Archive by Author

Studying in Canada has helped me truly think like an engineer

13 Jun

Rishabh Mundhra, 21, is an Indian undergraduate student of mechanical engineering at the University of Toronto, Canada, and president of the Indian Students’ Society there. He will graduate next year. Here he talks about academics and extracurricular activities at the university. In the video below, he discusses how students learn to think like engineers, and […]

Word Nerd: 11 essential words we have Shakespeare to thank for

12 Jun

Why was Shakespeare one of the best writers in English? He had the best stories, characters and words. How? Stories he improvised, characters he invented, and words he borrowed. Now, before belligerent bardolaters barge in, we’d like to say that yes, the Bard’s genius was just that – genius. And far be it from us […]

Word Nerd: How to write an email to your professor

5 Jun

Thanks in part to films such as The Absent-Minded Professor (a Disney classic from 1961), the 1963 film The Nutty Professor (remade in 1996 starring Eddie Murphy, and as an animated version in 2008), and the 1989 film Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams, the eccentric professor has become something of a stereotype. The reality, […]

Word Nerd: 3 steps to writing a good paragraph

29 May

We’ve talked about how the secret to writing a respectable piece of prose is a good sentence. Today, we take another building block of quality prose – the humble paragraph. As with all great writing, paragraphs are shaped by a writer’s instinct. That said, paying attention to the paragraph, and how it works, can improve […]

A day in the life of an Indian journalism student at the University of Westminster

26 May

Let me describe to you a normal day in my life. I wake up fresh as a daisy at about 8am, pack lunch, and gear up for my day. I live in Raffles House, which is university accommodation located 10 minutes away from the Harrow campus where I study. Raffles House is situated right next […]

Word Nerd: 5 types of people with a big, black cloud over their head

22 May

Mondays – that manmade scourge – are the favorite day of no sane person. People who love Mondays usually fall somewhere between ‘annoyingly enthusiastic’ and ‘mentally disturbed’. The only reasonable response to Mondays is an ill-tempered grunt. So, without further ado, here are a few ways to describe most people on Mondays (unfortunately, some people […]

Special early ceremony for Indian student with cancer who may not make it to graduation day

18 May

Between June 6 and June 22, the University of Toronto’s Class of 2017 – nearly 14,000 students – will receive their degrees in one of 27 traditional ceremonies. Not Precilla Veigas. This student from India, who was diagnosed cancer two years ago, had a special convocation ceremony on May 9, because doctors warned her that […]

Word Nerd: 9 Whacky and Wonderful Words to Describe People

15 May

You know when to call someone a tattletale or a copycat. You also know when to brand someone a turncoat or a nerd, a babbler or a blueblood. But these are basics. In today’s Word Nerd, we bring you 9 words which are great for describing people in ways you never thought of before. Enjoy. […]

Advice from a girl who worked hard and got to choose between an Ivy League offer and a full scholarship

5 May

I remember bringing home my grade sheets when I was 12, and seeing the disappointment on my parents’ faces. They never explicitly said that they wanted me to achieve higher results, yet I could tell. They wouldn’t congratulate me, or smile and say ‘well done!’ I knew I wasn’t the best in my grade, and […]

With no date, girl who got into 7 Ivy League schools takes Harvard acceptance letter to prom

2 May

American teenager Priscilla Samey got into seven Ivy League schools, but couldn’t find a date for the senior prom. Instead of being disheartened, the 17-year-old took her acceptance letter from Harvard University to the dance. Last Saturday, she tweeted this picture with the message, “Couldn’t find a man to accept me for prom so I […]