KCL MeM Sample Essays & LORs

How do you know the applicant? How long have you known them for?

I am the Dean and Professor at Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology in Rohini, India. I have known Pavani since her first semester, where she was in my “Fundamentals of Computing” class.

I have had multiple opportunities to interact with Pavani as she was leading the student activities for her batch and was also working on the “Automated Stock Trading algorithm” project as a part of the curriculum, under my guidance.

What would you say are the applicant’s key strengths and talents?

One of Pavani’s primary strengths is her ability to lead a team even in uncertain situations. In her final year, Pavani was the Organizing Committee Member of the International Conference. Since it was the first conference of its kind, there were no previous benchmarks or processes in place. Right from marketing, outreach events, finding vendors for event management, to logistics—everything had to be figured out from scratch. The budget was also crunched, which further did not help the situation.

Pavani went beyond her responsibilities and took the lead on the project. She worked with other team members, discussed with them, and charted a plan. She delegated responsibilities to fellow peers and also guided them on their tasks. There were also conflicts in the team and unforeseen problems. One of the vendors cancelled the contract two days before the conference. Pavani immediately reached out to other vendors through personal contacts and engaged the team with a calm mind and got things done. Thanks to Pavani, the conference was a huge success with over 60 participants from multiple countries. As a result, 3 projects were selected and funded by our institution. The conference is now recognized internationally and is set to take place again next year in February.

Pavani also demonstrated her leadership capabilities while working on a project under my guidance. The project was focused on building automated stock trading algorithms that managed to maximize cumulative profit. Although she did not come from a finance background, Pavani quickly learned the basic concepts. She also brought her team members onboard by coaching them and teaching how the stock market works. With the team’s support, Pavani was able to build a functioning algorithm that got published in a reputed journal, “Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research”. I believe Pavani is the kind of candidate who can take ownership and deliver things with minimal guidance.

In which areas of development has the applicant progressed the most in the time you’ve known them?

Initially, when I met Pavani, she was a shy person who was not confident to lead a team. Even though she might have brilliant ideas, she used to keep them to herself and not put them forward. As a consequence of being shy, she even preferred to work alone rather than in teams. She needed a little encouragement to help break her out of her shell. Slowly, she started putting forth her ideas. As those ideas were adopted by her teammates, she started gaining confidence. She quickly learned to plan, lead, and delegate a team effectively.

Pavani grew to participate in competitions, representing the college on a national level. Seeing her progress into an effective leader, I appointed Pavani as the organizational head of an international conference that took place on our campus in February 2020, as mentioned above.

Pavani also progressed tremendously in her academics, from a 7 CGPA in the 1st semester to a 9 CGPA in later semesters. Her performance has progressed not just in theory but practical as well. She was part of 2 research papers that were published in reputable journals.

Another area that Pavani needs to develop is to be open and listen to others’ opinions. Sometimes, Pavani is quite stubborn when it comes to her plans and wants to execute them the way she has planned them. Therefore, she is at times not open to new viewpoints or any suggestions to the plan she came up with. This arises from her own perceptions that changing plans will lead to chaos and hence poor performance. In one of our sessions, I coached her and made her understand that she alone cannot control all things and she alone cannot achieve great things. She understood the importance of teamwork and has been trying to work it out. She is now a bit more open to new ideas and opinions. I believe she will learn these qualities over time and experience.

In what ways might the applicant contribute to the Masters in Engineering Management Program?

Pavani has always volunteered and stepped up to lead student activities. I have no doubt that she would continue to do the same in a Master’s in Engineering Management program. With her experience in project management and leadership, she will be a great asset in student-run activities and events.

Apart from that, I think Pavani is a fast learner who is always enthusiastic to teach her fellow batchmates. She has held multiple tutor sessions for juniors and fellow batchmates on tough courses. She will contribute to the class by bringing her technical expertise and practical experience during discussions and also coaching them on relatively tough concepts.

Is MEM Program a right fit for the candidate right now?

This course would be the natural academic evolution for her. On multiple occasions, Pavani has expressed her interest in taking up roles that are at the intersection of engineering and management. Engineering has given her a strong foundation in technical and analytical skills. However, she needs the academic experience and learning about management principles. More importantly, a MEM program will also groom her leadership abilities and impart holistic thinking capabilities. Pavani has great potential to learn and succeed, and I believe a MEM will be a step in the right direction towards achieving her goals.