Exchange Diaries  

Navish Kumar | Humanities and Social Sciences

University of Bergen (UiB), Norway

Research Area: Algorithmic Machine Learning

Duration: 3 Months

(1.) Why do we prefer Foreign Training over Research Internship in India?
Ans : The Professors outside India follow the recent methods. Whereas most of the Indian Professors still follow the Old Traditional Methods. Also the amount of International Exposure we get outside India is much more compared to what we get here in India. Also we get more Independence there. For example - We can do research on our topics of personal interests. Their interest lies in our interest. There is no rigidity regarding our work. Work is very Flexible.

(2.) How did you get your FT? Was it through mailing directly to Foreign Professors or through Scholarship Programme ?
Ans : I got the FT by directly mailing the Professor. I mailed around 100 Professors. I got an invitation from 2-3 Professors but i went for the one which was funded by the Professor. I wrote a Project Proposal by mixing some concepts. I had a basic idea about some concepts while i didn’t know much about some other concepts. I told the Professor about it. He asked me to give it a try. It didn’t work out but the Professor had some other problems in which I was interested. So, I started working from scratch with other PhD students working there. It worked out later.

(3.) How was your stay there?
Ans : My stay was amazing. The place is beautiful. I stayed there at Airbnb apartment. My work hours were 4-5 hours on average, so I used to get some free time. In my free time, I went for hiking which was a very good experience. I also made some new Indian friends living in my apartment.

(4.) How did you manage your Finances?
Ans : The staying and traveling allowance was reimbursed by the professor. I was also given a daily allowance for barely surviving because Norway is a pretty expensive place.

(5.) What is the role of CGPA in FT?
Ans : CGPA had nothing to do with my FT because i went for non-core as Economics doesn’t interest me. I got my FT on the basis of my work (Various Projects related to Machine Learning with KGP Professors) which I had done.

(6.) What can our student work culture learn from theirs ?
Ans : The most unique thing I saw there was Equality. You will be treated equally whether you are a Student or a Professor. I also liked the Independence that I got there. We can work on whatever we want, whatever interests us. There are no restrictions. The work there is very practical oriented.

(7.) What is your advice for Juniors aiming for FT?
Ans : If you are trying for FT, focus on the basics. You should have some involvement with Professors. Also, if you want to go for Core, do your best in Academics. If you want to go for Non - Core, do something related to it like Projects under a Professor. Work with people with similar interests as yours. Also if you are not able to get a FT, it’s not at all a problem. Do your best in KGP. Also, don’t go blindly for FT for the sake of Tourism, it will only waste your precious time.

Interviewed by - Sahil Sheikh