Basic Steps Towards MS_ PhD at US Universities GRE

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Basic Steps Towards MS/ PhD at US Universities

Author: yogidas, Posted on Monday, September 19 @ 17:19:29 IST by RxPG

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Hi friends, My name is Yogeshwar D. Suryawanshi.( NIT(REC), Calicut). First of all I

would like to thank Ullash , Raj , Amit ,Sunil .. few to mention here.. my class mates

who initiated me to write this article. My special thanks to SUJAY RAJENDRA SANGHAVI

from IIT Bombay who earlier made a similar effort by writing an article. The process forhigher education in USA is supposed to be a long, meticulous and often painful process ( you

can imagine from the size of this article), but is definitely worth it if you want a good

graduate education in the engineering sciences. Some of you may know the process

already; in that case please forward the article to your friends in need. This article is just a

trial to make this process more easy and cool for all aspirants. I hope this article will help

you at least to some extent. Please forward this article to all the aspirants. Here is the

article

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Note: This article is a big one and hence I have uploaded this article at

[email protected] , [email protected] ,

[email protected]. So please be a member of these group so that you can

access many more files form there along with this article. The other files uploaded by

different people include useful information about the Sample branch wise SOPs , Bank

Statements, GRE Wordlists , Preparation materials, University Rankings, Seniors at the

Universities, VISA queries and many more things. That would be very nice and the sort of

info you will get here will be very rare.so join this group and access the files now.

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GRE & TOEFL: The Standardized Tests

GRE : Graduate Record Examination

The official website for GRE is www.gre.org

TOEFL : Test of English as a Foreign Language

The official website for TOEFL is www.toefl.org

If you are an aspirant who want to pursue his higher education that is Post Graduation

/Masters Degree program or PhD in USA or Canada you need to appear for GRE. Also if You

are a person whos native language is not English you need to appear for TOEFL irrespective

of whether you had your undergraduate / post graduate study in English medium. Hence all

Indians must have to appear these two examinations if they want to go for MS ( Master of

Science ) / PhD program in any discipline. Hence here is a brief description of these two

examinations and other useful information which you need to know before you opt for MS/

PhD. It is a long, meticulous and often painful process but is definitely worth it if you want a

good graduate education in the engineering sciences. I will now detail the steps to be

followed, in chronological order.

Graduate Record Examination: General Test

Description of the General Test

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The General Test measures analytical writing, verbal, and quantitative skills that have been

acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study.

The analytical writing section tests your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. It

assesses your ability to articulate and support complex ideas, analyze an argument, and

sustain a focused and coherent discussion. It does not assess specific content knowledge.

The verbal section measures your ability to analyze and evaluate written material and

synthesize information obtained from it, to analyze relationships among component parts of

sentences, to recognize relationships between words and concepts, and to reason with words

in solving problems. There is a balance of passages across different subject matter areas:

humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

The quantitative section measures your basic mathematical skills, your understanding of

elementary mathematical concepts, and your ability to reason quantitatively and solve

problems in a quantitative setting. There is a balance of questions requiring arithmetic,

algebra, geometry, and data analysis. These are content areas usually studied in high

school.

Preparation Material for GRE: Generally widely used books for GRE are BARRONs GRE ,

ARCO , Princeton Review ( Also the CD provided with this book is supposed to be very good)

, KAPLAN etc. ETS also provides a Free Preparation CD after you register for GRE. You may

try out a google search .

Yet there are many sites for its preparation. The stuff is available on its official website

www.gre.org There is a separate question pool for the topics of Analytical Writing on thissite. Also one site www.number2.com is a very good site for online preparation of GRE. It is

beneficial for the students who get free internet facility from the institution.

TOEFL Testing Program

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures the ability of nonnative

speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is used in college and

university settings. Scores on the test are required by more than 4,300 two- and four-year

colleges and universities, professional schools, and sponsoring institutions.

