From doubt to discovery - A journey of self-assurance

For me, the IMPRS program was life changing. Everyday I learnt something new, grew as an individual as well as a researcher. I got the chance to learn from the best and to also meet and interact with so many people. This experience opened up a lot of opportunities for me and also helped me become more confident. The program supported me in all the possible ways and I am and will always be grateful for that.

The course curriculum is pretty diverse and covers every aspect of the degree. They also offer language courses and courses to develop interpersonal skills. You end up learning a lot of basic and advanced science on your way. The program happens to be very international, so you also end up learning about different countries and cultures.

My score: IELTS 8.5/9 bands, taking up GRE test is optional, but recommended if you don't have a great score in your bachelors'. I had to submit two LoRs for the application (referees were contacted by the institute), along with an SoP wherein we were required to write our motivation for program entry, our research interests (and how they align with the research going on at the institute currently) along with our non-academic interests. I also had to submit a concise CV with my education, past research experience, projects participated in and also my skills (I formatted it on europass, this gives the best outline/format according to EU standards) Yes I had three rounds after the application screening. The first round was more academic, wherein I had to answer mcqs displayed on the scree. this was a short interview and lasted around 15 minutes. This was followed by the next two rounds (30 minutes each) wherein I had an interview with 4 faculty members. Here, we discussed science in general, my research interests and also my research projects in depth, here in I also was questioned about my motivation and how would I handle hardships/failures which I may encounter.

Most students from my program pursue a PhD. The placement rate is amazing. Almost everyone ends up in a great and a renowned institute/lab around the world. The IMPRS Molecular Biology is an integrated PhD program so you can also continue in this institute for a PhD if you wish!

The tution fee is around 250 euros per semester, but since its a funded program it becomes easier to pay from the stipend

Yes, I am funded by the IMPRS for Molecular Biology. I did not apply for this scholarship, its for all the students who get into the masters program at the MPI. (The funding is around 11000 euros/year.)

The faculty ratio is around 1:20. The faculty is one of the best that I could have ever got. Almost always available (just an email away!), very friendly. They are always available in case you need any sort of guidance/advice. They are very renowned from different fields of Biology. The faculty here mostly comprises of the research group leaders, who are always looking out for us.

The MPI campus here is one of the best MPI in germany. The infrastructure is spread over a large area. The campus offere the best facilities and also healthcare. It also has space for playing table tennis, volleyball. Wifi is available for all its student. The campus life is really amazing, as everyone is really warm and friendly. We also have a happy hour every friday evening wherein we can network and meet people from different labs and chat over pizza! This is one of the things I would really miss when I move for my PhD.

I live in a student dorm. It is shared with three other people. The dorms are really nice and we also get to socialise with other dorm mates. We have a private bedroom but share the kitchen. The rent ranges from 200 euros to 350 euros. The rent for my room is 240 euros.