Exchange Diaries  

Sarthak Shrivastav | Computer Science and Engineering

University of Waterloo, Canada

Research Area: Tensor Completion

Duration: 3 Months

How did you apply for FT?
There are many programs through which one can offer for a ft.For eg. Mitacs, Daad, EPFL(Opens for CSE, Electrical, Electronics, Chemical), S.N.BOSE(DR1, DR2), Khurana(Biology), NTU India Connect, UARE(University of Alberta), etc. I applied through Mitacs

How did you manage your expenses?
My FT covered most of my expenses. The stipend was more than enough to cover my expenses. The Mitacs program offers stipend depending upon the project and place of visit. Any expenses going beyond the allowance will have to be covered by you.

How did you develop an interest in this particular field?
I had taken a research project under Department of Mathematics which I found very Interesting. There were many other factors that also made me a lot interested in Machine Learning

How was your research experience at the University of Waterloo? What made it different?
My FT was on tensor completion. My work there majorly included optimizing the existing codebase and adding new code. The experience there was really great and I learned a lot.

How was your overall experience?
It was an overall great experience. Canada is a beautiful country. People there are really very helpful. University of Waterloo had a very beautiful campus. Weather there was also really nice. Summers there were really comfortable.

What is the role of CG in getting a FT?
It plays an important role if you are applying for a FT through certain programs which selects students on the basis of CG like S.N.Bose else what matters when applying for FT is your skillset and your interest whether you are ready to learn or not.

Should one apply for a ft from KGP?
Yes if one wants to pursue higher studies and wants to develop a background for research. Else for those aiming for a corporate background it won’t have that much of a effect. He/she should go for corporate internships.