Anil graduated with a Electronics degree from India but wanted to pursue a MS in CS from the US. When he wrote to the CS department head of NCSU about his interests, he got a reply saying that they cannot consider his application as he did not have the prerequisite courses in CS that they expect every incoming student of the department to have taken during the undergrad. The department head however offered him a solution. Anil thus applied for the MS in EE program. After joining the university he discussed his profile and interests with the Computer Science department head. The HOD asked Anil to take two courses from the computer science department in the very first semester and if he scored an A in both of those, he would let him switch his degree to the MS in CS program. Anil did, and eventually graduated with a degree in Computer Science
You could try this too. There, however, is a risk that after joining the university you may not get the transfer to the desired choice of program the following semester. But after all, it’s all about taking a calculated risk.
Raj graduated with a Masters from the University of California at Berkley and started working with Microsoft as a Applied Machine Learning Engineer from June 2020. Studying at a top notch US university was a dream that Raj nourished since the time he started his computer engineering program at a local college in Pune. Raj says “When I joined my engineering college, I was a bit disappointed that I did not have a brand-name university for my undergrad. I was, however really determined at making it to Berkeley, Stanford or a CMU kind of university for my masters. I started preparing from my second year itself. I started participating in extracurricular activities which would add to my profile. I also started learning Data Mining via online courses. In my third year, I started doing small projects with professors based on my MOOC learning. These two years added a lot to my profile, as well as built a strong relation with faculty who could then write strong”
“When it came to applying, I realized that getting into the core Computer Science Masters program at most of these top schools is very competitive. While researching about these universities, I also realized that they offer several specialized programs that covered specific aspects of computing. For instance UC Berkeley offered the Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) program, CMU offered programs in AI,HCI, Machine Learning, Robotics, Software Engineering and a few others. So at these top schools, I applied to such specialized program rather than the generic CS program.
Amongst the admits that I received the top two best ones were the MIMS program at UC Berkeley and MS in CS from UCLA. I chose UC Berkeley because: (i) There were professors who were working in exactly my field of interest (ML + Security), (ii) When it comes to job opportunities, the name of the degree hardly matters; the coursework does, and the University name matters and (iii) Proximity to the bay area”
Takeaway:
1: Graduating from a top school even from a non core program gives you equally good opportunities when it comes to your job search.
2: The brand of the university stays with you for life.
Ambitious – where you have a low chance of getting in. These would be universities say only 20-25% students with profiles similar to yours have got in.
Moderate – Where almost 60-70% of the students with profiles similar to yours have got admits in the past
Safe – Where you are almost certain to get in (80-90%) chance.
While evaluating your profile at this stage, look at ONLY the key factors of your profile (GPA, GRE, TOEFL). Look at the broad indicators on GPA and GRE requirements of the universities and data of past students who got into these universities. Prepare a list of
10 Ambitious Universities
8 Moderate universities
5 Safe universities
Narrow it down:
Once this is done, the next step would be to narrow down the list. Applying costs you money and time, so ideally it is recommended that you apply to about 8 to 10. Here is how an ideal split should be
Ambitious: 4 to 5 universities
Moderate: 3 to 4 universities
Safe: 1-2 universities
While narrowing down this list consider all other factors such as:
Reputation & Rank of the university
Location
Faculty profiles, Curriculum, Research, Co-Op options offered by the program etc
Talk to past and current students from these universities to get a better sense of the program and environment
In case you are applying to a research program, write to faculty whose research interest matches with yours. Seek their feedback.
Consider the tuition and living cost at the university
Other factors that are important to you – Weather, Family/Friends already studying at the university
Note: If you decide to apply to more universities, apply to more in the ambitious category. It is always better to get an admit from 1 top university, rather than admits from many Safe universities.
Specialized programs:
Consider applying to specialized programs. Admissions to specialized programs (e.g. MS in Machine Learning) are easier than admissions to generic masters degrees (e.g. MS in Computer Science)
The X- Factor:
Personal recommendations at times do work. If you have a family member or a friend working as a faculty at the university, or your sibling graduated from that same program you are applying to, they could write a personal recommendation to the admissions committee (it could be an informal email) recommending you to the program. Even a current or past student can recommend you as a friend (a recommendation from a current or recent PhD student works better).
