International Student Spotlight: Simran Goel Shares About Her Experience in the M.A. in Strategic Design Program

Simran Goel, a Furman University M.A. in Strategic Design student from New Delhi, India discusses her transition from her undergraduate education in India to her graduate experiences in the United States in an interview with Furman’s Graduate Studies department. 

 

Tell us about your undergraduate degree, and how you came to Furman.

Hi, my name is Simran Goel. I’m from New Delhi, India, and I did journalism honors during undergrad. We do not have majors or minors back home, but, in your terms, I would say I majored in documentary production, short filmmaking, advertising, and marketing. I was never in core journalism because we had different categories of study. For example, we had marketing, news, journalism, short film, and documentary production. I was fascinated by filmmaking, which naturally lent itself to the marketing and advertising industry. 

 

How did you come across Furman from India?

After my under graduation, I worked from home for two years as a content creator and video editor. I wanted to get my masters after that, and I began looking for design graduate courses online. Eventually, I came across Furman University, and I researched it. I liked the courses listed for all five semesters, but what piqued my interest most were the subjects because it aligned with what I wanted to do. So, essentially, I discovered Furman through Google search.

 

Now that you are a part of Furman’s M.A. in Strategic Design program, what would you say has been your favorite project you’ve worked on thus far?

I would say that I was intimidated before I came here, but I enjoyed the chocolate branding project we did for our Brand Strategy and Creative Thinking class, which was a partner project. Before moving here, I did not have packaging experience and designing in Illustrator. My project partner has a background in graphic design, so he was helpful with the design components of the assignment while my strengths are in strategizing. I felt that we were a good pair and worked well together, and I enjoyed that project the most so far. 

 

What have you learned about strategic design, through having a variety of projects, like packaging, video projects, and design projects?

I am grateful this is not entirely a theory-based program and that it is also hands-on. During my undergrad, I had a few practical subjects, but it was primarily theoretical. While there is theory in Furman’s Strategic Design program, I like that it is predominantly practical because it allows students to actually learn how to make and design products. 

Second of all, I was not exposed to using Adobe Illustrator before; I’ve only used Adobe Premiere Pro for video editing. After beginning this program, I am already comfortable with Illustrator, and it has only been about three months. The professors also do a great job with assisting us with the software when needed and pushing us to think creatively when designing. 

 

You talked about the program being practical and hands-on. How would you describe the learning and teaching styles of the program?

Our professors help us learn the software in class. They teach us the basics, which allows us to expand upon that on our own. The professors are also approachable and communicate with us outside of class well, whether that is in person or virtually. 

 

How would you describe the student-teacher relationships with the professors? 

Back in India, our professors are strict. They are approachable, but not as approachable as the professors here at Furman. I appreciate that about them because if I am struggling with anything, I can text them during any time of the day and they reply back and help me, whether it is with logos, narratives, or packaging. Imagine being a new student coming from another country to the United States – you feel more comfortable when the people are warm and welcoming. That has been my experience here, and I am thankful for that. 

 

What is something you did not expect about the program? 

Initially, when I saw the class schedule, I noticed we had three classes total and, essentially, one class a day, which was curious. In India, we had classes from 8:30am-3pm, with a one hour break in the middle. Now that I am in the midst of this program, the schedule is organized perfectly. We are kept busy with projects and our own individual jobs outside of school, so we have to be careful with time management in order to have free time and time to work on projects outside of class. 

 

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HAVING A CAREER IN BRANDING? 

Furman University’s Master of Arts in Strategic Design is a resourceful program that provides students with the necessary skills to have a successful career in branding and design. For more information about Furman University’s Master of Arts in Strategic Design program, click HERE.