University to apply for given profile.

Oct-Nov-Dec-Jan are the months when students start applying to Universities.


So the natural Question is which University to go for.


Here is a profile i received earlier this week regarding it.








Profile is :
GRE ~ 1400-
TOEFL~100+
GPA~3.7
Uni-NIT BHOPAL
Many other Curricular activites and projects.
Work: Well known MNC for 1+ year.


Q:There are some colleges for which i need to know my chances to get in:

1. University of California, Irvine
2.  CMU
3. Texas A&M University--College Station
4. Cornell University
    University of California--Los Angeles
   
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
   
6. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey--New Brunswick
   
7. 
   
   
   
   

and it will be very helpful also if you can categorize them as expensive or moderate.

If i have missed any good uni in which my chances are good ,you can mention it .

One more thing .Can you tel me the scope of some fields in Us ?.I mean job market for some fields.

Starting with the list of University you gave.

All of them are said to be Expensive to some extend. California University's have a tradition of being expensive. But to say Rutgers is the least expensive among all (Moderate).

So done with the cost part, would suggest some other University too.

University of Maryland, College Park (Takes less international students but you have a chance) 

Univeristy of Texas, Austin (Demands research paper as u do not have but do try it)

NCSU, SUNY Stonybrook, Arizona State Uni., Ohio State, Iowa State are few other recommendations

Most of them are moderate and worth to go for. Both for on-study jobs, Funding and after study jobs.

Well regarding demand in US, Networking is something to  go for. Jobs do not get easily outsourced in this field. So...And also Systems is a good option.

.

I would suggest you to go for Georgia Tech, ASU, NCSU, Stony brook,  Ohio State, Maryland, USC (very expensive), UFL to for. Most of them are expensive. So you can select San Jose as a cheap one, (But far bellow what you deserve). On East Coast Rutgers is a good one and Stevens will be a good option too.

I hope i was able to answer your Q's. If you have any more doubts you may feel free to ask for.

Diwali: The festival of Lights.

People in Ayodhya celebrated Diwali on arrival of their king Lord Rama after his victory over Lanka.

So did the people of Houghton after Mr. Chirag, successfully completed Bachelors, Internship bla bla.

Well, the performance is yet to be held in the in the Darbar (Rozsa Center), but the treat was held at my Prof. and a very good Poet Dr. Kulkarni's place.

After presenting a Card (Made by me), their were discussions on varied topics such as String Theory, Big band theory, Climate in Houghton, Some interesting facts such as ppl living in their office in University (Cooking., taking shower in bath, sleeping overnight), Library at 1st floor EERC, Sue against Michigan Tech (Again coz of stupid reasons) et. al. the discussion was supported by snacks (Chakri and sweets)

Discussion topic ranged from Politics-Science and of course Silence. The last one being the spoil player. Usually the diwali i have seen till now was full of noise, crackers, guests, good clothes, lights, pollution.

After eating tasty Indian food (After long time) which included Pulav, Mix Vegetable, Rotli, salad and curd, a pseudo singing competition was held where no one sang any songs....

After all the fun it was time to bid adieu and thanking  for such a wonderful evening, we scattered like electrons...........

Process for getting admitted for Masters in US

                                 
Recently  i had many Questions from Readers across India asking for the steps to start with the process to apply for Masters, right from scratch.

Here i will explain with all minute things to consider for applying

Note: Once you are in third year, you should be reading this.

For admissions in any moderate to good University following raw materials is required.

GRE, TOEFL/ IELTS, Transcript (from University), University to select,Statement of Purpose, Letter of Recommendation, Degree Certificate / Temporary Degree Certificate, Financial Statement of Availability of funds, Online Application Form and University specific other documents and a Valid Visa.

I will cover all these in brief, and any doubts there after can be mailed to me.

GRE: GRE has three parts

1) Verbal

2) Quantitative

3) AWA Analytical Writing skills.

Out of these start worrying about Verbal. Maths is a handiwork for Engineers and third year students will cover most part during placement preparation. 

