Academics

Sophomore Bhatia excels in exclusive Explore Microsoft Program for students

Second-year computer science and engineering student Ria Bhatia earned a coveted spot in the Explore Microsoft Program last summer by taking initiative and being proactive. Bhatia, who worked as an open-source technology developer, said it is important to be confident and “know your stuff” to make it in this field. Credit: Cate HansberryAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Sophomore Ria Bhatia wasted no time getting ahead when she arrived at Penn State last year.

As a first-year computer science and engineering student at University Park, Bhatia went after her “dream job” – to work for Microsoft.

Bhatia, of Fairfax, Virginia, said she found a recruiter’s email address and reached out on her own.

“I set Microsoft as kind of my dream company,” she recalled. “I’ve always known about Microsoft products, so I decided to go for it.”

After a series of screenings, she was offered a spot in the Explore Microsoft Program.

The program, based at Microsoft’s Redmond Campus near Seattle, recruits freshmen and sophomores who are “enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program with a demonstrated interest in majoring in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering or related technical major.”

Bhatia worked as a developer in the program, coding for Microsoft’s open source technology center.

“Microsoft is working on making their technology available across platforms,” she said. “I got to code for Linux distributions while also working on Windows computers.”

She said although she enjoyed her work, she grew restless of sitting at her desk all day long and started looking at other positions.

“I was coding for hours every day. I needed to be talking to people and putting things together,” she said. “I knew I didn’t want to do that anymore. “

When she returns next summer, she will be a project manager working on Azure, Microsoft’s cloud-based computing platform.

Bhatia said developers make the code for the programs and project managers create the projects, figure out what projects to make and determine what the customer will want.

“They look at the big picture and put it all together,” she said. “That’s what I am going to be next year.”

Despite the long hours, Bhatia gained a lot of personal and professional experience working as a developer at Microsoft.

“I really enjoyed the program I was in because there were people my age and there were only 100 of us,” she said. “It was easy to get connected to other interns. I kind of made a family of Explore interns.”

She said she liked how much attention Microsoft paid to their interns. She said they put in a lot of time and had many events planned for them.

At the end of the summer, Microsoft even organized a “signature event” for the interns. They went to the Seattle Carnival, saw a special performance by David Blaine and each received an Xbox One.

Bhatia said one of the most important parts of the program, aside from the perks, was the wealth of knowledge she was exposed to from the people she met.

She said she was a little apprehensive when she saw that most of her staff was composed mostly of older white males, but their experience and knowledge negated the worry. 

“It was very stereotypical of what technology is right now,” she explained. “But they were so helpful. It didn’t matter.”

However, Bhatia said she wished there were more women in the company, although Microsoft aims to “especially encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in engineering” in their Explore program, according to their website. 

She plans to change that by moving up the company ladder herself.

“In 20 years I want to be the head of the Cloud and Enterprise division and be making those critical decisions of where the company is going to go,” she said. “It’s the future of computing.”

At Penn State, Bhatia is also involved in the engineering and science sorority, Phi Sigma Rho, which supports women in a male-dominated field.

She said being in sorority helps women in STEM fields find friends in their majors.

“It helps to have people around you that are always connected,” she said. “This is my family here.”

Phi Sigma Rho also provides connections after school. When Bhatia arrived in Redmond to work for Microsoft, she was told that one of her graduated sisters was a full-time employee there and was able to meet up with her.

“We really focus on balancing school and fun,” Bhatia said. “We’re different from other sororities, but we get to do a lot of the same things they do.”

When looking for a job or internship, Bhatia said it is important to be confident and know your stuff.

She said recruiters will first find out how well an applicant can code before considering anything else.

“Developers have to know all of the steps,” she said. “It’s easier as a freshman because you’re new and they understand that.”

Still, Bhatia said applicants “have to prove it” to get a good position like the Microsoft Explorer Program.

“It’s hard to get into it, but it’s awesome,” she said. “It’s so worth it.”

Last Updated January 12, 2015