The test is offered on computer throughout most regions of the world. In areas where access

to computer-based testing is limited, a supplemental paper-and-pencil version of the test is

administered

The other information regarding GRE ( CBT & PBT ) and other queries is given on the websitewww.gre.org So please visit the site if you have any queries.

Similarly the information regarding TOEFL ( CBT & PBT ) and the other queries is given on

the website www.toefl.org so please visit the site if you have any queries.

Below I have discussed about the application procedures and not much about the

examination pattern. These are basic steps in general to be followed by the aspirants.

Preparation Material for TOEFL: TOEFL is a very cool examination and needs no special

preparation almost. But still to mention a few books BARRONS TOEFL , CLIFFS etc. ETS also

provides a Free Preparation CD after you register for TOEFL.

For additional stuff visit the official site www.toefl.org

Basic Steps Towards GRE

First of all decide whether to go for MS in USA , CANADA where GRE / TOEFL or both are

required. Since there are steps to follow only if you are determinant. If yes then decide the

field of interest. That is whether to opt MS in the same field of your graduation or any other

field. Accordingly decide your projects in that particular field.

1. Get your passport since you have to give your Passport number as your identification

number in the GRE application form.

2. That is get your Industrial Training done if necessary in that field.

3. Then do your mini project & Final year project in that field only.

4. Also try for the final seminar in that particular topic.

5. Get some research papers in this field published in international magazines or at least

present it in inter college technical festivals. In this case the students should note one thing

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that the research work done should be an original piece of work . Then only it is of

importance.

The first step is mandatory for all who want to apply for GRE and TOEFL.

It is not necessary for you to get an admission for MS to follow all the remaining fields but if

you are planning for and AID this is must. Also for getting admission this plays crucial role in

the process. Try to do as many as things possible of these.

Choosing Field of Interest:

Hopefully by the time the Prof Letting ( Discussed Later ) process starts you will have

decided which sub-field of your department interests you enough for you to pursue your

graduate education in it. It need not be too narrow, but there should be some choice made.

Second fact of life - people working in some fields get scholarships easier than people in

others. But it should not be the only factor in deciding which field you are going to

work/apply in -otherwise you may end up doing an MS in something you do not like.

Applying in the field in which you did your final-year project and the maximum things

mentioned above will improve your chances, but that does not mean that your MS should be

constrained by what you did in your Final year project.

If you are planning for MS/PhD in a different field than your graduation then it important that

you get maximum of this stuff done in order to substantiate yourself in the Statement of

Purpose and make your resume look more impressive.

These are initial basic things that one should know before deciding to go for MS.

Then comes the GRE and TOEFL in vision.

GRE Procedure: General Test

1. First of all request the Bulletin for GRE from the site www.gre.org This is the official site

for GRE. Also you can request the bulletin from www.ipem.org

2. you have two options either you request the bulletin if you have time before you appear

for GRE or get the form downloaded from this website.

3. Then fill up the form and make a draft of required Dollars in the name of

ETS-GRE . Presently the application fee is $140. Do not send the cash. It should be in Dollars

only.

4. If you have credit card ; you can send the money directly through the card. The

information for this procedure is given in GRE bulletin.

5. In the application form for GRE there are options for giving GRE test centre and Dates of

test. You give it as per your convenience. The information for filling out this form is provided

in the bulletin.

6. Send this form along with application fee to your country ETS centre. For India it is in

Delhi. The address is given in the bulletin.

7. After this you will get the acknowledgement letter from the GRE. Also your date & time

for test will be mentioned in that. That is supposed to be your hall ticket. So keep it safely

for appearing the GRE exam. Also other instructions will be mentioned in that letter which

are mandatory for all students to appear for GRE. You must do take your Passport , Hal l

Ticket and Secondary Identification with you for your test. You can not take other things with

you. Follow the instructions in the hall ticket and bulletin.

8. After you finish the exam your official score is to be sent to the universities where you

want to apply for MS. Since ETS send your official GRE score to four universities free of cost.

Since that fee is included in your GRE application fee ( $ 140). So select the universities

carefully. Since these are the places where you can save your money.

9. If you want to apply for other universities than those four then you must fill out extra

score report form. You will get the extra score report form along with your original score

report from ETS.( This score report for you will be given within 3-4 weeks after you appear


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for GRE.) Also the extra score report form is provided in GRE bulletin. You may also

download the Extra score report form from the website www.gre.org

10. Fill this form with the institution codes where you want to apply along with the

department code to which you would like to apply. Both the Institution codes and

Department codes are given in the GRE bulletin and are also available on the site

www.gre.org which is the official website.

11. Along with this make a bank draft in the name of ETS-GRE of the equivalent amount

required for reporting scores to the extra universities in US dollars. Presently for reporting

score to one university application fee is $ 15.

12. Send this extra score repost form along with the application fee ( Draft) to ETS/GRE on

its address at Princeton. This address is also mentioned on the extra score report from and

also in the GRE bulletin.

13. Then your work for ETS GRE is over.

TOEFL Procedure:

1.First of all request the Bulletin for TOEFL from the site www.toefl.org This is the official site

for TOEFL. Also you can request the bulletin from www.ipem.org

2.you have two options either you request the bulletin if you have time before you appear

for TOEFL or get the form downloaded from this website.

3.Then fill up the form and make a draft of required Dollars in the name of

ETS-TOEFL. Presently the application fee is $130. Do not send the cash. It should be in

Dollars only.

4.If you have credit card ; you can send the money directly through the card. The

information for this procedure is given in TOEFL bulletin.5.In the application form for TOEFL there are options for giving TOEFL test centre and Dates

of test. You give it as per your convenience. The information for filling out this form is

provided in the bulletin.

6.Send this form along with application fee to your country ETS centre. For India it is in

Delhi. The address of ETS at Delhi is given in the bulletin.

7.After this you will get the acknowledgement letter from the TOEFL. Also your date & time

for test will be mentioned in that. That is supposed to be your hall ticket. So keep it safely

for appearing the TOEFL exam. Also other instructions will be mentioned in that letter which

are mandatory for all students to appear for TOEFL. You must do take your Passport , Hall

Ticket and Secondary Identification with you for your test. You can not take other things with

you. Follow the instructions in the hall ticket and bulletin.

8.After you finish the exam your official score is to be sent to the universities where you

want to apply for MS. Since ETS send your official TOEFL score to four universities free of

cost. Since that fee is included in your TOEFL application fee ( $ 140). So select the

universities carefully. Since these are the places where you can save your money.

9.If you want to apply for other universities than those four then you must fill out extra

score report form. You will get the extra score report form along with your original score

report from ETS.( This score report for you will be given within 3-4 weeks after you appear

for TOEFL.) Also the extra score report form is provided in TOEFL bulletin. You may also

download the Extra score report form from the website www.gre.org

10.Fill this form with the institution codes where you want to apply along with the

department code to which you would like to apply. Both the Institution codes and

Department codes are given in the TOEFL bulletin and are also available on the site

www.toefl.org which is the official website.


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11.Along with this make a bank draft in the name of ETS-TOEFL of the equivalent amount


score to one university application fee is $ 15.

12.Send this extra score repost form along with the application fee ( Draft) to ETS/TOEFL on

its address at Princeton. This address is also mentioned on the extra score report from and

also in the TOEFL bulletin.

13.Then your work for ETS TOEFL is over.

NOTE: For the a particular Department the department codes to be mentioned in the score

report form are different for GRE and TOEFL score report forms for the same particular

University ( university / institution code for a particular university to be mentioned in both

the forms is generally same.). Hence please refer both the bulletins or the websites for

these codes.

University Applications

1. You request the graduate applications from the universities where you would like to

apply. You can request the applications by visiting their university website and filling out theapplication request forms.. Some times you have to mail directly to the graduate

coordinator requesting the application on your address. Make sure that you cross the

minimum eligibility criteria of that university where you would like to apply. Also have a look

at the message board of www.edulix.com so that you can imagine whether that university is

a right choice for you or not.