What they would not is Verbal. There are more than 2.5K words to prepare for. So start this process right from day 0. Remember take this as fun and not as a time consuming exercise. You will really enjoy playing with words. I used to go online and play scrabble with international players. Was fun.

More details about how to prepare is available here.

http://enchantedviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/for-all-gre-aspirant.html 

Moreover it is essential to give GRE, within span of 3-4 months. Here is the reason why.

http://enchantedviews.blogspot.com/2009/10/best-time-to-give-gre.html

2) Toefl/ IELTS: Well friends there is a common impression that TOEFL is compulsory for US. Well you can also give IELTS. In my opinion IELTS is easy to score and so you would have more chances to score more.

There is a general impression among applicants that Universities do not give priority to IELTS based applicants. This is completely baseless and false. The fact is that although i had given TOEFL and scored 106, but given IELTS is more convenient and easy. (As centers in many smaller cities of country).

3) Transcript:

 This is only for already pass out students. For students just coming after graduation, will not have it, so can submit latter.

This should be obtained from University or College (Depends on University's demands). Usually getting from College is easy than University. Moreover University takes alot of time and leads to harassment.

So be specific in number of copies you need. Also check the transcript once you get as many a times their is a mistake and the entire process has to be repeated again.

4) Statement of Purpose: My SOP is given for reference

http://enchantedviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/sop-for-ms-in-electrical-engineering.html

This is an example, how you should summarize your SOP.

5) Letter of Recommendation:

This is the reason why you need to keep good relation with your Prof. Your Professor will give you Letter of Recommendation. It is a letter of approval of your credentials and stuff. If you need a format i can give it to you. Generally 3 different LOR are needed by each University. If with work experience, then it should be  2 of Prof and 1 of Employer. 

Till past few years it was hard copy LOR required. But now a days more and more University are asking for Online LOR. 

In this case you can ask your Prof. to mail the login details send to him by University so that you can fill your own LOR by you self. 

Moreover LOR is generally prepared by students itself and only the stamp and signature of Prof is asked for. [At least my Prof. did not take pain of making my LOR]. 

6) Degree Certificate: For Final year students this can be avoided and send later. But for pass out students this has to be send with other hard copy documents.

7) Financial Document: It is a proof of your financial capability to pay fees.

Generally a financial form is online of each University, which has to be signed by your sponsor.

8) Online Application:

I always tell all candidates to do this ASAP. IT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY DOCUMENT OR GRE SCORE. ALL DEADLINES ARE BASED ON THIS. 

So just apply online and later process will be done as and when documents get ready.

9) VISA

The most important part of the entire process. Will mention details once you clear all previous procedure.

10) Financial support:

Each University has different way to apply for financial support. 

Now i know i have misssed many other steps, but to keep it terse i had no other option.  Any queries can be mailed and will try to answer most of them.

All the best.

Admissions in CS for current profile.

  


    This is the Profile of a student, interested to get admit in  MS-CS.




Graduation Percentage: ~ 60%
University:JNTU
GRE:~ 1450
TOEFL~110
Other Achievements: 1.Internship at IIT ,Couple of Projects, 1st in Paper P.+ President of various College Level Org.


Well there was no Question given, so i assume It's which Uni.to apply for?


To begin with. You have a very good GRE, TOEFL score. Internship at IIT will be a key point which will make difference.


So these are universities which i would suggest from the list of University you gave and some from mine.


GaTech is a right choice.
(Good chances of getting in)


NorthEastern University


Drexel University (Free Application)


SUNY Buffalo


North Carolina State University


University of Florida (Expensive)


University of Southern California (Expensive)


Purdue University


Michigan State University


All of these are good and take a chance in them.


All the best. If any doubts do not hesitate to ask.









    
 

Admission in CS with following profile.

Profile: (90% +) B.E.
           1200+    GRE

The question was asking for comments for getting in certain Universities given.

