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2020 Sunday Sessions

Academia’s goals are good research and publications. Industry’s aim is making money. Performance pressure is higher in academia definitely. In industry if you help them make millions, you’ll get thousands. You never own fully what you have done. The most important part is independence, in academia you get much more freedom on what you want to do and how you want to do, which is the major difference between the two.

Drug designing is done via various tools. I am using Polyamides for that. Professor Peter Dervan and Aseem Ansari work extensively on polyamides. It depends on what tools you are trying to use for drug design, there will be many many labs for each tool.

I feel academia after Masters isn’t the same as before that. PhD, Post doc, Research assistant and other research based positions aren’t counted in years, but the work done. There are times when even hard work doesn’t give good results, that is the uncertainty of research and that’s why it is different from usual coursework where everything is defined. Thus, there are times when one gets demotivated, but you need to look at the bigger picture. Don’t doubt yourself, but check what went wrong and what different you could have done. You always gain experience from your failures and that’ll help you in future and keeping that in mind I think is always important. Talk to your friends, colleagues, lab mates and seniors about it. Everyone goes through this phase.
PhD is definitely a way of life different from usual course work and job. Publications and recommendations are your currency and that’s how you are evaluated. So you have to think in terms of good research and future perspectives accordingly. Research interests some and not others, thus one has to choose the way he wants to live. Research/Academia provides much more independence and flexibility.

Different universities will be following different paths to reopening. The U.S. is currently in a COVID-19 surge and has not reached a plateau. We would encourage you to try and come during summer 2021 as the COVID-19 outlook for this winter may be quite dismal. However, if you have a mentor we encourage you to maintain monthly contact with your mentor and 1) stay updated on the university’s reopening policy 2) ask your mentor regarding internship work that can be done virtually.

Unfortunately, as of now, we do not have a definitive answer to this question. How long the executive order lasts will depend upon the 2020 presidential election, among other factors. If Biden is elected President, the order might be lifted. If Trump remains President, the order is in effect until December 31, 2020, after which his administration may decide to renew it.

Bhabesh,  the quality of work is not always reflected in the “shiny” journal where it appears. Many Nobel laureates have commented on how their best ideas faced fierce resistance and ended up in specialty journals. In the current environment of electronic searches, the journal name is becoming less relevant but unfortunately the journal name is still is used as an easy tool to judge the quality of work.

Prior research experience, especially meaningful research experience greatly enhances your chances of being selected at some of the best institutions. Having been selected as a Khorana and Bose scholar is recognized by many US schools as a sign of your potential.

Finding yourself in a supportive and nurturing lab will impact your PhD and post PhD experience greatly. We encourage you to speak to members of the lab as well as members of other labs that interact with the lab of your interest. See what the undergrad and grad students have to say about the mentor and his/her students. Also, we encourage you to speak with the mentor yourself and get a feeling for how you think your future interactions with him/her may be. Look to see where the Professor publishes their papers. If his/her papers are consistently in top tier journals, you will probably find yourself in a highly motivated lab that pushes members to their potential. This may or may not be your style. Study the lab, its members, and its work carefully. Compare it to other labs in which you are interested. Talk to the mentor and students.  Try to see if you can find a peer who has graduated from that lab and talk to them. Then make your decision!

Dr. Natarajan and Dr. Ansari encouraged students to take grad school level course requirements as the courses integrate lab work with coursework.

Some undergrad students have goals already preset before entering their internships, and some come into the internship open to the possibilities.

Either way, the internship can help shape and develop your interest (or lack of interest) in STEM based research. Dr. Niranja Natarajan (year?) knew she wanted to study cardiac disease when she applied for her internship and her current position as post doc fellow at University of Pittsburgh is a direct outcome of her early interest in cardiovascular disease.

Devesh Bhimsaria, a coder, went into his internship in a biochemistry lab with an open mind with respect to the overlap in STEM he could integrate into his expertise in coding. He eventually decided to pursue a PhD in biochemistry and engineering and now has hos own company in protein interaction data analytics.

After Internship

Yes, we can get an intern position at UW-Madison with funding of 28595$ per year.

For this, We should apply J1 visa.

