Exchange Diaries  

Q1.Why do you think foreign training is important? How was your experience?

Internships as a whole, play a very significant role in our curriculum at IIT Kharagpur. In addition to getting hands-on experience in case of Industrial training, internships provide a platform to learn a lot about real life work, working conditions, active researches etc. Foreign training provides you with a good exposure in research and also gives you opportunities to collaborate and meet many people with similar interests.
My experience was very good, NUS has one of the world’s best labs, infrastructures, and a healthy work environment. The researchers (40% Indians) are very helpful and cooperative.

Q2.How did you manage your finances?

My Internship was funded by my professor and covered my living expenses in Singapore, Accommodation is a bit expensive as compared to other cities.

Q3.How did you apply for FT?

I applied for FT by mailing professor’s as many scholarship programs do not accept students, not in their pre-final year. You need to make a good resume, search for Prof. in your field and mail. An August cover letter is very much needed as Prof usually go just through the key points. Trying remaining true to your intentions. Don’t just mail any Prof asking for a project.

Q4.How was your Stay in Singapore?

In short, Awesome!
Being situated near the tropics, Singapore has a humid and moist climate. Housing is a bit expensive as compared to other cities. Not going into details, Singapore is a very safe and sound place to work. As far as NUS is concerned, it is situated in a very posh area. Housing nearby is expensive but one can try for in-house housing. Public transportation is one of the best in the world. As mentioned one will get Indian food easily. In some cases, one can get corporate internships in Singapore mostly in finance and data related fields. The working schemes are in favor of Indians in Singapore

Q5.Role of CG for FT?

I would say that CG is very important for Foreign Training as many scholarship programs like MITACS and DAAD have CG cutoffs.

Q6.What would you suggest to fellow KGPians?

Invest some time before sending an e-mail. Go through the Prof webpage, field of interest and the ongoing projects under him. If you have time, go through some publications of the Prof and mail accordingly mentioning that you read his/her paper and found this could be improved.
P.S Don’t mail Blindly

• Why do you think foreign Training is important?
How was your experience? A foreign internship is a very enriching experience. The first thing you get is well equipped and well-funded lab to work in. The labs were open all day and we could work whenever we wished to. You also get the chance to meet and work with many academic researchers and professors in your areas of interest. My main motive behind going for an FT was to develop a global perspective of research and gain experience in the field of my interest.
• How did you apply for FT?
I emailed my CV to the professor working in the field of my interest while expressing my interest to join his lab as an intern during the summers along with a statement of purpose. I started mailing in mid-October
. • Tell us about your scholarship programme?
There is a summer programme named VUSE offered at Vanderbilt for undergraduate research. It provides you with the stipend if you get selected in it.
• How did you manage your finances?
Managing finances wasn’t an issue because of the scholarship that I got due to the VUSE program.
• On a lighter note, how was your stay in the USA?
In terms of campus life, Vanderbilt is great. My lab atmosphere was chill and the people were very helpful and supportive. Nashville is a great place for music.
• What would you suggest to fellow KGPians?
• For everyone aspiring to an FT, I would suggest that you go for a field you find interesting. It doesn’t matter which department you belong to. It is a great experience and adds a good value to your profile. Having a good research project gives you an edge in many scenarios. The main thing is to have patience and persevere till you reach your goal. Other than that, one should not just focus on academics but also have an overall all-round personality.

Why do you think FT is important? How was your experience?

Foreign Training is quite a good experience with numerous benefits. First of all, you get to work with a group of international faculty and students. You get to know a lot about the work culture of their respective countries. Then, you get to work with highly sophisticated equipment in their labs, which might be difficult to find in IIT, considering the fact that you might not even get the permission to work with such devices at UG level. You also get to make contacts which might prove to be helpful if you are planning to pursue a career in research. Lastly, you get an experience of the culture of foreign countries. You interact with the people and get to know lots of stuff about them.

How did you manage your finances?
My host institute had arranged and paid for my accommodation in a guest house and to cover my expenses, I was being paid a daily allowance, which was sufficient to cover my travel expenses too.

Tell us about the scholarship program.
The institute where I had done my internship, National Institute for Materials Science, has an internship program through which it selects roughly 100 students (including UG and Ph.D.) from around the world to work at NIMS for a period less than 90 days. I had done my internship through this program.

How did you apply for FT?
I had started mailing to professors of Foreign Universities in October last year. While mailing, I had stumbled upon Prof. Mitani's profile, which resembled my field of interest. So I mailed him and fortunately, he replied me suggesting me to apply for the NIMS internship program and told me that he would help me through the procedure. So I started my application, uploaded all the necessary documents including bonafide certificate, transcripts, Letter of Motivation and a Letter of Reference and got my result a month later.

On a lighter note, how was your stay in Japan?
Japan is said to be a country flourishing with culture. So it was definitely a wonderful stay. The people are really disciplined and helpful. I went to Tokyo a number of times and enjoyed my trip every time. The way of life in Japan was strict and yet so enjoyable. I enjoyed the trip to my fullest.

Role of CG for FT.
CG can be considered to be of some value if you are applying for a core internship in your second year because, by the time you apply for foreign internships, you might not be having much experience in the field, since you would have just been introduced to core subjects in the third semester. So, CG reflects your academic performance and hence, your interest in Academics. But if you are passionate about the field you want to work in and have done really good and innovative work, you are sure to impress people with your CV and then, CG doesn't hold much importance.

What would you suggest to your fellow KGPians who aspire to go for Foreign Training?
Foreign Training is a wonderful experience, especially if you aspire to pursue a career in research. To increase your chances of getting selected for Foreign Training, start working as early as you can. Find your field of interest, try contacting professors for projects if you want to gain experience, make a CV, prepare your cover letter and start looking for foreign faculty in that field. And try to keep your emails as personalized as possible.

● Why do you think foreign experience is important?
How was your experience? The quality of research in the foreign universities is amazing. Often you get to work with some world-renowned professors and the learning experience is amazing. Having done some good work one can also expect to publish a paper in a reputed conference/journal. Getting a Ph.D. to admit from the university where you interned becomes easy too. There’s also another aspect to it. One’s undergraduate career should not all be about academics. Spending about 2-3 months or so in a whole new world heavily sharpens your soft skills. In my case, I got to interact with the lot of people who came from a culturally different background than mine and getting to know about their ambitions and aspirations, in turn, helped me realize what exactly I should aim for in life. The best parts were the solo trips (traveled across 5 countries in 3 months last summer, yay!) I think things like this influence very core aspects of our personalities which at-large form who we are.
● How did you manage your finances?
My rent was 325$/month (Got a good bargain as I was subletting my place). For food probably I spent ~300$/month. Honestly, I never kept track.
● How did you apply for FT? Mailing! I had my own project idea (Optimising Neural Networks without any gradient-based optimization scheme). So I googled the professors whose work aligned with mine. Then I documented my work and sent them. It was quite late when I started mailing (February-ish). Many of them liked my work and finally, I ended up at Cornell.
● On a lighter note, how was your stay at the US?
Pretty cool. I stayed there for 10 weeks. People were nice. Food was lovely. I could not travel much in the States because I had to visit Sweden too (to present my paper at ICML) and for the visa purpose my passport was with the Swedish Embassy for a month. So I could only explore 2-3 cities (NYC, Ithaca etc). I shared my apartment with 2 other guys who were pursuing Ph.D. at Cornell. Cornell has a humongous and gorgeous campus. There were also a lot of fun activities like summer festivals going on in Ithaca. All in all, I enjoyed my stay there.
● Did you get any stipend for FT?
Yes, my internship was funded by Cornell. I received a stipend of 7200$ and an airfare reimbursement of 1000$. Also, I was given other benefits at Cornell for food and local travel.
● Role of CG in FT?
Nobody knows. Generally speaking, this is quite shady. To juniors I’d suggest maintaining as high a CG as possible and if things go downhill not to worry much. An IITian never fails in life ;) My GPA, when I applied to Cornell, was 8.1 but then again I had a very strong research profile and as I mentioned earlier I had pitched my own project idea and was basically looking for a professor who could mentor me.
● What would you suggest to our fellow kgpians who aspire to go for FT?
If you’re in your second year you should first discover which field you’re interested in and then proceed accordingly. The ideal way to approach a professor is through one of his/her grads

Why do you think Foreign training is important?
Being students of one of the most prestigious institutes in the country, we should definitely experience foreign research internship once. Foreign training provides you with better research facilities, opportunity to excel in your field of interest which most CDC internship don’t, travel dream places, meet new people, and so on. If you are planning to apply for MS or Ph.D., research experience in good university under experienced advisor helps you get a better admit.

How was your experience?
My entire 10 weeks stay in Canada was not less than a dream. I got to work in one of the most advanced labs in the country. Both, Professor and Ph.D., were very encouraging and helpful. I learned a lot under their supervisions. Other than that, University of Alberta is a beautiful campus. The people there are very friendly and enthusiast. The student community is really active in UoA. They used to organize various events for the visiting students. Overall it was more like a vacation in internship not an internship on vacation.

Tell us about your scholarships?
I was funded fully by the University of Alberta through University of Alberta Research Experience Program (UARE). Interns are given 6000 CAD which is more than sufficient for 3 months stay in Edmonton.

How did you apply for FT?
My case was a bit different than a usual UARE applicant. Normally the selection procedures go like Student application (LOR, selection of project, cover letters, etc) followed with a declaration of names of selected students. I first mailed the professor regarding summer internship as everyone does. But he didn’t have any projects in UARE summers 2018. So what my professor did is, he requested UARE coordinator to add his project and take me as an intern under UARE program. If you don’t find any good projects in UARE portal, don’t worry. You can search the professor in U of A of your interest. Mail him. If he is ready to take, University will definitely fund you.

On a lighter note, how was my stay in Canada?
Canada is a perfect place to spend summers. I traveled most of the famous tourist attractions in Canada. For me, it was the perfect summer.

Role of CG in Ft?
It completely depends on the University and the Professor. If you have really good research projects in your resume, CG can be compromised. But for Ph.D. or MS, having higher CG helps you get a better admit.

Suggestion:
Getting a foreign training is not as difficult as it appears. Start googling about the Universities, departments, professors, research works, etc. as early as possible. I would suggest don’t do a mass mailing. It affects the image of our institute. Be selective. Spend some more time in googling. It helps both, you and your desired professor and saves time. Other than that there are a lot of Foreign training programs like UARE, MITACS, DAAD, etc. where you can apply but they have some CG criterion.

