A Letter of Intent: Medical Doctor

In my side of the world, it is very common for parents to groom their children towards careers like Medicine, Law, and Engineering as they see these careers as a getaway card from poverty. Those were the lines I towed while growing up, my Mom thought I would make a good Medical Doctor, because of my patience and compassion. As I grew older, my thinking faculties developed, I quickly realized that a career in medicine does not fascinate me. From childhood itself, I was good at Technical Drawing and felt elated with my A3 paper, Clutch pencil, and moveable drawing board and always looking forward to Drawing classes.

With my limited knowledge of possible future careers, I never thought of Architecture as a suitable career path, I figured I would probably end up studying an engineering course, but as fate would have it, in my senior Secondary school year 2, we moved to a new neighbourhood and in our neighbourhood mosque was a scaled model of the proposed worship centre. The mosque became my favourite place. I would sit for hours after Jumma to marvel at this masterpiece in an enclosed glass casing. It was at one of my mosque viewings that an older worshipper, who had noticed me earlier, engaged me in a discussion about my fascination with the scaled model and introduced me to Architecture. At that moment, I knew exactly what it was I wanted to do with my life.

Studying Architecture in the university would have to rank up there with some of the best experiences that have shaped my life. And if it has taught me anything, it is that architecture is a very powerful tool in shaping and driving cultural discourse. The 21st century world is plagued by several problems, and the one that gets me concerned the most is 'Global Warming'. As an architect, I believe that design practices should be a tool to spread the news about global warming, encouraging clients and building users to embrace architecture in its pure form without making any disturbance to the nature, like incorporating ample natural light and ventilation system to reduce dependence on mechanical modes of lighting and much more.

As much as I have completed five years of undergraduate study, there are still lots to learn. Also, the essence of traveling can never be overemphasized to an Architect, so an opportunity to study in a different country in a different clime and culture is an experience I'm looking forward to having. The desire to explore how science and technology can be used to improve the performance of building both socially and environmentally in developing countries also provides a spark of interest in my scholarly pursuit. I am particularly interested in the area of Architecture, as I feel that I would in my own little way shape my immediate environment with my practices. I am an avid sports lover, with cricket being my favourite; I also enjoy reading, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, which made me believe that if you wish to achieve anything the whole universe will conspire you to get it. “The Immortals of Meluha” by Amish an Indian writer series are my addictions, as through these books I've traversed across with a gifted Artist in the fight of good over evil,

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s “Wings of Fire”, reinforced my belief that hard work and persistence are keys to success and backgrounds do not really mean a thing when you have dreams. The Master of Architecture program at the Mc Gill University would provide me with the understanding of transforming the lessons of history, technology, culture and social aspirations. The academic freedom would also give room for improvement on my creativity and problem solving skills. I believe my decision to pursue the post graduate program would meet my career goals and the knowledge, skills and experiences gained through such program would bring newer insights in my professional potential and the ability to achieve meaningful change.

On the completion of my postgraduate programme, I would like to practice in Canada for a short period for some post-graduation experience thereafter return back to Homeland, India for private practice which would include consultations for existing firms and government portals in the country with a view of influencing both the built environment and policy making.