Well starting with the first one.
GeorgiaTech- It demands winners. You have a good B.E. score but need to get over 100 in TOEFL and should have won enough laurels to get admitted in this University. I have a friend of mine admitted in Fall-09 admitted in it.His profile was around 1400 in GRE, 110 TOEFL, B.E ~ 68% and had many extracurricular prizes like winning Microsoft sponsored all India level programming competition, Intership in MNC along with studies, to mention few.

So i would recommend you to try your luck here if you an SOP which can prove your worth.

Other mentioned  are Iowa and Ohio State. They both are located in Urban area so can better to apply here.

University of Minnesota is good for Electrical Engg. I have no idea for Computer. But i would recommend to apply for University located more closer to Comp. Industry. Which happens to be more in NY, NJ, TX and California. So i would not suggest you to apply here.

Now shifting to next list. Stony brook is what i would highly recommend. As in NY, would also help in getting an off campus job.  Good Transportation, Good Life and many financial Co's having IT division. These points make it a must apply University. UC Davis- is a good one. A bit Expensive if you can afford.
UFL is good. My friend with GRE 1520 and having BE from NIT, Surat helped his cause of getting in. So it again demands a good SOP. Again i would not say it as a Moderate University as you have listed. It is a wonderful University with a good track record. University of Maryland- Have no idea but would recommend it as is in Urban area and has many big companies around.

San Jose is a safe University and you should apply here for the same reason. Currently Networking is considered a nice field as far as CS goes. So i would suggest to apply to NCSU. And again this is not a safe University as listed by you. It is having a very big expanding IT park near it. Which boasts Co. like IBM, CISCO and other biggies. So i would highly recommend to apply here.

Apart from University you have stated i would recommend Rutgers and Stevens. They are good and have an exellent track record.

I would suggest you to apply to 7-8 Universities (2 safe + 3 moderate + 3 Dream level).

All the best. If any doubts, do ask for.

Answers to Questions on 4th of Oct

These are some of the Q i received on 4th of October.

I ve already sent the applications to 6 universities in USA  for MS...My GRE score is only 1110...and my academic percent is 82.Is the score very low?

I am preparing for TOEFL.... I have some doubts regarding i\the test.Since u ve taken the test..,Ur ideas ll be of more help..

How about the long formats....are there chances to get long formats in both reading and listeningf?

Does the word count appear in writing section? I ve been practicing Barrons and am used to wordcount...

In which volume ,we should speak-much louder?

Starting with the first Question of yours. Well As i have written earlier--There is something for everyone. So it cannot be defined if your score is less or not. If i answer Statistically- well your score lies on the average belt (GRE scores). Again, I have no idea which 6 Uni. have you applied to.But anyhow looking at your academic aggregate you have a good chance of getting in good University (Again good depends on many factors).

Regarding Toefl doubts , Yes be prepared for long passages and also your listening passage. My advice for Listening would be to write what ever you hear with full concentration. What i mean is you should know what you have written where. So that once you have started with Questions, you will not waste time in searching what you have written where. Regarding Reading, do not leave any uncompleted answer. As there is a negative penalty for that. 

Well for Writing part you will have wordcount so need not worry for that part.

Regarding volume. The software of TOEFL test has a voice adjusting program. So they will test you with a casual topic of 20 seconds, and accordingly adjust the volume. So you can speak in a normal way and it will adjust the volume by itself.

If any more doubts with TOEFL please do not hesitate to mail me. I may give a only TOEFL article for tips as i did for GRE in past.

2) i have a GRE score of 1050,with split score quant :760 verbal:290
     engineering ~ 65%
     intermediate~ 92%
     tenth~ 90%

toefl yet to take,completed my engineering in electronics and communication and want to pursue MS in electronics and communications in a good university with aid,please guide me in the university selection,and suggest some universities which provide scholarship

Well, you have a balanced score till now except for GRE. Still you get away with decent University. Now Electronics and Communication is a wide field. If you want to get into Communication field (Wireless Communication, Networking), i would suggest some and if you want in Electronics (VLSI, Embedded, Solid State Device) againt the University would be different. 

Anyhow i will give for both according to your scores. 