1)Why do you think Foreign Training is important, how was your experience?
In my opinion, a foreign experience provides a lot of exposure. To elaborate, for example, one comes to know about the various cutting-edge research going on around the world. You come in touch with various other international interns, get to know about their education system and broaden your viewpoints
2)How did you manage your finances?
My project was funded by the University of Alberta. I was given a stipend of 6000$. The amount was enough for travel, food and living expenses. I was also able to save around a thousand bucks.
3)Tell us about the scholarship program.
I applied through UARE (University of Alberta Research Experience). The program requires you to have a minimum GPA of 8. The application portal opens around October.
4)On a lighter note, how was your stay in the foreign country?
My stay in Canada was wonderful. Canada is a beautiful and extremely peaceful country to live in. A great blend of people from all over the world makes it an awesome place to visit. The university was awesome, and I got a chance to meet very well known researchers and academicians from my field. My lab-mates were a great bunch of people to work with.
5)Did u get any stipend for FT?
Yes, I got a stipend of 6000$
6)Role of CG for FT?
CG plays a fair amount of role in FT. A lot of programs have a minimum CG criterion, which is around 8 or 9. If you have a CG below 8, you will have a chance through mailing only. Nevertheless, only a high GPA doesn't ensure your application getting selected. You should have a prior research experience under a professor.
7)Any suggestions to KGP fellow?
To all the people who are aspiring to go for FT, you should start emailing the professors you are interested to work under, by the end of August, or the beginning of September. The sooner you start, the better. If you have a high CGPA, you will have a good chance through various programs. If not, mailing can land you good internships too.

Just make sure, you do not mass-mail. Prepare your cover letter and resume well, and customize your cover letter according to each professor you are mailing, by mentioning his research works or suggesting a solution to any problem he is facing. This will surely catch his attention.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Vivek: I was looking for an opportunity to work on the project related to controls and I went through the laboratory website and my professor’s webpage and then mailed the professor expressing my interest in contributing to the work done there along with my resume and transcript. The project was quite similar to the work I have done here in AGV which was a big plus point for me in getting the opportunity there.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Vivek: Being the part of Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV) Research Group since my first year, I developed a great interest in the field of controls and autonomous vehicles. Working there on different projects pushed me further to learn more about the different modules of an autonomous car. Due to this interest and my desire to pursue research work in the future, I decided to apply for the different programs and research opportunities available in the foreign universities related to the same.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Vivek: OSU had a great campus with interesting stuff going all around throughout the summers. They have great research facilities in each and every field, not just limited to engineering with the most dedicated and experienced Professors. Talking about campus life, the people are super friendly with a lot of fun activities going on throughout the summers like softball games, American football, music concerts etc for every age group.

4) How did you manage all your finances there?
Vivek: I was being compensated by my Professor on an hourly basis of work which was discussed beforehand on mail during the paperwork time. This compensation was good enough to cover all my expenses for accommodation, travelling and food in the States.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Vivek: It was a fantastic experience staying there for 10 weeks. I enjoyed working in the lab along with the students of OSU who are quite friendly and helpful. Alongside this, I made quite a few friends with whom I used to hang out after work or on weekends playing soccer or some other sports or trying out different food places and visiting various places around and getting to know more about the Cowboy culture in the State of Oklahoma.

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Vivek: The thing which impressed me the most was having regular and healthy discussions with the Professors over the project topics as well as on latest research going on related to it. I also enjoyed the freedom you have to explore and contribute to the work going in other labs along with your project like I also worked on a project related to Knee Range Motion in BAMM (Biomechanical Analysis & Musculoskeletal Modeling) lab which was totally new to me. This could be the few things which could be incorporated in KGP as well which would help the students to know and learn more about the interesting stuff going in various departments.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Vivek: My suggestion would be to explore the different topics or work going on in the campus here and identify the topic which interests you the most out of them and gain some good knowledge and experience on the same by taking up relevant courses and projects. Having a good work experience along with a decent GPA is a great boost in getting an FT.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Swagat: I was trying to find out professors doing research in Germany in my field of interest. Once I got to know the names of few such professors I contacted them with my CV and Statement of Purpose. I got a positive response from one of these Professors. Once he was convinced that I was a suitable person for the project he also recommended me for one of the scholarships that the university offered.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Swagat: I am interested in going for higher studies and a good research experience is needed for it. I was interested in the projects I was doing and wanted to explore more in these areas. Moreover, I wanted to explore the research culture abroad and get a good insight into my field of interest.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Swagat: The University of Bremen is an excellent establishment having a good international exposure and modern infrastructure. The faculty, as well as the staff in the University, are extremely helpful and friendly. Also, as the public transportation
is really good in Bremen, it is quite easy to reach the University from anywhere in the city quite easily. From my very first day at the University, I was provided with all the support and facilities required to carry out my research. I was helped by my research guide whenever I had any query and the whole research experience went quite smoothly for me. The University’s Mensa is a nice place to explore the local German cuisine.

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Swagat: As I told you, my professor had recommended me for one of the scholarships from the University. I was selected for this scholarship by the International Office soon afterwards. Under this Santander BISIP research scholarship program, I got a stipend of 2725 euros which was more than enough for my entire research stay.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Swagat: The people in Germany are really amazing. I stayed in the house of an old couple. There my experience was so good that never in my entire stay at their house I was allowed to feel like a tenant, they always treated me as a part of the family. They occasionally took me out for dinners, family barbecue parties or lunch as well. We used to watch the Fifa world cup together, go out to concerts or play computer games together in free time. They also helped me with anything related to travel and culture. During the stay, I believe the most memorable part for me was to get to know the local people and have unforgettable experiences with them.
I also visited cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg and many more. So my FT did not remain constrained to only the research work. It was overall a great experience that everyone should have in their life once.

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at KGP as well?
Swagat: I would like to implement the work culture that is followed in Germany. There the research is carried out in an organised and disciplined fashion which eventually motivates you.
Also, I think the quality of labs and the importance given to proper infrastructure and environment is something that lacks in many laboratories in KGP.
It would be great if the interaction between students and professors increases during their research. I believe it’s important to discuss and come up with results or solutions together while working on a project. This, I believe will not only bring confidence but also interest in carrying out research in KGP among its students.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow KGPians who aspire for an FT?
Swagat: I believe, a Foreign Training experience helps you learn a lot and gives you memorable experiences for life. Hence, every aspirant must take it as an opportunity to learn and innovate.
Try to find out your domain of interest that you would love to work on(It’s important. You don’t want to feel uninterested in the work that you are doing. You will be spending most of your time doing it.), try to contact researchers with whom you would love to work with based on your interests(Prevent mass mailing, be honest and state why you are interested to work with them) and all the best !!!

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Srijan: I went to the University of Alberta through the UARE program. I came to know about the program from my seniors. I applied to the project I found most relevant to my interests.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Srijan: Having an FT boosts one’s CV for higher studies in North America as well as Europe.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Srijan: In terms of research, they have the advantage of having better funding and the required hierarchy. The campus life is pretty great where the international cell organises paid trips to tourist spots. People from various countries go to the University of Alberta for their studies and are very outgoing.

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Srijan: UARE program pays a handsome CAD $6000 stipend which is more than sufficient for three months. If you spend judiciously, you might even save up to $1500 with ease. However, it is not recommended. Most of my fellow interns, as well as I, have spent all the money on travelling to other cities.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Srijan: It was awesome. I faced no difficulties since I could cook my own lunch and dinner.

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Srijan: The research work taking place in theUniversity of Alberta is more application based than that of Kgp. One reason might be that they have better research funding.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Srijan: If you are a B.Tech student and is interested in pursuing a PhD in North America, you must do an FT preferably in your third year. However, if you want to go for a job in the corporate sector, going for an FT is detrimental to your profile. Dual degree students have the luxury of going for an FT in the third year and an industrial internship in the fourth year. So they can have a mixed CV.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Rohan: I was working on an academic research project in the Department of Industrial Engineering, my project supervisor told me about the kind of work Prof. Huang is interested in, after which I personally mailed him asking if he has some project related to industrial optimization which I could work upon.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Rohan: Foreign research projects, especially in the field I was applying it, are generally industrial consulting projects as industrial optimization is something every company around the world is interested in, so the main motive was to find quality work, not only related to academic research, but a real-life problem where I could apply all that I had learnt theoretically and getting to experience the real life gist of the subject.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Rohan: The main difference in the research culture which I observed, is the student nature, first of all, everyone is productive, but not in a hurry to compete with everyone, but to excel as a whole. People properly and calmly pursue their research, but at the same time, they appreciate students from India as we implement and complete thing in very short intervals.
In terms of Campus life, there were many activities happening around, the student union was quite active, there were a lot more eateries inside. In terms of infrastructure as well, there were big student canteens, lifts, escalators, smart entry systems everywhere, the laboratories were also amazing and resourceful.

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Rohan: I was provided stipend from the university’s research fund, which was in-all enough for my stay there for two months.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Rohan: The overall experience was amazing, the work I did there turned out to be very productive, my supervisor was quite impressed by the same. The place is worth a visit for travel as well, I got to know new people, learnt a bit of Cantonese and experienced Chinese culture and weird food also. Something I wish to share is that we as Indians have a dual image in other countries, on one hand, we are thought to be very intelligent people who are technically sound, on the other hand, we also have an image of misconduct and mannerless behaviour, which we should keep in mind and try to improve.

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Rohan: The point which I mentioned earlier also, the student psychology here is too competitive, which puts a lot of pressure and students due to the environmental and peer pressure don't pursue their interests, in search of immediate and quick to grab opportunities. If something could be done to inculcate this, it would be great.

Secondly, we need to exceed on the part of availability and access to resources. The labs there are equipped with advanced instruments and students actually use them properly for their projects, undergraduates are also given access to lab instruments under supervision so that they can make the most of their time there.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Rohan: The only thing I would suggest is not to run blindly for FT’s. Decide your profile, search for projects and profs accordingly and be clear with your reason for an FT. Don’t just blindly send mass emails to the world, it creates a negative image of the country and also does not add much to your profile too.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Rajshekhar: I did a project on optimization under Prof. Manoj Kumar Tiwari(ISE Department) and he referred me to Prof. Amit Kumar. The University comes through two windows, MITACS Globalink and UARE. Although I did not apply for either of them, I got funding for my internship through the UARE Program.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Rajshekhar: I always had a desire to pursue a Masters Degree from a foreign university. Going for an FT gives you a very broad exposure to the work culture and the research that goes on in foreign universities. Also, due to the cultural diversity, you get to work with people from diverse backgrounds which you will never get to experience in India. To be frank, I also wanted to visit Canada which also motivated me to go to Alberta.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Rajshekhar: The University of Alberta is one of the highest funded universities of Canada and naturally, the research laboratories are world-class and comparable to any other top university. The graduate students and the research scholars at the UofA(as we fondly call it) come from top universities around the world and it is really an enriching experience to work with them. The campus is very scenic and it has everything ranging from a mall to restaurants, food courts, shops, fully furnished hostels etc. There is even a Department of Music in the university!

