MS admission odyssey

It all began with my husband, Gaurav taking his GRE test, although the seeds were sowed during our undergrad years in MNIT itself when we started reading word lists from Barrons book.

He got a score of 1350 and how can I forget mentioning here that I got 1390 after fifteen days in my GRE test. After that TOEFL came easy and we both got decent scores to proceed on to the next challenging task of deciding on which universities to apply to. It is indeed one of the most difficult part I must say, because each university application costs between $ 50- $80 (plus some additional cost of sending the official GRE and TOEFL tests scores to them, and mailing the official transcripts etc.)

How many universities should I apply to and which??

My advice to anyone who is at the same stage of the admission process is that make your budget the deciding factor on the number of schools you want to apply. Assuming 75$ to 100$, as the total spending per application, you can decide on whether you have to apply to 8 or 10 Universities or more. Believe it or not, it’s just the beginning of your expenses and the graph is going be very progressive, so you can’t afford to be less careful on managing your money. And also remember that being miser can also hurt your chances of getting acceptance badly.

So once you have decided on the number of applications to fill, the next step is to decide what universities to apply. Suppose the number you decided upon is somewhere between 8 and 10. Now you got to divide your list of 8 to 10 Universities (the number may vary for you) into subsets of very ambitious, good and the average or sure shot ones. Please be generous enough to keep at least 3 or 4 sure shot options in your list of schools. Gaurav compiled information and links to some universities which were into our consideration for applications at http://gnolkha.googlepages.com/infoforuniversities. The same info is also available below in his article. Also I would suggest you to look for annual rating of US Universities especially for your major. Another useful link for first round in selection process is http://www.scribd.com/doc/200545/Evaluate-yourself-for-Top-Universities. Along with ranking, you also need to look at the Universities last few years admission trend. Try to see the percentage of international students' intake in these Universities. This will give you an idea of how competitive the admission process for that particular university can be. And for God’s sake, US have around 100 universities and you don’t want to fight for a seat in that one particular university you always heard of. Broaden your choice, consider the financial aids possibility, the geography and weather conditions etc, as well. Go to each university’s website and see what their requirements and application deadlines are. You may visit the profiles of professors in that university online and write to those working in your field of interest. Tell them about your test scores (that proves your sincerity in the programmes), your academic and professional experience and your future aspirations.

Another important thing that I would like all the aspirants to know is that writing an email to Prof is not all that you have to do. After a limit, no copy paste will do. You need to make sure that you read the content on Prof's web pages. Try to look for something that he/she might have mentioned for prospective students. We had come across many such Profs who would mention a specific subject line to written, if you want him to read your mail. Although not all Profs will do such things, but all of them are smart enough to recognize how much effort you made to write to them.

How can I get Funding or scholarship??

While you are doing your application process, you should also keep an eye on the funding resources available with the Profs and departments of your interest. You should apply for all the international student scholarships and fellowships available with each university. Pay attention to the deadlines for these also.

Other than scholarships and fellowships, you can also apply for a research or teaching assistant's job or work as a grader. For this you also fill the application online, but mostly the chances are to get them by personally meeting the professors with your resume, once you land into one of your universities.

When we reached Austin, we had no funding or job in hand. We then, made list of all the undergrad classes that we thought we could TA r grade, and met with the professors of each of those subjects personally to ask if any positions are available with him. Also you can meet the Profs in your area of interests to find any RA position. But underline, that you need to meet them personally. Don't hesitate in that.
Once you get a job as a TA, RA all of your fees is paid by the department that employed you and also you are paid enough to bear your living expenses.

How do I prepare for Visa Interview?

Make sure that you collect enough financial documents to show that you can support the expenses for all the years for your studies abroad। For this you can take the income and savings of your parents and yourself along with the affidavit of their willingness to support your studies. Also the papers of all your investments and properties can be helpful. You might go for a bank loan as well.
Book the Visa interview date well in time to keep a margin for getting another date before the school starts, just in case of a rejection. Take your admission letter, and other necessary documents like passport, report-cards, Sevis fee receipt, photographs etc., with you to Visa interview.
Most Universities refund the Sevis fee once you take admission, so save your Sevis fee receipt for future as well.

Getting ready to fly?

Once you booked your flight tickets, the anxiety begins. What to pack, whom to contact etc. Most Universities have some arrangements for arriving international students to pick –up and temporary accommodation. Try to find out about it with the International Office of your University. Keep some contact details of students who are volunteering for pick-ups, so that you can call them in case of flight delays. You can also apply for University accommodation initially. Well, one key point in deciding your arrival date is that along with attending the orientation, you should also try to keep some time before the session begins, for meeting the Profs, and searching TA, grader positions.

For packing, check the luggage limits with your airlines and accordingly pack your stuff. Keep everything you need for at least initial 10-15 days. Avoid putting and fresh fruits and other stuff that is prohibited. Keep enough clothes and undergarments. You can also check about the course books with your seniors and try to purchase those what might not be readily available in libraries, and are recommended to be bought personal. Get some basic utensils like a pressure cooker etc. No need to carry dishes and other stuff as u can get that here easily.

When you finally land!

Try to check-in to your Universities international office, as soon as you can. Attend all the orientation sessions. At other times, keep meeting the Profs., and try to find some funding for you. International office can also help you in that. But believe me, just try all you can and it is for sure that you will make it to something. Contact seniors as they might know which Profs have any vacancies. But the best is to go and knock their office doors with your resume and meet them personally.
Well, you are finally their, so enjoy। Hope this blog would help you in some sense, although there is no learning till you actually experience it. I have also tried to summarize our experiences after reaching America, in "Our Austin Stories" below, if you might want to check it out.

Wish you good luck!