There are three ways to make it possible,

  1. You should contact your previous mentor to ask for a position
  2. You can find available positions at

https://jobs.wisc.edu/research-internships

  1. Mail professors randomly

 

When you get your J1 visa, you will be subjected to 2 year home stay (applicable to people who has degree in all science and engineering branches). If we want to get in to PhD after one year of j1 internship, we should apply waiver to get student visa. BUT we don’t have to apply waiver to get student (F) visa or any non-immigration visa, If we are subjected to two year home stay. Waiver is needed When we want to apply for immigration visa, like H1B/green card.

 

In my case, J 1 visa has been given for one year then we can extend upto 5 years, which can be done by UW-Madison (no need to go US EMBASSY in India).

Application

One former scholars mentioned, “If an aspirant thinks that he/she is suitable for the program, then they should start emailing the professors even before the final results of KhoranaBose program are declared. It will reduce the hassles of the visa process to some extent since professors take some time to reply to the emails.”

We advise though that you should make sure that the professor is well aware you do not have the scholarship.

This is a certificate a type of legal certificate issued by any agency, organization, institute or, in certain cases, an individual. It does not object to the covenants of the certificate. The certification is a requirement at most government-based departments predominantly from the Indian subcontinent. For getting NOC a person has to apply to the concerned authority except in cases where the NOC is being issued by an individual. Format of a NOC can be downloaded here.

Email info@winstepforward.org if you are unsure who should sign it, but a professor or department head is a reliable source.

What do I do if I have no middle name? Please write “None” in the area provided.

High importance should be given to writing of the Statement of Purpose. Emphasis should be given on what are your research interests and what kind of work you would like to pursue. Prior research experience and previous internships are valued highly.

Cell Phone Service

(The response below is from 2015 U.S. Bose Scholar Daniel Howard who did his internship at TIFR in Bangalore, India. Although many of details apply to Bangalore, much of the information provided can apply to any campus/city in India. Thanks to Daniel for his detailed response!)

“Not the answer you’ll like but probably not. My experience was that it’s only possible to set up an Indian SIM in India. But here’s some advice.

For doing this at NCBS near Yelehanka, your closest shop that has that capability is the below address. Other Airtel stores nearby can’t process new SIM government forms when I tried them.
 
No 8, Jammathi Shopping Complex, BB Road, Opp Post Office, Yelahanka, Gandhi Nagar, Yelahanka, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560064, India
 
You need to bring two passport size photos (which can be cheaply made at many stores around India as you’ll need more for other things in country). Also, encourage a friend to go with you to help fill out the form. Plus you’ll need to provide them with a friend’s cell number which they can text/call to verify your new line and other things. It can take a week or more to activate, especially if a form is done wrong (which I learned from experience).
 
Alternatively, I know another U.S. Bose Scholar who was at NCBS (in Bangalore) and she made some friends/met colleagues the first few days who had extra basic phones with SIMs to give. WiFi at NCBS is also compatible with eduRoam so you can login immediately using most US college credentials and contact others via WhatsApp, Google Voice, or other internet services on wifi. Colleen at NCBS can be a big help too.
 
Once you have your own SIM (assuming you choose Airtel which is what I had) you can add money to the line at any Airtel shop, like the small stand on IISc’s campus. I recommend depositing about 500 INR then using *121# (no internet needed) or the Airtel app (needs 3G/internet) to redeem bundles you’d like. That 500 last me two months paying per minute/SMS charges and getting two one month 3G packs.
 
If I remember correctly, dialing *121# then selecting option 5 which appears gives you deals for your line that will give you the cheapest possible rates I found for minutes and 3G/4G services, even better than the app’s or store’s rates. I believe you can activate 3G through the *121# menu but I may be mistaken and you should do that at the stand once money is deposited so the clerk can help if issues come up.
 
Hope you enjoy India and wish I could go back with you!”

Food

There are usually several eating establishments on campus, either cafeterias or restaurants. Vegetarian food is available on campus. There are also multiple grocery stores on and off campus. Many cities also have Indian grocery stores. Many student residence halls usually have a kitchen in which students can prepare their own food, but that is not necessarily the case on all campuses. Please contact us or your student’s host institution to verify more about meal/kitchen availability.

One meal at typical student restaurants cost somewhere between $7-$10. Off campus restaurant prices can be higher, anywhere between $10-$20 per meal.

Most, if not all, campuses and/or their surrounding areas will have Indian restaurants. Please google Indian restaurants in your city/campus area. Also, American restaurants also usually have vegetarian food, such as sandwich shops, etc. There are also Indian grocery stores within most of the cities where your host institution is located. Cooking will depend on the availability of a kitchen.

