For masters, I chose Universiteit Gent, Belgium because I had a strong motivation to work for the development of rural areas in India. This University offers one of the best rural development programs in the world. After completing my master's degree, I worked through different national and international development research organizations in India. That helped me to acquire some advanced skills in research and motivated me to pursue Ph.D. if I want to make my career in research. One day, I found a vacancy offered by Universität Kassel, Germany for a doctoral researcher on the effect of urbanization on the peri-urban area of Bengaluru city. This position attracted my attention to apply and by god's grace, they selected me for this position.
Course Curriculum :
I found my master's course well organized. This course is run by 6 European partner universities and some other developing country partner universities including China and India. So, this program gives wide exposure to the students by giving them opportunities to study in at least two partner universities. Usually, students from developing countries are encouraged to study in developed countries universities, and in developed countries, students are encouraged to study in developing countries universities. So, it gives flexibility to the students to choose the courses as per their choice and get trained in those subjects. Being rural development students, we were taken to visit dairy production units, and vegetable and fruit processing industries and also offered to do a case study on rural governance in Europe. Hence, overall it was an unimaginable experience for me. Currently, in Ph.D., I don't have to attend coursework because it's a project-based position in which the candidate has to do a lot of fieldwork and data evaluation. If needed then they are allowed to join workshops and seminars.
Exams :
Currently, I am doing PhD in Agricultural Economics in Universität Kassel, Germany. To get this position I had to submit a well organised CV; SoP or letter of motivation, IELTS score (IELTS 7.5), atleast two letter of recommendations, master degree certificate and its transcript and work experience certificates. I didn't have to submit a research proposal because its a project based position in which research objectives are already defined but they called me for a skype interview to check the potential of conducting the already framed research study. Before joining this position I had worked through different national and international research organisations in India for 5 years after completing masters degree. I also did masters degree in Rural Development from Universiteit Gent, Belgium through Erasmus Mundus program. To get admission in that program I had to submit a CV, SoP, TOEFL score (TOEFL ibt 91/120) three letters of recommendations, bachelors degree certificate and its transcript. The application for Erasmus Mundus fellowship was assumed to be applied along with this application. Later I got confirmation of admission as well as fellowship.
Placement :
In foreign universities, students are not just only taught but are trained as well to compete in the job market. They have good connections with the recruiters and they support their students to achieve something. From my masters batch, 60% of them opted for Ph.D. and remained to continue their job either abroad or in their own country. Currently, they are well spread all over the world working in reputed UN organizations, and highly ranked Universities in the USA; Australia, Europe, etc.
Internship :
Yes! I got an opportunity to do an internship at International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri Lanka, during my master's thesis and they provided me a stipend of 500 US dollars per month along with the field cost incurred during fieldwork in India. After my master's, I again joined an internship at UNESCAP, New Delhi which gave me an opportunity to learn how the UN organization works. Although it was not paid it adds a lot of value to the CV.
Events :
Usually, foreign universities don't have closed boundary campus life but wherever is the university department, students can be seen roaming around. It gives a multicultural environment where people from different countries come together. Some international groups are formed to meet people around the world which helps to build a more global network in the future. They also organize group events such as hiking, swimming, cultural events, festival celebration, cooking, etc. Coming to the facilities provided on the campus, we have a library that has a plethora of books, if needed they order online as well. Also, we have a high-speed WiFi facility called "eduroam" in Germany. We have basketball, volleyball, table tennis courts and also a football ground.
Fees :
During my master's, it was 8000 euros per year. For Ph.D. its 300 euros per semester.
Scholarship :
Yes, I got an Erasmus Mundus scholarship in masters during 2012-2014 which was 1000 euros per month. Erasmus Mundus scholarship was assumed to be applied along with the admission application form. In Ph.D., I am getting a monthly salary of around 1900 euros per month excluding taxes. I applied for a vacancy announced for a Doctoral Researcher by the Universität Kassel, Germany
Faculty :
During Ph.D. faculty to student ratio is always high compared to master's. Currently, we have a 1:2 faculty-to-student ratio in our department. In foreign universities, faculty staffs are comparatively friendlier than Indian faculty. And they are easily approachable but have to be well-prepared before meeting the faculty. I would name my supervisor who has put an incredible impact on me. It is well known that Germans are very smart and punctual. So, while working with him I got to realize my weak points and continuously worked on them to improve myself.
Hostel :
We have been given a private room in student dormitory. Bathroom and kitchen are shared for bachelors and for families two rooms with private bathroom and kitchen are provided. Cleanliness in the dorm is highly prioritized. Rent 230 euro/month (single room) and 430 euro per month (double room)