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Rajshekhar : All the UARE interns are provided with a sum of 6000 CAD. The amount is more than enough to cover all of your expenses related to flight tickets, accommodation, food, visa etc.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Rajshekhar: The UARE experience is quite a remarkable one. Learning punctuality, getting all my manners back in place are the added benefits in addition to learning how to work in real research groups, developing a professional work ethic and adhering to deadlines. It also gave me an opportunity to develop people skills, make many new friends, to go on short trips that are sure to leave me with a truckload of memories and fun experiences!

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Rajshekhar: One thing that really impressed me there was the highly organized system that they followed in their day-to-day work. Every single event was maintained in Google Calendar by the professors and their project administrators. Every event or meeting started at the time it was supposed to(unlike Kgp) and we would get at least 2-3 reminders through emails beforehand.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Rajshekhar: I would advise everyone whether he/she is interested in research or not to go for an FT once, because it really teaches you a lot about the work culture in other parts of the world and also, you get to make a lot of connections which really help you in future.
To all my juniors who aspire to go for an FT, I would advise them to maintain a good CGPA and start mailing the professors as soon as they can(preferably from early September) and also, not get disheartened by rejections. I know many of my friends who literally got more than 50 rejection emails before they got FT offers from very reputed universities.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Jyotirmoy: I had been introduced to Prof.Felix Chan through Prof. M. K. Tewari. After that, I mailed Prof. Felix Chan for the possibility of doing a research internship under his guidance.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Jyotirmoy: To get a exposure to how research is conducted and to explore further in the field of supply chain disruption.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Jyotirmoy: The host university was pretty aggressive in terms of leading in research. The had numerous state of art labs. The university had dedicated an entire building for innovation in various fields starting from arts to engineering. They regularly hosted competitions and exhibitions to encourage students in research. They took a special interest in artificial engineering and conducted workshops and exhibitions for it.

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Jyotirmoy: The stipend provided by them was more than sufficient to support me. It doesn't take more than 1.4 lakhs to stay in Hong Kong and for the flight tickets. If going to Hong Kong one should try and budget their rent for the stay since its quite high there. In general its advisable to keep a tab on spending and budget properly.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Jyotirmoy: It was amazing in terms of research and also being able to learn about a whole new country. I learnt a lot on how to go about doing research and how to present it as a research paper.

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Jyotirmoy: I was really amazed by the labs they had. It would be really great if such advanced labs are created in Kgp. They had paid special attention to there architecture and overall beautification to make the university an awesome place to just go and see. I guess that level of sophistication and beautification can be applied to Kgp.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Jyotirmoy: I would suggest them to really get to know their field of interest through projects in Kgp and do it sincerely enough to write a research paper on it. The paper holds immense value while applying for FT in other universities.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Chakit: I have been working with a professor in my department (Prof Manoj Kumar Tiwari) from the start of my 3rd year. I was interested to go for FT at the end of my 3rd year. He has various affiliations with different professors in many universities. He and the foreign professor has a collaboration on a project on Supply Chain Management. He wanted me to join that and go for a period of 2 months in the United Kingdom and work with Prof Samir. This is how I got to know about the university and the project.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Chakit: I wanted to explore the research opportunities available to me in my core fields. Another motive behind FT was to get connected with professors and students there.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Chakit: Campus life was very awesome. There are various students organisations like what we have in IIT KGP for the students to explore new activities and build upon their interests. I was very impressed by the relationship shared by the students with their professors. Professors are very friendly and helpful; they consistently motivate students in academics as well as in extracurricular activities. In terms of research, professors with me were very active and reviewing my work regularly. They were also engaged in different research projects with other research scholars.

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Chakit: Initially I had to put money from my pocket for the visa, tickets etc. Later I was provided with a bursary of 2000 pounds which was more than the living cost for 2 months. I could also manage to visit various tourist places with the money provided. The major part of the stipend was spent on the accommodation and transportation. Accommodation and transportation are very expensive in the UK.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Chakit: Overall experience was very good. I would love to visit UK again in my life. People, there are very helpful and good at heart. Most of the time I was with my professor who was very helpful and kind. People in UK are very loyal and genuine. UK has a very rich heritage preserved for many years which is the main attraction for tourists across the globe. I will always cherish my memories and my visits to beautiful cities like Edinburgh, York, Manchester and London.

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Chakit: Professor and students relationship has to be improved. It has to be less formal and more friendly. Students should be given more freedom in selecting their coursework.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Chakit: FT is a great way to explore the opportunities available outside the country. FT can connect you with people outside the country for future references. FT allows you to explore a new place with a new group of people. You have 2-3 summer vacations out of which one can definitely use one of them for FT for such a wonderful experience.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Ayush: I got to know about the internship program by University of Alberta - UARE from one of my seniors who had visited the university in 2017. The projects for the internship were up on the website of UARE, with proper project details. One has to fill out the application form by clicking on a link mentioned in the website. There would also be a checklist of documents one has to be prepared with before filling up the application form, as they have to be attached in the same.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Ayush: I was interested in robotics, industrial automation systems, intelligent manufacturing etc. Not many industries in India have been working in these fields, and those few which have been doing such work won’t be hiring a 2-3 months intern in R&D profile for their organization, thus I had to look out for opportunities in foreign nations for the same. Besides, FT is not just meant for working on cutting-edge research topics. The exposure to foreign work culture, the way academia and industry work at any foreign nation is very important for scaling up your learning curve and engineering experience.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Ayush: University of Alberta is really good in terms of research. What amazed me was the fact that even some of their young laboratories have adopted few of the most advanced technologies in the world. The university has a very good reputation among Canadian industries and receives a lot of funding for various industrial projects supervised by the professors of University of Alberta.

Unlike many of the premier Indian universities, most of the universities in Canada including University of Alberta has an open campus system (no boundary wall, no gates). People can be seen playing, skating, cycling through its road at any time of the day. There are a lot of food points throughout the campus. The campus also has multiple shopping complexes, multiple libraries and other buildings of importance.

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Ayush: UARE gives each intern a stipend of 6000 CAD, which are paid in two instalments of 4000 CAD and 2000 CAD respectively. All the expenses including travel, visa, accommodation, food etc of an intern would be easily covered up by the stipend received.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Ayush: University of Alberta is known to have an outstanding visiting students’ program. For all of us, it was a wonderful experience altogether. We got to meet interns from other programs working in different fields, from other universities of India and various parts of the world. The university did arrange a lot of recreational trips, trekking, outdoor barbeque, a visit to hill stations, national parks etc for all the visiting students. The university had assigned coordinators to us for the same. The city of Edmonton is called the festival city of Canada. Every week we used to visit at least 2-3 fairs, fests etc in the city and most of it was arranged by the university. It made us socialize with other students and learn the culture of various other nations of the world.

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Ayush: The work culture of Canadian universities is something that needs to be implemented at Kgp as well. Every professor does hold a meeting with his whole team (consisting of Masters, PhD, post-doctorate and visiting students) taking updates on each one’s research and sharing his own updates on grants, projects, publications etc. Each of the work including designs, codes, reports, images, videos etc are well documented and stored in cloud space. These all ensure a very encouraging and smooth research environment, and the progress is clearly visible to all members of the team.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Ayush: I would suggest every fellow Kgpian to first dedicate some time to understand their interest at that particular stage in their life. If someone is deeply interested in research related or unrelated to their department then FT is a very good option to understand the way things work in other parts of the world. The international exposure is of immense importance even if you change the field to work in a management profile in a later stage of your life.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Aniruddha: I searched for Professors based on my interest and shortlisted them. I started mailing and luckily, the very first Professor I mailed sent me a positive response saying that he was willing to guide me for the internship. The other aspects like getting a confirmation from the University was managed by my Professor.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Aniruddha: I wanted to gain a global exposure by working with people from different parts of the world. I also wanted to develop more experience by working in a Research Institute that would help me in my future plans for research.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Aniruddha: The University of Muenster has departments throughout the city- each of which undertakes serious practical and computational work. In my workgroup, for instance, I was given access to a supercomputer cluster to take care of all the heavy-duty computational work. Researchers keep themselves updated with recent publications and collaborate with people from other universities.

The campus life was great with students from all over the world helping each other. Learning German would be an added advantage but is not a necessity. We also had weekly cake meetings and a barbeque party around once a month. The campus life was thus a mixture of work as well as fun and frolic.

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Aniruddha: I had applied for the DAAD Scholarship but didn’t receive it so I had to manage all my expenses on my own. Also, there are some issues with the German Bureaucracy so my Professor couldn’t manage a scholarship for me.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Aniruddha: My Professor and co-workers helped me a lot and they were very friendly. Apart from them, I lived in a shared apartment and made some great friends. I also visited quite a few places in Germany during the weekends with my friends. I found almost all the people to be extremely polite, friendly and ready to help in whichever way they could. I really liked how everyone took care of the environment. During my stay in Germany, I had to do everything on my own from buying stuff at the departmental store to cooking and cleaning the dishes. It taught me to be independent. Thus, I think I learnt a lot of things, not just in my area of research but also in the day-to-day ways of life that have made me a better person.

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Aniruddha: I think the biggest difference is the quality of research done there. Almost all the Universities conduct quality research and have access to proper experimental and computational facilities. For example, the Professor in whose group I was working under had a small supercomputing cluster. Professors conduct quality research even in not-so renowned institutions. People work hard during office hours but also enjoy their life to the fullest. Group events are conducted on a routine basis to make research a fun affair and not a boring one.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Aniruddha: Students should go through some of the Professor’s recent publications. It is always best if you are applying to a Professor who works in a field related to your interests, otherwise, you may end up doing something completely different that you may not even enjoy.

1)How did you get to know about the project and how did you approach the university?
Anirban: I had applied for seven projects in the MITACS globalink program and I was selected in one. I did not approach the University or the professor.

2)The motive behind going for an FT.
Anirban: I wanted to get a global exposure and wanted to have a research experience abroad in my field of interest.

3) How was the host university in terms of research and campus life?
Anirban: I had a very good experience when it came to research. However, it was a French University(luckily everyone in my lab could speak English) so had a bit of a problem when it came to language inside as well as outside the campus.

4)How did you manage all your finances there?
Anirban: I got almost 7000 Canadian dollars which were more than sufficient for me.

5) How was your overall experience during your stay there?
Anirban: It was pretty good. I stayed there for 3 months(which is a huge pro if you apply through the MITACS program), hence I could complete my project. Quebec City is a beautiful city and the climate was very good as well. All in all, I had a very good time(both in terms of research and my stay there)

6)What were some things that impressed you there and you think needs to be implemented here at Kgp as well?
Anirban: The biggest difference I feel is the amount of money that is invested in the research labs there, and I am talking about a University that is not even considered among the top five in Canada.

7)Last but not the least, what would you suggest our fellow Kgpians who aspire for an FT?
Anirban: Focus on the work of the professor when you are applying for an FT because if you take up a project which is completely different from what you know or your field of interest it might end up wasting your summer.

How did you get the FT?

Aakash:
I got this FT through personal mailing. I made my CV and cover letter after researching about the professors through their CV & research papers and got this FT by writing only 10-12 emails.

Do you think knowing about the professors is important?

Aakash:
Mass mailing is the worst idea that any student could opt for getting an FT. One should also make sure that the professor has at least one lab under him. I avoided sending emails to highly involved professors as it is difficult to get FT under them. So, I believe one must optimize their chances by right selection of professors.

What was the topic of research?

Aakash:
My research work was related to a robot named SpearX for Mars exploration. SpearX are basically hopping bots (around 40 in number) which are controlled by a rover. I was working on the drone which controlled and localized the SpearX.

What makes FT important for students?

Aakash:
I believe international exposure is really important for students to upgrade themselves both academically and socially. You get a completely different perception of your subject. Interacting with different kinds of people helps you develop a sense of confidence.

Any general suggestions you would like to give?

Aakash:
Personally, the biggest hurdle I faced was my low CGPA. I would suggest everyone, maintain a decent CGPA because it does play a role in defining you. I had done a lot of projects and had participated in hardware modeling which helped me a lot. Meanwhile, if you don't have a good CGPA, you should never give up hopes.

How did you get your FT?

Aayushman:
I got my FT through personal mailing. I had been mailing quite a few professors from February. I got the confirmation from the professor who worked in the area which interests me the most, so I decided to go to Hull University.

What was your research project about?

Aayushman:
My project was based on multicriteria path planning. Basically, I had to make a scheme for a robot or a team of robots using which could explore a completely unknown area prebiotically. It was based on fuzzy controls system that had to make decisions based on multiple criteria.

How was your overall experience?

Aayushman:
It was a great experience for me in all prospects. I learned a lot through my project. One gets to know about the research culture outside India. After this FT, I could clearly decide my research interest (for Ph.D.).

How did you manage your experience?

Aayushman: I was not given stipend, I was refunded for all living and travel expenses

How did you get the FT?
Aman:
I was a DAAD-WISE fellowship.The next task to get an FT is to get an invitation from a professor at a public university in Germany. So I started out with the TUs (they are like IITs in Germany) and searched for the professors working in my research area and that are willing to take a short-term intern After all this shortlisting process, I wrote the final emails to 8 professors, 7 in Germany and 1 in France and got an invitation from 2 of them (one where I went the other one from the University of Grenoble, France).

What was your research topic?
Aman:
The topic on which I worked was continuous stream similarity join, which broadly speaking is joining small segments of information that may belong to same entity/user to generate a bigger chunk of data.

How was your overall experience?
Aman:
The overall experience was great, the professor was quite helpful and patient in answering most of my queries. Europe as a whole is a great place to be, especially in the summers. The research scholars also helped me a lot in solving the academic as well as non-academic issued that I faced.

How did you manage your expenses?
Aman:
As I received the DAAD-WISE fellowship, it covered all of my expenses there and I even managed to save a few hundred euros. But in Germany no professor will give you funding from himself, so only try if you are sure that you will get DAAD-WISE ( CG >9.2 and a strong LOR from a professor).

Do you think FT is important?
Aman :
It depends, if you have already made up your mind of not going into research then maybe it’s just a waste of time as you can learn more with an industry intern, but if you are still confused and want to do a research intern, then I will definitely recommend going for an FT. It gives you a good exposure to how “actual” research is done, which is difficult to find in India. So it's a win-win situation if you get an FT. And with so many programs it is not so difficult to get one if you apply for it systematically.

How did you apply for your FT?

Arun:
I had mailed several professors of Canadian and US universities who were working in the field of my interest. The professor asked me about my experience in the field of Parallel computing and CFD. He was satisfied with my previous research projects

What was your research all about?

Arun:
My research was to make a serial CFD program parallel. In general CFD simulations are computative and some may take months to complete. So I was supposed to bring down the simulation time by speeding up the computations through the serial code parallel using CUDA programming platform.

How was your experience during your FT?

Arun:
The experience was good. Montreal’s summer weather is perfect and the beauty of Canadian cities always amazes you. I went for skydiving and a tour to Niagara Falls. Nearby cities like Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec city are very beautiful and people are also cooperative. Being a vegetarian I faced problems initially but then I managed to find some good veg restaurants and even I learned cooking. Regarding my work, I always enjoyed it because it was what I liked to do.

How did you manage your expenses?

Arun:
My internship was fully funded. So I had no issues about the expenses.

Do you think FT is important?

Arun:
I think yes it is important in a certain aspect. It gives you an idea of how people are advancing in the field of your research aboard. You come across their work culture. And most importantly you make contacts which can help you a lot if you want to pursue your further studies abroad.

How did you get the FT?

Kinjal:
I got my FT through personal mailing. It took a lot of time in making my CV and Cover Letter as these must not be generic. I knew my interest. My area of research could be found in departments of Mechanical, Aerospace, Computer Science and Industrial engineering.

When did you start mailing?

Kinjal:
I believe the ideal time for mailing is from November. I wrote about 25 emails and got 3 replies. I feel fortunate as my professor was World Rank 2 in this field.

What was your research topic?

Kinjal:
My task was Multiple Object Optimization in Engineering Design. I developed a software which could optimize the design of all the parts of an airplane. I had a very different experience of my project, in the largest lab in Latin America.

How was your overall experience during your foreign training?

Kinjal:
It was a great experience. The work culture is very different. They are not concerned about the time you spent in the lab, but the quality of work. The people in the lab were very cooperative and helpful. I had a really good time.

How did you manage your expenses?

Kinjal:
I didn’t get any stipend. As Mexico was not a very expensive place and my professor was very good, I chose to go there without stipend.

How did you apply for the FT?

Neelakash:
I applied in the Mitacs Globalink program. It offers internships in all the Canadian Universities.
So, I got my internship at the University of Manitoba.

What are the criteria on which selection is based on?

Neelakash:
You must have a minimum of 9 CGPA for applying in this project. You obviously get an edge being an IITian.

What was your area of research?

Neelakash:
It was based on the topic of Turbulence. Basically, it was experimental work on free shear flows.

How did you manage your expenses?

Neelakash:
For students from Top IITs, the entire money is paid by Mitacs. MHRD manages the expenses for other institutes. So, my life went quite smooth over there.

How was your stay in Canada?

Neelakash:
It was a great experience. The people there were very cooperative and helped me throughout my stay. They provided us with a mentor who guided me through my work. I had a lot of fun on my weekends. We went for many road trips. Overall I had an amazing experience.

How did you get an FT?

Prutha:
I got this FT through mailing. After deciding my interest, I looked out at profiles of different professors and jolted down what all things, they specifically work on. While I applied to the professor, my main focus was to look for a proper guide. I made sure that I didn’t apply to inappropriate places with the inappropriate cover letter because that really makes a bad impression. I didn't do mass mailing but at the same time, I wouldn’t say that I wasted a lot of time in one application. Perhaps I wrote about 150-170 emails and then I got the FT.

How should one apply through mailing?

Prutha:
I would suggest submitting your cover letter and CV in a pdf. Keep it as precise as you can. If you have applied at one particular place keep a track if that person has actually read the mail. You should try to do a follow-up mail at least twice if that person has not read the mail.

What was your project about?

Prutha :
I have always been interested in fluid dynamics, did some projects in my second year, an internship at IISc Banglore in the third year and it was pretty much clear about what I wanted to do. My work was on three-dimensional flow topologies.

How was your overall experience?

Prutha:
I really got to learn a lot through my project. My professor was very precise about what he wanted me to do, so it gave me a direction. I can probably say that every day’s work was pretty much structured. As I went without an internship program, I didn’t have a lot of co-interns with me. The first time you go traveling to a totally new country. You get to talk to new people and you have your own little perspective about the place. It is really exciting. After that experience, you’re going to be more confident as a person.

Do you think students who are not very sure about pursuing research, should go for an FT?

Prutha:
I think it really important that you go for an FT before you decide on the prospect of MS or Ph.D. If you can get a good internship, then obviously go for it. Irrespective of what career path you choose ahead, one should go for an FT, it brings out the best in you. You gain a lot of experience which doesn't only add to your research profile.

Any general suggestions?

Prutha :
Getting an FT is not easy. I was not a person who did mass-mailing. So I really had to devote my time. I also made changes in my cover letter that I sound more appealing and start applying earlier.

How did you manage your expenses?

Prutha:
I was looking for an FT which covered all my basic expenses. I did get a few replies with no stipend at all. For this project, I got a reasonable stipend which covered my flight, accommodation, food and visa fees.

How did you apply for the FT?
Ritam:
I applied for FT via the Viterbi program which is meant for students of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Electronics and Communication Engineering. It is a program between the Indian Government and the USC institute wherein around 18-20 students from all over India go to work with some Professors out there. This time 4 people from IIT Kharagpur were selected through the Viterbi programme.

What was your area and topic of research?
Ritam:
My research area was in social networks and the topic I worked on was analysing Facebook ads which were bought by Russia. These ads were bought during the 2016 presidential elections. So we were analysing the extent of the influence on the Ads due to the difference in authority (Democrats, Republicans etc).

How was your experience during your FT?
Ritam:
It was wonderful. I worked in the Information Sciences Institute which is situated near the beach. The weather was amazing, the place was buzzing with enthusiasm and the people were very helpful. The work was fun and not very tedious.

How did you manage your expenses?
Ritam:
I had got the scholarship under this programme. I went out on a vacationing mood so was a bit extravagant. I lived with some senior PhD students whom I had contacted beforehand. The rest was spent on trips and outings to nearby places.

How did you apply for your FT?

Sayan:
I applied for my FT through personal mailing. I had few professors in mind from 2nd year.
I went through their research papers and thought about how I could add to their work. This was the gist of my cover letter. I made sure that my resume and cover letter were perfect. Right now, I am considering to take up my Ph.D. under the same professor.

What was your research all about?

Sayan:
My task was acoustic detection and location of drones. Firstly, all the drones have their own acoustic signature.I had to isolate the signals and built the feature list to track the drone.
I have applied for a patent in U.S.A for this project. The actual demonstration was in September.

How was your experience?

Sayan:
It was great.I had a lot of fun. The working culture was great. There was no time bondage, only your work mattered to them. I traveled to quite many places.

How did you manage your expenses?

Sayan:
My stipend was enough. Everything like accommodation and airfares was paid. Only medical insurance had to be taken by me.

Did you face any problem while getting things done for your FT?

Sayan:
I feel people generally don't talk about the strenuous part of getting VISA for the USA. I majorly faced a lot of problems due to my project which was based on drones. There is something called TAL (Technology Alert List). I had to go through more security. I had to even submit my C.V and SOP.
When the individual will be engaged in activities designated on or related to the Sensitive/Critical Fields List you have to go through this. Basically, almost all the stuff of Aerospace Engineering is under this list.

How did you get an FT?

Shubham:
I applied for the S.N Bose Programme. I submitted my Statement of Purpose, the research interests and two letter of recommendation. My application was scrutinized. I had submitted this in the month of December and I got approval in February. I contacted some of the professors and was shortlisted.

Could you explain what is the S.N Bose Programme?

Shubham:
The Science & Engineering Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) and WINStep Forward have partnered to develop a dynamic and transformative student exchange program between premier institutions in India and the United States. For the approval, you have to get approved by the CDC that you are either Department Rank one or two.

What was your project about?

Shubham:
My work was to make an autonomous quadcopter. As autonomous vehicles are prone to failures, my work was to design a controlled architecture which would add multiple layers of autonomy to the manual drone. This gave rise to a very robust system. It required a lot of MATLAB and ROS.

How was your overall experience?

Shubham:
It was an amazing experience, particularly in research. All the resources that I required were provided to me. I got a lab and a dedicated arena for my work. The students were very helpful and were enthusiastic about the work. I think life was a bit mundane there, but I enjoyed a lot in my weekends.

How did you manage your expenses?

Shubham:
My stipend of 2000 dollars and the professor is mandatory to pay you 1000 dollars. My flights and accommodation were free.

Do you think FT is important?

Shubham:
Yes, according to me, FT is very important because you get to realize the research culture outside India. In India due to lack of resources, our research is mostly theoretical (aerospace engineering especially). This would surely inspire you to pursue higher studies. It opens up your mind and you will want to explore more.

How did you get your FT?
Spandan:
Basically, the computer science department has ties with National Tsing Hua University through the Industrial Technology Research Institute. I was selected through this programme.

What do you think is the most important factor for selection (for the programme)?
Spandan:
For programmes like this, CGPA is the most important criteria. In this programme, mostly the top three departmental toppers are usually recommended by the professors. My case is a bit exceptional. I was chosen because I had participated in the Google Summer of Code in my second year.

Under whom did you work?
Spandan:
I was not working under a professor. My internship was in a research park. My overall mentors were Dr Zhe and Mr Peter Huang. And there were other mentors with me all the time

What was your research based on?
Spandan:
My task was to help them run their software with the help of another software called “CHEF”.
I had a first hand on experience of CHEF during my internship in GSOC. So, I was the one chosen for this project.

What was your overall experience during your FT?
Spandan:
It was an enriching experience. The amalgamation of research and industrial applications was amazing to experience. The working environment was very friendly and healthy. Everyone was tremendously supportive and caring. Though we faced some problems in communicating with people, the overall experience was ecstatic. We travelled a lot. Taiwan’s seas, cliff, beaches and mountains were a treat to our eyes.

How did you manage your expenses?
Spandan:
It was easy for me to manage the expenses as the stipend were enough for it. The accommodation, as well as the air tickets, were arranged by the university itself.

1. How did you get your FT?
Vishvesh:
I got my FT through a programme called UARE. I didn’t apply for any programs that involved directly contacting the professors. I was doing a project in my course Intelligent Game Design which was similar to the project in my FT. I took a recommendation from the professor as well. So, this way I made it for the FT.
2. What was your research based on Vishvesh:
My project was called ‘Model-driven Intelligent Home Interior Design’. We were building a software for this company called Cadsoft, as a replacement for their current interior design software. The part I worked on was a software that could render buildings in 3D from an industrially used file format which involved a lot of understanding of C#.

3. How was your stay during your FT?
Vishvesh:
It was heavenly. The people there are extremely nice, helpful and friendly. Canada is a truly free country. You have the the social and economic freedom to do anything that isn’t illegal, and nobody can touch you.
Plus, the weather is awesome. The facilities are amazing. I finally had city life after so long. I went for ice skating, jet skiing, trekking, wildlife spotting and cycling along the ocean.

4. Why do you think students should go for FT?
Vishvesh:
It gives you the opportunity to know about different kinds of people and their cultures. You also get to see the cutting edge technology that exists and is developing across the world and is yet to develop in our country. Say for an example, buses would kneel at their stoppages to make it easier for the commuters to get in and many more.
The facilities provided outside of the country to support the ambience of research is amazing. Seminars were conducted every week, where the PhDs would talk about what they were working on and how it would change the world.
Students can definitely learn a lot through this and even get ideas for a statup, if such technology has not been implemented in India.

How much stipend did you get?
Vishvesh:
I received 6000 CAD. It is a huge amount for undergraduate students. If you live without too much glitter in your life, you can even bring back 1 lac rupees.

What was your FT about?
I worked under the professor Yuan Yao, at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Usually what happens in packed beds at industries is, you have air or any inert gas going toward x direction and then you have a liquid ( oil in general , water while experimenting) flowing in -x direction and then there is a point of intersection of both these things where there is a packing material inside a cylindrical tube . At one point of time the air flowing in starts bubbling out of this fluid. If this point is reached you probably will have to temporarily shut down the complete belt. This is the chemical engineering side of it. So, I had to use Deep Learning techniques to figure out at what particular pressure drop or at what particular flow rate will we be reaching that flooding or bubbling point or at any particular time how close are we to this flooding point.

What procedure did you follow to get an FT and also how did you manage your expenses?
There is this program of NTHU (National Tsing Hua University) wherein they take applications from students and then pass on the relevant ones to the concerned professors. If the professor is interested in the work that you have done and it aligns with his current project, he will try to get in touch with you and then if he likes the work you are doing, he shortlists you for the GES scholarship which is prominent in Taiwan, mainland China and other few countries of Asia.
They will sponsor your travel and stay and the only thing that you need to take care of is your food.The professor had already been working on statistical models as far as the prediction is concerned and he wanted someone who could understand neural networks in a bit detail and could apply it. I had a project in Bayesian optimisation and recurrent neural networks so I was shortlisted.

How did you come to know of this program?
I had been looking for Foreign internships since December and I got to know of this through an article on the internet.

Would you like to share anything else?
It requires a lot of perseverance to get an FT. You definitely might not get it in your first shot or even in the hundredth, but in the end you need only one internship! Moreover, all the effort seems worth it at the end, because it’s definitely a lifetime experience.

I applied for Khorana Program and NTU India Connect apart from applying for Honda YES award. Although I couldn’t make it for the NTU, I was given an offer of Khorana Scholarship. I couldn’t avail it because it was late and my placement at the University of Tokyo was already confirmed by then. For UTokyo, once you are a Honda YES scholar, Honda Foundation takes utmost care to help you find a suitable professor in any coveted university in Japan. For the Khorana Program, I suppose high CGPA i.e. preferably 9.0+ is advantageous although you require 8.0+ to apply for the program.

I absolutely loved the country because of some amazing people I met and the stark cultural difference it has with India. This appealed to me from the moment I stepped in the country. I need not elaborate on what the UK has to offer to the palate of the student. That said if you want to do some real research work there you have several KGP alumni back there ready to help you out with a great office culture and researchers who are brilliant and ready to assist you always. At the end of the day what matters is the depth of your interest and what you make of it. FT is just a false crown of veneration that a student seeks to wear and one should not go just for the sake of it.

I started mailing in August, got an interview scheduled in November. I had sent around 50 emails, mostly to US and Canada. US interns usually have restrictions as in award only their own citizens.
It was quite good, overall. Labs there get industrial funding. There are instruments there that you don’t find here. It was very easy to work in a lab. People are very friendly. No differentiation between post-doctorates, professors and students, everyone is equal in a lab. Very approachable postdocs and profs. It was like a family there.

It was a humbling experience overall. Canada is such a nice country where people greet and be nice to even bus drivers, plumbers, garbage pickers; everyone is equal, no job is menial. Also, there is equality everywhere and no one is judged for anything. You have the freedom to do whatever you want as long as you're completing the project on time. There's no hierarchical structure, so you are equal to your professor and your professor will treat you with respect. This experience enhances your decision making capability as you're an independent researcher so you gain a lot of useful experience. I received around 7000 Canadian dollars as my stipend.

I had mailed directly. I want to add here that a CG above 8 helps you be eligible for programmes which was a big disadvantage for me. I started emailing in early February. I had to send just 20-30 emails because I targeted only those professors who were involved in my research area. No funds with the professor is a big issue, you have to be persistent.
I got to explore the working of the other parts of the world, what their interests and methods were and how they varied from ours? The work environment was very warm and affable. The profs there were very hardworking and passionate about their research. There was no strict hierarchical structure instead was an informal environment where brainstorming was not only accepted but even encouraged, a quality missing in Indian labs. The core has meagre scope in India for BT as negligible institutes and very less funding. You would have to put in more efforts here to obtain even a fraction of results.

I started mailing around mid-November but did not get a positive reply until mid-Feb. I applied to about 50 universities. Apart from the round trip cost and accommodation, I was earning
3000 yen per day (Rs 1800 a day). Overall, the trip was amazing. It’s a lot more humbling experience than one would expect. Since it is an internship, I learnt a lot over the course of the 2 months. I am generally a horrible procrastinator. But the deadlines made me learn and implement AI models much faster than general. But this is true for any internship. What made it special was that it was with smart people of another country.

