Q. How did you get selected?
Ans. Luck.
Q. How do I find potential research supervisors or advisors for my application?
Ans. It depends on your preferred research field. Go to the websites of different universities and find the "people" or "research" pages to know who is working on what. Read briefly about all and deeply about those whose works sound particularly interesting and exciting to you. This way, you can produce a list of professors you can contact for opportunities.
Q. How do you write cold emails to faculty members or professors? Share the email that got you in.
Ans. I don't like to call these things cold emails. It's such a lifeless corporate term. But anyway, since every friendship, collaboration, or relationship starts with "cold" communication, it is natural that if your cold email is warm enough, it will work. Let's keep this thermodynamics aside and focus on the answer.
I could have made it better. You would think the same in your case, irrespective of the result. Still, in general, following you may do to make it warm while being respectful, polite, and formal:
The exact thing that makes a faculty reply is something they value. In my case, it was an MNRAS paper, and I had experience with pulsar astrophysics.
Q. How do you write the cover letter? Please share with me the cover letter that got you in.
Ans. A cover letter is a letter that covers your application. (Wow! So much valuable original information). Well, don't get offended. Think about it; it is a letter, so write it like a letter (look that I didn't do that myself, though I should have), and in that cover letter, try to cover all the information that Thinkswiss asks you. Since the cover letter is a highly personalized form of write-up that depends on your research interests, host faculty, and past experiences, write the letter as if you are writing to a friend, then formalize each sentence one by one. The best way is to start writing something and get it checked by someone like your current advisor, mentor, or Swiss advisor applying with you. You can contact me as well.
Q. How much is the acceptance rate of this scholarship? What can make my application stand out?
Ans. I don't know the acceptance rate because I need to figure out how many people apply. Still, only 15-16 people are selected, including all the fields. Your past research experience in the area you are trying to apply makes you stand out. Your institution, grades, and cover letter writing style are also important. But not so much compared to your relevant research experiences because they prove that you are not just a student but an aspiring researcher who is genuinely trying hard. I suggest not thinking much about the acceptance rate. Consider it zero (zero expectations lead to zero suffering). Lastly, always apply at least a dozen places because application processes are challenging, irrespective of the field.
Apply everywhere, and don't worry. It takes time. I got this scholarship after my final year while some in my cohort were sophomores, so keep trying; it is good that if you continue working on great projects at your current institute, maybe those projects can connect you to some faculty abroad because that happened with me.
Q. My CGPA is low; Will I make it?
Ans. Not necessarily. They may take students based on their overall profile. The institute they belong to, their prior research experiences, and other academic achievements. Since you are asking me about such a thing, I may abduce that you are considering your CGPA as low and hence unsure about your selection. So the first thing to understand is to always be ready for rejection even if your application is seemingly perfect (including high CGPA). The second thing is that my CGPA is 7/10 on relative grading but I still made it owing to my experience before Thinkswiss. But my case is particular and doesn't qualify for making a general rule that CGPA does not matter. It matters but not always and not even everywhere. People use CGPA only as a moderation parameter sometimes especially when the student is in their junior or below years of college degree (so they most probably don't have many academic or research achievements that can outshine their low CGPA). So just apply with a very good research proposal and an equally good cover letter without any worries.
Q. My faculty advisor asked me to draft an acceptance letter on their behalf to the Thinkswiss. How do I write it?
Ans. An acceptance letter should be written on behalf of your advisor (as if the advisor is writing the letter to the Thinkswiss program manager). From my experience, the draft is supposed to have the following:
Just write it as a typical letter covering the above points, which would be more than reasonable.
Q. I am selected at the University of Bern. I need help with my visa, travel, accommodation, etc. because this is my first time traveling abroad. What to do?
Ans. Congratulations on the selection. As per my experience, Swissnex will not help much in connecting to a faculty member, nor will they help in the visa process. You will get your scholarship money in Indian Rupees only when you arrive in Switzerland, so you need to pay from your pocket initially. Then, you can have it covered later (the scholarship amount is fixed, so spend wisely). Hence, you may need a Forex debit card or some payment application like "Wise" and "Twint." Still, a card is the second-best payment method after cash.
But the one good thing that Swissnex does is connect you to the cohort (other people that also get selected along with you for other fields), so after being selected, you can help and get help from those students.
1. Travel - You are supposed to buy the tickets before you apply for the visa. This is weird, I know, but it works for everyone, so don't worry. Also, do buy appropriate travel insurance (from India itself) as it is compulsory for the visa. I purchased my travel insurance from ICICI Lombard. It cost me about 5k INR. You should compare it with others, call the sales, and be clear before making payments. My insurance plan covered 50,000 USD (the requirement for the visa), but only 50 USD daily for hospitalization for only 5 days. I did not buy any extra medical insurance because I have doctors in my family, and I took all general medications for myself from India. My lifestyle is so weird that I get a cold cough only once a year. I can't remember when I had a fever apart from COVID-19, so it depends on your lifestyle and how careless you are like me.
