Exchange Diaries  

Karan Jadhav | Ocean Engg and Naval Architecture

Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico

Research Area: Energy harvesting in automotive vehicles

FT BLOGS

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

The University was Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico and my topic of research was regarding “Energy harvesting in automotive vehicles”.

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

FT gives you a very new experience and helps to understand how research is done abroad. Also in foreign Universities, they are always ready to take inputs and ideas from you and build on them which Indian Universities lack.

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

Well, the foreign training programs are very well structured by the professors which helps you to learn and explore the topics of research properly and you are guided and helped by your mentor throughout your FT. I think in a corporate internship one has to be more focused on completing the task rather than learning or exploring it.

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

Foreign internships add great value to your resume. There is a huge process of applying to foreign universities for further studies and foreign internships can help a lot in your application and also add a strong point in your application. So yes BTech students who aspire for higher studies from abroad should try to get a foreign internship.

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

I applied for the FT through the IRC portal which has all the information regarding projects from different fields. If someone is interested in more than one field of research they should focus on making two to three CVs and should only mention limited and precise points which match with the project and professor's profile. The second most important document is your SOP which should be written in a very professional research-oriented language.

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

It was announced early on that this internship would be held online due to the ongoing pandemic. So there were no newfound difficulties in my application process.

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

I did mail a couple of professors, but when I applied through the IRC foreign training portal I was not required to mail the professors personally and only had to upload my CV and SOP in the FT portal.

When should one start applying for an FT? How long did the procedure last till you got the desired FT?

I started applying in December and filled the application in two fields one in mechanical core and the other in the data profile. I did face rejection in my last rounds as the selection process is very rigid, but I was finally selected for one internship in April. So one must be patient and keep on applying for multiple internships until they find a suitable one.

What is the role of CGPA in the selection process?

In my opinion, CGPA does play a very important role in getting an FT as it provides a clear indication that is the person science and serious about his /her academics. Also, sometimes professors do check the grades of some particular subjects which are important for the FT during the selection process. So to be on the safer side one must maintain a CGPA of 7.5 or above.

How did the pandemic affect your application for the project? Did the pandemic have any positive impact on the project?

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

So what I did was that I made a list is all the universities having QS ranking under 200 and sorted them to find which all universities are providing a summer internship of my interest .one should also be active on their social media and IRC website to be updated regarding FTs.

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

For the first year, students keep their GPA high, that's the easiest thing that you can do for FT application. So they should try to do some project in the area of your interest in our institute or any other institute to build your CV.

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

Yes being a student of IITKGP does help one to get an FT as IITs are considered very premium universities of India by foreign professors and universities. Also as I got my FT through IRC so yes IITKGP does play a very important role in getting my FT.