Internship at National University of Singapore – Sapan from Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat
If the plan doesn’t work then change the plan but never the goal. Sapan (guy on the right) is pursuing Chemical engineering and shares his wonderful experience of internship days.
A good international internship is something I really craved for- like literally. I was in a frenzied mode mailing hundreds of professors before getting the final reply from the professor from NUS.
This was my first time outside India and going to Singapore was like heaven- cannot get better. Being interested in solar energy and doing internship at Solar Energy Research Internship at National University was really something I feel lucky about. My professor was an Indian and nothing can get better than spending time with someone from your country in a different country.
The place where I did my internship did industry collaborative research- the exact kind of research I am interested in. All huge magnanimous tools and instruments gives a totally different feeling to work with – a feeling difficult to express but definitely worth it. My work place and the work culture was totally different than from India and was really amazing. Everyone was kind and always ready to help.
Apart from work, the University was really awesome. It was a huge university. The canteens and cafeterias were another piece of wonder – cheap and really good food. There were a lot of options for vegetarian people like me. There were various collaborations of NUS with colleges like MIT and Yale, and the collaborative campus was another cool sight to see. Everyday I spent there was something I really remember.
The country was very disciplined which is something I really appreciate. Everyone follows rules without exceptions. This is the major reason why Singapore is such a developed country. I was there for 10 weeks. On weekdays I was an intern and during weekends I was the tourist. Trust me, internship is the best way to explore a country. Singapore is a small country and I nearly covered almost all of the places. Before I tell you the places I visit, I would like to introduce you to the best thing that happened to me during my internship- my roommates during those 10 weeks- Lakshay Garg from NIT-Calicut, Hardik Malhotra from BITS-Pilani and Loy Sharma- IIT Guwahti. Their internship was in computer department at NUS. We met through a facebook page and booked the hostel together. No matter how good a place it, if you don’t have good company, the trip isn’t worth it. These people made my internship worth it. Rajasthan (Lakshya) , Punjab (Hardik), Assam (Loy) and myself from Gujarat- a perfect medley of Indian cultures. I got to learn to so many things from them and I hope they say the same for me.
Now about the things I visited. I took a DSLR with me- “Everyone with a DSLR isn’t a pro photographer” and I belong to the same category. Thanks to Loy who knew how to use a DSLR and taught me how to use it. Having a DSLR really adds a new dimension to your experience. We used to hangout on weekends and many of the weekdays even. We visited Marina Bay Sands- the hotel with a boat shaped structure at the top, the casino where I lost $20. Clarqe quay was the nightlife area- though I don’t drink, this was a hell of a fun. Amazing music going on and everyone boozing and enjoying life- a perfect life. We went to one of the best night clubs in Asia -Zuok. The crowd there was great and we danced nearly till 4 am. I never thought I would be doing something of this sort ever in my life. There were a few more interns in NUS as well as NTU. We used to hangout together sometimes and it was fun. We nearly covered all the major and minor attractions of Singapore.
During my internship, I had a company of two other interns from India- Kritesh Abhishek – NIT Warangal and Mrinalini Padmanabhan. We used go for a tea everyday and those few minutes were really amazing. I really cherish those moments spent together. I think I will wind up as this is an ever ending story and I can write lots but there has to be a period.
So overall, it was an amazing experience and definitely worth it. The things I did there was something out of my comfort zone and where I realized my actual potential. So I would advice everyone to go out of his/her comfort zone to reach some place which he/she would have never thought of. Cheers!
If Sapan’s experience motivates you, you can check the latestInternational internships.
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