‘I picked ASU after consulting career counsellors and doing thorough research’

Arunabh was introduced to Biotechnology after class 10 and he soon became fascinated with the subject. After completing his schooling, he began actively hunting for a university that aims to meet the growing demand for skilled workforce in the Biotech industry, not just in India but across the globe. In an interview, Arunabh elaborates why he picked School of Biosciences, ASU.

How did you get interested in Biotechnology?

After class 10, I picked Medical with Biotechnology instead of Biology. I made this decision after consulting my teachers. Not many are aware of it, but there are major differences between Biology and Biotechnology. The former deals with living beings whereas the latter is related to a branch of biology which deals with the living organisms to develop various products for human beings. As the name itself suggests, it is a combination of biology and technology. I had a great time learning the subject.

After class 12, the next big challenge for students is to select the right course and university. How did you tackle it?

I believe when it comes to selecting a university, the ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy becomes redundant. You should select a university that complements your interests and strengths. I was pretty clear in my head that I will make a career in Biotechnology, so I began my research to select a University which has an industry-centric curriculum that helps students gain the knowledge and skills needed to kick start a career in Biotechnology. My family also gave me valuable inputs. My elder sister, who is pursuing BA (Hons) in Political Science from Delhi University, helped me with the online research while my father, who is a businessman, got in touch with multiple career counsellors. We had a marathon discussion on each parameter that’s vital to select a good University. Based on our research, we found out that the School of Biosciences (SBS), ASU has robust labs, a solid placement record and importantly, it prepares you for industry. Here’s how.  It offers summer internships in each summer break (1st year, 2nd year & 3rd year) of two months duration and two full semester internships in the final year of the programme. What more can you ask for?

What are your future plans?

I am looking forward to either an industry job or doing something in Genetic engineering. The emphasis now is to learn about core Biotechnology domains such as Molecular Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, Drug Discovery and Bioinformatics, as well as in the emerging domains such as Biosensor, Nanobiotechnology, Bioprocessing, Computational Biology, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Analytics. Also, I am extremely interested in Astrophysics and I am glad that in the last year of the course, we will be taught about Astrobiology, which will have some elements of Astrophysics. Astrobiology studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.

“For the ASU entrance test, I had to give an MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) exam. The best thing I liked about the University is that if you score well in your entrance exam, you get a good discount on fee. I met with the faculty, members and admission in-charge and got all my doubts cleared.”

–Arunabh Mathur