Graduate Admissions

‘MS in US’: Eligibility, Costs, Job Prospects

Dilip Oak's Academy

M.S. in U.S.

When you are thinking of getting a Master’s or doctoral degree in America, some of the top questions on your mind would be:

• What are the academic requirements in order to be able to apply?

• What are the costs of getting a degree in the US?

• What are the job prospects?

Here’s a quick look at the answers to those questions.

 

What is the eligibility for applying for a Master’s course in America?

The basic eligibility requirement is 16 years of formal education (12 + 4), the last 4 from an accredited university. So, students who have bachelor’s degrees in engineering (whether they joined engineering courses directly after the 12th Std. or after a diploma course) can directly apply for American Master’s courses. However, students who have completed a three-year degree (e.g. B.Sc.) should ideally complete their Master’s degrees (e.g. M.Sc.) in India and then apply.

Note: External degrees and degrees from open universities that are not accredited may not accepted by American universities.

 

What is the cost of education in America?

The cost of education in America varies from Rs. 12,00,000 to Rs. 30,00,000 depending on:

• the type of university (private or government-aided)

• its rank

• its geographical location

Apart from tuition fees you also have to bear the costs of:

• insurance

• living (food + housing)

• transportation.

There are many ways to reduce these financial burdens however. Many students manage to get some kind of financial assistance in the form of:

• research and teaching assistantships

• tuition waivers

• on-campus jobs etc.

Such kinds of financial assistance take care of a large part of the expenses incurred when studying in America.

 

What are the job prospects after completing a Master’s degree course in America?

• After completing your course you are allowed to undertake Optional Practical Training (OPT) for 12 months. OPT may be extended for another 17 months if you fall under the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) category

• Ample job opportunities exist in the fields of engineering and computer science (much tech talent in America is Indian and many Indians hold top positions the field – as is evident from the case of Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft).

Note:

• Professors’ recommendations carry a lot of weight. To get a job you must get excellent references from professors who taught you during your master’s course.

• When you are working in America, your company may apply for H1-B visa (work permit) on your behalf. After this you can apply for a green card.

So, get ready to get your MS in US!

 

Application Timeline for Fall 2015 – Make Sure You Are on Track

Dilip Oak's Academy

If you are applying for admission in fall 2015 the clock has begun to tick. So, don’t delay. Review this Application Timeline for Fall 2015 immediately and get to work.

June-August 2014

Review your goals for your MS in US and choose some specific areas in which you would like to specialize.

July 2014

  1. Register for the GRE and TOEFL examinations – if you are targeting the top 10 or 15 universities, you should take these examinations preferably by September 2014. If you are targeting other universities, you may take these exams by 20 December 2014 so you can meet the deadlines of universities which are in December 2014.
  2. Register for the Subject GRE – important for doctoral programs in pure sciences and biological sciences in top schools.

Note: the exam is held once in a year in November, however, seats usually get filled up by August.

August 2014

Make a preliminary list of about 30 universities which meet your requirements considering:

  1. Location
  2. Costs of living and education
  3. Broad specializations you are interested in (for departments and specializations see the ‘university info‘ page on online.dilipoakacademy.com)
  4. Recommendations by seniors, your professors etc.
  5. Whether your academic profile fits the universities requirements.

For more details, see: Selecting a University for Your MS in the US. Also refer to our post on university information available on the social media

September 2014

  1. Arrange for 10-13 sets of transcripts in sealed covers from your college or university – some universities insist on university transcripts/university attested mark sheets
  2. Choose your recommenders (generally 3 recommendations are required, at least one of which should be from the educational institute last attended) and give them the necessary details – resume, copies of your mark sheets etc.
  3. Start working on your Statement of Purpose and resume

October-December 2014

  1. Take the GRE and TOEFL exams latest by 20 December
  2. Carry out a comprehensive review of the 30 universities considering:
    1. Your academic performance in bachelor’s degree
    2. GRE and TOEFL scores of students admitted in the past
    3. Any minimum cut-offs with respect to GRE and TOEFL scores
    4. Whether courses of your choice are offered in the Fall semester
    5. Cost of education
  3. Make your final shortlist of 8-10 universities.
  4. Complete your Statement of Purpose (SOP) and resume
  5. Request the ETS to forward your GRE and TOEFL scores to the universities you are applying to, specifying the correct codes for the universities/departments you are applying to.
    Note: some universities require certain documents to be sent to the department you are applying to.
  6. Complete online application process and send the required documents by courier

