Tejashwini K R

Bachelors in Electronics and Communication Engineering, Fourth year, College of Engineering 

Intern 

IIT Bombay

Interviewer: Tejashwini K R(GT)

Interviewee: Madhumathi Srinivasan (M)

GT: How did you happen to acquire an internship at IIT Bombay?

M: There’s an online portal called www.ias.ac.in, where students can apply for internships at all IIT’s and NIT’s throughout India. This piece of information was passed onto me from my seniors. The registration for this starts from November, and the results will be out by April.

GT: What do you think were the key attributes the selectors looked for in an application?

M: A CGPA above 8.5 is definitely preferable. But the most important deal maker is the statement of purpose (SOP) where one has to clearly specify their area of interest and the field they’d like to work in. Previous projects or internship experiences in that particular field can also be highlighted.

GT: What are the steps involved in applying for the internship?

M:   The procedure is like as follows:

1. Fill in your personal details online

2. Upload your mark sheets

3. Submit your write up i.e. SOP

GT: Are the second-year students eligible to apply for this internship?

M: Yeah, if they have a good SOP and previous project experience. 

GT: Tell us about the project you’re currently working on?

M: My project is regarding multiple image Cosegmentation. Cosegmentation is segmenting semantically similar objects in multiple images or video frames. In a neural network, we can use cosegmentation to find common objects in all the images. This is mainly used for medical image retrieval.

GT: Please enlighten us about the challenges you faced during the course of your internship.

M: Since it’s a research internship, one must possess good knowledge in their area of research. In my field every project requires basic coding knowledge. Moreover, it takes time to apply theory practically since we’ve been dealing with mostly theoretical concepts till now. 

 GT: Has there been a significant change or difference in your mindset or intellectual capabilities over the past two months?

M: I’ve definitely had the fortune of learning new skills and opportunities to meet well-qualified people who’ve given me a lot of advice. Advice that has ultimately helped with my future plans.

GT: What were the facilities provided by IIT Bombay?

M: I got a stipend of Rs.12500 for this internship. I was also provided with good accommodation within the campus. I didn’t face any problem with regard to accommodation or food over there.

GT: What are your plans for the future?

M: I’m currently preparing for GATE and aspire to do a Mtech in any of the IIT's.

 GT: Any tips you can give with regard to acquiring an internship?

M: If you’re really interested to do research and is curious to know as to how a research internship actually works, you must definitely invest in doing an internship in IIT. Start working on projects right from you’re 4th semester. they play a vital role in getting internships. Identify your area of interest and start working on it.

The Guindy Times Madhumathi for sharing her experience and wishes her all success for your future endeavours.