Exchange Diaries  

Aditya Singh | Computer Science and Engineering

University of Warwick, England

Research Area: Highway code for autonomous vehicles

What was the University and topic of research that was taken up by you during the FT?

I pursued an internship at the Warwick Manufacturing Group in the UK. My topic of research was the prevention of autonomous vehicles from violating highway code and conversion of WMG files to ASM format.

Why is an FT important? How would one compare research in Indian universities and foreign universities?

Many students at IIT KGP want to go into research areas and for them, I would suggest going for research internships as they give you a peek into the world of research and you get to meet highly talented Ph.D. students and professors. You get to discuss ideas with them and come up with your ideas as well.

I could not go to the UK because of the pandemic but as far as I know, at foreign universities, you get to meet students from all around the world besides the ones from India. Besides, it gives one a great exposure and experience that I recommend for every student.

FT vs corporate internship, what are all the things we are missing out on and what are we gaining more?

Research internships are meant to encourage students to come up with new ideas and think about the possibilities of new inventions. Research interns are never restricted to a particular topic of research and are given the liberty to explore and think about all areas, unlike corporate internships.

In corporate internships, you work strictly according to the interests of the company. You are not given the flexibility as in research internships.

Should BTech students aspiring for higher studies from abroad opt for an FT?

Yes, I would recommend that. Doing a research internship would certainly give you an advantage while going for higher studies especially abroad because you get a chance to interact with MS and Ph.D. students and develop their communication skills with people who do not speak Hindi. Otherwise, I would suggest going for some other research work if not a research internship to get to know about the distinction between the work culture in India and foreign countries.

What exactly is the application process for the FT? Are there any important documents one must keep?

In my case, I registered for the Foreign Training via the FTP portal of IR Cell. The documents that I needed to keep were my CV and my idea about how the research topic would benefit others. My suggestion would be to try to make a perfect CV and include as many projects that one has done on his own and give a detailed explanation of the idea on how the project would be working on a large scale. A few Letters of Recommendation would help as well.

How did the process get affected due to the online nature of the Training?

There are certainly a few pros and cons while working on a remote internship. In my case, the two mentors whom I was working with, invited me to join them in the UK which I could not do due to the pandemic. Interacting with your mentors in the real world is a very positive thing which was limited to just once or twice per week due to the online nature of the internship. You get an advantage in the online mode as well because you do not have to worry about transportation issues and going to a foreign country and you can also work at your convenience without sticking to a particular schedule. So basically, there are both advantages and disadvantages.

Did you have to mail the professor personally for the project? For how much time did you wait for a reply?

It depends on your method of applying for the internship. In my case, I applied through the FTP portal so I did not have to mail the professor. However, I had applied for other internships where I had to mail the professors personally. Mail to as many professors as you can because even though they might reject you, they often tell you about other portals that you can apply at as well.

When should one start applying for an FT?

It depends on the students. Even a first-year student can apply for foreign internships if he is capable enough. For me, I started applying in my second year. My first intern was not a research internship. My first research internship was in the middle of my third year. I know people who have done a research internship in the second year itself but some have done it in the fourth and fifth years. So, it depends completely on the student. Usually, the first-year students do not have enough hands-on knowledge. So, I would suggest waiting for your first year and then start applying in your second year.

What is the role of CGPA in the selection process?

CGPA does have some effect on the selection process. A higher CGPA increases your chances of selection. However, a low CGPA does not mean that your application would be discarded. I have seen many students having a low CGPA yet they have worked on a lot of projects and they have a lot of hands-on knowledge and have got their applications selected over other students with higher CGPA. However, if there are two candidates with the same level of hands-on knowledge with one having a higher CGPA, then I would say that the one with a higher CGPA has a higher chance of getting selected. Both things need to work upon.

Where should a student, who is unaware of the entire application process, look up information about professors and their research work for opportunities?

Try to make as many connections as possible. My roommate was an IR Cell member from whom I got to know about this project. Besides, my TA suggested I apply for this project. The more connections you make, the more opportunities you see pop up.

How should a first-year student prepare beforehand for his FT application in their subsequent year?

First-year students should try to focus on their academics and try to get a good CGPA. Hands-on knowledge is achieved when your department-specific courses start in your second year. In the case of CGPA, your first year is very important because as you go on in the senior years, your CGPA gets less affected by your academic performance. Hence, the first years should focus more on CGPA according to me.

Does belonging to IITKGP provide any added benefits for getting your FT?

Yes absolutely. The brand of IITs is something that even the professors in Canada and the USA recognize. So, I would suggest the students try and use the brand tag as IIT has a reputation for producing very bright students. So, I would say that being a student of IIT KGP has given a lot of advantage.