2. Accommodation and Travel - The same thing applies to accommodation as travel; you have to arrange it yourself, but here your advisor and the Thinkswiss cohort can help. For Bern, the following links lead to economic rentals in Bern: https://www.studentlodge.ch (In my opinion, this is the most economical) but you can get more information here.
Initially, to book accommodation and flight tickets, you would have to arrange finances yourself. Still, as you arrive in Bern, the Thinkswiss people give all the money in a single go in your Indian bank account. I paid 660 CHF as monthly rent for a single room. I just logged onto the website of studentlodge.ch, booked after reading the terms and conditions, pictures, and FAQs, and conversed with the admins. Also, before booking, do communicate with email or call them if you have queries. You can also look for smaller room sizes if available. You should check everything, but most importantly, the rent agreement wherever you stay, and always ask questions to the admin or read FAQs if you need clarification.
What about a shared apartment? - Well, all these things are tricky because:
1. You have to find a suitable roommate that you can trust and all that.
2. What facilities would you get in those like floor cleaning, washroom cleaning, kitchen and utensils to be provided or not.
All the Thinkswiss awardees in my time and before me only resided in the student lodge.
Because of the above complications, I didn't take a shared apartment and ultimately chose the student lodge. At the student lodge, you pay a refundable deposit (caution money that you will get back on the last day of your stay, assuming you didn't breach the rules of the rent agreement). Your monthly rent will cover wifi, LAN connection, water, kitchen and washroom cleaning, and utensils. The only extra money to pay is for washing machines, 2CHF for 1 hour of washing. So ultimately, in your luggage, you are supposed to have ample comfortable clothes, some dry fruits, instant mixes, general stuff like spices, medicines, soap, shampoo, towels, pads, etc.
3. Visa - You don't need anything (like a Swiss work permit) other than a student visa (Type-C or Schengen Visa for 90 days), as internships are not considered employment in Switzerland. You are supposed to make an online appointment using VFS Global's website. Just go to the VFS Global website, first log in there, search for a student visa, and then follow the steps of booking the appointment. Feel free to call the VFS people if necessary. Just make sure you have all the required documents and at least 2 copies of the originals. After filling out a small form, you will get a date and time on which you should be present at the nearest consulate office or the embassy itself based on your choice and available slots. They only ask a little on the appointment day, just the purpose of going there and proof of your selection. There is nothing you must prepare for (apart from patience because of the time consumed in such processes).
4. Cost of living and other stuff - Well, the money will be given to you in your Indian bank account in INR, so conversion rates can affect the amount you would get finally, but overall, the money is all-sufficient for living in Bern (only considering rent, budgeted economy flights, and normal day to day expenses in food and travel). The minimum number of things you have to spend money on are rent, daily travel by train, tram, or bus, food (groceries), and laundry. That's all.
You can ask your host faculty for daily travel if they can provide partial financial support. Here in Switzerland, you can buy a monthly pass to roam the whole city with anything - train, tram, bus, one kind of ticket. For Relevant details, you can talk to your Swiss faculty when you arrive here, so there is no need to worry about laundry and travel.
Rent will also be fixed, so once you confirm the room, that's also sorted. All you have to manage now is the food costs. If you buy your groceries from stores like Lidl, Denner, and Migros, you will get it for cheaper prices. A month of groceries may cost around 100 CHF even when you buy a lot of stuff, including chocolates. Going out to eat in a restaurant can easily cost 30 CHF for at least one meal. But fast food chains like Migros and other stores can be cheaper. You must explore based on your preferences and needs once you arrive here. Cooking by yourself will save you money, but eating out will quickly drain you of money. To arrive in Bern, you would need to take a train from the airport, which means you have to buy a ticket. You can make an account on the "my SBB" App and book your tickets there. There's an alternative, too, the "oV plus" App. These are Swiss government apps for travel tickets. For doubts, you can ask me or your host faculty. You can later buy the monthly pass for your daily commute, which may cost depending on different options. You can get all the information at the station office when you arrive in Bern. The process is smooth and easy. I didn't travel a lot, but whatever travel that I did was luckily sponsored by my host institute. I mainly went to the Bernese Alps and lakes.
So it won't be that tough; just be connected with your Swiss faculty and also try to be associated with those fellows who got selected along with you and will be staying in the same city as you so that you all can help each other during your stay.