I started mailing by mid-August. I applied to a lot of places; I don’t exactly remember the number (Somewhere like 50 professors and 8 programs). I was also successful to get an offer from Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and JNCASR, Bangalore.
I went to Caltech through VURP (equivalent to Caltech SURF) since some amount of my support came through IITKGP Foundation Alumni Scholarship and partially from Caltech PayRoll system(overall fully funded). It was really hard to get the initial confirmation from my professor. After that, the most difficult thing about securing the internship was the uncertainties in getting the funds and making a schedule that does not affect my next Autumn sem at KGP.
Wow! I can write pages on this. It was probably the most productive as well as satisfying period of my career. I learned a lot from my mentors and other lab members. Being a part of a group of their eminence gave me a flavour of cutting-edge research. I had a lot of co-interns there and made a number of cool friends along the way. I was exposed to diverse areas of research talking to them. I really respect their dedication and constructive way to do a better scientific and technological intervention. Apart from science, it was really awesome hanging out in Los Angeles, having beach-time etc. The SFP people organized a number of BBQ parties, Ice-cream hours, movie-times and most importantly dinners with faculty. Summing up, it was a wonderful ten weeks there.
Yes, I do recommend people to go for an FT. I feel it is very necessary to get an outlook on the research that is being done in ‘so-called’ developed world. That helps us to speculate how do we lack to become a developed nation. Above all, the student will get a chance to interact with a lot of cool scientists and people in his/her field. Knowing their research and beautiful ideas will be helpful for them to choose their own interest. They will get to connect a lot of people, get help building a network which is very useful to become a successful leader in any area.

What was your FT about?
It was at DAMTP, University of Cambridge, UK.
My area of research was fluid mechanics in general and ice glaciology to be specific.

I tried to present a theoretical and experimental study of viscous gravity currents lubricated by another viscous fluid from below. We use lubrication theory to model both layers as Newtonian fluids spreading under their own weighting two-dimensional settings. We have two conditions regarding the delivery of the lower viscous layer, either axisymmetric, or channel wise. Also the surface topology is changed from a smooth to a uniform porous medium, and is both sloped and horizontal at times. The main focus is over the instabilities in viscous fluid on the top of the lubricant, down a slope.
I have achieved some very interesting result, including a very new form of instability in lubricated viscous gravity currents whose waveform is a very strong function of viscosity ratio. This was obtained by diminishing the effect of the vertical pressure gradient and thus helping build an approximately constant height profile. I am still trying to analyse the actual data, and thus focus to derive a function between the waveform of the instability and the viscosity ratio.
This study will help us understand more about the motion of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. The ice sheets are generally kilometres high, and due to this, there is extremely high pressure at the bottom. Owing to the anomalous nature of water-ice, a thin layer of water is formed at the bottom, which lubricates the ice sheets. Also, thicker the ice sheet, the thermal resistance of the ice sheet increases, reducing the heat dissipated outside. So higher the ice sheet, higher the lubrication. This has the effect in general that once it starts moving, it keeps on accelerating.
The motion of the ice glaciers hasn’t been studied much, also, it has several instability phenomena, which I was more interested to study about. Also, I needed to replicate the porous nature of the basal bed, and try to observe, the effects of the porous medium too. The whole idea and the net contribution of lubrication to the motion of ice sheets haven’t been studied much, and thus was very interesting to propose a model for it.

What procedure did you follow?
I had got selected to other 4 programs too :AMGEN, UARE & TTU. Some were through mailing & some were programs.

Did you get any stipend?
Nope, not any stipend, but got the IIT Kharagpur Usf award.

Would you like to share your experience?
I was working at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge and was really a very nice experience. I conducted all the experiments at GK Batchelor Lab, having the distinction of the first fluid mechanical lab in the Mathematics Department, and it’s really amusing to work at such a facility. The laboratory is very well equipped, and quite resourceful. Also, a lot of independence is given to the researchers, in terms of the experiments, and it’s really very nice. I had very productive discussions with my supervisors, and they guided and helped me time to time.
Also, Cambridge is a very fun and social place. I met various people, working on very different topics in the same labs. People in the mathematics department have been solving problems ranging from Biological system to the financial models, from space-time warp to the geological phenomena. There is a lot of diversity, both in terms of people and the works going on. I also interacted with people outside the department too, historians, evolutionary scientists and environmentalists too. And I am deeply thankful to the IIT Kgp US Foundation for all the help to make this possible for me.

What was your FT about?
At the end of my third year, I did a research internship at University of Leeds, England for a period of two months to work on an Industrial Project which was based on Petrophysical Data Analysis.

What procedure did you follow to get an FT?
I would like to highlight that if you are really interested in going for a research internship, NEVER LOSE YOUR HOPE. I had got the opportunity for the internship through emailing the resume to the professor who is working in the field of my interest along with the valuable statement of purpose. Gaining a global platform is a huge boost for your profile and for your career if research fascinates you. Go for it. Keep patience, you gonna learn so much during this process.

How did you manage your expenses?
For my expenses, I have got the stipend from my host professor which was sufficient enough to carry out the travel, accommodation and other living expenses.

Would you like to share your experience?
During my stay, I gained so many new and amazing experiences. The work atmosphere was really good. The working hours were very much flexible and getting the access for office 24*7 had made my life easy over there. The professors at University of Leeds really emphasized on learning. My professor listened me really well and acknowledged the suggestions, even the small ones. Moreover, he involved me with some of his Masters’ students from different backgrounds which really helped me a lot. Also, meeting the folks from different nationalities, interacting and learning from them made my stay wonderful. Keeping balance between your work and your life is the main mantra for the success. xD
Always keep this in your mind that the path is little difficult and frustrating, but perks are waiting for you in The End

Specifics of my internship:
Worked in the Policy studio of UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.
https://policyschool.ubc.ca/
Step 1: Fill the application. Be genuine with interests.
Step 2: Generally an interview is conducted. (Mine was a bit more rigorous since I did not belong to a
relevant academic background, so I had to submit a case study followed by an interview)
Step 3: Results come in two waves. The first wave is in December and the second wave is around
February. Don’t panic if your friends get through in the first wave, there are a lot of student who get
selected in the second wave too.
Step 4: If you get selected, make sure you apply for the visa asap.
Experience: Worked with a bunch of public policy enthusiasts and social innovators. Pretty much an
organic setup fostering me to contribute significantly to a couple of policy studio projects. Worked
on cases through a user-research rooted process constituting of studio sessions and one-on-one in
depth interviews with clients and stakeholders.
Living in Vancouver/ Travel:
Amazing confluence of cultures and cuisines. Weekends were more of an adventure playground
since Vancouver is located amidst the lap of nature, surrounded by the mighty Pacific on the west
and the foothills of whistler (a world renowned ski destination) on the North. A couple of hours drive
from Vancouver would lead you to the wilderness where bears roam and salmon filled rivers rush
through forests. Most of the Canadian cities offer amazing outdoor experience and mind blowing
vistas within city limits. I experienced a whole new level of awesomeness, both at and off work.
Seattle is a three hour drive from Vancouver in case you wish to enter into the American territory.
All the best!
Mail me over dasduttatreya@gmail.com in case of any guidance or queries. Browsing through FAQs
and Quora would possibly answer most of your questions.

What was your FT about and how did you manage your expenses?
My summer training was at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK where I got the opportunity to work with Dr. Yuner Huang on “Composite timber and cold-formed steel panel for urban construction”. During this nine weeks period, I investigated an innovative concrete-filled-stainless-steel tubular structure with expansive additive. I also developed a design template for the structural capacity of a reinforced concrete structure. Coming to the expenses, I was funded by the IIT Kharagpur Foundation of USA (IITKGPF) who bore my travel, accommodation, and other living costs.

What procedure did you follow?
Initially I made a list of professors of the top 50 colleges who shared similar research interests as me. I started the mailing process in the month of August itself. I mainly contacted professors via emails to find out if there were any vacant positions in their labs for undertaking research. Finally, in the month of March, I was invited by Dr. Yuner Huang to work with her at the University of Edinburgh.

What else would you like to share?
My foreign training at Edinburgh was a great exposure for me towards their culture, besides enhancing my academic knowledge and building up my skills. I must admit that it may take in a lot of effort, but the results are worth it. The outcome may occur in a day, a month or may even take several months. One needs to keep his/her composure, patience and be optimistic throughout the process. There is no fixed number of professors that one needs to contact to secure FT. Having said that, there are ways to still maximize ones’ chances. One should not contact professors whilst holidays at their universities, and also should try to contact them during their working hours corresponding to their respective time-zone (preferably 8-10 AM), or else there are high chances of the emails getting unnoticed by the professors.
All the best!

1.How did you get your Foreign Internship?
Getting internships in companies abroad is a bit difficult because companies prefer internship durations of 6 months or more. I started with mailing and got positive responses but all they required 6 months duration which was not possible for me. There is a website, especially for Japanese startups keen to hire international students. I searched for the required position, I wanted to work as. These companies ask you to fill out the form and create a detailed account like LinkedIn on that website, then the company will review it and contact you (if they like your resume) for an interview. The COO of the company took my interview and was impressed by me, my plus points were
1- I can speak Japanese,
2-my previous internship in Daimler company in Japan.
I applied in the month of March and by the mid of April I got my official offer letter from the company and the rest were visa formalities.

2.What was your work Based on?
The company develops Virtual Reality haptics products, haptics here means the hand gears which can make you feel the virtual reality objects. My job mainly included Marketing and Business development. The company wanted to spread its business in the USA, so my job was to analyse the USA market in VR field and make strategies how to enter in USA market, as startup budget constraint was one of the issues so taking all the things into consideration, I had to strategise and implement it.
3. Did you receive a stipend for your work?
Yes , I did receive a stipend, I was paid hourly and it was a really handsome amount, after spending lavishly in Tokyo city which is one of the most expensive cities in the world I saved a good amount too.
4. What did your regular day in Japan look like?
My work timetable was flexible as I was paid hourly. It was usually from 10 am to 8 pm, but sometimes it got extended to 10 pm or 11 pm. Japanese people are really workaholic.
5. Were there any Socio-Cultural Activities during your stay in Japan , if yes, what were they?
Every day all the members of the company have lunch together and on every Friday after lunch, we used to play Japanese board games, which were real fun!
At home, I lived in a shared house full of Japanese people, we used to have parties every weekend which is really a good memory to share.

6. Based on your experience,why do you think someone should go for a Foreign Internship?
Internships abroad marry the international and cultural experience of being overseas with the practical experience of working and developing desired skills in a global environment.
If you intern in a non-English speaking country like Japan you'll have the opportunity to hone your foreign language skills in a professional setting. Apart from that, you will experience a totally different lifestyle and culture with lots of good friends and memories. And yes, it adds really good weight to your resume too

1.How did you get your Foreign Internship?
I got my scholarship through a program hosted by our department by ST Engineering, Singapore, called the ST Engineering India Scholarship. The Company selects 3 students from the Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture every year for this scholarship program and I was one of the 3. The company gives out forms in the month of November which students receive on their email.
2.What was your Research Based on?
My project revolved around building and design optimisation of Unsinkable Unmanned Surface Vehicles. I worked with many new softwares related to the same. Since, the company works in collaboration with the Singapore navy, details of the project are confidential.
3. Did you receive a stipend for your research?
Being a part of the ST Engineering India Scholarship, I am entitled to receive a sum of Rs 1.25 Lakhs per year for 3 years if I am able to maintain a CGPA of above 8.5. Other than that, my,fooding, lodging and travel expenses were taken care of, by the company.

