Basic stuff to start ur UNIV search
First of all, Please try to remember that univ selection depends on he following factors :-
- UG marks,
- GRE
- TOEFL (but thts not a major criteria. A high toefl may help u land a TA more easily, but not always though)
- LORs (they are VERY important. Also, try not to write very flashy LORs that seem too good to be true. let them be informative and not advertising)
- SOP. (they have a HUGE hand to decide ur admission. be frank and tell why u want that Uni and that course. Show them how u can add variety and value to their uni)
- The stream u choose (Embedded and other popular courses will have higher takers and so more competitiion)
- Cost of living (Costlier cities will have slight advantage for internships/jobs/opportunities. But smaller cities too dont dampen ur chances)
- Population of Indian students (dense population will make u feel comfortabel, but remember that ALL indian students will think like u and compete for aid etc :p)
- weather (just because u are from delhi or punjab need not mean u can manage the chill winds of chicago or seattle. And chennaiites shouldn think that Arizona is a piece of cake)
- location (Eastern end is more formal. the coat-suit kinds. Plus there are many financial companies that take up students for analytics etc....western end is more laid back and relaxed wit GREAT weather but oscillating economy...texas is always a good bet in terms of cost etc, but that naturally means that it attracts more ppl)
- availability of aid (off late funding is very very tight. So u decide is u wanna be a big fish in a small pond with aid, or a vice versa without aid)
- faculty (more PhD's mean a agreat centre for learning, but u may have to be content with shorter lectures from them and more from the TAs)
- MOST importantly, rankings are NOT everything. Unlike in India, a college neeedn rank overall top, but still may be very good for a particular stream. So, it automatically attracts employers for that stream....So dont worry where a uni ranks. It may still be good enough for u.
Now that this small list is clear, lets clear out one thing - NO one can suggest unis to others that easily. In this forum ppl can help clarify ur doubts abt unis, "suggest" ur chances (but it is NOT comprehensive and final), and maybe recommend similar unis to the ones u shorlisted. BUT the first step has to be urs only..
Next. there is a vast difference between SPRING admits and FALL admits. Fall is the dominant one. It has maximum applications and also has ALL courses available. Most aid decisions are done during fall. Also, the admissions here can be midly predicted, in sense, u can approximately find out ur chances....SPRING admits are lesser. They are available only if a course is available or if a FALL course dint get filled up. Aid scene is very tough in spring....BUT having said that, if ur course is available in spring, then go for it. on advantage is that applications will be lesser....so if u can wait a few months till FALL, then its highly recommended. Else, spring is fine.
Try to email profs in the depts that u apply to. Study abt them andf their work. Write to them saying u would like to work with them cuz u have similar interests. This would greatly improve ur admit chances as it is he profs who recommend u for admissions...graduate admission dept merely check if ur qualifications are fine.
Once u get admitted, immediately get intouch with the graduate students association. this is independent of the uni's webste. There would be Indian graduate studs assocaitions too. these will clarify all ur doubts and help with accomodation etc...also, they'll help u with things to bring from india, how to go sbt it etc...
Finally, its advisable to start early. Not all unis will wait till deadlines to start application evaluation. Many start handing out admits by Jan, though their dadline is May...so apply for transcripts by October and best to give applications by November-december. This also increases ur chances of Aid.
Pls feel free to add some more points which u feel are relevant. Any comments are welcome! the end idea is to help ppl with their MS dreams.
All the best guys! hope this helps a little! :D