This completes the application process; however there are further steps to be taken:

  1. Track the status of your application on your status page of the university’s website. Though universities generally communicate decisions or requirements by either e-mail or post, it often happens that the only source of information is your status page.
  2. If there are any deficiencies in your applications (missing documents, non-receipt of GRE or TOEFL scores, recommendations etc.) immediately correct the deficiencies.
  3. When you receive an offer letter from the universities (or when your status page shows that you have been given admission) email your acceptance(This is very important especially when you are offered funding)
  4. When you have accepted the university’s offer of admission and the documentation formalities are complete, the university will send you the 1-20, an immigration document, which is essential for obtaining a visa.
  5. When you receive the I-20, check that it is correct in all respects:
    1. Your name and date of birth should be exactly as in your passport
    2. Your course and course duration should be correctly specified
    3. The financial sources indicated should exceed the costs etc.
  6. Prepare the visa documentation
  7. Study the visa application formalities specified on the websites of the applicable US Consulate and the VFS (Visa Facilitation Services)
  8. Apply for a visa interview date – you can apply for a visa interview 120 days before the joining date mentioned on your I-20.

For further details on the F-1 visa see our previous blog on the subject.

Note: Dilip Oak’s Academy organizes a ‘Pre-departure Orientation’ in June-end every year for students who have been admitted to the fall semester. In the Orientation, Mr. Dilip Oak covers matters such as:

  • the student (F1) visa
  • foreign exchange
  • airport formalities (port of entry/immigration procedures)
  • insurance
  • medical checkups & immunizations
  • initial formalities in the university
  • accommodation (on- & off – campus)
  • financial and other formalities for the first semester of studies

Keep a look out for our announcement of the Orientation. The announcement will appear on this blog sometime in June.

University Deadlines For Fall 2015

Dilip Oak's Academy

It is our continued endeavour to keep you updated with the university deadlines well before the application process. As per tradition we are publishing the university deadlines for fall 2015 semester. Please bear in mind that some universities may change deadlines on their websites without prior notice. The department deadlines may differ from the graduate school deadlines, hence you are advised to cross check not only the graduate school deadlines but also the department website of the university you are applying to.

The deadlines mentioned below are for the graduate school only.

Deadlines in December

Indiana University, Bloomington (1-Dec)
University of Miami, Coral Gables (1-Dec)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1-Dec)
Harvard University (14-Dec)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (15-Dec)
Tufts University (15-Dec)
Yale University (15-Dec)

Deadlines in January

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1-Jan)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (1-Jan)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1-Jan)
University of Virginia, Charlottesville (10-Jan)
Washington State University, Pullman (10-Jan)
Florida Institute of Technology (15-Jan)
State University of New York, Buffalo (15-Jan)
State University of New York, Stony Brook (15-Jan)
Texas A & M University, Kingsville (15-Jan)
Texas Tech University (15-Jan)
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (15-Jan)
Vanderbilt University (15-Jan)
Duke University (30-Jan)
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (31-Jan)

Deadlines in February

Indiana University Purdue University (1-Feb with funding, 1-Mar without funding)
Case Western Reserve University (1-Feb)
East Carolina University (1-Feb)
Kansas State University (1-Feb)
Pennsylvania State University, University Park (1-Feb)
University of Rhode Island, Kingston (1-Feb)
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1-Feb)
University of Tulsa (1-Feb)
Eastern Michigan University (15-Feb)
Marquette University (15-Feb)
University of Illinois, Chicago (15-Feb)
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (15-Feb)
University of South Florida, Tampa (15-Feb)

Deadlines in March

California State University, Chico (1-Mar)
California State University, Sacramento (1-Mar)
Illinois State University, Normal (1-Mar)
North Carolina State University (1-Mar)
Oklahoma State University, Still Water (1-Mar)
University of Alaska, Fairbanks (1-Mar)
University of Maine, Orono (1-Mar)
University of Nebraska, Lincoln (1-Mar)
University of Oklahoma, Norman (1-Mar)
University of Oregon, Eugene (1-Mar)
University of Pittsburgh (1-Mar)
University of Toledo (1-Mar)
George Washington University (15-Mar)
Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn (15-Mar)
South Dakota School of Mines & Tech (15-Mar)
University of Colorado, Denver (15-Mar)
University of Kentucky, Lexington (15-Mar)
University of North Texas, Denton (15-Mar)
University of Pennsylvania (15-Mar)
California State University, Northridge (31-Mar Online, 30-Apr Document Submission)

