Pakistani Fulbright Scholar Pursues Master’s in Electrical Engineering at Arizona State University

My name is Muhammad Bilal, and I am a Fulbright Scholar from the 2020-2022 cohort. I attended Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ for my master’s in electrical engineering. I grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and did my undergraduate from National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad, Pakistan. I am now a data scientist by profession, but I started off as an electrical engineer and worked as a trainee engineer at a fertilizer company in Pakistan for a year before setting off to the US. My background in engineering and my eagerness to do research led me to apply for the Fulbright Scholarship. It was during my master’s degree that the research I was conducting involved the use of machine learning in renewable electrical systems and I delved deeper into the realm of data science, eventually switching professions to become a full-time data scientist.

Fulbright Scholarship Details

The scholarship I was offered was the Fulbright Scholarship, and I also received the ASU Graduate College Scholarship for International Students. It covered tuition fees, plane tickets to the US, and health insurance. The scholarship also provided a monthly stipend to cover rent and living expenses. The amount of the stipend depends on the state the university is in. For Arizona, the stipend was around $1400/month back then.

Educational Background

I did my undergraduate in electrical engineering from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad with a CGPA of 3.46/4. The undergraduate courses I attended provided me with a nice foundation in electrical engineering and my experience working as a trainee engineer was also instrumental in crafting a successful application. I wanted to do research involving renewable energy and my undergrad studies and subsequent practical experience helped me single out research avenues that I could pitch in my personal statement.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for Fulbright Scholarships?

For the Fulbright Scholarship, you don’t select which universities to apply to. You can suggest universities that you think would be a good fit for your profile to your program advisor, but it is ultimately their decision to send admissions to universities they think are most suitable.

Did you need standardized tests? How did you prepare for the GRE and TOEFL?

For the Fulbright Scholarship, I had to take the GRE where I scored 331/340 overall (165/170 in quant, 166/170 in verbal) and 4/5 in the analytical writing section. TOEFL was also required for the scholarship where I scored 114/120.

I prepared for the GRE in the summer vacations after my third year in undergrad for around a month. Books like The Princeton Review, Barron’s, and Kaplan were really helpful. I also used Magoosh’s GRE vocabulary flashcard app to improve my vocabulary for the verbal section. TOEFL didn’t require much preparation after taking the GRE and I prepped for a few days before attempting the exam.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for Fulbright Scholarships?

I feel one of the most important parts of the application apart from the standardized tests is the personal statement and/or study objectives. Getting it down perfectly requires a good few iterations and it is very helpful to get people to go through what you have written, provide recommendations for improvements, and proofread it. Reaching out to people who have previously gotten into the program you are targeting is a nice exercise. I advise people not to be hesitant to reach out to people on platforms like LinkedIn and ask for an opinion on your application.

How Was Your Experience at Arizona State University?

The experience at ASU was very rewarding, especially because I got the chance to work on a funded research project at one of the labs there and was able to publish my first journal paper. The professors and my thesis advisors were really helpful in getting their ideas across and for someone who wants to get into the nitty-gritty details, the professors were happy to accommodate students during their office hours. Apart from studying and research, the campus is also huge and there are always some events going on to keep things entertaining.

How Do You Rate Arizona State University Academically and Why?

On a scale of 1-5, I would rate it 4. There are a lot of opportunities for research and projects outside of regular courses, but you have to be proactive, search for them, and reach out to people yourself.

How Does ASU Support International Students?

There were many international students at ASU and you always find other people in the same predicaments as you when it comes to securing housing, part-time jobs, etc. ASU has online communities for these which might be helpful. There are also student communities on platforms like Discord that might be of use. The graduate students' office staff is also very responsive in my experience and replies to queries pretty quickly. ASU also holds events to appreciate international scholarship students which are a good place to network and meet other international students.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I think having coherent motivation, clear research objectives and a plan about how you could apply your learnings from your graduate studies to industries in your home country goes a long way in making you stand out. Prior research about your field of interest and deciding on which area of study/research you want to pursue is a good way to start off.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

I would have researched the labs and professors at my preferred colleges more thoroughly and started off with research sooner. Would have also liked to explore internship opportunities and gain some practical work experience in the US market.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Work on your personal statement and study objectives, have others critique it, and start preparing for the standardized tests early.