For Electronics 

- Solid State- Michigan Tech, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins University.

-VLSI- Embedded- Uni of Texas at Arlington, NY ploy, San Jose State University, San Diego State Uni, CSU, Northridge.

Communication- IIT Chicago, University of Illinois, NY Poly, Michigan Tech. CSU Northridge.

I hope this may have answered all your Queries.  All the best for future. 

Sailing in the beautiful Keweenaw of the Upper Peninsula...

Houghton was at its best.  Behaved well by not raining +  Lots of Wind for Sailing and a wonderful dinner at Ramada Inn (Thanks to Nancy and Daine).

And whats more we won. hurray.

It all started at 3:00 when we started the boat at sunshine (A starting point for Frostbite racing).Was a picture perfect-A charming breeze blowing, lots of snacks to eat and a panoramic view.

But soon we realized that the Sail was Stuck. After genius Engineering by our Captain we were able to out of crisis on time and headed straight towards the first point of race. Wind Speed of approx 20 knots and overall speed of 7 knots was enough to keep the roaring Deter at bay.

But the real excitement begin when completing the Red 26 (second point) and overtaking SISU. The boat was tilted at an angle of 60 Degree with lots of adjusting of Jibe and Mains to maintain the Speed. Was lots
and lots of fun.

After having completed the third point, the race became hot. Adrenaline was rising and so was the fun. After lots of criss-crossing, gale came at our rescue and we were able to beat Deter. An historic event, to be remembered for a long time.

After this thrilling feat, time was for joy ride and chocolates. Having done with all, we reached the dock at 7.

It was decided to go at Boat House. Having some juice, we headed straight to Ramada Hotel for Dinner.
Having Veg Sandwich with french frieds it was time to bid adieu.

And thats the end of happy tale........

Reply to Mails Recieved on Oct. 3rd EST related to MS

I badly wanna go for US in a good university for my MS.

right now i m clueless!

what is the criteria?

what gre score do i require?

does a very good gre score alone make u a worthy applicant?

do i need to be in touch with the college professors constantly?

Well this is a open answer. Going to US without GRE/TOEFL is also possible. But since you are specific with good University,  i would say GRE should be 1000 + and TOEFL be 80+ . 

So CRITERIA is nothing as such. The scores one have, gets certain Uni. of one's own class. For an IIT'ian anything less than an Ivy-league does not fall in his criteria. For me, it is heaven.

Now application depends as i have said earlier, on lots of factor. Most Important for MS is GPA, GRE.

Secondary are TOEFL, SOP, LOR, CO-curricular, and Work EX. These becomes important for Financial Aid also.

So REMEMBER where ever one may be, there is something for everyone. Getting best out of what one has, is a work of smartness.

2) i have a gre score of 1050 and nt yet got my score card,is it neccesary for me to giv toefl,or can i apply without it.and could u plz recomend some gud collegs for me as am an Electronics engineer but i want to go for master in artificial intelligence or V.L.S.I?

Well TOEFL is required as said  earlier to get into ''good' University. In my opinion it should be anywhere above 80.

Now there are good Uni in two ways ----

Good Education but not so many Electronic Co. for Career Fair. As is my case. Michigan Tech. (As aways from office of all these Co.)

Mediocre Education---- But as being very close to all these Co. have advantage of good after college job prospects.

If you are planning for AI, VLSI, my suggestion would be to go to Uni. near California or Texas.SJSU, SDSU, Uni of Texas at Arlington, U of C at Northridge, Michigan Tech(Application is free). 

Work or MS/MIS

Today i had a very interesting Q about advice to Work or continue education by going for Masters in CS or MIS.


His profile is 10th , 12th > 90%, BE avg ~ 70
Have GRE in mid Oct.


Q- I got job in XXXXXX as a XXXXXXXXXX and the joining date will be XXXXX-XXXX

so what i have to do

1)did i apply for the uni or work for tcs for 2-3 years and then apply??

2)what do u suggest ms cs or mis??