Campuses have their own cafeterias which are open during most of the day. Some campuses have more than one cafeteria and in addition some have smaller canteens which serve snacks throughout the day. Students can go grocery shopping outside the campus, as there are several easily accessible grocery stores throughout the city. Some locations will have refrigeration or cooktops available for individuals, but in past students have commented that it was not readily available outside of a specific eatery establishment, so please contact us to find out about refrigeration/stove availability at your son/daughter’s institution.

You might want to bring a small. lightweight frying pan (for eggs and paratha and such) and/or small lightweight saucepan for maggie noodles and such. You can also bring a fork or spoon in your checkin, not your carryon. Also, a microwaveable bowl would be helpful.

Please bring a small amount of readily consumable food with you, such as namkeen biscuits, maggie noodles, and maybe some homemade foods such as paratha, upma, etc, in case everything is closed upon your arrival.

General

This is the language used when SN Bose and Khorana scholars are contacted to be told they have been selected. Confirmed placements are done only once we have a Mentor confirmation in place for the student.

Students all attend a national orientation meeting in the United States on the same date at the end of May, after this they head to their universities to start their lab work.  In 2018, we are expecting the scholar orientation to be held on May 19 or 20.  Scholars will then travel to their perspective institutions by May 21.

US Scholars will be provided with a packing list upon acceptance into the program that previous scholars have contributed to.

It is possible to move your arrival and departure dates by a week or more in some cases.

Plug adapters and your personal toiletries and cloths. I would recommend bringing cash with you that you can exchange and use before you get your first stipend check. Many students have mentioned that international credit cards did not work, so make sure you have cash in case your card doesn’t work.

If you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, bring an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses with you for backup.  You may also wish to bring a copy of your corrective lens prescription in the event you must have glasses made.  Don’t count on finding your specific brands of eye care products overseas–take them with you

You will be provided an e-mail and phone number of the point contact person at the institution your student is located. Establishing a Skype ID prior to departure will help with contacting students.

Each institution will provide a person who will be there to help answer any questions. Once the student chooses an institution, they will be given contact information for their resource. In addition to local hosts, IUSSTF staff at the national level, and Winstep Forward team members from the US will be accessible 24/7 during the internship via email or phone.

 

Your son/daughter will be provided with emergency contact numbers by the host institution. There may also be former Khorana/Bose scholars who are currently doing their Ph.D.s at your son/daughter’s host university. They also have been valuable resources for past Khorana and Bose scholars.

Yes, you can return home in case of emergency. Please contact IUSSTF and WINStep Forward as well as the administration at your host university to explain the need for your return.

The government of India through IUSSTF will cover costs for transportation to and from airport. Arrangements will be made by the WINstep forward team as well as its partners in India for a point contact person at each specific institution.

Please visit your airlines website or contact your airline to determine how much luggage you can carry. Please do try to bring only necessities in order to make your travel less cumbersome.

You can usually approach the academic section of your institute and try to obtain a letter stating your department rank.

Excellence. Dedication. High motivation. Hard work. An open mind which is eager to learn from others.

Lab/ Project

One former scholars mentioned, “If an aspirant thinks that he/she is suitable for the program, then they should start emailing the professors even before the final results of KhoranaBose program are declared. It will reduce the hassles of the visa process to some extent since professors take some time to reply to the emails.”

We advise though that you should make sure that the professor is well aware you do not have the scholarship.

A student should be working about 40 hours a week and it depends on each lab if they have independent projects or not.

You can contact IUSSTF or WINStep Forward and explain your concerns. We will try and advise you as to the best course of action.

Lab members are expected to be in lab by 9:00 and stay until 6:00. You can come in earlier or stay a bit later to finish an experiment. Please do not stay so late that you are in the lab by yourself, or that you will be walking home too late at night. Please always take safety into consideration first. It would be best to come in and stay during the times when the sun is up and many people are still either in the lab or walking around on campus.

Medical

U.S. federal regulations stipulate that Students have adequate health insurance cover during their stay in the United States. It is critical that the insurance plan taken by the student meets the minimum insurance coverage requirements of the Host University.  The Medical Insurance cover has to be obtained by the student as per the Host University guidelines. For this we advise the student to seek the guidance of his Host Mentor once the placements are confirmed. IUSSTF would reimburse the amount to the students (up to $500 only) on submission of necessary receipts.

