Hyderabadi wins scholarship

Hyderabad-based Dinakar Ayalasomayajula, who graduated from the Maturi Venkata Subba Rao engineering college, was awarded one of the ETS-TOEFL scholarships to help pursue his higher education at the Czech Technical University in Prague. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) which conducts the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), have for the second consecutive year announced the ETS-TOEFL scholarship for students seeking admission into foreign universities listed under the TOEFL destinations directory. A total of $60,000 was awarded to nine students from across the country.Three students seeking admission into universities in the US, UK and Canada were awarded $10,000, while three more were awarded $5,000. Besides that, three other students seeking admission in universities elsewhere were awarded $5,000, the category under which Dinakar Ayalasomayajula was awarded. The exuberant Dinakar who will be pursuing automotive engineering, says, “I chose the Czech Technical University because it gives me the opportunity to study my second year at ENSIETA, Brest, France, the French language not being a problem since I’ve cleared all the levels at the Alliance Francaise (AF). Given my association with AF, I applied for a scholarship from the French government, which also came through.”Talking about choice of universities abroad, he opines, “Most people choose colleges in the US, UK or Australia since language isn’t a problem and more often than not, they have family there. But I think it would be better if we broadened our limits and choose universities elsewhere. For instance, Germany is also a  good destination for engineering.”The mechanical engineer at one point was a part of the National Defence Academy. But discontinued due to physical injury. Having jumped from engineering mid-stream to the NDA and back, Dinakar lost a few years. “Its important you plan ahead and research properly before you make a choice. A lot of my friends, I remember, decided to pursue MSc in USA only in January. Do not rely on consulting firms. Its always better if you do these things yourself,” he adds, citing the Tri Valley University fiasco.