Karan Nair belongs to the 2013 EC batch of CEC, and is currently doing his M.Sc in Electronic Embedded System at ESIGELEC, France. Not many CECians have done/are undergoing graduate studies in France. But as to Karan, France lends wonderful opportunities for those who wish to do Masters and we thought we should let you know. Thanks, Karan, for writing the piece.
Could you please brief us on your current college and course and duration?
I am pursuing the last semester of M.Sc in Electronic Embedded System at ESIGELEC, France (http://www.esigelec.fr/en). The schedule is one year of course work and six months of Industrial Internship.
Very few people from India choose France as their MS option, right? What prompted you to take it up?
ESIGELEC is one of the pioneers in the world of Embedded System and there is sufficient scope of obtaining PhD from its research Institute IRSEEM. Moreover the French government has liberalized immigration rule for Indian student pursuing higher studies at France.
Why did you decide to pursue a MSc immediately after college?
After College I have done Post Graduation Diploma in Embedded System Design at National Institute of Electronics and Information (NIELIT), Calicut for six months.
I perceive that it is better to enroll for post graduation studies immediately after graduation as you are in better touch with the subject and you can plan for your future options without being distracted by any Professional life.
How do you find the Engineering courses in India and in France different?
Well in India we give a lot of importance to theoretical studies whereas in Europe they emphasize more on projects and Lab works. The state-of-the-art labs give you an advantage to gain first hand information about new technology and its industrial application.
Could you please tell us about your GRE/TOEFL/IELTS prep schedules and methodologies, if any? How good was your score?
France and most of European countries don’t give much importance to GRE but for IELTS a minimum of 6 is required. For IELTS I did self study and I got a score of 7.
Please brief us on the application and admission procedure. Please share your whole experience as that would be beneficial to the future applicants.
ESIGELEC has a contact office in Bangalore and they start screening during September every year. Once your Resume is accepted they call for a Skype interview with a professor from University directly and if selected you will be directed accordingly.
How did you brush up your EC topics before going to the University? What would you suggest such candidates do before they undergo MS/PhD in EC in France?
Micro controllers, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Field Programming Gate Array (FPGA) are among thrust areas one should give weightage to apart from programming languages like Embedded C, Embedded java, Python, bash etc.
How has CEC been helpful in current stance?
I got some good recommendation letters from Professors and also benefited from the projects I did in CEC.
Do you regret not taking up an industrial job before doing MS? Or do you think doing the degree directly after your undergrad seems better?
No regrets at all. In fact it was always my aim to do higher studies before undertaking any jobs to avoid any distraction from my focus.
Could you please briefly explain your experience as an MS student at the France, so far?
University is excellent. Professors and colleagues are very helpful. Living in France makes you self reliant and very hard working.
What are your areas of academic/research interest?
I am lucky to have a Research Publication, a chance mostly given to PhD researchers. I would like to further publish more research papers in the future and take assignment accordingly.
How do you rate life at your university and the institute campus as a whole?
I would definitely say it’s excellent. The faculty, Labs, equipments, premises and people in University really contribute to achieve your goals. The University ranks high in Industrial Collaborations with joint research labs for technological innovation. ESIGELEC is being promoted by French Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
How much is the expected expense for the entire course? How do you fund it?
It will be around 18 to 20 lakhs for the entire study and you may get some scholarship too.
What are your future plans (in academia/industry)?
I would like to complete my PhD and would like to take up assignments either in Research or Teaching domain.
Anything else you would like to tell young CECians, who aspire to do an MS/PhD in the France?
It’s a wonderful place to explore the potential and capabilities within you. Job prospects are good and you can apply in whole Europe. Almost everyone finds a good job but again it depends heavily on your Resume. It will be a stepping stone for a bright future.
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Contact Karan on his Gmail: karan {dot} radhakrishnan
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Regards,
Arunanand T A
CEC 2010