Exchange Diaries
Saptarshi Saha | Civil Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University, USA
What are the offers you have received?
CMU - PhD - Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Columbia - MS - Applied Mechanics
Brown - MS - Mechanics of Solids
What part do you think an MS or a PhD degree from a prestigious university play in a student's life?
After graduating with your Bachelor's, two popular career paths are joining the industry or pursuing higher education. Yet, students who wish to join the industry will be underpaid as to their overseas counterparts. An MS degree from a prestigious university can go a long way in bridging this gap for students aiming to join the industry. For students interested in pursuing academia, an MS or PhD is just the next step in the process of their development into a competent academic.
How did you manage it with your academics?
If you are serious about joining a good university, a vital step to take is to identify a field in which your interests may tend to lie. After doing this, selecting various projects via your professors and internships help build your profile. It also enables you to choose your electives to align with what you wish to pursue in the future. It will not only give you more exposure to the field but will enable you to take tasks that would be considered admirable by undergraduate standards.
What role does CGPA play?
CGPA is immensely important in these regards; it is recommended that you keep a CGPA of 8+ when applying. Having a higher CGPA helps in being selected. For people who have a less than stellar academic performance, a good SOP, knowledge of the topic you are applying for, demonstrated by course selection, internships and projects can more than makeup for a weaker CGPA.
How did you apply for your MS and PhD?
Universities post their application timeline online. Depending on which country you wish to apply to, you can partition your applications as such too. To my knowledge, most US universities have their applications from October- January, while European universities have theirs from Feb-June.
How has IIT KGP helped you in your journey?
My professors helped me choose which field would be best suited for me and provided opportunities to work. They also helped me narrow down which universities to choose. Internship opportunities in the form of FT's have become much more accessible due to IR Cell. The various MOU's that our institute has with foreign universities have made it easier to gather internships and scholarships.
What difficulties has the Covid-19 pandemic brought in the process?
The pandemic has slowed down the funds allocated to universities, and as a result, funding has become difficult for non-COVID specialised research areas. Due to various embassies being closed, the obtaining of visas has also become a chore. Most universities have given options for deferment or online classes as a result.
For students who have not given GRE/TOEFL, test centres are currently closed, and online versions of the above tests have been provided. Many universities have waived the GRE and TOEFL necessities due to authenticity issues.