Campus Visits
This may seem a little farfetched, but if you are in the USA or planning to visit USA for some reason, it is definitely recommended that you visit the department of the university you intend to apply to (at least the ones on the top of the list). Do so by making a prior appointment with the department head or senior faculty at the department. During the visit, discuss you profile, your interest etc and after the visit when its time for applications, do keep them in the loop.
Resources to refer to :
US News Graduate School Rankings – gives department wise rankings and admissions stats
Here are factors you should consider while deciding on universities you can apply to
Reputation & Ranking of the university
Admission Statistics of past students
Location
Alignment with your career interest
Experience of past and current students
Cost Factor
Other factors
Reputation & Ranking of the university
Check the university rankings. Make sure you refer to authentic sites and preferably refer to departmental rankings rather than overall university rankings.
How to use rankings: While ranking is a good indicator of the university’s reputation, you need to understand that ranking depends on several factors and as a graduate (masters) applicant you may not be affected by all of them. So a university ranked 25 is not necessarily better than a university ranked 30. From a student’s perspective, they would be the same. But a university ranked 25 is definitely better than a university with rank 55. So use rankings as a guideline to get an idea of the reputation of the university.
Admission Statistics of past students
Statistical data is a fair indicator when it comes to predicting admission trends. So look at statistics of past students of a particular university. This will give you a good idea of what profiles of incoming students does the university prefer. Again remember that there aren’t any hard rules here. Just because somebody with a certain GRE score and GPA got it last year, doesn’t mean that you will definitely get because your profile is similar. You need to understand that admission is a subjective process and your overall profile (which includes your recommendation letters, your resume, your SOPs) counts. But if few students with profiles similar to yours have got admitted to the program, it only means that you stand a fair chance of admission.
Location of the University
Location matters.Yes there is definitely an advantage of studying in a big city, especially when it comes to jobs after graduation. A lot of small and medium companies in big cities prefer to hire locally from universities close by. So does this mean that a university ranked 100 is better than a university ranked 25, just because the 100th ranked university is located in a big city? Definitely NOT. But yes studying at big city university would bring you more career opportunities than a comparably ranked school in a smaller town.
Alignment with your career interest:
Curriculum: Look at the curriculum offered by the program. See if the subjects offered align with your interests.
Research: If you are interested in research, find out what research is going on in a particular university. If you find some professors research interesting, do not hesitate to email them expressing your interest in their research.
Co-Op: If the university offers co-op options, find out what companies typically recruit students for co-ops.
Faculty Profiles: Look at the profiles of faculty teaching the program of your interest. See how many of them are involved in active research in your areas of interest.
Experience of past and current students
Talk to current students of the university. But don’t ask vague questions, because if you ask vague questions you get vague answers. List down specific question to ask, on factors that matter to you. For instance you can ask
How many or what percentage of students get funding or on-campus jobs?
How many of them get those in the very first semester?
Do MS students get to participate in research?
Do companies come to campus for recruitment for internships and full time jobs?
If they don’t, how do students go about their job search?
Cost factor:
Take a look at the fees the university charges. Get an estimate of the living costs around the university. If you think you cannot afford it, there is no point in applying there even if you think you might get admission there. Apply only to those universities where you can afford to go.
Other Factors
Weather of the place where the university is located
Family presence near the university if any
Friends/classmates/seniors already studying at the university
Alumni network of the university
Student faculty ratio
Career services and job fairs happening on campus
Class size*
Diversity*
Extracurricular activities, sports facilities etc provided on campus.
Notes:
*Prefer universities with small class size. Smaller the class size, lesser the competition during on job searches, funding opportunities, faculty interaction, as well as full time job search.
*Prefer universities that offer a diverse class profile – which has the right mix of students coming from India as well as different parts of the world. This would not only enhance your learning experience, but also helps you expand your personal and professional network.
In this three part series let me walk you through a step by step process of how to go about selecting the right universities to apply to
PART 1: UNDERSTANDING YOUR PROFILE AND EXPECTATIONS.
Your profile and expectations can be broadly classified into:
Your Academic/Career profile
Your career aspirations
Expectations from a Master’s program
Your budgets
When it comes to your profile, here are factors that matter
Key Factors
GPA/Academic performance
Your undergrad university/college reputation
GRE Scores
TOEFL/IELTS Scores
Add-ons
Research projects and internships experience
Research publications in your name if any
Full time professional work experience
Your SOPs and application Essays
Recommendations
Interviews (for select programs)
GPA/Academic performance
This is by far the most important aspect of your profile. Universities give a lot of importance to your GPA. While a high GPA does not necessarily mean you would make it to a top university, but a low GPA will almost certainly get your application rejected. Here is a rough guideline of the general GPA requirement vs. the university rankings.