3)u suggest 4 uni i will apply to those universities?(low tution and good placements)

Answering your First Q

1) XXXXXXXX is a well named Co. Also unlike others (Tech Mahindra) they would honor the job offer. So there is no doubt that you will be joining it.

My advice would be to continue with the offer for atleast 2 years.

This would also help in getting Financial Aid once you have a broader horizon of the field.

Now GRE scores are Valid for 5 years. So  may give xam on Oct -23 and use these score for admission after 2-3 years of Work Exp.

Again MS or MIS is a decision of yours. I know it is very confusing right now. But that is with every student of your age. So once you are working with like-minded ppl, you would automatically get answer to this Q.

So to conclude my advice is to work (Will help for financial aid, give edge to your application, you will be more confidant and will help in after Grad Job prospects)+ Give GRE and get good score + Send free score to Uni. Texas at Arlington, Univesity of Texas A&M, Michigan Tech, Arizona State Uni are my suggested Uni.


These all are cheap and also good.

All the best and pls feel free for any need.

Answers to Comment of Previous Post (University to apply for Given Profile)

1)m plannin to take it in mid nov. 'll it be k.m done with around 36 wordlists..

Aditya:

Well It is glad that you are planning to give GRE by Mid- Nov..Good Decision.

It is great to know that you are doing pretty good in wordlist.

Remember: Wordlist is the key to success in Verbals. Coz RC are said to be on one's luck (I had really tough time as topics were out of my line).
Moreover knowing new words is good after all.
Do remember to take a look at Nova's top 400 words. They are quite useful.

And 2 days before your test, appear for GRE PREP, that will give an approximate idea of your score.

Before i end, remember to send score to Uni. of your choice. Coz it is free. Or else you may have to pay $20 to send to each Uni Later.

2)"m applyin for ECE...gre score is 1040 n toefl waiting...BE electronics from mumbai universities with 60% aggr....did few good projects...also attended many workshops held by IEEE...besides won 1st prize also in paper presentation....n participated in few more.....
i kno gre is less.but what r the chances of gettin ne university...suggest me few frm whr chances r high of gettin admits....."

The Comment asks for suggestion for Uni. to apply, according to his profile.

Your Profile is very similar to most of other ppl who send me earlier. So you need to prove yourself above them by writing a good SOP. (Include everything what you have done) but ofcourse never mention that you are Expert in C++ or other stuff. Coz they know it will be bluff. So mention your adjective with care.

Well as far as sure shot Uni. are taken into a/c, NYIT , Bridgeport, Farleigh Dickinson Uni, Cleveland State Uni, are mostly thought of. But i would suggest not to go into any of these as they have lots and lots of Indians. You would not be able to taste the American Life to full. (My opinion). But again as far as Off-Campus jobs are concerned, these are the heavens for it.

If i would have been, i would have applied to, San Diego State Uni., San Jose State, Stevens Inst of Tech, Texas Arlington, California State Uni at NorthRidge., Michigan Tech.....

For backing you may apply to any of the sure shots and then after having a good GPA in first Sem, you my transfer to any other Uni. That is again an option.

3)"my gre score is 1280. waiting for toefl scores. did B.E civil in Anna university, chennai. my agg s 86%. 96% in 12th. im planning to apply to ncsu, tamu, virginia and iowa state. can u tell me what are my chances of getting admits in these univ? can u also tell me how to approach prof for assistantships? can we directly mail them before applying?"

You are a Shoe-in. Good GRE, Good GPA. That is what you need primarily. Moreover Civil Engg. is in full Swing these days because of current thrust in Infrastructure given by Obama Admin. (Put America Back to Work scheme).

All these Uni. you mentioned demand a balanced score. TOEFL for NCSU atleast is demaned more than 100. But for Civil they may be a bit flexible. So it is a good decision to apply. Go ahead and you would get atleast one admit. Moreover your early application may also lead you to a good Scholarship.

For second question you asked.

