What Students Say
Likes
- The environment and the community : Moving to a new country is hard, especially when you are not familiar with the language, which was my case. However, my team and colleagues were very welcoming and proud of their international community and this was a huge factor that helped in easy integration.
- PhD modules to get you into shape: My PhD program does not include any coursework here, but there are some modules, which are weeklong classes of 2-3 hours each where some specialized topics are covered. These not only include astrophysics, but also modules of scientific writing and presentations. These are very important to get a sense of what we are stepping into.
- Flexible work environment: work-life balance is of absolute importance here. We periodically take vacations, we work from home when required, and no questions are asked. This allows us to view work as enjoyable and not some 9-5 ritual.
Dislikes
- Paperwork: The formalities to be completed on arrival in Italy are to be handled on our own, which can get overwhelming. However, experienced seniors can definitely help you, which is how I figured everything out!
- Finding accommodation: Its very difficult to find accommodation in Bologna. To get the visa, we need to show them proof of our accommodation for the first month. So, we have to look houses online in a country we barely know! While the university had portals for international students to look for accommodation options, its not guaranteed that we obtain a room through them.
- Health insurance : The Italian national health insurance is extremely expensive. So I took an insurance policy from India.
Course Curriculum
10
- There is no defined curriculum. 80% of the time is dedicated to research, and the remainder is spent attending talks, seminars, conferences, workshops and schools. As I mentioned before, there are some advanced modules that last a week or so. In addition, I audited a couple of MSc courses to get a better background for my PhD project. I discuss my progress with my supervisors and they give directions on how to proceed.
- Every year around 20 projects are announced, but the numbers depend on the funding available in the groups. In my enrollment cycle, there are 17 students. There are 4 Indians in my department alone, myself included.
Admission Experience
- I don't remember the exact number, but it was around 55. I was waitlisted for 1 university in the US (Rochester University) and Max Planck Heidelberg, which later rejected me. I gave interviews for Max Planck-LMU, CAMK-Poland, Coventry University-UK, and UniBo-Italy. The interview at LMU was an all-expenses-paid on-site interview in Munich, Germany. That was my first experience in Europe, and a great memory! I was admitted to Coventry first, then the UniBo offer came in and I chose the latter as it was closer to my research interests. For the colleges that rejected me, one of the reasons is that my interests didn't match what they could offer. Also, it's extremely competitive! In Europe, most universities advertise single positions for which people all over the world apply. It's highly probable that there is always an applicant with more specialised knowledge than me. I say this because I was trying to switch fields for my PhD, and it was very difficult to prove my worth in the new field when universities are looking for researchers who can directly get into their project. That's understandable; research is fast-paced, the faster you can get results, the better! In my case, I did my MSc in theoretical astrophysics but I wanted to do a PhD in observational astrophysics.
- Out of the 2 offers I received, I accepted the position at UniBo, as it was closer to my research interest.
- Application is a 2-step process. In my application cycle, they advertised 17 positions. In step 1, I submitted a CV and my MSc thesis abstract. Optionally, they take recommendation letters. They rank us based on these documents and invite selected candidates for interviews. At this point, we could also give our order of preference for the 17 available projects. For the interview, they give 3 minutes for a self-introduction and then ask questions about the MSc work and also general astrophysics. Finally they score us on the interview, and candidates with the highest combined score receive admission offers.
- Eligibility criteria - need to graduate with an MSc degree at least by the enrolment time. Should prove sufficient English proficiency. I submitted TOEFL scores. However, the actual quest begins after you are admitted. To complete the enrolment, you need to show that your degrees from India are comparable to the Italian degrees. For a PhD admission, the document is called DoV, while for an MSc admission, it's called a CIMEA certificate. Don't worry, the university will help you with all the documents and abbreviations!
- Admission procedure is easy, provided we manage to wrap our head around the documents needed. More challenging and time-consuming is the visa application, but universities do understand that it can be a long procedure and accordingly provide a sufficient amount of time to complete the enrolment procedure.
- UniBo PhD has only one intake every year. I applied the year I graduated with an MSc. The process takes around 2 months. It started in June, and by August I knew I was going to Italy. Then the visa process can take from 3 to 6 months, as August-November is a very busy time for Italian visa centres. My program started in November and I moved to Italy in the second week of November.
Faculty
10
- This is difficult to answer, as mine is not a taught course. However, based on my experience auditing MSc courses here, I can say a few things. The number of students in the courses varies, as some are compulsory while others are electives. In an elective course, there may be 5-20 students.
