How To Win Scholarships? Choosing, Documenting and Observing your Internship details.

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Utilizing your time to observe the seniors students planning their experiments or workflow of the day will give you deep insights about real work life which is completely different from what you learn in your University.  This is the best strategy to learn and easily integrate into the laboratory or any new workplace. Different researchers have different abilities and attitude of working. I am sure that most of the people have read the books which share knowledge of achieving something in a short period and easily. The real fact is when you are trying to get something top-notch, you are trying to make things easy for others but not for yourself. And you will only enjoy this if you are passionate about the process of creating your project from scratch.

Another important thing that you can do to maximize the output from your internships is to document every detail of your internships in the form of pictures, words or videos. It can also be an initiation of your blog which is indeed an upside in today`s digital world. Having a professional and personal blog will increase your visibility in the market as compared to others who do not have a blog. It takes time for the people who are not sure about their likes to find the niche of their blogging.  As an intern, all this time that you have invested will take you to the right path and people.

Searching and choosing internships could be the hot topics among undergraduate. I was taking out the maximum amount of time to apply and search for the opportunities that will fall perfectly with my interests. Internships are the window where you can always count to get a different experience if you are willing to take a step in an unknown direction.

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I was asked a lot about how to choose or apply for internships. It is a situation where you must put a lot of time, thought and own strategy for your goals.  A perfect combination of different internships can increase chances of winning competitive scholarships and fellowships. Different internships and different places will always get you the new tasks and challenges that defines as a productive and diverse candidate for the position. This theme of choosing different internships can help you prepare a comprehensive motivation or cover letter which is the most critical part of your application.

Unfortunately, you might or might not have the luxury to choose for internships if you are studying in a country with fewer opportunities for student jobs. But where do you find and narrow down your research to the best option?

Referring to this situation, if you have a confusing picture about your goals or the organization that matches your career path, it will be better to segregate the choice of your internships in different sectors such as marketing, health, and fitness, communication or research. I also had a bit fuzzy picture of my goals, so I worked in different laboratories and volunteered in different Non-profit organizations.

So, it is essential to segregate and determine the percentage of your different interests so that you can plan your internships accordingly.

I will make things clearer by sharing my internship experiences.

During my second year, I had an official eight weeks summer internship in my course structure, which I think was the beginning of the most important phase in my undergraduate school. I was fortunate enough to strike the summer fellowship program by Indian Academy of Sciences to work in the top-notch laboratory of India. Ecstatic to be accepted in one of the best laboratories of India for which I moved to Mysore, Karnataka in May 2013. I did not have a detailed idea about my work responsibilities, but I knew that the team was working widely in lipid metabolism and the nutritional value of various food crops. The lab was working in different subprojects dealing with increasing the healthy oil content of seeds which are edible and can be used for multiple industrial and pharmaceutical purpose.

Again, I was assigned a Ph.D. student to teach me the work and lab rules. I invested quality time in my relationships with lab members or outside the lab. This way I was able to learn from different researchers and work on my communication and social behavior.

I learned a whole new set of things along with the working culture of Ph.D. and research students. Most students think that it is their scores that holds the most important in career either academics or non-academics. This could hold true for some students but not for all.

Your Research Experience section will generate more output and more questions that keep your moving and seeking. Remember that your time for internships is limited with the immense potential outcome; therefore, you should use this excellent chance with the right attention. You must be attentive to the things you don’t know either in the laboratory or administration.

Doing so, you will be able to eliminate the things or subjects that you don’t want to pursue further. Finally, try to go deeper and utilize digital tools to express your ideas in different ways. The easiest way to start is to create a blog of your interest which can be done at no cost.

 

 

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How to Win Scholarships? Interact consistently at your Internship place. Go say Hello !!

NikunjLeave a comment

This post is in continuation of —How To Win Scholarships? What do you think about Internships?

I am a big fan of learning from experiences and I never miss a chance to interact with the person who has smooth public skills and loves to share his knowledge. I got this chance of working under the supervision of a senior Ph.D. student who is presently working as a Researcher in Top-Notch Hospital in New York. He was always there to mentor me in that summer internship Thanks to his kind nature and calm attitude whose guidance was a big help in every step from the undergraduate school to become a calm and patient researcher until getting into the Ph.D. position. This first experience of internship taught me various things where an undergraduate student should focus and maximize their potential.

The internship is also the best time to explore a different culture and learn another set of values that will indeed help you to live better in a globalized economy. Having the patience to learn and adapt to the new place helps the person to develop integrity and become emotionally stable.  Familiarising to new cultures and places is something that you cannot learn in school or a book. It only comes through real-life experiences. Don`t be shy in speaking a new language or trying something new in culture.

Most of the scholarship programs or jobs in today’s global world consider a person who has some exposure to working in a multicultural team. It is regarded as a bonus point.

