I jumped straight into numbers without setting up my assumptions clearly, which I think hurt me.
Start by clarifying the scope: what types of internet usage are we estimating (academic, streaming, gaming, etc.) and during what time period (peak vs. average). Then break down usage into categories, estimate per-student bandwidth for each, and aggregate to get total bandwidth, considering peak concurrency and overhead.
Pro tip: Always state your assumptions explicitly and sanity-check the final number against real-world benchmarks (e.g., typical campus network speeds). This shows you can handle ambiguity and validate your estimates.
Ask clarifying questions to define what 'internet bandwidth' means (e.g., peak vs. average, wired vs. wireless, internal vs. external traffic) and the usage profile of graduate students.
Break down internet usage into common categories such as academic research, video streaming, video conferencing, cloud services, social media, and gaming.
For each category, estimate the bandwidth required per student (e.g., HD video streaming ~5 Mbps, video conferencing ~2 Mbps) and the likelihood of simultaneous use.
Sum the per-student bandwidth across categories, then multiply by the number of students and apply a concurrency factor to estimate peak total bandwidth.
Compare the estimate to typical campus network capacities (e.g., 1-10 Gbps) and adjust for overhead, future growth, and redundancy.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.