Exchange Diaries  

Harshit J Motwani | Mathematics

University of Bristol, UK

Research Area: Combinatorial & Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry

Duration: 2.5 Months

Why do think foreign training is important for a student's life?
Foreign training provides exposure to different cultures and every country has a different way of research. If you are into the research field or planning for a PhD then it's very important to explore what's going around and reach out to your potential advisors and work with them. And obviously, international exposure builds you up and enhance your personality. I would suggest that foreign training is the best option for pre-final students but not before that as you won't have so much of background that may not provide that justification to your work.

How was your experience?
It was awesome. I worked on two research papers and I came to know about various research areas. Since I told you that every country has its own working culture, I learned about the European working culture which was very new to me.

How did you manage your finances?
It was partially supported by the professor and I am a recipient of the Inspire scholarship, so the rest was covered in it. The accommodation was also provided by the professor there.

How did you apply for FT?
I was exploring various things as all people do till my fifth semester, plus I was attending national level graduate workshops in mathematics which were intended for research scholars but I was attending them out of my interests. These factors helped me find my interests in algebra and geometry. Then I did a lot of self-study the course work does not provide you so much material. Self-study plays an important role in the research field. In my seventh semester, I started applying for projects. As I was doing a lot of studies I got to know about the professor and I liked the lecture notes she provided. Then I started mailing the professors and I would say one should always be honest in this procedure and provide a detailed description of your interests. One should be very selective about their research field and mail professors accordingly.

How was your stay in Bristol?
It's a sweet small city. You know there is a clear distinction between the modern part and the ancient part of the city. The ancient part is very beautiful, well maintained which portrays European history of that place. The street paintings are very famous. Food was never a problem as there we have a lot of Indian options.

Role of CG in FT?
Higher the better, but you should not compromise with your interests and so there should be a balance between your academics and interests. I would say you should focus on your CGPA in your second year and your interests in your third year provided you are enrolled in a five year course and if you are enrolled in a four year course you should have balance in the second year itself. Most of the professors do not see your CGPA so that won't be a problem I think.

Any advice for your fellow kgpians?

In the mailing process, just be patient as most of the professors just ignore the mails as they get a lot of mails. Don't get disappointed, you know if your content is good then definitely professors may respond to it and then you can go for the opportunity.