Vantage One set the foundation for Charisma’s success at UBC Engineering

"My experience of electrical and computer engineering is that it's a very friendly department and we all collaborate with each other."

charisma

Charisma Pramudya

How did you become interested in engineering?

I always loved math and participated in math competitions like the math Olympiad when I was younger. My parents suggested I look into the applied sciences as something to study in university, rather than pure math or pure science, because of the opportunities for an interesting career. 

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You started out in the Vantage One program. Can you describe Vantage One for students who might not be familiar with it?

Vantage One Engineering is open to international students who don’t yet have the English proficiency for direct entry into UBC. Students take the same courses as students in the regular applied science stream, but with smaller class sizes and additional language support specific to engineering and science.

I’m originally from Indonesia and needed to do an IELTS test for admission to UBC. I was offered a spot in Vantage One Engineering. 

It was a great program. I met friends from around the world – China, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey and Latin America. 

It wasn’t easy, as you might expect when you are learning lots of new concepts and are making that transition from high school to university. 

All students who complete the program and achieve a certain GPA are automatically eligible for second-year engineering programs at UBC Vancouver or UBC Okanagan. I chose UBC Vancouver because I had a large friend group here and the Indonesian community in Vancouver is bigger than it is in Kelowna.

Vantage One Engineering

How did you choose computer engineering?

When I started at UBC I was intent on mining engineering. But in my first-year courses I really enjoyed programming and so I decided to pursue computer engineering instead. This is one of the more competitive programs to get into, so I had to be focused and work hard.

How first year engineering at UBC sets you up for success

Any highlights from your time at UBC?

I really enjoyed the second course on software construction, CPEN 322. In the prerequisite course, CPEN 221, you learn about object oriented programming and software construction. This second course focused more on system design, as well as touching on topics like cybersecurity, client-server architecture and application deployment. The professor was really fun and the labs are great. I learned a lot in the course and it elevated my understanding.

Last summer I participated in a hackathon organized by Google with three other students, two of them whom I had met in Vantage. We designed and deployed a full-stack application called Readmap-ai, an AI-powered web application that makes reading recommendations based on the user’s interests.

What extracurriculars are you involved in?

I’m a peer mentor at Vantage One. I meet weekly with the other peer mentors where we brainstorm ideas for monthly events and then help organize and implement them. I started doing this to give back to the Vantage One community. 

It’s also a great way for me to continue improving my communication and teamwork skills. 

Next year will be my final year at UBC and I may look into joining one of the design teams. 

Skills needed to succeed as an engineer

Any advice for international students who are considering UBC?

This is a great university. Do your best and make friends – university can be a lot of fun! 

My experience of electrical and computer engineering is that it's a very friendly department and we all collaborate with each other. 

Having said that, some students are definitely more competitive or focused on grades, which can sometimes end up motivating me to put in more time in my study sessions! 

Computer engineering co-op student at work

Computer Engineering

Computer engineers can change the world. Whether it is the systems that control our phones, cars, planes or robots — every automated device has a software or hardware engineer helping to create it. 

Computer Engineering

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