Exchange Diaries  

Debdut Mandal | Electronics and Electrical Communication Engg.

University of South California, United States of America

Q1] 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?
“Even before and after coming to IIT I had got an overview about research from some
seniors so in a way I was more inclined to research from the beginning. I used to do projects
some time and acads some times and I faced no issue balancing the same.”

Q2] What is the process of interdisciplinary studies? How easy was the switch? What
motivated you to switch?

“You can apply for interdisciplinary studies but I didn’t as later, after PhD I want to be a
professor.”

Q3] What are the factors that you considered for selecting the universities you are
going to apply for?

“I selected the university based on the research type that I will do in next 5-6 years and also
the scholarship factor played a role in selecting USC”

Q4] 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?

“Yes, I applied to 6-7 universities and got offers from Imperial College of London and University
of South California but I selected USC as ICL had a 3 year program and I also wanted to avail
scholarship. I did not get selected in other universities maybe because they were better
students there, I should have done more research to get there, I should have published more
research papers and my CGPA could have been better But also at the end all these are
speculations and actual reason maybe something else.”

Q5] How are you planning to manage your finances? Have you applied for any
scholarships? What were their procedures?

“I applied for a scholarship at USC after talks with professors. My professor also referred me for
the Annenberg Fellowship in which I get a full tuition fee waiver and health insurance for 4 years.

Q6] Is CGPA a factor while considering higher studies at foreign universities?

“I think so, I really believe that some top universities want high CGPA and you will be on a safe
side.”

Q7] 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 worked for
your research?

“Yes, I worked under 3 professors and started in the middle of the 2nd year from the 4th
semester in my department itself. I used to go to labs and have conversations with professors
and used to do research in the field of signal processing. I had no issue managing the studies
with the projects that I was part of. “

Q8] What were the other difficulties you faced on taking this path and how to overcome
them?

“I was sure to go into the research domain and which domain I was interested in from the 3rd
year itself. I felt I could have given more time to acads for a bit higher CGPA but not a big
problem and conclusively I had no difficulty as everything was quite spontaneous.”

Q9] How did IIT KGP benefit you in your journey?

“A lot. Research environment in KGP is amazing and I did diverse projects under different
professors. I also had the opportunity to work in labs. I also got an ‘IIT KGP GKF
Scholarship’ from IR Cell.”

Q10] What are the opportunities after the Ph.D. course?

“You can become a research scientist and professor . If you want to be a professor you should
do research in summers and also go for internships and all.”

Q11] 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?

“You should try to focus on CGPA. It is easy to get a high CGPA in the 1st year itself. Try to do
research when you are free after acads , EAA and playing. Look for profiles of different
professors in the field you are researching and try to mail them and ask for projects. This helps you build a CV. If you have no liking in that project you can switch as well. You should go to
labs and work with professors and other research scholars. After a decent CGPA you should
apply for research internships, remember that a letter of recommendation (LoR) from
professors is very important .