Sushmitha Kasturi writes about how she got into research, even as an undergraduate.

My passion for studying economics took me to the U.S. at an early age for my undergraduation. After finishing class XII with maths, physics and chemistry as majors, the natural choice before me was engineering as for many students from south India. However, my parents understood my interest in economics and encouraged me to pursue further studies in the subject.

My initial plan was to pursue undergraduation in India and then go abroad for postgraduation. I joined the international business programme at St. Francis College, Hyderabad. But my passion for economics drove me towards taking SAT and TOEFL and applying to universities in the U.S.

As a transfer student I joined a community college in California and completed the bridge courses required for a four-year university undergraduation. I got admission at San Jose State University (SJSU) in Fall 2014.

It is a whole new experience to study at San Jose State University (commonly referred to as San Jose State or SJSU), the oldest public institution for higher education on the West Coast of the U.S.

Located in downtown San Jose, the SJSU main campus is spread across 154 acres.

It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Over 30,000 students enrol annually including nearly 6,000 for postgraduate courses.

I had the opportunity to be friends with students from different cultural and geographical backgrounds. Indian students for the undergraduation programme are few. Although it is different from the Indian education system, encouragement from the professors and students helped me adjust to the environment sooner than I had thought. My part-time job as a peer advisor for freshmen and probation students on campus has helped in shaping my personality and leadership skills.

For an undergraduate, getting an opportunity to join a research programme which normally starts after postgraduation is quite rare.

My professors recognised my interest and invited me to join their research working group, a close group of economists. This gave me a chance to pursue research in the field I have always been passionate about — to bring about a change for the poor women in male-dominated societies in India.

After six months of hard work and guidance from my father and professors, I came up with my research question that analyses “why it is riskier to lend microfinance loans to women in India than women in Bangladesh.”

I began interviewing people in India and Bangladesh and gathered information from microfinance companies in both the countries. To equip myself with the right skills, I also enrolled and got certified as a Risk Analyst by the Open Group consortium which has added value to my research.

Soon, I began presenting my research work at conferences and competitions. My first presentation was at the SJSU outstanding student research competition, where I (only undergraduate student) competed with graduate students and was judged a winner to represent SJSU at the State-level competition to be held at Bakersfield, California.

I also won the 2016 best student research proposal competition conducted by the SJSU economics department and will be participating in the university and nationwide best research paper competition.

I was chosen to represent SJSU along with another student at the Association of Private Enterprise Education conference 2016, an annual free market conference held at Las Vegas.

My future plans are to intern at a microfinance institution in Hyderabad during the summer and then pursue a PhD degree in economics.

Email: sushmithakasturi@gmail.com