University Rank
GPA requirement
Top 20
9+
Rank 20-40
8.5+
Rank 40-60
8+
Rank 60-90
7+
Factors related to your GPA that matter
Consistency is important.
GPA in the Junior and Senior year (3rd and 4th year) matter more than the GPA in the earlier years
GPA in your core subjects matters; higher the better.
Backlogs/year drops matter – they negatively affect your chances of admission
Your undergrad university/college reputation
Like it or not, your undergraduate college reputation does play a role in your admission decision making process. Most top ranked universities do give preference to students from IITs, BITS, NITs etc. Being from a top ranked college in India definitely helps.
One way to assess how a particular university abroad would rate/rank your ‘college’, is to see how many of your seniors have successfully managed to secure admission in that particular university.
GRE Scores
Again a very important criteria in your admission process especially amongst most US universities. All 3 sections of your GRE score matters. For engineering/mathematics/quant based programs, the Quantitative section of the GRE is more important than the Verbal section. Here is a rough mapping between the GRE Scores and University rankings
University Rank
GPA requirement
Top 20
325+ (with 165+ on Quant), 4+ on AWA
Rank 20-40
320+ (with 165+ on Quant), 3.5+ on AWA
Rank 40-60
310+ (with 160+ on Quant), 3+ on AWA
Rank 60-90
305+ (with 158+ on Quant), 3+ on AWA
Notes about the GRE scores
Programs offered by business schools, prefer students to have a more balanced score rather than a higher quantitative score.
If you have multiple attempts at the GRE, universities consider the highest of the attempts. Some universities consider sectional highest too.
AWA scores matter. A high AWA score may not
Some universities do not give much importance to your GRE scores
Some university do NOT require the GRE for certain programs
TOEFL/IELTS Scores
TOEFL or IELTS scores are used by universities to assess students’ abilities to communicate in English. Although universities have minimum TOEFL/IELTS criteria set for admission, a high score always helps. Some universities use TOEFL/IELTS as just a qualifier (where they ensure that the applicant has met the minimum score required by the university), many consider the score while making admission decisions. A 100+ on the TOEFL (with a 25+ in each section) or a 7.5+ band on the IELTS (with a 7+ band in each section) is considered to be a high score.
TOEFL/IELTS minimum requirements of each university are mentioned on the university’s application page.
ADD-ONS
Research projects and internships: Having worked on research publications and internships does help, especially if the work that you have done is aligned with the program that you intend to apply to.
Research publications: While research publications do have an impact, the journal in which they are published matter more. Having several papers published in journals with low impact factors don’t help.
Full time professional work experience: Some programs, especially professional programs, or those offered by business schools, do give importance to your full time work experience. Many technical programs also do prefer applicants with work experience, but prefer those with research based experience.
SOPs & Essays & Resume: A lot can be said about the SOPs and Essays, but in a nutshell the SOP is an opportunity to tell the university ‘Your Story’. The SOP should focus on : What are your career and/or research goals and what are the important educational and work experiences that you believe have prepared you for graduate studies. Why have you chosen to apply to this university.
Note: The SOP is not your life story. The SOP is not a verbal description of your resume either
Recommendations: While most universities require recommendation letters , this is how university’s evaluate recommendation letters
Who is writing the recommendation
What is being written
Note: If your recommender knows or worked with a faculty of the university you are applying to, it makes a high impact.
Interviews
Some universities for some programs conduct interviews where they try to assess your career goals, your past background, and your reason for choosing to apply to that program. Interviews are not technical in nature.
As a career counselor, we often get asked this question a lot – both students and especially by parents: Is it really worth investing the time, efforts, and money in a foreign masters? Is studying abroad a good decision?
Many years ago, a bachelor’s degree was sufficient credential to start a good career and rise to an executive position in the industry. Today however the scenario is quite different. While a bachelor’s degree might be good enough to fetch you a job, it may not help you rise in your career beyond a certain point. A few years down the line you might find yourself in a situation what is typically know as ‘hitting the glass ceiling’ – you will feel that your career growth is being hampered due the lack of additional educational qualifications. Master’s education has sort of become a necessity for a good career growth.