- Having done my MSc in India and also auditing courses here, I have noticed several interesting differences between the teaching methods. In Italy there is more discussion about research papers, which gives students more exposure at an early stage. Here the exams are more flexible; dates can be chosen by the students, and they are not written exams but oral and so on.
- However, since I audited the course, I was not required to give an exam. Class timings here can be a bit tedious, as classes last 2-3 hours (with hourly 10 minute breaks), while in India I was used to classes that lasted an hour. The mode of teaching can be blackboard or presentations. The astrophysics courses are in English, obviously!
Campus Life
10
- There are many many campuses and it's difficult to list all of them. This information is easily available on the University of Bologna website. The physics and astronomy department is in a place called Navile.
- There are well-furnished lecture halls, libraries and study rooms for students. There are dedicated computer labs for the computational lab courses. About sports, I cannot comment, as I am not a big sports person!
Part Time Jobs
- Doing a TA-ship is not mandatory for my program. But if done, it is additionally paid. The next step after a PhD would be to do postdoctoral positions to gain expertise in the field and to start working independently. There are people who continue their PhD research as a postdoc, and others who apply for prestigious grants and move to other places.
- I can answer this only based on what I have heard from Indian MSc students who do part-time jobs here. One major difficulty is the language. If you want to work in a restaurant/cafe, you should know the language so that you can deal with customers. So, you might have to sharpen your Italian to increase your chances of being selected for jobs. Students also take up part-time jobs, like for food delivery apps. Sometimes the working hours can go late into the night, so it can be hectic to manage along with your academics.
Placement
10
- Many people go on for a postdoc after their PhD, while another group might go on to companies to start jobs. Placement does not work the same way as after an MSc, as we need to apply for funding, etc., on our own.
- The major task is to find out a place where your skills will be useful and your expertise can move the field forward. There are many prestigious scholarships available, such as the Marie Curie fellowship.
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- There are WhatsApp groups where vacancies are advertised. There are many agencies that offer houses, but they do have high agency fees.
- The monthly rent can be around 400 for a double room and above 550 euros for a single room. They can be with or without a contract, which is very careful to consider, as accommodation has to be verified to get a residence permit. Sometimes utilities like water, electricity, gas, and wifi are included in the rent; sometimes not. Those matters have to be agreed upon in the beginning with the landlord. Finally, a caution deposit, which is refundable, has to be paid in the beginning.
- The university of bologna campuses are scattered throughout the city. Finding rooms that are close to your department can be a challenge. Other considerations include whether you want to stay within the city walls or a bit on the outskirts. The rents can change dramatically depending on its closeness to the centre.
- Recommendations: start ASAP. Contact as many people as possible. Set up online room viewings to interact with prospective housemates so that you can assess whether they are compatible with you. In the end, it's very probable that problems will emerge with the other room occupants, so it's very important that you convey your expectations to them and also try to understand their expectations of an acceptable housemate.
- My room is around 45 minutes by bus from my office. On extreme traffic days, the time can go till 1 hour. However, my choice was based on the rent and closeness to the city centre.
Exams
- Depending on the course, the requirement for TOEFL can vary. The evaluation is holistic and does not ask for cutoffs in the exam. No other exam required. The cutoffs are also variable by program.
- CV, MSc degree and transcript, valid visa, Italian tax code, Declaration of Value (document to validate the Indian degree). Once in Italy, we apply for a residence permit, and submitting the receipt of application completes the enrolment procedure.
- Interview already discussed in a previous question. It was conducted in an online format by the professors at the university.
Fees
- There is an enrolment fee of around 150 euros. After that, there are no other expenses. PhD students receive a monthly stipend, which can comfortably support one person. The salary depends on the department, and you can easily find this information on the department websites.
- Bologna is very expensive in terms of accommodation. Students spend up to half of their stipend on rent. There is an option to get cheaper yearly passes for buses, which significantly reduces expenses.
- Groceries will come to around 150 euros a month and bills like electricity, water, gas, and wifi can amount to around 100 per month. A nice weekend trip can be covered by 50-100 euros if you plan it well!
Scholarship
- All PhD students receive stipends without exception. Only eligibility criteria are that they have a bank account, valid identity documents, and a tax identification number, which is the Italian analogue of the aadhar number in India.
- There are scholarships for housing that have to be applied for separately, and for these, one needs to start planning even before reaching Italy.
