Exchange Diaries
Ayush Mohanty | Mechanical Engineering
Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
What part does an MS/Ph.D. degree from a prestigious university play in a student's life?
I always wanted to contribute to the research field. Be it looking for a promotion or to lead a project, or in general, a PhD is an excellent degree to have for career growth. I feel this Degree definitely teaches us a lot of things, and I am personally ready to take the journey of pursuing this Degree.
From where did you get the motivation? How did it all start? How did you handle your preparation with your academics?
It all started at the end of my 4th year when I got the opportunity to do two research internships. After that, I spoke to our campus professors to get to know their views on the PhD programs worldwide. I suggest that you read a lot about the programs and talk to seniors as the PhD structure is different everywhere. I got to know the research culture in Canada and the UK. After a bit of research and getting acquainted with the structure, we need to focus on the job market and the opportunities that best fit you. After all this, I resolved that the US is my choice! The GRE is difficult, but a 1 or 2 months preparation is sufficient to get a decent score. I guess we can manage academics with this preparation by cutting downtime on extracurricular activities.
How did you apply for the MS/Ph.D.?
After my internship, I had a plan to take the GRE and TOEFL and was pretty sure to apply only in the US. Then I met the professors in my field of interest, after which I had to shortlist a big list of 10 to 12 and finalize eight universities, and then I eventually got selected.
How are you planning to manage your finances?
We are provided with a stipend to cover all expenses and also save some amount.
What is the role of CG?
CG will not come into the picture unless it is very low. It gains importance in big departments like Electronics and Computer Science. But, unless it is too low, it'll never be questioned. But I guess research matters much more than CG. I had a decent CG, so it didn't cause me much trouble!
How is your university going to manage everything in this confusion of Covid-19?
Although it is deeply affected, I feel it is very supportive. It makes multiple video conferencing with all its international students and enquires about the current status. And they ensure to keep the financial promises. They also keep us updated about the situations in the US.
How did IIT Kgp benefit you in your journey?
I feel it very difficult to describe this in a single word. Everywhere I applied, people knew about the IITs, they were quite acquainted with the standard of education. So I guess that helped me. KGP has taught me a lot, right from teaching all the courses, it played a massive role in my personality development too!
What difficulties do you think the pandemic will bring(or has brought already) in the process?
Each university has a different way of dealing with such situations. The uncertainty of this pandemic is a huge loss and has brought a lot of confusion. Sadly, we are forced to witness a hike in the cases each day. The structure and curriculum of the PhD program have been altered. So, in general, the student plans and the university structure is hampered.