Student Stories

Graduating with First-Class Honours in Unprecedented Times

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years, Bhuvesh Kumar, an international student from India, graduated with First-Class Honours in Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, through Coventry University’s tie-up with PSB Academy, in May 2021.

Bhuvesh, who has always been passionate about programming, data science and web development, embarked on his Bachelor of Science programme in November 2019, a few months before COVID-19 hit the world. When the Singapore government’s mandatory circuit breaker phase, which forced all businesses and schools to close temporarily, started in April 2020, every school had to move their activities online.

Hence, it was actually not all that smooth-sailing for Bhuvesh in the beginning. “I hated online classes initially. I wasn’t able to concentrate, meet my classmates or lecturers, and have physical interactions. I feel that I wasn’t really able to connect with them and understand a lot of their feedback due to the medium of communication (i.e. online),” he explained. “But slowly, I got used to it, and it actually saved me a lot of travel time.” Despite the need to pivot to home-based learning and virtual collaborations to do projects with his classmates, Bhuvesh managed to complete his programme as the top graduate of his cohort.

How did he achieve it? “I believe that applying the learnt concepts in assignments is the best way to reinforce the learning. In addition, I always felt positive competition with my classmates, which somehow helped me to push myself to get out of my comfort zone, and learn new skills, hence helping me to perform well in exams. That’s when the journey to First-Class Honours started,” he said.

Bhuvesh also enrolled in an internship with Singapore’s A*Star, or Agency for Science, Technology and Research from September 2020 to April 2021. It involved working closely with researchers about Explainable AI (XAI). “I feel more confident in my computer science skills after completing my degree,” he confided.

Among Bhuvesh’s favourite moments at PSB Academy was his short stint as a voluntary event host for the school’s Google Developer Student Club, where he hosted a live streaming event ‘Ideathon 2021’ in April 2021.

Bhuvesh is definitely not slowing down after his stellar achievements at PSB Academy. The next step in his learning journey is a Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis programme at the National University of Singapore in August 2021. According to him, the programme will last for one year, including six months of internship at an organisation. “I am really looking forward to it, as it will allow me to deepen my knowledge, while at the same time, gain hands-on, real-world experience,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Bhuvesh has also been upgrading himself and improving his skills in the areas of Deep Learning, Machine Learning Models and XAI. In his spare time, he likes to explore the different sights, attractions and eateries in Singapore.