Exchange Diaries
C Siva Vignesh Krishnan | Mechanical Engineering
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
From where did you get the motivation? How did it all start? How did you handle your preparation with your academics?
I always had an interest in the field of Robotics. I also had a goal of pursuing it from a foreign university. Even though my preparation started a bit late, I kept focusing on the end goal I had in my mind and kept working on the profile required for it. I chose an MS over a Ph.D. as it gives you more options and flexibility with your career in the future.
What is the process of interdisciplinary studies? How easy was the switch? What motivated you for the switch?
There weren’t any major hurdles for me to switch from a core branch to an open field like Robotics. The only issue I faced was that I wasn’t a part of any Robotics groups in the Institute, as these groups introduced the field much earlier, making the switch easier. In the current era of interdisciplinary study, I don’t think any such major hurdles are faced.
Did you apply to multiple universities? If yes can you please elaborate on the differences in the selection process of the universities? In universities in which you were not selected can you please share what you felt you lacked, what could you have done better.
I applied for a total of 11 universities (people generally apply for 6-7) due to the uncertainty in the cut-offs caused by the pandemic this year. There are no major differences in the selection procedures of universities within a continent/country, but there are minor differences between, say, a university in the US and Europe. The general selection procedure starts with TOEFL/GRE which is a compulsory requirement for almost all Universities abroad. After that an SOP (Statement of Purpose) is written, some universities might even ask for a Personal Statement. The difference between the two is that while an SOP is University/field-specific, a Personal Statement can be anything in general. Letter of Recommendations are then submitted (generally 3 in the US and 2 in Europe/Canada). My negatives during the procedure were my CGPA as it was relatively lower, another drawback was no early exposure to the field of robotics. On the positive side, I had 3 publications under my belt, and good LOR’s which I think boosted my profile over the other candidates.
How are you planning to manage your finances? Have you applied for any scholarships? What were their procedures?
I had applied for some of the institute scholarships but received none. Currently, I am applying for a few external scholarships and if they don’t work out, the final resort would be a study loan. The procedure is dependent on the body that provides the scholarship, but it mainly involves a check of the profile and the University you are applying to.
Role of your CGPA?
This is a field-dependent parameter. If the field is competitive like robotics or computer science, CGPA matters a lot as some universities keep that as a screening factor due to the massive number of applications. If you have decent research experience in the field, the CGPA does not matter much. This is also a region-dependent parameter; in the US, CGPA isn’t generally given a lot of importance, but in Europe or Canada, it has slightly more weightage.
How is your university going to manage everything in this confusion of Covid-19?
I am not sure, but the university has told the students that all of the classes will be held offline, except for large classes (a strength of more than 100). They will finalize the arrangements by June.
How did IIT KGP benefit you in your journey?
KGP is the reason I am in the position I am in today. I didn’t get much into activities until the end of my 2nd year, yet the memories formed were stellar. KGP allows you to explore the field of your choice through the various avenues within the institute, and that helps students identify their passion.
What difficulties do you think the pandemic will bring(or has brought already) in the process?
One problem I faced was that I had to shift my GRE and TOEFL to September/October, whereas I planned to give it in April 2020. This made my schedule a bit hectic as the academics picked up during these months too. Another problem I faced was the uncertainty in the data, as the number of students applying had decreased a lot this year. The whole process turned into a gamble of sorts for most of us.
What message do you want to give the juniors today who are interested in pursuing similar courses?
Just find your interest and pursue it. It is a simple, clichéd statement yet very important. Don’t follow the crowd and get influenced by common choices. At some point in life, you will regret your choice if you go by the crowd mentality.