The Importance of Research Experience

In this article, we will be talking about what might well be the most important aspect of your journey from BITS to MS/PhD: Research/Work Experience. Research experience refers to any meaningful time you may have spent in a research environment working on a supervised project.

Why is it important that I seek out research experience?

1. To sample a particular field first­hand and evaluate whether you enjoy it enough to pursue an MS or PhD in that field. Coursework alone cannot give you an accurate idea about what it is to work professionally in a particular field. To conclude that you don’t enjoy a field because you didn’t enjoy a course in that field is being unfair to yourself.

2. To have something to talk about in your SOP: The admissions review committee wants to be assured that you (the applicant) have given careful thought to your decision to pursue MS/PhD based on solid experiences in the past and not just a whim.

3. To develop a long­term professional relationship with a possible referee for your letter of recommendation

4. If your CGPA/GRE scores are not satisfactory, strong research backing may compensate for them.

Where can I get research experience?

1. In research institutes and universities in India or across the globe.

2. In research projects of various companies/industries specializing in your area of interest

3. At your home campus through engaging in SOPs, LOPs and COPs (Study/Lab/Computer Oriented Projects) and through participation in tech fests.

Internships and Thesis are ways to add in research experience. They have been discussed in other articles on TwoQuills.

When should I get research experience? The earlier the better!

1. Summers are a great time to work on short­term internships. Summer after your second year is reserved for PS­1. Try to make effective use of this organized internship opportunity, which you can make it into a proper research experience as well! The summer after your third year is THE BEST time to do an internship since you would have just completed your CDCs.

2. PS­2: This semester-long experience in your final year should be made effective use of to speak of it in your essays

3. Switching to Thesis: If there is a particular lab anywhere in the world that accepts you for a semester in your final year, consider switching to Thesis.

4. After graduating: If you haven’t gained sufficient/significant research experience before graduating then work for some time before you are ready to apply.

Are there any organized research experience opportunities?

An emphatic YES! There are several wonderful summer research internship programs offered around the world for you to apply for. Several BITSians in the past have successfully applied for these hence helping you get noticed when you apply. The benefit of these organized opportunities is that most of them pay you a stipend, help you with placing you in a lab of your interest and provide you accommodation which makes settling in a lot easier. Plus it’s a boost to your CV that you were selected after a competitive screening process!

Some examples:

DAAD ­WISE (Germany), MITACS (Canada), Khorana Scholarship (USA), Summer programs at JNCASR/TIFR/IITs (India). Most of these have deadlines at the end of the year for joining the summer of next year.

What if I don’t get accepted to a summer research program?

Then just write to the person you would like to work with expressing your genuine interest in spending a summer/semester at his/her lab. DON’T SPAM! Personalize your email. Take the efforts. It is worth it. If they don’t reply once, it is ok to write once more (only). Persistence is a positive sign. For overseas projects start writing to Profs as early as October for starting summer of next year.

More on this has been discussed in the Internships section!

Such research experiences are an absolute MUST if you are applying for a PhD and give you a competitive edge if you’re applying for an MS. So go find yourself a place in a research environment soon!