Please consult your personal health care provider about your trip (destination and time abroad).  Ask your health provider to review your vaccination record and any other medical needs you might have.  You should do this at least 2 weeks prior to departure.

If you take prescription medications regularly, and will be traveling with prescription drugs, bring a signed script or letter from your physician indicating your medical need(s) for the drug(s) and identify the drug(s) you will possess while traveling.  If you require insulin and syringes, or have allergies and require epinephrine pens, you should look into the requirements for international travel with these items.

Medical services are provided at all campuses, and if necessary, students can be transported to a hospital. Students are provided with medical insurance in case they need medical attention.

You will receive health insurance from IUSSTF.

Any medications that you are currently taking as prescribed by your doctor. Although there are many pharmacies to purchase most medications, you should bring any over the counter (OTC) medications that you might find difficult to obtain overseas. Examples of these types of medications are: anti-diarrhea, cold and flu, constipation, allergy, motion sickness, general vitamins, typical NSAID’s, etc.

Medical doctors are located at most campuses. There is an informative CISI (the UW-Madison required travel insurance www.studyabroad.wisc.edu/parentsinsurance.html) document that outlines all medical situations. It also outlines at which point a medical evacuation can take place and is fully covered for most typical medical situations.

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/india

This list will give you of an idea of the immunizations that you will and should get if you schedule an appointment at your doctor’s office.

Mentor

One former scholars mentioned, “If an aspirant thinks that he/she is suitable for the program, then they should start emailing the professors even before the final results of KhoranaBose program are declared. It will reduce the hassles of the visa process to some extent since professors take some time to reply to the emails.”

We advise though that you should make sure that the professor is well aware you do not have the scholarship.

  • Yes.  Each professor is required to help defray the cost of housing for the scholar by $1,000 USD.

Through the program, you can not only apply to intern under a professor but also any scientist or researcher at any lab/center of the university.

Yes. All professors are allowed to take an intern under them, it just depends on the professor and whether he/she chooses to.

You can choose to do so, but it is not required. Prior contact is not used for the selection process. After being selected for the program, you can to contact the professor.

Money

Around 200-300$, carry the money in small bills.

another mode of payment to be used in US could be purchasing a Forex Card (preloaded USD). This the best option if you are not opening a bank account in the US. It is acceptable in a good amount of places.

No, it is not absolutely necessary. But, having an account makes it easier to cash cheques and it is very convenient to use debit cards to buy food and shop. It can avoid the hassle of managing coins. Almost all places accept cards.

You should receive your stipend once you arrive at your host institution. They will inform you upon your arrival of further steps you will need to take, such as opening a bank account in the U.S., obtaining bus passes, availing yourselves to other forms of on and off campus transportation, etc.

Please try and bring a minimum of $300-$500 cash with you. This amount is outside of the stipend which will be provided to you.

Other

Yes, we can get an intern position at UW-Madison with funding of 28595$ per year.

For this, We should apply J1 visa.

There are three ways to make it possible,

  1. You should contact your previous mentor to ask for a position
  2. You can find available positions at

https://jobs.wisc.edu/research-internships

  1. Mail professors randomly

 

When you get your J1 visa, you will be subjected to 2 year home stay (applicable to people who has degree in all science and engineering branches). If we want to get in to PhD after one year of j1 internship, we should apply waiver to get student visa. BUT we don’t have to apply waiver to get student (F) visa or any non-immigration visa, If we are subjected to two year home stay. Waiver is needed When we want to apply for immigration visa, like H1B/green card.

 

In my case, J 1 visa has been given for one year then we can extend upto 5 years, which can be done by UW-Madison (no need to go US EMBASSY in India).

(Answers from Multiple Sources)

Scholars in the past have been concerned about a clause found online stating that students who came to the US on a J1 visa cannot visit the US again for 2 years, so WINStep had a few people who have been a Khorana Bose Scholars and came back for grad school please shed some light on this issue.

There is no issue with F1 visa. But you have to stay in India for 2 years cumulatively before you apply for another J1 or H1B. An waiver from Indian government will also work in those cases.

2 year home residency rule is not for J1, it is only for H1B Visa. I myself got 3 J1 Visas all with 2 year clause without having 2 year of stay in India. One can also apply for a waiver if you can’t stay in India for 2 years. Many of my friends have applied and got the waivers easily.

I think it prevents you from being a research scholar in J1 .( http://ois.pitt.edu/wp-content/uploads/JRestrictions1.pdf ) See page 3. The waiver also involves state education department and local police as I have heard from friends.

Actually it depends on the Consular. I have compulsory home stay. However, my other friend did not get this clause. If the Consular puts 212E, then we get compulsory home stay. However, there are ways to request for removal and to get J1 within the next 2 years.

The 2 year home residency rule is not for J1, it is only for H1B Visa. I myself got 3 J1 Visas all with 2 year clause without having 2 year of stay in India. One can also apply for a waiver if you can’t stay in India for 2 years. Many of my friends have applied and got the waivers easily. Many of my friends have applied and got the waivers easily. (Devesh Bhimsaria)

There is no minimum duration between 2 J1s.

You can come back on another J1 (like I did) or on F1 (I know some others who did that). However, depending on your J1 type, some universities have some restrictions on getting you back within six months or one year but there are some ways to get around that. If you wish to come back on H, L, or K visa, you need to finish two years in your home country before you do that. There are ways to get around that as well. (Ways to get around is – applying for a waiver.)

 

No, you will not be provided a cell phone in the U.S. You have three options: 1. Check your own personal cell phone policy with respect to making calls in and from the U.S. 2. Purchase a Matrix calling card from India and your parents will pay the bill from India. 3. Purchase a pay as you go phone from the U.S. We will post affordable plans and providers. We highly recommend a cell phone in the U.S. in case of emergencies.

Side trips are available, but not funded through the program. The student must set up side trips on their own, if they choose to travel. We suggest they travel in a group to make the most of their trip and to ensure safe travels. Some students have suggested makemytrip.com as a good resource for these separate trips. Neither IUSSTF nor Winstep Forward will take responsibility or liability for these trips. Please let your lab and the host institution know if you are traveling outside the city

Plane Ticket

The air-tickets would be booked by the IUSSTF Travel Desk by economy-class and the shortest route (we will ensure to get the student to the airport nearest to his/her Host University). Within the U.S., the student would need to coordinate with his Host lab and/or Winstep Forward to work out the best local transport options. In our experience this hasn’t been a problem in all the years of the Bose Program!

We would recommened waiting until you get your visa to buy your plane ticket. 

Research projects

Yes. Once selected, you will be guided to find a lab suitable for you and your research interests.

Residential Accomodations

In the past we have either had Khorana Bose Alumni help us find affordable housing or professors have given suggestions to either dorms or the international office for help. Other than reaching out to alumni or institutional housing representatives that will be contacted by Mentors, WINStep doesn’t have the ability to help scholars find housing.

You will be assigned housing through your host institution. Most of the time the housing will be on campus, but sometimes institutions will find nearby off campus housing. You should receive details regarding your housing situation well in advance of your travels.

Living conditions are location specific. Some institutions provide campus housing, while others provide community housing such as hostels. Please contact info@winstepforward.org or IUSSTF NBopana@indousstf.org for campus specific housing accommodations.

Please contact info@winstepforward.org for specifics based on location. Some institutions provide more than others. For example, one Scholar who researched at IISER Bangalore needed to find a mattress. Some scholars did not have refrigerators. Others did have refrigerators, stoves, and mattresses.

The living situation will depend on the institution and what the student is able to find on his/her own. Some students live on their own in the dorms and other students need to share an apartment with one to two other people.

Kitchen access will depend on host institution housing. Sometimes a kitchen will be available, and sometimes not. Please check with your host institution.

Safety

This is a list of emergency/rescue contact numbers currently in operation in India:

100 – Police
102- Abulance
101- Fire
181- Women’s Helpline
+919540161344 – Air Ambulance

You will be provided emergency contact numbers from IUSSTF, WINStep Forward, and also the host institution. It might also be a good idea to get emergency contact info from lab mates as well as fellow scholars. Please also call 9-1-1 from your cell phone. An emergency operator will answer the phone and try to help you.

