior year was culminated by Srinivasan’s senior design project, and senior year was spent concentrating on his master’s courses.

“I think being in the program itself was quite a challenge, trying to cope with both undergraduate and graduate classes at the same time,” Srinivasan said.

Deciding to take the B.S.-M.S. program was a demanding, yet rewarding, experience, and one that he recommends to incoming students.

“The program was definitely an excellent way to add to my credibility and marketability, and it has.”

Srinivasan’s favorite part of the IST curriculum is his senior project because it recalled everything he has learned in the curriculum during his time at the University. Some of Srinivasan’s most enjoyable coursework has been the sociology courses taken for electives through the criminal justice department, which examined computer and internet crimes and forged a connection between technology and law.

While Srinivasan wishes that the major was better concentrated to focus on I.S.-related courses, he understands the benefit of having a broad range of knowledge.

“One of the features of this program is that it prepares you for a wide variety of things,” Srinivasan said. “There’s no main single concentration. It has given me the options to move in different directions as I see fit.”

Srinivasan was the president of the Drexel Cricket Club during his pre-junior and junior years, and will remain a member until his graduation. When he first came to the club, it was not doing well; there were few participants, very little funding and the team played very few games. Srinivasan, along with his friend Sameer Mehta, helped get the club back into motion. They now play tournaments every fall and spring, winning a couple last year, and play against schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Haverford College and Lehigh University.

Srinivasan is also heavily involved with Drexel University Student Technicians. He has been involved with DUST since his freshman year and is now a senior technician. Srinivasan’s duties include training new employees, designing and planning for events, and implementing organizational policies.

“That’s a job I enjoy a lot because that’s very hands-on; you get to work with speakers, cables, wires and sound boards,” Srinivasan said.

Srinivasan would like to stay in the United States for four or five more years before returning to India.

Mehta expressed confidence in Srinivasan’s talents and abilities.

“Krishna has maximized his time here at Drexel,” Mehta said. “He is gaining two degrees and yet he has been keenly involved in other activities on campus, including the Drexel Cricket Club and DUST. Despite the pressures on his time, he has rarely been flustered and this has been due to a very keenly evolved sense of time management and prioritization. I have no doubt that he will be a success in his forthcoming endeavors at Deloitte Consulting.”

Rosina Weber, an associate professor in the CoIST, has taught Srinivasan in three courses.

“He is brilliant, he is extremely dedicated, an excellent student and a very nice person as well,” Weber said.

Jojo John, a senior in the same program as Srinivasan, commends his ambition.

“Krishna’s hard work and merit at Drexel is indicative of his drive from competition,” John said. “However, what makes his competitive drive so unique is that he is his own greatest competitor. Constant self-assessment and an introspective attitude is what makes him the constantly self-improving individual he is today.”