Know Your Ambassadors: Rapid Fire with Kartikeye@University of Wisconsin Madison

Name: Kartikeye Khanna
High School: City Montessori School, Lucknow.
College: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Major: Computer Engineering
College Year: Freshman

Q1: When did you decide that you wanted to study abroad?
A1: Grade 10

Q2: Why did you want to study abroad?
A2: It seemed like the best option for me with what I wanted to do in the future back then. The endless opportunities colleges here present after graduation also became a driving force.

Q3: Who helped/guided you with the College process?
A3: At first it was mostly me working on my application but then in grade 12 I ended up hiring a private counselor to help with my essays and college shortlisting.

Q4: What was your proudest accomplishment(s) during your High School years (in or outside of school)?
A4: I represented India in an autonomous robot racing championship at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada when I was in grade 11.

Q5: Why do you think your College admitted you?
A5: I believe that it was my application essay that did the job, but then again who knows!

Q6: What has been the biggest surprise so far in college?
A6: Getting a culture shock is kind of a myth now! Social Media has made us all very similar.

Q7: Something that you know now, that you wish you had known in High School?
A7: Colleges look for good people and not good brains.

Q8: Are you happy with your College decision?
A8: Definitely!

Q9: How many students from India are in your batch in College?
A9: About 70.

Q10: Your advice to College-bound aspirants? (2 or 3 things)
A10: As cliched as it may sound, you have to believe in yourself!
- Believe in the holistic admission process.
- If you feel that one part of your application is weak, try to balance that out by working on the other parts don't get stuck on one thing!
- Try to get done with standardized tests as soon as possible, they become a headache later.

Hope you liked this Rapid Fire. If you have questions for Kartikeye about U of Wisconsin Madison, now is the time to ask!