4. What did your regular day in Singapore look like?
My timetable was jam-packed. I used to get up at 5:30 AM in the morning, my bus used to be there at 6:45 AM. My office used to start at 7:25 AM and end at around 5 in the evening with a 45 minutes break in between from Monday to Friday.
5. Were there any Socio-Cultural Activities during your stay in Singapore?
I was given free passes to the Singapore Zoo and the Singapore Bird Park.There was also a cultural tour of Singapore where they take you to places of Historical importance. Also, you get to participate in many CSR activities.
5. Based on your experience, why do you think someone should go for a Foreign Internship?
Working in an altogether new country is an enriching experience. I got to experience what Research means from the corporate point of view. The people working with me were not just from Singapore but from many other parts of the world.I was exposed to the workaholic culture of the people in Singapore and was inspired by the same. So, it made my work interesting and widened my field of view about culture, work ethics and core knowledge and curriculum of other countries. The students of the department of Ocean Engineering must realise that they have good opportunities waiting, if they are ready to put efforts in their core field of study

1.How did you get into the Summer School?
I got my Summer School my direct application(through upload of a transcript, they look at your CG and some prerequisites) on the website of the London School of Economics.
I applied in the February and attended my Summer School in June-July.
2.How was your experience at LSE?
I almost felt like a student at LSE during my 3 weeks at LSE, I met people from a wide array of backgrounds like Economic History, Anthropology which opened up my way of thinking.
3.What was the course that you completed?
The course was called “Financial Markets and the global economy: The History of market crashes and Inflations.” which is a Level 2 course according to how they define it.
4. What did your regular day in LSE look like?
There were tutorials for one and a half hour in the morning session, and 3 hours of Lectures after lunch. I had an essay submission and a final exam as well.
5. Were there any Socio-Cultural Activities that took place?
We had some guest lectures on topics like Bitcoins, Finance:Master or Servant, we also had a CV building workshop by LSE Careers, a coding workshop and access to the Library and access to their Career centre, Counselling Centre etc.
6. Based on your experience,why do you think someone should go for a Summer School?
Meeting People is one of the biggest perks of attending a summer school, you build better connections and it helps you explore knowledge from an altogether different point of view and makes you feel more connected to the possibility of pursuing higher education.

1.Which Conference did you publish your paper in and what was the paper about?
I published my paper in ICEFR, International Conference on Economics and Finance Research. My paper was named “Extreme movements in Bitcoin prices: a study based on extreme value theory” and it was awarded as the best paper in the conference.
2. How can one go about publishing a paper?
Find your area of interest, read about it. Extensively research the work done by others and try to find the gaps in their work which you can fill in. Look for professors in that area and convince them to work with you and start!
3. Which Professor did you work under?
I worked under a professor from the ESSEC business school in Paris.
4. How much time did it take to complete your paper?
Around one and a half years
5.How did you manage the funds to attend the conference?
The conference was completely funded by IIT Kharagpur. All my fooding, lodging and travel expenses were taken care of because it is a top 10 conference.

6. What was the duration of the conference and how was the schedule?
Mine was 3 days, it included some cultural events, a city tour and a networking dinner. I was allotted a time on a particular day where i had to give my presentation.
7. Any message you would like to give to fellow aspirants?
I’d say keep working tirelessly once you’ve found out what you’re interested in. Its not so hard to get a research paper published in a good conference, just prepare well.The world is waiting for creative researchers with open arms! :)

1)Why do you think foreign training is important? How was your experience?
You will experience a totally different culture, people and how people work in the foreign countries. You will get out of your comfort zone and will learn how to manage in a foreign environment. Most importantly, you will get to know your global standing.

2)How did you manage your finance?
My food and accommodation were totally funded by them. The only thing which I paid for is a flight ticket.

3)Tell us about the scholarship program.
My FT was not a part of any scholarship programme. I personally mailed to the prof. and he arranged the funds on his own

4)On a lighter note, how was your stay in Belgium?
Belgium is a lovely country. People are helpful and friendly. The medieval city architecture is beautiful. I adored Belgian chocolates, beers, waffles and of course girls.

5)How did you apply for FT?
I personally mailed to the Professor.

6)Did you get any stipend for FT?
No, I didn’t get any stipend in my internship. They paid for all of my bills and for accommodation

7)Roll of CG for FT?
In the context of CG, I would say, it plays a role if the internship is a part of any collaboration or university programme. In case of personally mailing to Profs, if the prof is interested in you and your work, CG is not a priority.

8)What would you suggest to our fellow KGpian who Aspire to go for FT?
I have seen people sending hundreds of emails and getting frustrated with not getting a reply. Please, don’t do that. Be very specific while mailing (Whom you are mailing? Whether your research interest matches with that of Prof?). First, go through some of the published papers of the respective professor. Second, figure out how you can fit well in his research projects.
Third, write a proper mail to the professor stating how you will be contributing to his projects. You will definitely have more chance of getting an internship in a few emails.

General fundae: Pre final year students should apply for scholarships by writing good answers to the questions they ask in the application form and prepare a good SOP. Start mailing from September itself.

1)Why do you think Foreign Training is important? How was your experience?
. According to me, Foreign Training is important if you want to pursue higher studies or want to explore more about the research areas of your interests. The labs in the foreign universities are excellent and one gets to work with international students and professors. In my case, I had a great experience during my summer internship in Hong Kong. I had a great advisor and good colleagues to work with. I had to work alone in a single project, which was very challenging and at the same time a new experience for me. I learned to work and rectify the problems faced, on my own

2)How did you manage your finance?
My host professor managed all my funds.

3)Tell us about the scholarship program
There was no such scholarship program.

4)How did you apply for FT?
I went there through personal mailing. I just mailed the professor my resume and a cover letter describing my previous works.

5)Roll of CG for FT?
According to me, CG plays an important role in FT, because most of the professors have their first look on one’s CG in the resume. If someone has a decent CG (8-9) and has some publications, that’s great. Then CG will not be of many issues.

6)What would you suggest to our fellow KGpians who aspire to go for FT?
For my fellow mates, I would suggest them to be patient. Apply in different scholarship programmes and personally mail the professors. Take your time to draft the mail. Don’t send numerous emails. Send less and quality mails. And lastly, don’t just beg for funds. If your resume is strong enough, the professor will himself fund you.

Q1. Why do you think Foreign Training is important? How was your experience?
Ans- First of all foreign internship provides you with much experience and exposure to the outside world, their system of study and work. I think you get to learn a lot because the at these institutes they have a lab for 6 Hrs for every subject, so the people there were very much application oriented compared to us and it gives you enlightenment and encouragement.
My experience was very good, they had a very good infrastructure and the people there were very much encouraged towards research. Also, the people there were very helpful.

Q2. How did you manage your finances?
Ans- I was funded by my scholarship and it was enough to fulfill my expenditure there. However, because of VISA delay I had to pay a good amount for my flight tickets, excluding it, everything was well managed by my scholarship.

Q3. How did you apply for Foreign Training?
Ans- I applied for FT via personal mailing. I applied for various research groups at the institute and I got allotted myself at “University of Barcelona Knowledge in Engineering and Machine Learning Group”, and I worked on a project there which was going in the department. The Government of Europe centrally funded it.
Regarding the mailing procedure, I followed the following format. The first paragraph was y intro and background. The second paragraph was about why I wanted to work in machine learning. The third paragraph was about the previous works I had done. A fourth was about why I wanted to work under a particular Professor or Group. I sent around 80 emails and got 3-4 replies. Lastly, they took my interview before approval.

Q4. How was your stay in Barcelona?
Ans- It was Magnificent!
The people there were very open-minded. It was good to see people from all parts of the world and interact with them. The city was very clean and hygienic itself and it was a great experience.

Q5. What do you think is the role of CG for FT?
Ans- Definitely CG has its role for FT. According to me, one needs to have a CG at least above 7.5 to get scholarships and FT in a well-reputed university.

Q6. What would you like to say to our fellow KGPians?
Ans- The more intensive interview you have the better work you are going to do, so never accept an internship where they do not even take an interview before approval. Otherwise, it may happen that the professor would not be available or the work would be pretty basic such as working on excel etc. Anyway going through an FT program is anyway better as they have a proper schedule

1. University where you interned at?
Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea

2. What was the topic of your research?
Machine Learning Skyrmion, computational condensed micro physics using computer science.

3. How did you approached the professor?
I started mailing in January. I approached around 5-6 professors through mailing, and one of the professor replied to my mail in half an hour with confirmation.

4. How long was your stay?
It was for 75 days.

5. How did you managed to get funding?
Initially it was partial funding provided by the professor, but when I reached there it converted into complete funding which even included everything.

6. What was your overall experience there?
In research it’s incomparable to KGP. There theoretical research is also provided with huge funding. One of the different things that I liked there was that every research scholar and post doc were given a separate room as their personal office where they can carry on with research, and my room was adjacent to the professor , so we used work on same problems very often. He was very humble, although he had an experience of 15 years. There food is a major problem for pure vegetarians, but there were many beautiful places to travel around and people around were very helpful.

Q. When did you start mailing for FT? What was your approach?
I started mailing in the month of September. I was very particular about my research interests. Starting from QS 3, I looked upon the profiles of professors whose research area was related to Finance. I went through their publications (particularly the abstract) and mailed the professors very specifically. Starting from my introduction, academic background, knowledge in the area and the prospects of collaboration, I attached my Curriculum Vitae along with a 3 paragraph cover letter. I finally got my internship offer in the month of October.

Q. What was your prior experience in the field of research?
From the first year itself, I was deeply interested in Finance. I completed 5 modules of NSE Certification in Financial Markets. Also, I attached all the certificates along with my CV in the mail. In the second year, I learned R and Python programming. In the summers after my second year, I interned as a Data Analyst at Grinntech Motors and Services. I worked on an independent project predicting the optimal location to set up battery plants so as to increase the longevity, based on temperature and static charge data.

Q. On what topics did you work at NUS Business School?
I worked primarily on 4 research projects. I completed one of my projects in Kgp itself, prior to visiting NUS. Covering wide domains in the financial modeling, I worked on 1) Global stock market efficiency and risk factors, 2) International Fama French factors, 3) Individual Investor consumption behavior in India and 4) The event study of the sectoral impact of GST in India. The projects were quite a lot interesting and were a mixture of both applied and theoretical frameworks. I have to go through the research papers and apply them in different contexts.

