Sabari Raj came to Linköping from India to study the Mechanical Engineering master’s programme. He says the international experience was one the best things with LiU.

Sabari Raj in front of a tall building

Name: Sabari Raj
Nationality: Indian
Programme: Mechanical Engineering
Graduation year: 2018
Current occupation: Mechanical Engineering intern, Orhan Holding, Turkey

Sabari chose Linköping University because of the programme content and LiU’s prominent international ranking. The highly developed mechanical engineering sector in Sweden also inspired him to apply.

“I’m more than happy with my choice and I also recommended it to many of my friends.”

He appreciated that many courses had hands-on sessions to prepare students for a professional life. This is something he was not used to from his previous bachelor’s studies in India.

“Apart from that I really enjoyed all the group assignments. Since most of the students in the group were from different countries, the ideas and methods suggested were quite different, and the learning points I received from them were valuable.“

Great international environment at LiU

Sabari chose to do his master’s thesis in collaboration with Sandvik Materials Technology, a Swedish world-leading manufacturer of advanced stainless steels and special alloys. He says this project, which is done in during the final semester, was his favourite part of the programme.

Beyond studying, he remembers socialising and the student parties with fondness. He urges current students to make the most of the international environment.

“One common trend I have seen among many students is that they always stick together with people from their own country, who speak the same language, cook the same food and so on. I feel that they are missing out on the international experience, which I feel is one the best things at LiU. So my advice would be to hang out with as many international students as possible, learn from them and help them learn about the differences, cultures, etcetera, and make the most of it.”

Leadership experience from AIESEC

Sabari also found time to take on the role as President of AIESEC (the world’s largest student-run organisation) in Linköping, which he believes was beneficial for his future career.

“The leadership experience I received from AIESEC taught me a lot about how to be a better leader, as well as about long-term planning, project management and so on.”