From UP’s Mau to Stanford University, how Dakshayani Pandey bagged a 100% scholarship

Key to success — do what you love

When asked how she managed to handle the pressure of class 11 and 12 while preparing for Stanford, Pandey said that the key is to enjoy the process. “You shouldn’t do things to make sure that you get into Stanford or some particular varsity. Instead, you should do things that you care about, and what you really like and enjoy. That way, it doesn’t seem like a burden to you. For me, design thinking was something I really enjoyed. So, it never felt like a burden. If you do things which you care about and are are passionate about, you will never get bored and will find time for it,” she said.

However, she also agreed that she did have to compromise a little on her studies, as she concentrated more on preparing for Stanford. Dakshayani is currently wrapped up in her pre-board exams, and she says that her full concentration now is her class 12 board exams, as she has already wrapped up the admission process for Stanford. Her admission to Stanford is conditional, as she is yet to clear her class 12 exams in India.

She also advised her fellow students to ensure that they plan their study hours in the most productive time of the day. “I am a night owl, and I am more energetic after dinner. So, I plan my timetable accordingly. Some students may be more productive during the day. One should always know what are the most productive hours of the day for you, and then plan accordingly,” she said.

Getting into Stanford — the process

Most of the US universities review your application in a holistic manner. Even the ‘common application’ has different sections in which they want to know you, and analyse you from every point of view. Their application is divided into various sections. One, they have essay writing which the candidate sends to every single university. Then, sometimes, the university itself has some supplementary essays to get to know you better on a personal level. “For Stanford, I had like seven or eight essays; five of them were of 150 words, and three of them were of 250 words. Then I had one common app essay, which is 60 words. Other than this, I also had to fill the additional information section wherein I talked about my background and my financial condition — which was a special case. So I used that 630 word space as well,” she said.

In addition to this, the common app gives you 10 different slots, but it’s not compulsory to fill them all. “I would suggest that everyone should put the activities in a priority way, i.e. the one which means the most to you. We were also asked to describe that activity in 50 words,” Pandey said.

Some candidates also have to go through an interview round, but Dakshayani was spared from it, and she believes that “my application was enough”. She also had to submit letters of recommendations and her proof of family income for scholarship.

Bioengineering with Entrepreneurship — the unique mix

Pandey has opted Bioengineering as her major degree, but has uniquely picked entrepreneurship as her minor subject. This is a combination which is not very common, and caters to two different streams. When asked why she picked these two different subjects, she says she wants to be an ‘entrepreneurial engineer’.

“I want to know the process, how to create things, and at the same time I also want to know how can you have your own start-up. I will create things and then I will put them out in the market. I want to be an entrepreneurial engineer,” she said.

Since she enjoys biology, and bioengineering in particular, her aim is to work in the health sector and make healthcare affordable for all. “If you look at the medical field, most of the equipment used is expensive and that itself increases the cost of healthcare in the country. I want to use frugal science to bring down the cost to an affordable price so that healthcare can be accessible for all,” she explained.

She also added that she is also open to other courses, and if some other subject seems more interesting, she will think about opting for that instead.

Hopes to open a new club at Stanford

As Pandey is interested in ‘frugal science’, she hopes to start a new club about it. “Frugal Science is very new to Stanford. So, maybe, I can have my own club,” she said.

In addition to starting her own club, she also wants to join the Entrepreneurial Club at Stanford, and learn more about the varsity’s start-up culture.

She is also looking forward to meeting new people from around the world, which will give her the opportunity to “see the entire world in this Stanford bubble”.

Other hobbies

In addition to bioengineering, Pandey is deeply interested in design thinking and innovation, video editing and creative writing. “I have always been the curious kid. When I was young, my teacher told me that one of those things was symmetrical. However, just to make sure that it was true, I checked again and it wasn’t symmetrical. So I told my teacher but she brushed me off. While that disappointed me, it encouraged me to challenge things and think outside the books,” she reminisced.

During her schooling years, she has created a VR headset, a projector, a mini version of a hydraulic bridge, a UV filter, simply because she enjoys innovation and design thinking, she said.