While considering pursuing master’s level education, there are many options one can choose from. However broadly classifying, one can choose to opt for either a technical degree (a MS or Mtech program) or a management level degree (a MBA). If you are looking for an MBA degree abroad, it is highly recommended that you gain at least 3+ years of full time post bachelors work experience before you commence your MBA education abroad. MBA or equivalent degrees in India can pursued immediately after your bachelors.
If you interest however lies in the technical stream, one often wonders if he/she should pursue an MS abroad or rather prefer the Mtech degree offered in India. Take the case of one my students Radhika, a final-year engineering student, who opted to pursue her MS from the US immediately after completing her bachelors. Radhika was an average student during college, got an average score in her GRE exam, and went on to pursue her MS program at a university in Chicago, USA. On graduating from the program, she got a job offer from a leading telecommunication company in Chicago offering her a salary of about $75,000 per year.
Radhika never applied to any master’s program in India and she is no exception. Scores of Indian students prefer pursuing MS programs in the USA, rather than doing equivalent programs from India. The question one asks is ‘Why’? Why do most Indian students prefer to apply for the MS in US and not opt for the MTech/ME programs in India? How much sense does it make to apply abroad, especially considering the heavy costs involved? Is a US degree really better? What about the returns on investment and job placements?
Here is what Radhika had to say “I considered the option of doing an MTech from the IIT but found the GATE exam difficult to crack. Also, admissions in India are very competitive. The GRE was much simpler and I didn’t need to be an outstanding performer to secure admission to a US university. With so many options, securing admission abroad was a much more ‘doable’ task,”. When asked about the money she spent on education abroad, she says, “I spent nearly Rs 2 lakh only on my applications, visa fees and air tickets itself. The MS program cost me another nearly rupees 35 lakhs. Fortunately I got a student job after going there and it took care of my living expenses. Plus the internship that I did during the summer helped me cover a small portion of my second year fees. But the money spent on my education was worth it. I am glad I made the right choice. I actually got to learn a lot during my MS”
Radhika makes a valid point. “You don’t have to an outstanding performer to secure admission in a US university”. This is what makes the US degree popular. In addition, the quality of education and the resources available to students are far better than what gets offered at colleges in India. While no doubt there is competition in the US as well, and performance does matter. However even academically average students, manages to seek admission and decent career opportunities – provided they take their MS seriously, study sincere, and are willing to put in hard work.
Not all students who go to the US for higher education plan on settling there. One of my other student Gautam, after completing his MS in computer science from the US, made a conscious decision to return to India. Today, he works as a software engineer with a leading IT company in Bangalore. While Gautam definitely draws a slightly higher salary than his colleagues who just have a bachelor’s degree, but not anything better than his colleagues who did their MTech from India. He says “I don’t think the fact that my MS was from a US university helped me in any special way. I would have got an equally good job had I done my MTech in computer engineering from a reputed university in India.”
Recruiters and HR managers in India share the same opinion as Gautam. Most hiring managers in India do not give added preference to candidates having a foreign MS as compared to those holding an MTech from India. “We consider the candidate’s overall profile. A Master’s degree is always a plus. We treat a foreign MS on par with the Indian ME/ MTech,” says the HR manager of a leading IT firm in India. “Salaries that we offer fresh MTech/ MS graduates are definitely higher than what we offer fresh BTech/BE graduates. Experience counts more than mere additional educational qualifications, and we prefer people who have industry work experience in addition to a master’s degree”, he adds.
My continued discussion with many students and industry personnel over the years has helped put a lot of things in perspective. First, when looked at from a pure Return on Investment (ROI) perspective, the ROI of a foreign degree is much higher for students who prefer to pursue a career abroad. Second, there are many intangible and long terms benefits of foreign education – change in the individual’s outlook and a global exposure being the most prominent ones. Finally, and most importantly, you don’t have to be an outstanding performer to make a career in the US. A systematic approach and willingness to put in sincere efforts can go a long way in shaping your career.
Having said this, there are quite a few reasons why students opt for an MS degree in the US:
Want to pursue advanced studies in their field of interest
To change streams and explore alternate career options (this is actually a little difficult to do in India)
To seek an intellectually stimulating educational experience
To participate in research
To venture into the global job market
If your reason for pursuing an MS coincides with one or more of the above reasons, be assured that you are on the right track.