Well you should never ask for Assistant ship directly in first mail.
Try to build contact with Prof. on line of common interest and research. Once your discussion becomes healthy you may use that time for asking for it. Well in my case. The Prof. knew that if student discuss so much, they need support and they will themselves give it to you before you even ask. This applies to all Prof. So just mail to Prof. even if you have not applied to those University.

All the best to all of you.

University to apply for given profile.

Early in the day i had a mail from a final  year student of Computer Science Dept.


His profile is Distinction in 10th (Although does not matter)
in 12 th above 90%, 6 semester Avg in BE is around 70% and GRE score is near mid 1000's




His Question is
"I know for my score It is vry difficult to get a scolarship.Can U plz
tel me some universities in Computer Science  which offers a very good
funding(TA,RA,Tution waver,Shollarships) atleast from 2nd Sem onwards."

Well, as in my earlier post i have mentioned, the admissions in the program depends on many parameters. 

So starting with the latest scores. 

Your low GRE score can be offset by quickly applying (Online) for admissions. Moreover you should also carefully prepare your SOP and draft your LOR to the best.

In the meantime try to take part in some Paper Presentation, so that you have something to right in extra-curricular.

Now as your GPA is good and as final year is always said to be bonus to scores, your GPA will go upto 3.6(if no atkt), which is said to be good enough to be considered for scholarships.

Moreover you have enough time to interact with the Prof. of Uni. So take this time to interact with as many Prof. of your field and try to prove that you are a good student. This will help you to gain an advantage over your peers.

REMEMBER most students (80%) apply in January. So the key to your success lies in how quick you can implement strategies.

Regarding which Uni to apply.

I would suggest:

• Steven Institute of Tech, San Jose State Uni. (Medium Uni. and over all good as far as work prospects are considered.
• Arizona State Uni., State Uni. of NY , NY POLY, Rochester Inst. of Tech (Again good)
• Michigan Tech (Good chances of getting funded, but climate is harsh)
• And finnaly University of Southern California (If money not a big issue.)

So to conclude: ACT FAST, INTERACT WITH PROF, AND HAVE GOOD SOP, LOR and extra Curricular. 

ALL THE BEST .

Crew positions available for Frost Bite Race Sunday Oct-4th

Hey guys..Crew positions are available for Frostbite race in Sisu on 4th October..If any one interested please leave a msg.

Remember their is prediction for a storm and might even be raining...The wind are going to be approx. 21knots so be prepared and wear clothes accordingly.

Annual ECE Graduate Student Dinner 2009

The Annual ECE Graduate Student Dinner, is an occasion for gathering of all the Graduate Students, Faculty, Staff and External Advising Committee.







The highlights of the event include socializing starting from 6:30 p.m., sitting by your table by 7:00 p.m. and eating dinner starting from 7:30.
After dessert, to introduce yourself and declaring winner of Annual Graduate Student Recognition award.



The startling feature which i found was unlike in previous buffet i have been, your table would be announced after which only you are allowed to take your food. This helps in checking long Queue near stands.

The Menu included

• Baked Lake Superior Trout with Tartar Sauce
• Carved Prime Rib au Jus
• Roasted Turkey with Herb Stuffing
• Vegetarian Lasagna
• Red Beans and Rice with Cheddar
• Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
• Mixed Organic Greens Salad
• Classic Caesar Salad

After having a good meal and award ceremony, time was bid adieu to everyone and head towards home.

Best time to give GRE

Well i was asked in one of the community in Orkut about best time to give GRE.

Well the answer is within 3 months of starting your preparation. If you delay more than the Law of Degradation comes into picture (It is an economic theory,  see the graph)

So the the top of the edge is nearly said to be 3 months.

Now if you go by fact. GRE database for Xam's are refreshed in October. So any one taking GRE in this month would be benefited by simple Q and good score.

Now if you are not prepared. Chill, you can give xams also at the end of the month as most of the question for the months data base will be out and you would be aware of trends of Q asked.

But my ADVICE to all of you is just read my GRE tips article and don't take the dates based on above paragraph. Just REMEMBER study hard and give exams in 3 months. You will surely get good results.