2. Generally you should do this when you apply for GRE test. Since it takes 3-4 weeks to

reach the applications on your address.

3. If you have not asked for the Graduate application for a particular university and you

want to apply that university then you may download the application forms from theirwebsite. Then you can take the print outs of that and send the applications.

4. Then follow the procedures/ steps for applications given in the bulletin from the

universities which you have selected.

5. Make the application fee draft in US Dollars on the correct address mentioned in the

university bulletin. Do not send cash. Make sure that the address is correct.

6. If you have credit card then you may send your fee directly. Also you may fill out the

electronic application for the MS/PhD program. The electronic application is generally there

for all universities. It is more safe and fast than the mailing procedure.

It is better to select the universities looking at your credentials , the minimum requirement

of scores by the university and the application deadlines. So that you can raise the chances

of getting an admission with AID. Also have a look at the minimum annual expenses at the

university selected. For this visit the sites www.review.com www.universities.com

www.usnews.com www.phds.org also go for NRC rankings on yahoo website. There are

many more to mention. Visit the USEFI website to get more information on study in USA.

There are many things to be sent to the universities along with application other than

Application forms.

Generally the extra material is as follows.

1. Application fee in dollars

You can pay it directly by credit card or can make the draft on the address mentioned by the

university. It should be only in US Dollars. Make sure that the name of the university is

correct.


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2. Transcripts

The transcript is nothing but the consolidated mark list given by your undergraduate college

or institution. Request your undergraduate institution to give you the required number of

transcripts.

3. Statement of Purpose ( SOP)

In this letter you have to write your particulars goals after MS, why the MS in a particular

field , your achievements in that field. For some strange reason universities want you to tell

them why you are interested in pursuing a graduate education, what you

hope to achieve from the same, your career plans and your qualifications In short you have

to sell yourself best in front of the faculty. You should always send your SOP to the university

whether they ask for it or not along with the application material. Since it is the only chance

where you can present yourself in front of faculty and get distinguished from others. Ask

seniors for their SOPs. And again get SOPs reviewed by seniors. Aping legend has it that a

bad SOP is a BAD idea and a good SOP is often the deciding criterion between otherwise

similar candidates. Again make it point wise as far as possible, and avoid writing vague

generalities and unsubstantiated statements

I have uploaded the sample SOPs for all streams at [email protected] ,[email protected]

[email protected] So please join these groups and access them. Also

there are many sites who guide regarding SOP and provide sample SOPs a few to mention

here. www.infozee.com ,www.evidyarthi.com, www.admissionguru.com

www.statementofpurpose.com , www.greguide.com , www.msdreamz.com .Also try to

search information in general from www.google.com

4.Curriculum Vitae / Resume

In your resume you may list your academics and academic achievements. Also your honors

and extracurricular activities , your papers published if any. You may visit the above sites for

the standard format of resume.You should send always your resume to the university along with the application whether

they ask for it or not.

After you have decided on a tentative list of universities and Profs in those univs you have to

make your resume. Make sure you include all the studgiri you have done/think you are

going to do. Generally people include their seminars, Final Year Projects, any course/lab

projects worth mentioning, their summer training projects, their GRE and TOEFL scores,

their department rank ... Ask some suitable senior to give you his resume for guidance and

after you have made a draft show it to seniors for pointers and stuff. Make sure your resume

does not sound bombastic - do not claim to have done more than you actually have. Also,

limit it to at max 3-4 pages - no one wants to go through an encyclopedia detailing your

greatness. Also, it may be possible that you are aping in slightly differing fields in different

universities - in this case reorder your resume and emphasise-deemphasise appropriately.

But it is always good to have a standard resume .If you have a good department rank flash

it prominently. And DO NOT make your resume in MS Word or other such editors - plain text

is the way. It may restrict its looks, but the professors there may not even bother to open

an MS word document. Avoid long paragraphs - use points. I could go on and on, so I won't -

just keep your mind open when writing your resume and make sure you get it properly

reviewed by kindly souls willing to undergo the torture.

5.Bank Statement

Generally if you are planning to have bank loan for your financial support then you must

submit the bank statement from which you have property worth enough of affording the

MS/PhD program if you dont get AID. The format of this bank statement can be obtainedfrom the websites mentioned above. But generally people submit it only after getting an

admission into the university and submit to that particular university.

6.Financial support certificate


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If you are planning to go for MS on you self support or if somebody is financing you then you

must present the financial certificate. The format of this can be obtained from the above

websites. But generally people submit it only after getting an admission into the university

and submit to that particular university.

7.Recommendations

The recommendations are necessary for any universities. These are given by your teachers

in undergraduate studies. Generally minimum 2-3 recommendations are required depending

upon the university. But you can submit few more if they are really good . Try to show the

variety of recommendations.

Steps to follow for getting recommendations.

1. Approach your project guide and ask him for a good recommendation.

2. Approach other professors/ lecturers who have taught you at least one course and ask

them if they can provide you a good recommendation since the recommendation letters are

confidential. Then only ask them to write recommendation for you.

3. Generally try to get at least one recommendation for your math teacher.

4. Try to get recommendations from professors at other institutions under whom you had

published a paper or have done a project. If this is not possible then try to get the

recommendations from professors of other department at your institutions. This helps to

show the variety of your recommendation. This really helps in the admission procedure if

you have a low undergraduate percentage.

5. But still for safety give recommendation form an extra university where you are not

applying. So that you can tear that recommendation and see whether the teacher has

written good for you or not. If it is not good then do not send that recommendation. The

recommendations once teared out can not be send to the university. Send only those whichare good. So approach more teachers than the number of recommendations needed.

6. Sometimes some teachers dont know how to write the recommendation . In that case

give some sample recommendation from the sites mentioned above.

7. The part for recommendation is over.

8.Official score reports of GRE & TOEFL

You have to request ETS to send the official score to the universities which you have

selected. Some universities ask both the photocopies of your score reports and the official

score report by ETS. Please check with your university.

9. Include any certificates, reprints of publications or any other such studgiri you have

referred to in your resume.

GRE Score reporting :

After you finish the exam your official score is to be sent to the universities where you want

to apply for MS. Since ETS send your official GRE score to four universities free of cost. Since

that fee is included in your GRE application fee ( $ 140). So select the universities carefully.

Since these are the places where you can save your money.

If you want to apply for universities other than those four then you must fill out extra scorereport form. You will get the extra score report form along with your original score report

from ETS.( This score report for you will be given within 3-4 weeks after you appear for

GRE.) Also the extra score report form is provided in GRE bulletin. You may also download

the Extra score report form from the website www.gre.org


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Fill this form with the institution codes where you want to apply along with the department

code to which you would like to apply. Both the Institution codes and Department codes are

given in the GRE bulletin and are also available on the site www.gre.org which is the official

website.

Along with this make a bank draft in the name of ETS-GRE of the equivalent amount


score to one university application fee is $ 15. ( Still for verification of this information please

visit the official GRE website or refer the GRE bulletin.)

Send this extra score repost form along with the application fee ( Draft) to ETS/GRE on its

address at Princeton. This address is also mentioned on the extra score report from and also

in the GRE bulletin.

TOEFL Score reporting:

After you finish the TOEFL exam your official score is to be sent to the universities where you

want to apply for MS. Since ETS send your official TOEFL score to four universities free of

cost. Since that fee is included in your TOEFL application fee ( $ 130). So select the

universities carefully. Since these are the places where you can save your money.

If you want to apply for universities other than those four then you must fill out extra score

report form. You will get the extra score report form along with your original score report

from ETS.( This score report for you will be given within 3-4 weeks after you appear for

TOEFL.) Also the extra score report form is provided in TOEFL bulletin. You may alsodownload the Extra score report form from the website www.gre.org

Fill this form with the institution codes where you want to apply along with the department

code to which you would like to apply. Both the Institution codes and Department codes are

given in the TOEFL bulletin and are also available on the site www.toefl.org which is the

official website.

Along with this make a bank draft in the name of ETS-TOEFL of the equivalent amount


score to one university application fee is $ 15. ( Still for verification of this information please

visit the official TOEFL website or refer the TOEFL bulletin.)

Send this extra score report form along with the application fee ( Draft) to ETS/TOEFL on its

address at Princeton. This address is also mentioned on the extra score report from and also

in the TOEFL bulletin.

NOTE: For the a particular Department the department codes to be mentioned in the score

report form are different for GRE and TOEFL score report forms for the same particular

University ( university / institution code for a particular university to be mentioned in both

the forms is generally same.). Hence please refer both the bulletins or the websites for

these codes.

Now from here I have discussed the matters which were discussed in abstract above. That is

the Academics, Standard Test Scores, Posting the applications ,Prof- Letting,

SENDING THE FORMS/ APPLICATION PACKETS

Courier them dont be penny wise and pound foolish and send them by post or something.

Put your email ID on the cover. Two/three people sending to the same university often send

their packets together - do this if you want, no harm. Also, universities ask for things to be

sent separately to the Graduate Office and the Department. Send them both in separate

envelopes in the same packet if required, with a covering letter stating clearly what is what

and whose. One more thing, Blue Dart provides 50% rebate scheme for University

application couriers. The scheme is on generally for 4 months and generally starts from

December onwards. But there are other courier services also which provide the discounts.

Enquire about them at your place. Even our Indian Post is good enough. There are many

other good courier services. You can go for any one as per your convenience.

Relax!!! Relax..!!! Relax!!!

Have a Break have a Kit Kat. Just Relax now its too much yaar! Relax..

Now everything regarding the Application is over. But now last impacts are important to get

a good finish. Here comes the tool Prof- Letting.

This is what we affectionately call contacting faculty in the US universities for admission and

financial aid. It is a long and painful process and will eat up your time and concentration, but


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it is known to yield often spectacular results. So here is a step-by-step guide

Pre-Application Prof Letting:

So time has come to start prof-letting - what do you do? Make a "Prof- Letter" - a covering

letter of sorts that briefly details the field you are interested in, and why you would like to

work with the particular Prof you are sending the mail to. Include things like your rank (if

good) and GRE and TOEFL scores, but dont make it a second resume. Limit it to one page

AT MAX Prof s there get pained by thousand mails from all over the world and do not

REALLY care about you. Send to one Prof from each university and wait for a few days - say

4-5. Avoid sending around weekends - they pile up in the Prof's inbox and chances are he

will just delete it in the rush to clear his inbox. Profs who do reply usually do so in 2-3 days

max. In the event of no reply or unfavorable reply, suck someone else. Sending 20 mails a

week and not even getting one reply is often the case - keep at it.

Generally people do it before choosing the universities for applying. If they get a good

response from the Prof at that university they select the university. If the reply is not

positive just do not apply there.

Post-Application Prof Letting

After you have sent your applications packets, send emails to Profs who replied positively to

you before applying informing them that you have sent your application packet and that

they should see it. Also send mails to Profs who have NOT replied to you earlier, telling themthat you have applied and that could they please look at your application? Make sure to

include your resume in such new contacts, and mention important things like department

rank and stuff in the main mail itself. Dont send more than one Prof at a time in the same

university - wait for 4-5 days for each fellow to reply. This process can start in say late Jan.

It can be pretty painful - just go about it bravely.

Some Things Really Matterand make you different from others!

If you have great zeal to do the extra things other than I have elaborated above and you

never get tired of Acads.. then read this Also to be frank very few are able to do the

following things except IITans and few from other Brand Institutes but it is very helpful if

you want to make your Application different from others and to secure Admissions in thebest GRAD schools with possible types of AID/ Schols .

Now there are few more important points for the undergraduate students who are not yet in

Final year or have not yet decided the Final year project since they can change few more

things to increase their chances of getting ADMISSION with AID in a good university. These

are all about Academics which supposed to be mirror of your abilities. So be very sincere

about this.

Academics:

Fact of life - universities award scholarships based on academic performance as measured

by the GRADES obtained in your undergraduate education (so if you think you are one of

those people who have low grades but high fundaes wake up). So for few Institutions it is

your CPI, and for other universities it is your aggregate percentage or whatever. People

with lower grades getting scholarships in better universities are the exception, not the norm.

Note that it is only the CPI of the first 3 years that is usually taken into account, since the

application forms for the univs have to be sent by the second/third week of December, by

which time the results of the fourth year/seventh semester will not have come out (or can

be conveniently neglected). Universities know this and do not expect you to let them know

your final year performance - they base their decisions on the first 3 years. So basically if

you want a good graduate education at a well-known university, start mugging.

This said, universities do see other things besides grades while awarding scholarships - it is

just that they do not give them as much importance. Notable among these "other things"

are:

1. Participation and/or winning of science/math competitions like the International

Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (INMO), Regional

Mathematics Olympiad (RMO), Indian Physics Teachers Olympiad etc. If you have

participated/won prizes in any of the above-mentioned or similar competitions, make sure


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you let the universities know when the time comes. It would even help if you mentioned

your IIT-JEE rank if it is relatively good (ie say you are in the top 6-7 in your department in

terms of JEE rank or if you are in the top 100 overall).

2. Projects you have done - this includes your main final-year project, your seminar as well

as any vacation project or summer internship you may have done. In fact, it is a good idea

to have a few good projects under your belt anyway - they serve the dual purpose of giving

you some fundaes in the field you are doing the project in and giving you something that will

look good on your resume. Be careful in choosing the kind of project you are doing and

where you are doing it - it should be an enjoyable experience and not just something you

are doing for resume or recommendation. Places I now that give interesting research-based

projects are:

a. IIT , IISc - the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

b. CAIR - Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Bangalore

c. TIFR - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore

d. BARC - Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai

e. JNCASR - Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore

f. ISI - Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore

g. Many of the MNC tech companies - e.g. (in the field of CS and EE) Texas Instruments, Sun

Microsystems, IBM.

I recommend doing projects outside your present institution (especially if you plan to do soin the summer after your first or second years) as it will give you a different perspective on

research from what your institution manages to give you. Many of the above-mentioned

places have summer student scholarships, which will defer any expenses you may have

while doing your projects. These projects are also usually sources for recommendation

letters ("Recos") on which I have elaborated earlier.

3. In the course of your projects/Final Year you may be doing something that you think is

novel and not looked into before. In this case you may want to consider publishing a

technical paper on your work. There are many places where your paper can be published,

and not all of them are worthy of mention - there are many shady publications in the

scientific arena as well. A publication in reputed international journals (eg the IEEE for

electrical engineering or ASME for mechanical) is the best you can get, and if you do makesure you let the universities you are applying to now of it - send official reprints if necessary.

Usually you will have to make do with publishing in a conference - it is easier, and some of

the conferences are pretty good too. This is a topic you will have to discuss with your

guide/advisor.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Work experience helps a lot , especially when your GRE / TOEFL scores are low. If the work

experience is in the related area in which you are going for MS / PhD then it not only helps

to get admission but also the AID/Schol. So Having the work experience is always a plus

point. It helps to get through when the competition is very tough.

VISA APPLICATION PROCEDURE

After Admission Procedure:

You have to apply for the VISA when you get the I-20 from the university. You have to book

a date / appointment on www.ttsvisas.com The website addresses for other consulates are

mentioned on this website On this website all the information needed is given. So you must

visit this site. Also please visit the official site of United State Education Foundation in India (

USEFI). Generally people prefer to get a consultant for VISA which is needless. Still to

mention here are some important steps to be followed.

The following must be presented to the Consulate at the time you apply for a student visa:

1. Form I-20 or IAP - 66 (obtained directly from the university you intend to attend)

2. Visa application form and USEFI survey form (available at the Mount Road gate of theAmerican Consulate General, Chennai: Monday through Friday, between 3.00 p.m. and 4.00

p.m.) You can download the forms and can fill up them.

3. One passport size photograph and a valid passport

4. Visa fee, demand drafts , (the amount is specified on the consulates website- so check


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with your consulates website) drawn in favor of American Consulate General , ( for your

region)

5. Test score reports (original) TOEFL / GRE / GMAT / whichever is applicable

7. Latest degree /mark sheets

8. Evidence of financial support as described below:

A) If the university has awarded financial assistance, please enclose the relevant letter.

B) If your sponsor is in India, you will need the following documents:

(a) Affidavit of support on stamped paper (Rs. 10, 15 or 25) from your sponsor promising to

bear the cost of your program for the entire duration of your stay in the United States. This

document has to be notarized as well.

(b) Verification of your sponsor's financial resources by a certified Chartered Accountant.

This statement should indicate that your sponsor has the means to support you during the

entire duration of your study and stay in the United States. All original documents for the

sources mentioned in the Chartered statement, including bank passbooks should be brought

along, to be produced before the Consular Officer, if necessary.

C) If your sponsor is in the United States, the following documents must be provided:

(a) I-134 (available at Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) offices in the United

States) promising to bear the cost of your program for the entire duration of your study and

stay in the United States.

(b) Bank account statement of your sponsor

(c) Salary statement of your sponsor

D) If your sponsor is from a country other than India or the United States, the documents to

be provided are:

(a) A notarized letter or statement from your sponsor promising to bear the costs of your

program for the entire duration of your study and stay in the United States. The affidavit of

support from your sponsor can also be submitted by form I-134 available at the American

Consulate or Embassy in the country where your sponsor is a resident.

(b) Bank account statement of your sponsor

(c) Salary statement of your sponsor.

You may apply for a student visa no earlier than 90 days prior to the reporting date

mentioned on the I-20. For example, if the reporting date shown on the I-20 is September

05, you may apply for a student visa between June 5 and September 5.

You can listen to audio recordings of discussions by consular officers on student visas, at the

USEFI reference library. You may visit their office between 1.00 p.m. and 4.30 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, (except holidays) and schedule an appointment to listen to a tape on

student visas.

The best thing you can do is-------

The best thing to know about VISA procedure is to visit the website www.msdreamz.com

There is a separate VISA section on this website where all the information regarding VISA

application is given. The rules for different consulates are differentlike for Bombay

consulate and for Chennai consulate the rules are different. All documents and procedures

are mentioned in VISA BIBLE on this website. Also the standard samples of all documents

are given here with the help of which you can make documents yourself. In case of Bombay

Consulate there is no need of CA to certify the financial statement. You can make it yourself

and can take it to consulate. I did the same. For other consulates you can get it certified

from CA if needed. Take all the documents mentioned with you to the consulate.

I suggest you all to join the groups [email protected] ,

[email protected] . These groups are really the best. On these groups students

have posted their visa experiences. Please go through all the visa experiences posted here

and get the keys to get your VISA. You dont need a consultant to get your visa if you join

this group and also if you do the things properly which I have mentioned here.

The information above is likely to change with time. So please refer the official websites of

GRE , TOEFL and the United State Education Foundation in India( USEFI). If any queries

please feel free to mail [email protected] [email protected]

[email protected] [email protected]


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ALL THE BEST Friends.!!!

Regards,

Yogeshwar D. Suryawanshi

Note:Source: http://www.rxpgonline.com/postt2435.html

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