Exchange Diaries
Amur Khandelwal | Civil Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America
While you were in college, what was your motivation to go for higher studies and in which year
did you get that motivation? How did you manage your academics with your preparation?
When I joined IIT KGP, I already had in my mind that I would be going for higher studies. In my
first year. I joined Business Club at IIT Kharagpur and by my second year, I realised my interest
in the field of finance. Moreover, I also realised that going into the field can open up a plethora
of job opportunities that could be much better than my core technical field. So, by my third
year, I finally made up my mind to go for MS in Financial Engineering.
What is the process of interdisciplinary studies? How easy was the switch? What motivated
you the switch?
The major issue with any IIT student or in general, any student with a different educational
background than the higher study subject is that you need to pitch your story in your SOP in
such a way that they can understand why you want to switch. Moreover, taking up additional
courses, doing some relevant groundwork, projects and internships can give you a push
What are the factors you considered for selecting the universities you will apply for?
Being in a prestigious institution like IIT Kharagpur, I always aimed towards the universities
which are a league above IITs. QS ranking plays a very important role. I only applied to the top
5-6 universities keeping in mind the subject rankings and reputation. I majorly focused on the
Ivy League and the other top-notch schools.
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, and what could you have done better?
I applied to the top 5-6 universities in the field of finance. Those included UC Berkely, UCLA,
CMU, Georgia Tech and Columbia. I didn’t get selected for UC Berkely and I’m waiting for the
CMU results. Moreover, I’m waitlisted at Columbia and Georgia Tech. A good score in GRE
and TOEFL is necessary for all these universities. Some of them like Columbia and CMU have
a greater weightage for coding skills too. Having a background in coding, mathematics and
finance can provide an upper edge, especially when applying for finance. All of them have an
interview, which is mostly behavioural but in some cases, the interview also involved technical
rounds like that in UCLA. UC Berkely, being the top finance school, also needs a better CGPA
and some work experience to give you some upper edge.
How are you planning to manage your finances? Have you applied for any scholarships? What
were their procedures?
The cost of 1.5 yr course is getting around $100k. That would be managed by my family
funds and loans. I’ve not applied for any scholarships till now.
Is CGPA a factor while considering higher studies at foreign universities?
My CGPA was around 7.9 while applying. But having a better CGPA like 8.5+ is going to give
you an advantage. However other factors like a good GRE and TOEFL score, LORs and SOPs
might overpower the CGPA factor. In the case of universities like Columbia, the CGPA
requirement is quite high. So the other factors need to be exceptionally strong if the CGPA is
on the lower side.
Have you taken up any research project at your bachelor/master's level under any professor
here at IIT KGP? How did you manage your college studies and work for your research?
I did a few research projects in the field of finance. One was at IIT KGP and one was at the
University of California, San Diego. But they couldn’t get converted into a research paper. I did
them after my internship in the third year. So, I didn’t face any such difficulties.
What were the other difficulties you faced on taking this path and how to overcome them?
There are lots of difficulties which I faced. Firstly, when I came, it was not clear if I want to go
for higher studies. Moreover, working just after graduating didn’t make any sense to me until
you have an exceptional job offer or a tight financial background. Also, the major dilemma is
to choose between whether you should go directly for higher studies or you should first have
work experience. I wanted to go only to finance. So, I thought that getting an MS would help
me in getting even better job opportunities.
How did IIT KGP benefit you in your journey?
KGP has helped me in almost every other way possible. Firstly, it makes your profile amazing.
The IIT tag has a glory of its own which increases your chances of getting selected. The
exposure I’ve got was amazing. Especially, at the B-Club, I realised my interest in the field of
finance. Also, after IIT, getting placed in places like the US becomes very easy as 8 out of 10
people working in the finance sector are from IITs. So, they tend to have a bias towards
IITians.
What are the suggestions that you would give your juniors who want to pursue higher studies?
Could you please give a rough roadmap to ease their journey?
There are a handful of suggestions I would like to give.
● Make up your mind before the 6th sem. The end of the third year is an ideal time to
think about higher studies and start preparing for them.
● Be clear with the field you want to pursue. Shortlist the schools based upon your
profile strength, quality of courses and rankings.
● Try to arrange funds and start building your profile accordingly.
● Get a good counsellor who can guide you regarding the procedures etc.
● LORs are very significant. Try to get LORs from professors who have recognition due
to their research and teaching. Moreover, the relevance of LORs is also very
important.
● Target a good score in exams like TOEFL and GRE depending upon the schools you’re
targeting.
● Prepare SOP, verify LORs and fill up the forms. Don’t wait for the deadlines.”