Unfortunately,

Most of the students take this internship period as vacation time to take their time off from their regular college routine to go into another non-productive method. In your graduate curriculum, you might have to do at least two internships and one major dissertation. Even if it’s not the part of your academics, you will have the time to conduct these internships by yourself.

But usually, summers knock in your life with lots of sleep, food, and dreaming of traveling. You might be tired of your university routine.

If you enjoy traveling and food figure out your internship plan long before you have lost the opportunities and deadlines. Internships are the most rewarding time even if you have a million dollar family business. Interns can use this open window to discover the potential of their ideas in the real world. It is the chance to flourish your life tools such as communication, marketing, research, and development.

Being a Biotechnologist, I was trying to work in different areas of biology and technology considering the rapid growth in the use of algorithms and big data in biology domain. I was consistently participating in online symposiums and courses. And I am still pursuing the online courses where I can enhance my new skill set. These online courses are likely to overlap with usable tools and resources to strengthen your comprehensive profile.

There could be two kinds of feelings in this situation, either you are completely ignorant about your internships, or you are up for the new challenge. Choosing later will help you explore your natural talents or passion which can go untouched due to lack of new experiences. Different experience and internships can help to classify your interests greatly. Although everyone has there unique ways to find there strengths and talent, the most effective way is to experience things in your undergraduate school is INTERNSHIP.  Based on your real and diverse internship experiences that can give the in-depth recognization of your likes and dislikes.

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The process of reaching a new spot in your career requires patience and consistent drive. If you are finding this at your University, then exams and assignments do not answer all your questions. But, you can find your answers in your experiences and internships.

It is better not to think of any monetary gains from your internships or if you are going to get any quick benefits that will advance your career path. Nothing happens in 6 or 8 weeks. This is the opportunity to use your intelligence and invest your time to know more people and new things. Internships are the free options where you can test and try different areas of work, interact with people that you have never met and you might never meet. So interact as if it’s your last time you are meeting them. Maximize your learning output through these interactions.

Take Away- Nothing physical can come in 6-8 weeks but mountain load of information and learnings can come just by interacting with people with complete attention. 

Cheers

😀

 

How To Win Scholarships? What do you think about Internships?

Nikunj2 Comments

Internships are the landmarks that enrich your skills either you are in your graduate or undergraduate school.

I am pretty sure that most of the students have watched and inspired by the movies “The Pursuit of Happiness” and “The Internship.” If not, you should watch it. It shows the utmost importance of internship and shows how the lead actors landed the dream jobs after a six-month internship. Is it possible for all the students who apply or work as an intern?

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It is a hard call. As some of you might like the internship or could end the other way around. But, if you are ready to enjoy the process of hurdles and struggles without complaining just the way Will Smith did in Pursuit of Happiness. It gives you to the opening to diversify your research interests and know the real work culture either in the laboratory or business world. Please understand that it is the opportunity to maximize your network and build professional and sustainable relationships in addition to learning skills. Most of the experiment or tasks that you need to get those university credits are attainable in 4-5 hours of a day. Thus, it leaves you with another five golden hours which should be used only for networking and building relationships. Please define the specific goals that you want to achieve in the particular internship period. Acting on these small goals will make you realize your real desires or preferences and further helping you to eliminate the things that you don’t want to do.

There is a possibility that the tools or skills that you learned will change in the future, but the relationship that you made will survive for life. Even if there is one person in the whole laboratory that gives you the positivity and good vibes, connect with that person immediately. Understanding networking and work culture of a place is the most invaluable skill that can be used globally in any domain of your life either research, management, grants application or administration work. There is no better way to improves your interpersonal skills than to interact in your internship placement.

Once you have adapted and build your professional relationship nicely, you will be surprised at how your work turns out to be playful and fast. I was fortunate enough to meet incredible people in my internships.

Stay tuned for more details 😉 Its gonna get more interesting

 

Water Thinking

Nikunj5 Comments

Water is not an exclusive property of Humans. But the greatest and most advanced species of the evolution has either taken the full control or are either losing it completely. We have no holistic idea about the present status of water bodies. There is so much information available on the internet coming from a scientific database, non-profit organization or individuals. It is next to impossible to come to a concrete conclusion.

Even the process of creating awareness about water pollution, drying rivers, droughts, etc are so varied and complex which are not being understood religiously. Water is the most fundamental unit of various life processes such as Photosynthesis that is the creator of all the delicious food that we are eating. Not just this, it also put all the economic activities under the single framework.

So let`s ask a very important question. Fundamentally, a Human can live without water for at least 2-3 days without any serious troubles.

What will happen if all people are punished to live without water for just 1 day? And don`t have any water in your storage units or any hidden water bank.