Deadlines in April

California State University, Fresno (1-Apr)
California State University, Long Beach (1-Apr online, 15-Apr Document Submission)
Idaho State University (1-Apr)
Oregon State University, Corvallis (1-Apr)
San Jose State University (1-Apr)
Stevens Institute of Technology (1-Apr)
University of Arkansas, Little Rock (1-Apr)
University of Houston, University Park (1-Apr)
University of Michigan, Dearborn (1-Apr)
University of Texas, San Antonio (1-Apr)
University of Utah, Salt Lake City (1-Apr)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (1-Apr)
West Virginia University, Morgan Town (1-Apr)
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo (1-Apr)
Wichita State University (1-Apr)
California State University, Los Angeles (15-Apr)
Lamar University (15-Apr)
Old Dominion University, Norfolk (15-Apr)
South Dakota State University, Brookings (15-Apr)
University of Georgia (15-Apr)
University of Iowa, Iowa City (15-Apr)

Deadlines in May

City University of New York, City College (1-May)
Minnesota State University, Mankato (1-May)
Mississippi State University (1-May)
Montana State University, Bozeman (1-May)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (1-May)
North Dakota State University, Fargo (1-May)
Northern Illinois University, Dekalb (1-May)
Oakland University, Rochester (1-May)
Southern Methodist University (1-May)
Tennessee Technological University (1-May)
University of Idaho, Moscow (1-May)
University of Louisville, Louisville (1-May)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1-May)
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque (1-May)
University of North Carolina, Charlotte (1-May)
University of South Carolina, Columbia (1-May)
University of Texas, Arlington (1-May)
University of Texas, Dallas (1-May)
Villanova University (1-May)
Wayne State University (1-May)
Western Illinois University (1-May)
California State University, Fullerton (1-May)
University of Louisiana, Lafayette (15-May)
University of North Carolina, Greensboro (15-May)

Deadlines in June

Louisiana Tech University, Ruston (1-Jun)
Monmouth University (1-Jun)
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (1-Jun)
University of Detroit, Mercy (1-Jun)
University of Wyoming, Laramie (1-Jun)
Drexel University (13-Jun)
Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla (15-Jun)
Texas State University (15-Jun)

Deadlines in July

Arkansas State University (1-Jul)
Florida State University (1-Jul)
New York Institute of Technology (1-Jul)
Santa Clara University (12-Jul)
Lehigh University (15-Jul)
Marist College, Poughkeepsie (15-Jul)
University of South Alabama, Mobile (15-Jul)

Deadlines in August

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (1-Aug)
University of Houston, Clear Lake (1-Aug)
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces (26-Aug)

Rolling Deadlines

Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison (Rolling)
Rochester Institute of Technology (Rolling)

Masters in Management Information Systems

Dilip Oak's Academy

The Master of Science in Management Information Systems (M.S./M.I.S.) is a comparatively new and an interdisciplinary degree focused on uniting business and technology. The coursework requires students to combine business, strategy, and technical skills that can be directly applied in complex business situations.

MIS offers a valuable experience to students from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds (Bachelors in engineering, science, maths, business or any other analytically oriented degree), to enhance their understanding of technology’s role in business while positioning themselves to stand out in the job market.

The Course work (although varies as per individual university) broadly consists of the following areas.

  • Systems analysis and design
  • Databases, data mining, data modeling, data warehousing
  • Programming Languages, Web technologies, Information Security
  • Statistics, Business Mathematics
  • Finance, accounting, marketing, management
  • Project, Program management
  • Operations management, Supply Chain management

In addition to the above-mentioned areas, US universities also offer a wide range of additional elective subjects from which you can pick and choose the subject areas that interest you, thus making the coursework very flexible.