Stipend

Students have received their IUSSTF Govt. of India issued stipend in various ways. If you are researching at an Institute close to Delhi, you may need to visit IUSSTF to pick up your stipend check from Ms. Pushpa Iyer.  If you are not in the Delhi vicinity, your stipend check should be mailed to your institution, either by your arrival or shortly after. Please take some spending money with you in case you do not receive your stipend upon your arrival. Sometimes the stipend checks are administered in two allotments: the first time, shortly after your arrival and the second allotment is sometimes given upon departure. 

Traveling

You can arrange trips with other U.S. Bose Scholars, by creating a facebook page for your group. WINStep Forward will also provide suggestions for tour companies that have been used and well-rated by past U.S. Bose Scholars. We will also put you in touch with U.S. Bose Scholar Alumni so you can ask them directly about tours, etc. 

In addition, most Universities have REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs, which are like Khorana-Bose programs within the US. Ask your professor if you could be included in the REU program of the University. REU programs arrange for lectures, visit around the city and cultural programs. You will get the opportunity to interact with other REU students. The U.S. State Department also offers a Critical Language Scholarship program whose recipents study Hindi for the summer in Jaipur, India. UW Madison also offers students an Indian cultural immersion program based in Varanasi, India. WINStep Forward is trying to find a way to connect these groups of American Scholars so they can maintain contact with one another while in India. 

A comprehensive set of tips is available at: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/travel-tips

You are also encouraged to sign up for the U.S. Department of State’s free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive the latest travel updates and information that can help you stay informed, stay connected and stay safe, available at: https://step.state.gov/step/

There are buses that are arranged and provided for students to get to and from their institution and living quarters. More information on transportation will be given to the student at their site specific orientation when they arrive in India. The types of transportation provided to students for personal or general travel will be local taxis and local bus services. The student orientation will provide this information to students.

In India, transportation will be provided to and from the airport to the institution. A point contact person will be provided for each institution that will arrange pick up and drop off with your student.

VISA

Yes, we can get an intern position at UW-Madison with funding of 28595$ per year.

For this, We should apply J1 visa.

There are three ways to make it possible,

  1. You should contact your previous mentor to ask for a position
  2. You can find available positions at

https://jobs.wisc.edu/research-internships

  1. Mail professors randomly

 

When you get your J1 visa, you will be subjected to 2 year home stay (applicable to people who has degree in all science and engineering branches). If we want to get in to PhD after one year of j1 internship, we should apply waiver to get student visa. BUT we don’t have to apply waiver to get student (F) visa or any non-immigration visa, If we are subjected to two year home stay. Waiver is needed When we want to apply for immigration visa, like H1B/green card.

 

In my case, J 1 visa has been given for one year then we can extend upto 5 years, which can be done by UW-Madison (no need to go US EMBASSY in India).

(Answers from Multiple Sources)

Scholars in the past have been concerned about a clause found online stating that students who came to the US on a J1 visa cannot visit the US again for 2 years, so WINStep had a few people who have been a Khorana Bose Scholars and came back for grad school please shed some light on this issue.

There is no issue with F1 visa. But you have to stay in India for 2 years cumulatively before you apply for another J1 or H1B. An waiver from Indian government will also work in those cases.

2 year home residency rule is not for J1, it is only for H1B Visa. I myself got 3 J1 Visas all with 2 year clause without having 2 year of stay in India. One can also apply for a waiver if you can’t stay in India for 2 years. Many of my friends have applied and got the waivers easily.

I think it prevents you from being a research scholar in J1 .( http://ois.pitt.edu/wp-content/uploads/JRestrictions1.pdf ) See page 3. The waiver also involves state education department and local police as I have heard from friends.

Actually it depends on the Consular. I have compulsory home stay. However, my other friend did not get this clause. If the Consular puts 212E, then we get compulsory home stay. However, there are ways to request for removal and to get J1 within the next 2 years.

The 2 year home residency rule is not for J1, it is only for H1B Visa. I myself got 3 J1 Visas all with 2 year clause without having 2 year of stay in India. One can also apply for a waiver if you can’t stay in India for 2 years. Many of my friends have applied and got the waivers easily. Many of my friends have applied and got the waivers easily. (Devesh Bhimsaria)

There is no minimum duration between 2 J1s.

You can come back on another J1 (like I did) or on F1 (I know some others who did that). However, depending on your J1 type, some universities have some restrictions on getting you back within six months or one year but there are some ways to get around that. If you wish to come back on H, L, or K visa, you need to finish two years in your home country before you do that. There are ways to get around that as well. (Ways to get around is – applying for a waiver.)

