Satabdee
Satabdee comes from Bhubaneswar (Odisha), the smart city of India. She pursued her bachelor‘s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering and Technology in Odisha. She worked as an aerospace engineer before joining KTH.
What made you choose KTH?
What speaks better than the fact that as a university, KTH stands 98th in the QS rankings and 26th when it comes to the mechanical department rankings. I love the way the courses for the Engineering Design master's programme – especially the Machine Design track – have been designed. They are quite interesting and give practical exposure to several problem areas. In addition to this, the scholarship/funding from winning the KTH Master's Challenge was icing on the cake.
As for Sweden, I believe it’s one of the best countries when it comes to innovation and sustainability. Because KTH is located in Stockholm, it became my top choice within Sweden. However, I would admit that, one year down the road, I am in total awe of the natural beauty that Stockholm offers to anyone who embraces this city.
What do you like most about KTH?
Everything! Without even a second thought, I would say I love everything about KTH and my master's studies here. I have been highly impressed by the advanced scientific and innovative design and cutting-edge research done here at KTH. This made me realise that KTH is the perfect place for me to experiment with my knowledge and skills. The student clubs, especially the KTH Hyperloop team, have given me the chance to satisfy my personal interests, apart from just the academics. I am also grateful to KTH for having given me a chance to explore student-company collaborative programmes like SSI (Scania Student Intro), which I am currently a part of.
Additionally, timely guidance from professors and teaching assistants has helped me have a smooth academic journey so far.
What are your impressions of Stockholm and Sweden?
Staying in Sweden in general has proven quite favorable for me. My journey from struggling to learn Swedish to finally understanding those 6-second-long (unavoidable) YouTube ads has been quite interesting. As for Stockholm, I feel like it's my second home now. I have had a lot of fantastic experiences in the past year. Cheers to the relaxed city life, to the beautiful archipelagos, the chill nightlife, the beautiful cherry blossoms, the fluffy snowfall in early winter, the neat and clean roads, and all those opportunities this city has provided me so far. I feel privileged to have experienced the beauty of Stockholm.
What is your best memory from your time at KTH so far?
I feel KTH is kind of my home and my accommodation at Lappis is like a hotel room where I just spend my weekends. This is because I spend most of the time here at the university; starting from lectures to sitting for assignments, enjoying the short lunch breaks while chit-chatting with my friends and then ending my day at the KTH Hyperloop lab. It feels great at the end of the day when it’s spent in a productive way. I even enjoy the small strolls amidst the beautiful environment at KTH. I would say that these among others, are my best memories at KTH so far.
Are there any differences between studying at KTH and your home university?
Definitely! I have learned different approaches towards studies compared to those back in India. Thanks to the digital lecture notes and books, I no longer have to stack up loads of papers as I used to do earlier during my bachelors degree. I love the practical exposure that I have gotten as part of my study curriculum.
The student-professor bond is very relaxed at KTH compared to that in India, and there was an invisible and unsaid barrier that students experienced with the professors at my home university while having any kind of interaction with them.
One of the biggest differences is the way the course duration is structured here compared to my previous university. I was used to longer course duration as compared to the 2–4 months here.
What would you like to say to students thinking of choosing KTH for master’s studies?
“Grab the opportunity, while you can”. This is what I want to say to each upcoming student if they have listed KTH as one of their universities of choice for pursuing further studies.
What do you see as the most significant aspects of your programme?
All the three tracks of Engineering Design i.e. Machine Design, Mechatronics, and Internal Combustion Engine, are equally motivating and offer a chance to specialise in a certain track as per one’s interests. I have learned to work with a lot of design and simulation tools as part of this programme, which has made my life much easier by reducing computation time for getting results. The course structure is designed to include thought-provoking tasks, which helps you discover new and deeply conceptual approaches. This coupled with the highly knowledgeable group of professors and helpful programme coordinators makes this programme unique.
Are you taking part in any student activities?
Yes, I am. After 5 months of starting my studies, I felt the urge to explore activities outside of academia and this is when I came across the KTH Hyperloop team. Currently, I am working as a design team member, trying to mold our dream of building a hyperloop pod into reality. And hopefully running it successfully at the Finals of the 2020 SpaceX pod competition.
Do you have a dream job after graduating from KTH?
I have always been research-oriented and would like to pursue PhD studies in some interesting domain within mechanical engineering after graduating next year.