The MIS degree sometimes falls under the business school and sometimes under a technology department like computer science depending on the university. Hence its always better to research well in advance the schools and programs that interest you and the test scores that they accept as that would help in deciding if you need to take the GRE or the GMAT. However the good news is that most US university programs accept both GRE and GMAT.

Careers in the field of management information systems can lead you to a variety of roles in the industry like:

  • Business Analyst
  • Systems analyst
  • Data analyst
  • IT Analyst
  • Functional Analyst
  • Operations Analyst
  • Database manager
  • Information Security Specialist
  • Program Manager
  • Software developer
  • Project lead
  • Applications developer
  • Information technology consultant
  • Web developer
  • Management Consulting

As the world of information technology grows bigger by the day, organizations have a growing need for professionals who understand both business and technology thus resulting in a growing the demand for candidates majoring in this degree.

University Deadlines For Spring 2015 Semester

Dilip Oak's Academy

The month of June is now approaching which means the spring 2015 application process should now begin. As per our tradition we are publishing the spring 2015 university deadlines on this blog. Keep in mind some universities update deadlines on their websites at different times during the academic year.
The deadlines mentioned below are for the graduate school only. The department deadlines differ from the graduate school deadlines and hence you should cross check with your respective department for confirmation.

 

Deadlines in June
1. University of Maryland, Baltimore County 1-Jun
2. Texas Tech University 15-Jun
3. University of Tennessee, Knoxville 15-Jun

Deadlines in July
1. Florida Institute of Technology 1-Jul
2. University of Pittsburgh 1-Jul
3. Washington State University, Pullman 1-Jul
4. North Carolina State University 15-Jul
5. University of Illinois, Chicago 15-Jul
6. University of Rhode Island, Kingston 15-Jul

Deadlines in August
1. Kansas State University 1-Aug
2. North Dakota State University, Fargo 1-Aug
3. University of Michigan, Dearborn 1-Aug
4. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo 1-Aug
5. Wichita State University 1-Aug
6. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 15-Aug
7. South Dakota School of Mines & Tech 15-Aug
8. South Dakota State University, Brookings 15-Aug
9. University of Kentucky, Lexington 15-Aug
10. San Francisco State University 31-Aug

Deadlines in September
1. East Carolina University 1-Sep
2. George Washington University 1-Sep
3. Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago 1-Sep
4. Indiana University, Bloomington 1-Sep
5. Lamar University 1-Sep
6. Mississippi State University 1-Sep
7. Oakland University, Rochester 1-Sep
8. University of Alaska, Fairbanks 1-Sep
9. University of Nebraska, Lincoln 1-Sep
10. University of Oklahoma, Norman 1-Sep
11. University of South Carolina, Columbia 1-Sep
12. University of Texas, Dallas 1-Sep
13. University of Texas, San Antonio 1-Sep
14. Virginia Polytechnic Inst. & State Univ. 1-Sep
15. California State University, Chico 15-Sep
16. Northeastern University, Boston 15-Sep
17. Texas A & M University, Kingsville 15-Sep
18. Tufts University 15-Sep
19. University of North Carolina, Greensboro 15-Sep
20. University of North Texas, Denton 15-Sep
21. California State University, Fresno 30-Sep
22. California State University, Northridge 30-Sept Online Application, 31-Oct Documents Submission

Deadlines in October
1. California State University, Long Beach 1-Oct Online Application, 15-Oct Documents Submission
2. California State University, Sacramento 1-Oct
3. Case Western Reserve University 1-Oct
4. Eastern Michigan University 1-Oct
5. Florida International University 1-Oct
6. Illinois State University, Normal 1-Oct
7. Indiana University Purdue University 1-Oct
8. Minnesota State University, Mankato 1-Oct
9. Northern Illinois University, Dekalb 1-Oct
10. Oklahoma State University, Still Water 1-Oct
11. Old Dominion University, Norfolk 1-Oct
12. Oregon State University, Corvallis 1-Oct
13. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park 1-Oct
14. Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville 1-Oct
15. State University of New York, Stony Brook 1-Oct
16. Stevens Institute of Technology 1-Oct
17. Tennessee Technological University 1-Oct
18. University of Arkansas, Little Rock 1-Oct
19. University of Colorado, Denver 1-Oct
20. University of Detroit, Mercy 1-Oct
21. University of Houston, University Park 1-Oct
22. University of Idaho, Moscow 1-Oct
23. University of Iowa, Iowa City 1-Oct
24. University of Louisiana, Lafayette 1-Oct
25. University of Massachusetts, Amherst 1-Oct
26. University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1-Oct
27. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque 1-Oct
28. University of North Carolina, Charlotte 1-Oct
29. University of Texas, Arlington 1-Oct
30. University of Virginia, Charlottesville 1-Oct
31. West Virginia University, Morgan Town 1-Oct
32. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1-Oct
33. California State University, Los Angeles 15-Oct
34. Cleveland State University 15-Oct
35. Duke University 15-Oct
36. Marquette University 15-Oct
37. Texas State University 15-Oct
38. University of Georgia 15-Oct
39. University of South Florida, Tampa 15-Oct
40. Villanova University 15-Oct
41. California State University, Fullerton 17-Oct

