Ankit Gupta

What was your favorite course and why?
My favorite class has been "Data Structures and Algorithms." That class made me sure that I wanted to be a computer science major. It was the first class where I felt like I had gained real-world applicable skills, and I really enjoyed the collaboration with other students and TAs in studio hours.

Who is your favorite instructor and why?
My favorite instructor is Steve Cole. I had the privilege of being his student and serving as a TA for him. He gives very clear explanations of course materials and is extremely patient with his students. He’s taken an interest in my computer science career and gives me advice whenever I asked for it. (He also has a very, very cute baby!)

What advice would you give to a new student?
In my freshman year, I took a computer science seminar class. Professors in the department would come in once a week and give a talk about their research. I found one professor's talk on data visualizations extremely interesting but had no experience in her line of work at all. I wanted to learn more about it, but I was intimidated to reach out. I eventually did because I figured that nothing bad could come out of it, and she was extremely open to talking to me about her research in her free time. We met once every couple of weeks for the rest of my freshman year, and I learned so much about data visualization problems that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.

My advice would be to just reach out to people here if you are interested in their work or research. You have a lot to gain personally and professionally from doing so!

What is your favorite thing about St. Louis?
John's Donuts. Nothing will be the same after you go there.

What campus activities or groups would you recommend to a new student?
I think everyone should try to TA a course after they've taken it! Even if you did really well in a course, there is so much more for you to learn about that subject. Teaching it to other students will help you learn, and you’ll get to develop personal relationships with people in your major.

Do you have any work history?
I have worked at a tech startup and will be working at a larger company this upcoming summer. Both roles were software engineering internships. Applying my technical skills and seeing them in production was very rewarding!

What are your plans for the future?
I am considering doing a combined BS/MS in computer science here. If I decide to do that, I don't know what I'll end up doing after that. If I don't do that program, I will probably end up going into the workforce right out of graduation and, hopefully, find a role in software engineering or consulting.