Getting Out Of My Comfort Zone: Vijay
The Overseas Immersion Programme (OIP) is a highlight for most TUM Asia final- year undergraduates. Students spend three to five months at the home campus in Munich, Germany, taking in many new experiences while completing their Bachelor Thesis. Seelam Jayanth Vijay Kumar, Vijay for short, recently spent three months in Germany for OIP. From living with classmates, to traveling around Europe on a budget, we ask Vijay for a summary of his OIP experience.
Hi Vijay, we know you recently returned from Germany. Can you give the readers a summary of your experience on completing your Bachelor Thesis in the home campus of TUM?
Vijay: Hi everyone! I was involved in the study of Field Oriented Control (FOC) and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines (PMSM), Induction Machines, Danfoss inverter, PID controllers and its tuning techniques to improve overall system performances. The most unique part of my lab-life was that I enjoyed a multi-national environment in Germany. My lab mates were from Austria, India, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Tunisia, United States of America, to name a few. This was unique for me as I have never had a lab experience comprising of so many nationalities and cultures, working together in the same facility.
How was the experience of living in Europe for three months?
Vijay: It was very nice. My friends and I took time to travel around Europe, and we were usually in a group of ten or more. I can say that I learnt to be a good planner while making full use of resources since we needed to ensure affordability and convenience for everyone. Working with the available weekends for travel was also a challenge. I can now say that I know how to travel on a budget!
What do you think you could have done better if you had the opportunity to do this all over again?
Vijay: Academically, I wished I had more practise on Matlab softwares like simulink. I felt that I lacked the knowledge compared to the students in Munich. I would also recommend having knowledge in Latex software as many students in Munich are familiar with it. It makes writing thesis reports much easier. I would also suggest being familiar with basic household chores and cooking simple meals as you will be living on your own for a few months.
Now that you have returned from Europe, how would you summarize your OIP?
Vijay: I have also seen myself grow to be more independent, having to manage my time and complete a project on my own. It was a challenge to get out of my comfort zone, however, this taught me to always get out there and explore, because you never know what you will find. A special memory for me will be the time I had with my flatmates. My three Chinese flatmates taught me how to cook Chinese dishes during the months that we shared a flat together!
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Vijay is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science degree in the field of Electrical Engineering & Information Technology with the Technical University of Munich. He studied in the Singapore branch campus (TUM Asia) and spent three months in Munich, Germany to complete his thesis at the home campus of the university.
To read the full interview with Vijay, it was first published in our DIGEST newsletter (Jan 2017).
TUM Asia administrates the TUM Bachelor degrees together with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). GCE ‘A’ Levels, Polytechnic Diploma and international qualification holders may apply for the TUM Bachelor degrees.
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