Deadlines in November
1. University of San Francisco Nov
2. Florida State University 1-Nov
3. Idaho State University 1-Nov
4. Monmouth University 1-Nov
5. University of Louisville, Louisville 1-Nov
6. University of Miami, Coral Gables 1-Nov
7. University of Utah, Salt Lake City 1-Nov
8. University of Wyoming, Laramie 1-Nov
9. Vanderbilt University 1-Nov
10. Arkansas State University 14-Nov
11. City University of New York, City College 15-Nov
12. Missouri Univ. of Science & Tech., Rolla 15-Nov
13. Montana State University, Bozeman 15-Nov
14. New Jersey Institute of Technology 15-Nov
15. University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth 15-Nov
16. Marist College, Poughkeepsie 30-Nov
17. Southern Methodist University 30-Nov

Deadlines in December
1. University of Alabama, Birmingham Dec
2. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Dec
3. Lehigh University 1-Dec
4. Louisiana Tech University, Ruston 1-Dec
5. New York Institute of Technology 1-Dec
6. Polytechnic Inst. of New York Univ, Brooklyn 1-Dec
7. University of Houston, Clear Lake 1-Dec
8. University of South Alabama, Mobile 1-Dec
9. University of Southern California 1-Dec

Deadlines in January
1. Louisiana State University, Baton Rogue 1-Jan
2. Wayne State University 1-Jan
3. New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology 2-Jan
4. Santa Clara University 10-Jan
5. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces 27-Jan

Deadlines in February
1. University of Maryland, College Park 7-Feb

Rolling Deadlines
1. University of Toledo Rolling
2. Wright State University, Dayton Rolling

Under rolling deadlines there is no fixed application deadline declared by the university. Applications are accepted anytime till the seats for that particular semester are full.

We wish you all the best!

Show Stoppers at the Time of Application

Dilip Oak's Academy

In this blog we wanted to go over a few hurdles that may lead to a rejection or delay in your admission application process.

INCORRECT NAME
Although a lot of students are unaware of this, it is a very common problem faced by around six out of ten students at the time of application. The name on passport, college/university mark sheets, degree certificate and GRE & TOEFL scorecards should be the same. It is crucial there aren’t any spelling mistakes in your name, middle name name and surname.
At times the surname is different, especially in cases of students with South-Indian names. Make sure the name matches on all-important documents. In case it doesn’t, make sure to get it changed before you begin the application process.

YEAR DOWN & BACKLOGS
You may have backlogs and year down during your Bachelor’s/Master’s degree. It is important that you not only mention this but also justify the reasons behind your backlogs and year-downs in your statement of purpose.

ACADEMIC GAP DUE TO OTHER FACTORS
In some cases an academic gap may occur due to reasons such as an accident or health conditions. This should be mentioned very clearly in the SOP or else it may work against you.

ISSUANCE OF TRANSCRIPTS
You are supposed to send college/university transcripts at the time of application. Apply to the college/university well in advance because some institutions take up to two months to issue transcripts, which in turn may delay your application process.

GRE & TOEFL SCORE REPORTING
ETS takes time to report official scores to the universities. Hence once you have a final list of universities that you are applying to, have your official scores sent immediately to these universities. In case the US University doesn’t receive the official scores in time, your application shall be placed on hold.

ONLINE SUBMISSION OF RECOMMENDATION LETTERS
Most US universities require online recommendation letters. Your recommender will have to upload the letter online or send it from his official e-mail. You should inform your recommenders about this so that they are prepared for it.

