Stanford SOP Final

In 1957, my grandfather started a construction firm, Raghava&Veera and by 1971 it had grown to be one of the largest construction companies in South India. They undertook projects such as the design and construction of concrete grain silos for Ford Foundation, U.S.A in four centers in India. In addition, tThey built a submarine berth in Vishakhapatnam, and also constructed a number of hostel blocks for IIT Madras. Their quality and iIntegrity set them apart from their competitors. Unfortunately,. in 1971 my grandfather suffered a stroke and due to his ill-health, the company had to be shut down. Ever since I was old enough to understand the the significance of my grandfather’s enterprise, it became my life’s ambition to restore my family’s presence in the construction industry. Securing admission to the College of Engineering, Guindy, which is one of the most reputed civil engineering programs in the country, was my first significant step towards realising this dream. I believe that receiving a masters Degree in Construction Management from Stanford University is the next key step on my journey. I believe that rigourous academic training is one of the building blocks for future success. In college, I have always kept maintained a good academic record and maintained a Cumulative GPA of 8/10. The expansive curricula of the Civil Engineering program included subjects like Structural Engineering, Structural Dynamics, Soil Mechanics, and Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures. Studying these subjects has given me a strong footing in the basics of civil engineering. My course also included subjects like Traffic Engineering and Management, and Water Supply Engineering, etc. all of which helped me garner insights into the myriad aspects of infrastructure projects. However, the subject that influenced me the most during my under graduation was perhaps Costing Estimation and Valuation. I felt this course had practical applications throught out the planning and execution of a project. Outside of academics, I am an active member of the Society of Civil Engineers and was part of the leadership group which organised CIVILIZATION ’10, a national level technical symposium I currently hold the highest student position of the Society, its General Secretary. In 2010, I was part of a team from my University that won first place in a national project display competition. We built a scale model of the Oresund Bridge, located in Scandinavia. My undergraduate degree has given me a strong base in the fundamentals of civil engineering and it has prepared me aptly for the rigorous curriculum of the Construction Management program at Stanford University. While I gained a lot of theoretical knowledge at Guindy, I also realised that it was important to complement that training with real-world experiences. In 2009, I interned with EMAS Contractors, who were constructing a multi-story housing project close to Chennai with over 1500 high-end apartments. This was an excellent opportunity for me to see the implementation of the concepts that I had learned in the classroom. Given the reinforcement details, I estimated the quantity of steel required for the rebars of the 26 th floor of the building. Furthermore, I supervised a group of 15 construction workers who were tying the rebars for a portion of that same floor. This was an important management experience given that India’s construction industry is extremely labour intensive, although the labour pool is not highly skilled. The project was challenging, but it was a very fulfilling experience to lead my team of workers to successfully complete the work, while still maintaining a high standard of quality. Although my experience at EMAS contractors was very enriching, I also realized that the construction industry cannot be standardised across the globe. The different challenges faced by a project could depend on the various social and economic senarios indigenous to its location. I knew I needed to broaden my perspective and so in 2011, I applied for an internship at the FLUOR Corporation in China. I attained a position at a poly-silicon plant being constructed in the Jiangxi province. It was a truly global project which required co-ordination of human resources and materials from all over the world. FLUOR was working under an Engineering Procurement Construction Management contract. I worked extensively with the Project Controls team. This turned out to be a rich learning experience as well as an opportunity to work in a live project. I assisted in checking whether one of the utilities at the site was being completed within the estimated budget. I learned the nuances of project management and I realized the importance of concepts like critical path method and change management, given budget and schedule constraints. When I came back to India, I was inspired to join a course in Primavera to further my understanding of these management concepts.

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My experience in China opened my eyes to the Chinese construction techniques and revealed how well-executed infrastructure projects have transformed the country in a little over a decade. This revealed to me the potential the construction industry held in my own country. I believe that in the coming years, the construction industry in India will be revolutionized and I fully intend to be a part of that powerful transformation. My immediate goal is to add a construction division to my family’s current real-estate firm after completing my degree. My vision is to specialize in affordable housing construction which has become a pressing requirement to accommodate the “Great Indian Middle Class.” I aspire to become an industry leader by supplying high-quality, affordable homes. I believe this is possible through innovations in the management of materials, manpower and time. India’s economy has shown tremendous growth in the last few decades but the infrastructure has not progressed to keep up with the growing demands of the population. During the month I spent in China, I saw how a country could effectively house its vast population with standardised affordable housing. I believe that there is huge scope for these types of housing projects in India. In addition to affordable housing, India is ripe for scalable clean-tech power and green infrastructure solutions. My long-term goal is to transition to an infrastructure company, catering to the needs of this burgeoning economy. The Stanford University is the epitome of academic distinction and the CEM program at Stanfordhere is arguably the best in the world. The academic courses coupled with Stanford’s strong industry tie-ups will give me the opportunity to study the ever-evolving industry practices. I believe this particular brand of knowledge and experience will be critical to drive my pursuit of industry excellence. I was blown away reading about the “critical path method” which is now used on almost every large construction project in the world. It was developed by Professor John Fondahl, an exfaculty member of this Department. The curriculum of the CEM program is perfectly aligned with the knowledge I want to gain fromderive through my masters degree. In particular I wish to study Infrastructure Project Delivery, under Professor Gary Griggs and Entrepreneurship in CEE under Professor Raymond E. Levitt. I am inspired by the work of Professor Raymond E. Levitt done through the Collaboratory for Research on Global Projects. The CRGP is an amazing platform for doing research and a hotbed for conceiving new ideas. I look forward to working with the Collaboratory as it will give me an excellent perspective of global scenarios while providing ample opportunities to make my own contributions. My visit to Stanford during a cousin’s graduation impressed me beyond measure and I was amazed by the calibre and diversity of its students, faculty, and facilities. This visit culminated in the dream of pursuing my graduation from this stalwart institution. While I expect to learn immensely a great deal during my time at Stanford, I also intend to contribute to the program. I have worked on construction projects in both India and China, two of the emerging global superpowers. This has given me a unique perspective of the construction industry in these two countries. The way construction is done here varies from the West due to different social and cultural factors. I look forward to sharing my views and experiences to broaden the perspectives of the class. I believe that my undergraduate studies as well as the experiences at my internships have put me in a strong position to succeed at Stanford. I am very keen to become a part of this brilliant community.