 

Advice From Former Scholar:

 

2016 Khorana Scholar, Kanika Jain, has written this blog to share her experience of B1/B2 visa processing:

Just like you, I had also been instructed to apply for B1/B2 visa. I did the same and carried with me all the required documents mentioned on the USA visa site i.e. Khorana offer letter, acceptance letter from the professor, No Objection Certificate from my home institution, recent bank statement and other educational and ID proofs such as driving license on my visa interview date.
During my interview, the consular office asked me for my offer letter and my passport. He asked about the program, the professor and his work, my current position and the project I would have been doing in US. He kept searching in his system during the conversation which, in my opinion, might be about the program and lab and after all the questioning, he stated that this situation is purely applicable to J1 type visa and he could not understand why I have been asked for applying to B1/B2 visa and that he would not been able to provide me this visa category. He handed over me the passport and asked me to apply for J1 visa through emergency portal. HE DIDN’T REJECT MY VISA APPLICATION. I was unaware about the difference between B1/B2 visa and J1 visa category at that time, so I was not able to defend myself at that point.
Next, I read through the documents required to apply for J1 visa and came to know that I will be requiring DS2019 form from UW Madison that would take 3-4 weeks minimum, which wasn’t feasible in short period of time. Thus, I approached one of the US visa consultancy in Delhi and they described me the difference between J1 and B1/B2 visa category. The difference is briefly as follows:
• B1/B2 visa category is applicable for the individual visiting US for meeting relative/friends, for medical purposes on temporary basis and is not being financially supported by USA government in any form.
• J1 visa category belongs to visitors /scholars coming to US on exchange program to participate in workshops, conferences, study tours, professional meetings or to receive training that will improve the visitor’s knowledge of U.S. techniques, methodologies, and expertise; similar to our program.

The only option I had at that time was to apply again for B1/B2 visa with improvised documents that highlight our situation more suitable for B1/B2 visa. I was provided with a detailed offer letter which clearly states that I am not being funded by US government/UW Madison or US faculty in any form. The stipend which I would be receiving would be from Indian government. With that document as my defense, I applied again and handed over this document with highlighted funding statement to consular and luckily he didn’t raised any objection and the B1/B2 VISA was approved on the spot.

The whole process of getting a Research visa can take  2-3 weeks. One student suggested waiting 5-6 weeks before you plann to travel before starting the application. (Reasoning behind this was that for the Indian Research Visa you have to enter the country within 4 weeks of receiving an approved visa, and she did not want to get her visa before she was ready to go.) First you have to fill out an online application which does not require any forms or documents to be sent separately. Then there are more online forms you have to complete which eventually need to be printed and sent in. These forms ask you for more explicit information, like employment, past travel, etc. It is VERY important to write down and keep track of all of the ID codes you are given because they allow you to exit and reopen your application as you work. It does not all have to be completed in one sitting. The application requires that you have an Indian contact, so we would suggest being in good contact with your mentor and have details about the work that you will be doing. When assembling the package of forms to be sent to the Indian consulate, please follow the checklist that was provided alongside the second set of online forms. Pay special attention to the different amount quantities of each item you need to supply (for example one student needed to send 8 passport images. She almost missed this detail, which surely would have slowed down the processing of her visa) I submitted the last of her visa forms with her passport approximately 4 weeks before she wanted to travel. You should get some updates about the processing of your visa via email, and once you hear that it is on its way back you can book your flight.

We would suggest sending it in at least 4 weeks prior to your departure date to give yourself enough time to get it processed.

You should put your mentor/host down because they will be in the area that you will be spending most of your time in.

No, the scholarship does not cover visa fees.

The host institutions, IUSSTF, and WINStep Forward all work together to ensure that students receive their visas. The host institution will send you paperwork to complete which is then processed in the U.S., after which students are contacted to make appointments to obtain their visas.

Students can come on B-1 B-2 F-1 and J-1 VISAs

When the student is accepted to the program a team member of WINStep Forward and IUSSTF will contact them about the next steps, including the visa process. The host institution will also contact the student with respect to visa paperwork and timeframe.

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html

Click this link and once you go to this website, click “Regular Visa Application” and then you can start to fill it out. You can save your document and come back to it, so you can leave it partially done.