Q. How was the work culture? How is it different from Kgp?
The work culture was much more flexible and robust. My professor was really helpful and voracious in his domain. I was provided with a separate cubicle. The beauty of the campus is just inexplicable. The infrastructure there is totally different. People are actually interested in the work they do, and that’s all that makes the difference.

Q. Did you receive any stipend?
My stipend was 70k in INR for 2 months. By paying 30-35k extra, I was easily able to manage my expenses in Singapore. Also, I visited many places. Made many friends and gathered some memories, that I’ll cherish forever.

Q. What are your future plans?
After this internship, I am captivated by research work. Corporate life sometimes becomes monotonous, but research is always flexible. I am still skeptical about choosing from the two, but surely this exposure opened my horizons. The environment and the people there were a great source of inspiration.

What was your FT about?
I worked under the Prof. Paul Asimow , at California Institute of Technology, CA, USA, and my research area experimental petrology and geochemistry.

What procedure did you follow to get an FT and also how did you manage your expenses?
I started mailing in October. I got $3200 from Caltech and $1400 from IIT Kharagpur Foundation of USA to take care of the expenses.

I am Arijit Majumdar, a 4th Year Dual Degree student in the Mechanical Engineering
Department, IIT Kharagpur.

I did my summer internship at Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology (IKFT) at KIT
under the supervision of Dr Martin Worner, Head of Multiphase Flow Group. The topic of my
research project was “Phase-field simulation of parasitic currents and droplet impact
phenomena” using the phaseFieldFoam solver in open source CFD package OpenFOAM version
1.6. The duration of my internship was from May 2nd, 2018 to July 17th,2018.
This was a completely new and memorable experience for me. I interacted with different
people who are working in my field of interest, which is computational multiphase flows. This
helped in enhancing my knowledge and developing my skills. Dr Worner was very friendly and
helpful and because of his proper guidance, I managed to complete the tasks assigned to me
within the period of my stay over there. He also gave me access to the BW Unicluster on the
very first day of my internship. I have used the cluster to run all the simulations and also
gained some experience with handling super-computers.
As the topic suggests, there were actually two parts of my project. One was to simulate
parasitic currents in droplet inside a gravity-free domain. This gave an idea of the numerical
errors in the code. The second part of my project included simulation of the impact of Adblue
droplet on a superhydrophobic surface. Adblue is a solution of urea, which is used inside the
catalytic converters of a diesel-powered car to reduce emissions. But often there is deposition
of Adblue droplets on the walls of the converter which becomes solid deposits and increase
the emissions. In order to solve this issue, the walls can be made superhydrophobic so that the
droplets bounce off after hitting the wall. I studied the different impact velocities for several
drop diameters at which rebound and deposition take place. I also performed validation
studies of the numerical results with experimental data and studied the influence of various
phase-field parameters, numerical schemes and solution algorithms on the simulation results.
In the end, I gave a presentation on the work that I did. Both my supervisor and Dr Olaf
Deutschmann, Head of IKFT and ITCP, was impressed by my work. The results that I obtained
will be put in a journal paper with me as a co-author.
I sincerely thank the IIT KGP Foundation group for providing me with the financial aid.

I was working at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, and was really a very nice experience. I conducted all the experiments at GK Batchelor Lab, having the distinction of the first fluid mechanical lab in the Mathematics Department, and it’s really amusing to work at such a facility. The laboratory is very well equipped, and quite resourceful. Also, a lot of independence is given to the researchers, in terms of the experiments, and it’s really very nice. I had very productive discussions with my supervisors, and they guided and helped me time to time.
Also, Cambridge is a very fun and social place. I met various people, working on very different topics in the same labs. People in the mathematics department have been solving problems ranging from Biological system to the financial models, from space-time warp to the geological phenomena. There is a lot of diversity, both in terms of people and the works going on. I also interacted with people outside the department too, historians, evolutionary scientists, and environmentalists too. And I am deeply thankful to the IIT Kgp US Foundation for all the help to make this possible for me.

Born in a Railway Hospital as a son of a Railway Engineer, I was more aware of the rumbling of trains than my own heartbeat. Before this experience, I never took part in the miracle of human flight, and the moment the plane took off and touched the skies, my heartbeats filled the void of train sounds that my brain associated with travel since my childhood.
I always had an affection towards art and culture, which motivated me to go around Europe on my weekends.
I visited some architecturally significant monuments, from Sagrada Familia in Barcelona to Milan Cathedral in Milan to The Atomium in Brussels to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
To quench my thirst for art, there were a lot of museums like the Louvre in Paris, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum of Rene Magritte in Brussels.
I also visited the Alps of Switzerland, Calanques of Marseille and the Beaches of Barcelona.
All the travel made me realise how culturally different the world is. The first things I noticed were that no jobs were considered menial, be it plumbers, electricians or mechanics. Also, since there are a lot fewer people than in my own country, the concept of doing your own work is very internalised.
The food, people, places, views, lifestyles, and atmosphere have definitely helped me to be more open and accepting towards people from different cultures, ethnicities, countries and backgrounds.
I hope this experience has made me a better person, and also a more experienced person.

It was a different experience working in an environment which allows you to maintain the work-life balance and at the same time remain motivated about the research. The professor, as well as the research group, were very friendly. The labs and other infrastructure were state-of-the-art, which we in KGP can only dream of. West Lafayette, where Purdue is located, is one of the cheapest places in the States, so the food and cost of living are lower as compared to say, Boston or California for that matter.

It was a great opportunity to get exposure to research culture abroad which is substantially different from home. The work was challenging in nature and provided ample learning space.

"From the research point of view, it was quite awe-inspiring to see how much thought actually goes in each step of the work. I worked on the classification of subsurface objects by evaluating the degree of conformity between self-organizing maps. The work was totally experimental and practical, something which I had not experienced earlier.
I made a lot of friends, and my labmates had become the best of my friends towards the end of my internship. I made sure not to waste even a minute of my time while in Japan, and had some really memorable experiences during my stay there. I tried to immerse myself in Japanese culture. Oh, and the food! Umami just got me there!
As for Japanese, I had started to learn before coming to Japan itself. It really helped. I further attended Japanese classes while in Japan, and am preparing for a few language exams while in India now. There was one thing that I unexpectedly became good at while staying there, budget planning. I wasn't getting paid a hell lot of money, and I didn't want to spend my own in the all so expensive Tokyo. So I used to sit down and plan my budget every day like those Moms in Japanese animes do. I would suggest it to everyone, it helps.
My time during the internship will be something that I will remember for life. I found that it was less about conventionally going to the lab and working, but rediscovering yourself, which my Professor told me at the start of my internship. I definitely left Japan as a more confident and bold person. I made a lot of new friends and got quite emotionally attached to my lab and labmates and am still in touch with them! Really cherish my time at UTokyo!"

"My internship at NYU-CCS started in May-2018 and lasted for nine weeks. NYU-CCS works at the forefront of cybersecurity and working with the experts of the field was a demanding task. Having worked on the topic of Hardware Security as part of my Bachelor Thesis, I had the necessary background to start working on the research problem from day one. I had to dive into the complex subject of superconducting computing which finds its application in quantum computation. Thereafter, my project revolved around securing the IP of such information-sensitive computing systems. I worked in a group of 2 Ph.D. scholars, one postdoc, and three Professors, consequently leading to a steep learning curve. Being the junior-most member of the team, I had the least experience; on the other hand, I had the most to gain.

Apart from work, I had the opportunity to live in the heart of NYC, which was an experience of its own. Spending after-work hours chilling with friends at locations like Washington Square and Central Park, places which I would usually see in movies was an unforgettable experience.

The internship experience bolstered my goal of pursuing a Ph.D. post KGP. The project resulted in a journal paper, with me as the first author, which helped me a lot during my Ph.D. applications. I would advise anyone who is interested in higher studies to at least strive for an FT in a research lab. The journey may not be easy, but it will be worth it. "

I went to University of Alberta with the help of UARE program which is in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur. Since, it was through a program, the university had a separate student body which was responsible to organise various icebreaker and fun activities among all the interns coming from the same program. Different people from all over the world were there as interns in different departments. The lab members were very helpful and also fun at the same time. Weekly lab meetings with the professor also provided insights about the other ongoing projects in the lab. My supervisor was very experienced and I learnt a lot from him. Canada is very beautiful place with snow present even during the summers. Banff and Calgary trips are one of the most memorable experiences for me where I got to see snow for the first time in my life.

My project was primarily on Signal Processing. We developed a software-defined radio based system for long-range wireless power transfer for battery-less RFID tags. Today’s commercial passive RFIDs report ranges of 5-15 meters at best. This reveals blind spots for RFIDs to be detected in warehouses, stores (Amazon Go) and factories today. We achieved a 7.4x improvement in range over state-of-the-art commercial RFID systems using blind distributed beamforming without modifying the RFID tags.

This internship was an amazing experience, both in terms of learning as well as social interactions. CMU is located in the city of Pittsburgh, which is considered the birthplace of self-driving cars. There are lots of things to do in the city itself and we even planned for weekend trips to New York and Washington DC. Regarding my work, it was a whole new experience altogether. I got the chance to work with highly ingenious and enthusiastic students, which not only increased my technical skills but gave me a new perspective towards the collaborative research culture in US in general. The project I was involved in began from scratch once I arrived at CMU in May, and our system (dubbed PushID) eventually culminated into the paper: Pushing the Range Limits of Commercial Passive RFIDs (https://www.usenix.org/conference/nsdi19/presentation/wangjingxian).

It was an awesome experience for me at the University of Huddersfield. I received a lot of support from the professor under whom I was working. I was so lucky to have met with good people during my internship with whom I could complete my project within the given timeline. I could travel to London, Manchester, York, and Edinburgh during my FT which was a wonderful experience all together. The United Kingdom should be visited to see its history and culture. Other things that I enjoyed were casinos in London and the natural beauty of Scotland.

It was a rewarding experience in terms of cultural exposure and a defined research environment. Our hard work ultimately paid off and our paper was accepted in a workshop of the European conference on computer vision.

My project was related to stock market indices wherein I analyzed the fluctuations in stock prices during the financial crisis of 1929 and 2008 at both the Paris Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. I started enjoying the internship from day one itself as I got the chance of attending various research seminars alongside numerous discussions with my professors. Integrating with French culture, exploring the local cuisine and interacting with various individuals coming from different nationality was a big plus.