Casebook
Calvin Krishen
Hometown
Raleigh, N.C.
Degree
Bachelor of Science
Major/Department
Systems and Control Engineering / Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Experience-based Learning Opportunity
Co-op at Philips Medical
Actively Involved
Executive
member of Undergraduate Student Government for two years; National
Society of Black Engineers; Biomedical Engineering Society; Phi Mu
sorority.
Sleeping Patterns
Co-op is a great way to experience real-world application of what we learn at
Case. You also get a feel for what the demands of an engineer actually
are. While our school assignments only affect our grades and sleeping
patterns, real engineering work impacts other people’s lives through
the products that a company develops. My co-op at Philips Medical was refreshing because I learned the true
value of the education I have received from Case. Co-op allowed me to
step away from a rigid academic environment and see how engineering was
practiced in real life.
Flexibility and Community
I
chose Case because I like the flexibility and community of a smaller
student body. Also, a smaller student population means professors have
much more time to help me outside of class with any material I
couldn’t understand during class. I would have probably dropped out of
engineering if I didn’t receive the support and encouragement from my
professors during their office hours.
Make an Impact
The
best thing about Case is the opportunity to get involved with various
organizations and really make an impact on the campus. Case is a school
where it is really up to the individual students to be creative and
make something out of their college experience.
Great Music Scene
There
are so many things to do outside of University Circle. Since it’s a
relatively large city, there is a lot to do, especially within the
arts. If anything, Cleveland has a great music scene. Whether you like
rock, jazz, hip hop or dance music, there are tons of great shows to
check out every weekend.
Biggest Challenge
The
biggest challenge as an engineering student at Case has been
determining how much time I need to devote to my course work. I often
found myself not giving enough time for all of my assignments because I
have so many other things I was involved with. It’s easy to rush
through a homework assignment to get it done, but it takes much more
focus to fully understand the nuances of the material.
Running Around
A
lot of weekends I find myself running around all over the place trying
to squeeze in everything that I didn’t have time for during the week. I
spent a lot of my time downtown networking with promoters and musicians
for my radio show. On other weekends I like to relax with my close
friends by eating out, watching movies and having long rambling
conversations.
Deep Respect
I have deep respect
for all of the professors in the systems and controls department. Its
humbling being around so many professors who are well established in
their field of study and seem to know the answer to everything. One professor I would like to mention, however, is Professor Marc
Buchner. He really goes out of the way to think of creative ways to
apply the material that we are learning in class. All of my professors
are very good at teaching their material from a theory-based approach,
but Professor Buchner always came up with creative assignments that
placed heavy emphasis on the practical application of the material he
teaches.
Different Paths
I
definitely plan on going to graduate school. In what? I don’t know.
Case has definitely exposed me to a lot of different paths that I can
take, and I feel confident that I can handle which ever one I decide on.