Introduction
This post will outline how this blog came to exist in its three major phases. First I will introduce you to the Melexis - Columbia University grant, which makes this all possible. Then comes the application to Columbia University and finally the preparation for my departure to New York City.
The Melexis - Columbia University grant
Last December, professor Reynaert introduced us to the possibility of studying a semester abroad, in the United States through the ENGenius Fund. This announcement happened on a regular day during a class and took me by surprise to say the least!
One of the goals of this blog, is to introduce the world (but mostly students at the engineering faculty) to the ENGenius fund, as I had never heard about it less than a year ago. Next picture shows the special charter of the ENGenius fund, with a gorgeous drawing of the Arenberg castle.
In 2015, the faculty of engineering science at KU Leuven established the ENGenius Fund to increase the amount of possibilities for students to have an international experience.
Through this fund, companies can sponsor students to study somewhere they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. The Melexis - Columbia grant was the first grant of the ENGenius fund and as the name implies, is sponsored by Melexis.
As Melexis is a Belgian company in the micro-electronic sector, they sponsor a student from the electronics and chip design option within the master of electrical engineering to study a semester at Columbia University. The United States of America are the birthplace of modern electronics after all!
As part of the package, this summer, I will also do an internship at Melexis, but more on that in the next post.
One day after a conversation with professors and Melexis representatives, on February 14th, I received an email that I was selected to receive the Melexis - Columbia University grant. After celebrating, I was totally ready to tackle the challenge ahead!
On April 19th, there was an event in the Arenberg castle, where I officially received the grant. The picture below shows professor Patrick Reynaert, Vince Goossens from Melexis and me.
Applying to Columbia
The day I got selected, I immediately had to start my application at Columbia, since the deadline was already on February 15th. Yes, you read it correctly, I technically had only one day to complete an application most students take months to a year to complete. Luckily, the admissions office at Columbia University was flexible, and they gave me a couple of weeks to gather all required documents.
This extra time was certainly necessary, since I had to send in a motivation letter, three recommendation letters, my academic transcripts, my CV and the test results of an official English language test to prove my proficiency. A little more than a month later, on March 27th, I finally received the relieving email that I was accepted at the electrical engineering department of Columbia University for the fall 2023 semester.
Next picture shows where I will be studying next semester.
Some small facts about Columbia University: it’s the fifth-oldest university in the United States, established in 1754 by the British, and it is thus actually older than the United States itself! Some notable Alumni include former U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Barack Obama, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Warren Buffett (CEO of Berkshire Hathaway) and even Belgian former prime minister Gaston Eyskens.
Columbia University is also often the subject in popular culture, it’s the school where Spider-Man goes, Ghostbusters has some scenes there, and it appears in the world of Grand Theft Auto IV.
But I digressed, sadly after the acceptance letter of Columbia, I wasn’t ready to depart yet. The United States has some final hurdles to overcome before you can jump on the plane. The graphic below illustrates this point in time well.
Preparing for Departure
The next steps are mostly with the goal to receive the F-1 student visa. First requesting the I-20 form from the University, paying the SEVIS fee, filling in the DS-160 visa request form, booking and attending a meeting in the U.S. consulate in Brussels and in the middle of June, I received my passport back with my visa sticker.
Now I only had some small tasks to complete, like complying with the health requirements of Columbia University, enrolling in health insurance and filling in the KU Leuven exchange forms.
I also applied for some rooms in New York, and I’m happy to report that I already signed a contract after a video tour of the building! That was a big concern relieved for my parents, since searching for a room after arrival would obviously bring some extra stress with it. And now in a couple of weeks:
