APPING FUNDAS ------------- Hi Folks, This is for all of u who are interested, may get interested in apping to U.S. for higher studies (MS, Ph.D). I shall cover my talk with info. for students of all branches unless mentioned otherwise. Firstly, the most important question is why to go for higher studies ? a) If u just want to go to the US, then take up a software job, don't simply waste time doing an MS. Instead get some experience. All s/w companies send u abroad these days. b) If you are interested in an MBA from US, do not apply for MS and after MS plan to do an MBA. For MBA u need experience and money. While u r gaining experience u can collect money to fund your MBA studies in US. In MBA you never get a full schol., u have to shell out some money. So money is a must Also u never get an admit also without work experience. In case if u plan to do an MS followed by an MBA, then u waste 1-2 years in MS, 2-3 years in work experience and by the time u finish your MBA, u r an old man of 28. So it is better not to use MS as a base for MBA. If u have already decided that u want to go for MBA, then work for 2-3 years and apply and you should get a schol. c) If you are really interested in higher studies, then MS/Ph.D is for u. d) If you interested in a better career, then higher studies is for u. A person with an MS degree commands more respect than one with just a B.Tech Also it means more money, better promotion prospects, etc. This is THE REASON why I am going to the US for an MS. REQUIREMENTS: ------------ All of the below exams are conducted by ETS. In India they are managed by IPEM, Allahabad. All forms for the same can be obtained from IPEM, Allahabad or from the US Embassies at the Metros by post or by hand. Do not hesitate to take extra forms. They might come useful for someone else. GRE (Graduate Record Examination): It consists of sections on Verbal: You need preparation for this Quantitative: It's 2 easy for 10th standard kids Analytical: You need practice for this How to prepare: GRE by Barrons should be your bible. If u have dough and relatives in US, you can order some books on GRE by ETS. Old GRE question papers are available at IIT-M and with seniors Finish taking GRE before start of final year. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): It also consists of 3 sections: Listening Comprehension(LC): Some small talks take place on an audio cassette playing in front of you. Based on the talks you have to answer questions. The questions and the answer choices are in front of u on your question paper. There are 3 sub-sections in this. The length of the conversations increases with each sub-section. Easy. Time: 50 min approx. Grammar: Incorrect grammer sentences are given. You have to recognise the source of error. Many parts of the senetcnce will be underlined, but only 1 will be the source of error in the sentence. Pretty easy. Some arbit grammatical rules are tough which u will master as u go through the book on TOEFL. Time: 30 min. Reading Comprehension: Passages are given and u have to answer questions based to them. Very Very Easy. Time: 30 min. One can easily get 600+ out of 677 in TOEFL without preparation. Most Univs require just 600+ in TOEFL while a rare few require 620+. TOEFL is just for qualifying and it's score does not make a difference unless of course u score 670+ out of 677. Finish taking TOEFL before start of final year. How to prepare: TOEFL by Barrons - good for grammar, LC is slow TOEFL by Cliffs - good for LC, grammar is unnecesarily complex Princeton's TOEFL Guide by ETS - good for LC, gramamr is OK, but costly. Time for Preparation: About 1-2 hrs. daily for 15 days before the exam. Give about 4 tests. TWE (Test of Written English): It consists of an essay on any topic that is general. They shall provide the topic. No choice. Time: 30 min. TWE is free on particular days along with TOEFL. So take your TOEFL on days on which TWE is administered. A score of 5+ out of 6 is decent on the TWE. Some Univs. want TWE, hence do take it, afterall it's free of cost. TSE (Test of Spoken English) It consists of general questions that are put up by the examiner. You have to answer them in front of a tape-recorder recording your answers. The questions are stereo-type and repeated and u can ask your seniors about them. The sample ones given in the TSE booklet are always repeated. You ar given some time to think of an answer. Time: 12 min. approx. Speak with a heavy American accent. Also, only in case if some of your Univs. require TSE, so take it. Do not take TSE if only 1 Univ. requires it. TSE is costly and see if u can change your app. list to those Univs. that do not require TSE. Take it in your final year after u have decided your app. list. AGRE (Subject GRE): This is a specialised GRE in the field u want to give. Only if the Univs where u ar applying want AGRE, should u give AGRE. In most branches AGRE is not required. AGRE is a must if u r a Comp. Sc. student and applying to 3-4 Univs. in top 25. The fundas about AGRE are very limited in most colleges. It consists of 2hrs 50 min. of grueling questions. Take it in your final year. Try to finish of GRE and TOEFL in the 3rd year as in fourth year you have Job Interviews, Application work, University selection, etc which takes toll on your time. Also many Univs. require your GRE and TOEFL score during pre-apping. All of the above tests allow you to nominate some Univs. where ETS will send your scores free of cost. So try to properly fill in Univs. where u have some probability of finally apping. Consult your seniors and use your own judgement. Do not rely entirely on someone else's views. Also free scoring should be done mostly to Univs. from which seniors got schols. I utilised about 25% of my free scores, a poor record. General Preparation: First Year: ---------- Start of with "Word Power Made Easy" By Norman Lewis. Read a lot of novels and newspapers -> it increases your vocabulary. Try reading editorials, it helps (although I never did) Follow up Norman Lewis by "All About Words" by Rosenblum Second Year: ----------- Continue your Rosenblum Go to your seniors and take more fundas from them. Continue the newspapers and novels. Plan when u want to take your GRE. Try to do training in your hols. in some IIT or a research organisation. eg.- IISc, NAL, ISRO Third Year: ---------- Start preparation for GRE. Do not crunch your time, esp. for the word list. Start your word-list at least 4+ months before your scheduled GRE date so that you get enough time for revision of word-list. Regular revision of word-list is a must to remember the words unless u r too good in verbal (some guys are!!) Get hold of old GRE question papers. U can get it from your seniors or from IIT-Madras where they are sold. Ask any of your Makku class-mates to get u the papers. Also, get hold of the Computerised GRE softwares circulating around. It is very important that u practice on the Computer. Get fundas about apping and similar stuff from your seniors. Get close to 1 senior to whom u can tell everything. Remember, a lot of politics MAYBE involved in apping, so BEWARE !!! Do training in your hols. in some IIT or a research organisation. Main aim to summer training should be to get a good reco. that counts. Try to get a paper published during your summer training (its tough i agree, i never got one). It will help immensely. Do your pre-apping starting in June. Do not preapp before June as most Univs. will send u an old form for the previous year's session. Pre-app to atleast 60 Univs. by email in the range u feel u r going to app. Standard Pre-app forms are available at USEFIs in the metros. Pre-app by post to about 30 Univs. where u feel u have higher probability of finally apping. Pre-apping by post doubly ensures that u receive your application packet. In all cases u MUST have your own application packet for the Univs. U never know when your friend might refuse to give u his unrequried packet. Some Univs. do not or charge money to send forms outside US. So contact someone in US whose address u can give in pre-app. and he in turn will mail it to u in India. Browse the net and download email addresses of Profs.. Some email addresses for CS students are available with me. Also look through the home pages for kind of research work and similar things. Also, download email addresses of current Graudate Students in each Univ. Indians in the Univ., even though not ITians do help. In general 1 out of 4 Indians will help. You can ask them about your chances of getting an admission and other doubts/questions u might have. If u receive some forms before college starts, browse through them and underline, pen down importrant points like app. fee, deadline, etc. Make an app. diary noting down such things. App diary comes useful as everytime u do not need to browse through the huge Univ. form. By now u must have decided whether u want to go for a MS or a Ph.D or u might do a Ph.D if u get a schol. from a good Univ. The entire apping selection depends on this decision. There are a lot of Univs. where u can "cut le" after MS although u had got a schol for a Ph.D U will come to know such Univs. through Seniors. It is better to app in Ph.D in such Univs. In places where there is no scene for cut le app only if u will go for a Ph.D if u get a schol, else app for an MS only in such Univs. Final Year: ---------- Lots of stuff to be done. Start browsing the forms. Start rejection arbit, unappable Univs. Pay attention to those Univs. where u have seniors and where seniors had got schols. from. Selection of Univs. is very important. We have seen that clashes do not matter much if both the candidates are deserving. If u feel u have a chance in a Univ. then go for it. So not be scared if someone else is also apping, unless of course he has much better credentials than u. Yet it may be that Univ. x is his low ranked for him while medium ranked for u. eg. my class rank 2 got in a 40th rank Univ. He had a CGPA of 9.47 while another guy with CGPA of 8.65 also got a schol. from the same Univ. He is going there but 2nd ranker has got schol. from a better Univ. too where he will be going. Thus check out where a senior with approx. your credentials apped and got a schol before u app. This will give u an idea. In case if very few people app. in your Deptt. and less data is available then u will have to be extra careful to ensure that u do not app in arbit places. U can consult your seniors about your app list by email. Seniors always reply and help their bachchas. Get your transcripts made. Do send atleast 1 copy of your transcript to the Grad. school and 1 to the Department unless all the materials are to be mailed to one address. Some Univs. accept copies of Transcript attested by USEFI (US Embassy). But attestation costs Rs 20 per transcript. Write Prof. letters to Profs. somewhere from Sept. onwards. This will help u in eliminating and selecting Univs. in case of a favourable reply. Do not get disheartened by lack of response. Many Univs. have a policy of not replying to Prof. letters (eg. UT-Austin and UIUC for eg) Get your recos. done by end of Sept or mid-Oct. Take 2-3 more recos. than the Univs,.. to which u r apping. Tear open 1 reco. to see what the Prof. has written about u, unless u have written the reco. yourself! If you r writing your reco. then make sure that u do not "topo" a reco. being toped by someone from your class applying to the same Univ. Lots of reco. are available for topofication. Contact your seniors. Make your SOP. Sop is important (we presume). We had a lot of SOPs os seniors and ours. So either apply a combination or simply go for one or just pen down your own. But do look at one of them to have an idea. Again, 2 persons must not topo the same SOP ! Send your GRE, TOEFL, AGRE, TSE Additional Score Reports(ASR) request to ETS by Oct. end or Nov. mid. Most Univs. do not accept zerox copies of your scores They only accept copies sent by the evaluating body, ETS. These ASRs are not free - $13 for GRE, AGRE per Univ. per exam $11 for TOEFL, TSE per Univ. per exam Materials to be sent along with your App. packet: Application Form App. fee US Dollar Draft ( make this in Sept - Oct.) Resume (standard format available ) Copies of GRE score report Copies of TOEFL score report Copies of any other score report SOP (statement of purpose) Letters of Recommendation Covering Letter Some Univs.(non-CS) accept zerox copies of GRE and TOEFL score reports. U need not send to then ASR (Additional score reports) through ETS. Find out such details and save on money. Some Univs. also give app. fee waiver ! Find all this from your seniors. All your US communication (posts) must be either through registered post or Courier. Do not use ordinary or Speed post. You can either mail your app. packets to someone in the US who will furthur mail them within US or u simply mail the packets by registered post from India. If mailing from India, mail it at least 30 days before the deadline. Some Univs. are rolling Univs., i.e. they review and accept students as more and more applications come. In such Univs. it is better u send ur. packets much before the deadline. eg. - Purdue, Pittsburgh. After 1 month of sending of the app. packet, send emails to confirm if your packet has reached. Follow up your application with Prof. letters. Wait for replies and schols. from Univs. This is the bad part. The worst part is waiting for schol. when your class-mate(s) have got one. But it is all part of the game. All this is up on the Internet and there is a galore of information on my website. Check out http://members.tripod.com/~bnitin/abroad.html The site also contains some info. for MBA aspirants. Best of luck guys. Hoping to see u all sooooooooon in the land of MILK and HONEY. Nitin Bahadur B.Tech. - Computer Sc. & Engg. - Batch of 1999 Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University PS: I got schols from 7 out of 8 Univs. I apped which is a bad score. It makes no sense to get all since it means that you were not bold enough and you could have got better ones if you had tried ! But one must not try being too bold too. In case if some of you do not understand some of the terminology I have used, you will by the time you are all set for apping.