Undergraduate Program:
B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering, 2017-2021
University and Department:
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Aerospace Engineering
Program:
MS
Research Area:
Estimation, Control theory, Learning theory and their implementation on real systems/simulations.
Discipline:
Controls
Funded/Non-funded:
It is not funded by default, but one can get RA/TA ships by contacting a prof over there or one can also get a fellowship on the basis of their admission application.
Scholarships you applied for:
Knight Hennessy, MEXT
GRE score:
314 (Q - 169, V- 145)
TOEFL score:
106 (R - 29, L - 28, S - 25, W - 24)
CV/Resume:
How many universities did you apply to?:
5
Which universities did you apply to and what was the status of your application there?
| University | Department | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Aerospace | Rejected |
| University of Texas at Austin | Aerospace | Rejected |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Aerospace | Accepted |
| TU Delft | Aerospace | Accepted |
| KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Aerospace | Accepted |
| KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Systems, Control and Robotics | Rejected |
What was your BTP title and who was your guide?
Title: Design and implementation of joint state estimator in humans,
Advisors: Srikant Sukumar, Hemendra Arya
What all courses did you take in Insti which you think fostered your interest in your current research area and are relevant to your field? Please mention the semester in which you took the course as well.
- SC301 - 5
- SC618 - 6
- CL653 - 7
- SC624 - 6
- SC629 - 7
- SC617 - 7
- CL686 - 8
- SC607 - 8
What were the Peaks in your profile which you think helped you in getting an admit? (Publication(s), Department Rank, etc.)
Project work, good LORs (Probably), having decent grades in relevant courses. These things mattered as the programs to which I had applied are research-focused.
Please mention the sources for your Letters of Recommendation (BTP/DDP Guide, Internship guide, Course Instructor, etc.)
- Prof. Srikant Sukumar
- Hemendra Arya
- Varun Bhalerao
Any advice/tips for juniors who are interested in a similar field and are planning to go for Higher Studies?
For the field of controls, if someone is interested in research, maths is a must. Mathematics lies at the heart of dynamics, control and estimation. The other part is implementation; this includes realizing the mathematical algorithms using simulations or actual real systems (e.g. robot). It helps in the grad applications if somebody has developed some expertise in either mathematics or implementation. Expertise in the implementation will include but is not limited to proficiency in using Matlab, Python, RPi, ROS, Gazebo, etc. As this field is quite broad, I would suggest taking courses in different domains of control (e.g. deterministic vs stochastic systems) in the B.Tech and see what interests you. Also, the schools vary a lot in terms of their expertise in the various control domains. Evaluate these things carefully, moreover talk to the project guide as it helps a lot in making these decisions. The general rule of thumb: Start the application process early (GRE, LORs, sorting universities), be reasonably ambitious.