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This will create a major disarrangement at multiple levels. It is  time to realize that water or environment governance is failing to create a major impact in the society as the rate of consumption of not so important water products involved in producing a large array of non-renewable or food products is consistently increasing. Everything that you see while passing through the supermarket, commercial shopping center, coffee, and bakery shops involves multiple numbers of processing steps which include liters of water.

But I am not if there are any policies, programs or educational awareness programs are focussing on actual water thinking? What is water thinking? And Why it is important to involve this thinking process in our system either in schools, media, and other public space. The present generation should create a holistic system to design water thinking tools and protocols in and around every corner of the world so that human beings can actually understand the meaning of water consciously.

The process of  Water Thinking should revolve around in developing a deep interest in water which will make them think before using the products or services involving water. At the same time, water thinking might offer a harmony based approach to solve this trouble. It is a way of living and acting in harmony with other life forms.

Our education system has been focused on various kinds of thinking like health thinking, money thinking, career thinking, competitive thinking and so on but it’s very rare when we consciously conduct some water thinking.

It`s time for a change. Its time for policymakers, educators, researchers, and other stakeholders to bring a change. The world has definitely become better in terms of structure and organization, there is luxury and fantastic order in our society that no past generation ever had. But the world is lacking the harmony and the consciousness to connect with natural resources with deep interest and understanding.

 

How to Win Scholarships? Focus on quality of communication and networking

NikunjLeave a comment

When I say Quality, I refer this term with more clarity. Clear communication with your colleagues, family members or supervisors always leads to a better conclusion. And sometimes these clear communications are hard but necessary.

The communication and networking are indeed the most potent friend of yours which will only nourish with practice. Quality is to be respected, but it is entirely subjective in today`s world. The various components of communication tools allow us to create an emphasis if we make the correct use of them strategically.

My suggestion is straightforward “Quality of communication is important but subjective” therefore speed should be the focus while you are pursuing your Undergraduate or Masters. When we are using digital tools, it is the practice that will improve your art of communication in different social media platforms or other official tools such as Gmail or LinkedIn where you can connect with your future leaders or supervisors easily. Nowadays, the Internet and social media have given attention to each one of us.

Traditional institutes teach students communication in a structured manner which usually won’t synchronize with today’s world. Communication tools are quite flexible, and it can never be practiced when a person is tensed, restricted and is being marked upon his skills. Traditional communication teaching is safe to get a job when they are prepared to connect in alignment with the company vision and mission. When the time comes to relate all this with the current situation in undergraduate school, it is a bit complicated. One cannot depend on the traditional communication strategies or university as it will never teach you about networking or other essential tools required for the real world.

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If you are planning to launch an independent project, then the traditional communication strategies will not work as it does not bring in the personal sense of control or connect you to the target audience which is highly variable. It is neither adaptable to presently available digital platforms.

The present communication platforms demand the greater quantity, depth of the subject and personal sense of involvement. You will need to alter your strategies depending on the tools which may require less quantity but more quality. There is no standard book or practice which must be followed to communicate and make a network.  Communication is a two-way process which will develop automatically based on individual or group of people with whom you want to interact.

It will never become refined and perfect without practice as the market and consumers are constantly changing depending on the overall technology and environment. Understanding consumer behavior in one shot is not an easy task and to understand this process requires a greater quantity of content with depth.

Now, you have so many platforms and devices to form networks and connect with researchers all over the world. If you want to accomplish and win in either academic or non-academic scholarship, you need to understand the importance of both traditional and digital communication.

I learned to connect and partner with fellow students both in University and digital platforms. One of my friends, Tania who was quite popular in social and cultural clubs was aware of the marketing and business tools who introduced me to many young students in University who wanted to explore more in the area of scientific research. I would not have been connected with all these students otherwise. At that time, I was a bit struggling to get the correct idea of scientific writing or communication which is again not taught in the University. So, I used this opportunity of interacting with other students to keep my focus on writing by collaborating with students having different research interests. I had no intentions or goals about the outcome but to follow my steps uniformly to improve my scientific writing. Writing and editing many articles with other students allowed me to refine my work with more precision. The key for you is to be conscious of the resources that you can have or generate in your area.

Further, I explored that undergraduate students have formed the society to promote Undergraduate students work. They have established the journal which is run by undergraduate students for undergraduate students. So, I contacted the team of Journal of undergraduate research at Colorado State University that is managed by only undergraduate students. Working with the different cultural groups in digital platforms gives you more advanced insights from hundreds of new articles and operating principles.

If you are applying for Global Ph.D. scholarship, applications will be pouring from all the over the world which will be highly competitive. Therefore, the network and communication that you have developed in your undergraduate school while participating in internships, conferences, symposiums or publication time will help you to use those skills while competing for international scholarships.

 

How to Win Scholarships and How to maximize networking in your University?

NikunjLeave a comment

In my experience of University, I was looking for people who had experience or can share insights of working in the laboratory or real projects. Everything is depended on your preferences of hanging out with different groups whose values tend to overlap with each other directly or indirectly. Always note and analyze the social groups that you hang out for work and outside work.  It ultimately depends on an individual about his choices to manage networks and time.  The benefit of extensive and diverse networking as it produces multiple results and lets you decide with whom you naturally connect conveniently.  These different inputs that come with diverse groups or networking can help you determine your personal and professional goals.  University is the best place to initiate investing time in your networking to grow your professional network at different levels. The important thing is to be present in small and large scale events and hold on to the networking part. It is better to invest time in both academic and non-academic affairs as it provides you the diverse picture of the professional world.

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Once you start initiating your independent projects along with other students or collaborators in the nearby communities, consider expanding your projects outside the known area. Interacting with like-minded online communities, bloggers and researchers can broaden your horizon. It will provide various other alternatives in return to your time invested in online communities. It is easy to create an online event or workshop and promote it alongside like-minded research students or entrepreneurs in the university.

Collaborating your fresh idea with someone who brings in another skill is something that can bring in a higher value. That`s what I did to improve my scientific writing skills by connecting with science blogs and portals with different areas of specialty. By Connecting in online platforms, I was aiming to write for new blogs either paid or not paid. I discovered that I was able to use my previous learnings and share it in simple words for which I got paid 75$ per post. Usually, most of the students find it difficult to understand that it depends on your continuous engagement with your talents and skills that creates more clarity in your vision. My aim for the next five years was to increase my practical experiences to broaden my view about everything and create maximum innovative ideas. The experiences should not have any conclusion but will be good if it overlaps with the next lesson that will take you a better position in your professional life.

The network that you make in University time while working in a social or cultural clubs, internships, conferences or community service will always add a definite point in your diverse experiences. Every experience in your university can help you and your team in various ways by developing your skills like imagination, originality, team-working, novelty, resilience, IT skills, and innovation. Diverse experiences come with understanding about the sense of commitment, responsibility, not using excuses and adaptability in a different working environment.  It will be the foundation of your personal and professional life, and sometimes it begins in the places you don`t imagine. The main point is to understand that networking is always improvising along with a consistent change in your social circle or relationships when needed. In any place, Being spontaneous in different channels will help you to make your future proof and keep your overall structure intact.

Recognizing the values that you gain from all your experience and fellow researchers, you can gain access to both right persons and the right place to execute next ideas on your career path. Perfect synchronization of your communication and networking will maximize the overall output of your decision. The quality of your communication and network is the most powerful ally for your ideas which is understood more if your communication is vital and impactful in every move you make. Now you know that communication is an essential factor for all the process and there is a need for a particular emphasis on the use of your networking and communication.

I do not recommend joining a course in communication or business because no school can teach communication and networking that work well for your weird and incredible imagination. Moreover, it will only add burden in your daily routine in addition to your degree programs. Instead, try to identify the networks that align with your area of interest.

Especially in today`s era, when you can express yourself and communicate in a million ways using words, videos, pictures, and animations and reach out to millions of people.

The only suggestion- Practice, Practice, Practice- It is understood that it is a little frightening or anxious while contacting an unknown person either professor or student. But ultimately with practice, you will cope with all the unexpected responses and gentle tweaks in your projects.

How TO Win Scholarships? Maximize your networking in University years

NikunjLeave a comment

Recent reports on Global employment University survey concluded that significant employers are giving a lower value to the degree classification on there CVs. Usually, students are actively involved in projects or extracurricular programs that align with there studies which enhance there working experience as compared to other competitors.

Most of the undergraduate students do not focus on a skill such as innovation, leadership, networking, and design which complements there overall profile in both academics and corporate careers. Continuous efforts in these areas will help you to raise your social and environmental consciousness. And most of the undergraduate students are aware that these skills are of utmost importance but does not mean that they are devoting the required time to develop these skills.

It is quite similar to the journey of the fit body which comes with strict nutrition, sleep and exercise patterns.

Your networking skills in undergraduate school can help you envision your plans and provide you all the critical resources and information. It requires extensive efforts in addition to your daily university routine.

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Start by interacting with like-minded colleagues in University either in social, sports, literature or cultural clubs, just like you are learning to use new software. Building your networking can lead you to your new project which is much like any fitness goals. The return on investment depends on your day to day activities which is the outcome of your practice and hard work.

While spending extra hours in cultivating sustainable networks, independent projects or decision will progress over time not overnight. You need to thoroughly enjoy the process of rejections and acceptance which are the main ingredients in any journey. The roots of your strong foundation depended on the diverse experiences and planned the execution of your University years. It will highlight your life with necessary lessons which are mostly taken from the failures. Further trying new ideas and documenting your research experience can raise many questions that require your seeking attitude. Without seeking mind, one can lose the chance to explore the hidden strengths and talent.