BANK SOLVENCY/STATEMENT
The bank solvency/statement is a crucial document at the time of application. This document has to be submitted either at the time of or before issue of I20 form, depending on the university requirement.

The Credit System for Master’s Courses in American Universities Part 1

Dilip Oak's Academy

Generally, in order to complete an MS or an MBA course you have to complete 33 credits, usually in a 2 year-period. The total number of credits is broken up in different ways. For example, if you opt to do a thesis, then the break up is:

  • Thesis – 6 credits
  • Course – 27 credits

If the course does not have the thesis option then you will have to do a project and the break up will be:

  • Project – 3 credits
  • Course – 30 credits

The credit system will differ from university to university, but by and large this is the system that is followed.

Students are awarded 3 credits per theory course (or subject) that they study in a semester. But in order to earn the credits for the course they have to undergo actual classroom instruction for 3 hours a week for the whole semester. You will be expected to take a minimum of 3 such theory courses per semester and thus will be awarded a total of 9 credits, 3 for each of the subjects.

Thus, given that there are 2 semesters per year, in the normal course, students take 18 credits per year. However, many Indian students take extra credits (e.g. 12 per semester instead of 9) and thus are able to complete their Master’s degrees 16 months time.

Deadlines for Fall 2014 Coming Up in this Month (Dec 13)

Dilip Oak's Academy

As you know, the deadlines for admission to the fall 2014 semester begin in December 2013 and stretch all the way up to August 2014. So, if you are applying for fall 2014 the deadlines have begun. Keep watching this blog, we’ll keep updating you on the deadlines for the month every month from now.

This month there are just a few coming up – only 6 in all – but they are the first deadlines for fall. Here they are:

Universities with Deadlines in December

  1. Indiana University, Bloomington – 1 December
  2. University of Miami, Coral Gables – 1 December
  3. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – 1 December
  4. Harvard University – 14 December
  5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 15 December
  6. Michigan State University, East Lansing – December

Related Blogs:

 

Free GMAT Score Reports

Dilip Oak's Academy

You may select up to five business school programs to which your Official GMAT Score Report will be sent free of cost. You have to make your choice of programs to which your free GMAT score reports will be sent at the test center on the day you take the GMAT® exam. This has to be done before you begin the test and once you have made your selections, you will not be able to change or delete them. (Click this link: ‘GMAT program database‘ to see a list of programs to which your GMAT scores can be sent.)

The Official GMAT Score Report will be sent to the five programs you have chosen within 20 calendar days of your test. This free GMAT test score reporting service is covered by your registration fee. If you wish to send more than 5 score reports, however, a fee of US $28 will be charged.(For more information click here)

Deadlines for Spring 2014 in This Month (Nov 13)

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You Can Still Make It for Spring

This might come as a surprise, but there are still 16 universities that have deadlines for spring 2014 that fall in this month i.e. November 13. Want to have a look?
By the way, there are also some deadlines for spring ’14 that are coming up in December. You can either wait for next month to see or look at the post on deadlines for spring 2014 below
Related blogs:
Here are the deadlines for this month:
Universities with deadlines falling in November 13
  1. Florida State University – 1 Nov
  2. Idaho State University – 1 Nov
  3. Monmouth University – 1 Nov
  4. University of Louisville, Louisville – 1 Nov
  5. University of Miami, Coral Gables – 1 Nov
  6. University of Utah, Salt Lake City –1 Nov
  7. University of Wyoming, Laramie –1 Nov
  8. Vanderbilt University – 1 Nov
  9. Arkansas State University – 14 Nov
  10. City University of New York, City College –15 Nov
  11. Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla –15 Nov
  12. Montana State University, Bozeman –15 Nov
  13. New Jersey Institute of Technology – 15-Nov
  14. University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth – 15 Nov
  15. Marist College, Poughkeepsie – 30 Nov
  16. Southern Methodist University – 30 Nov

October-December Alert for Students Applying for Fall 2014

Dilip Oak's Academy

October-December 2013

For many of you who are applying for admission in fall 2014, the months from October to December will be when several important phases of the application process will draw to a close for you. Here’s what you have to do in that critical phase:

Continue reading →

Dr. Harchol-Balter on the Recommendation Letter

Dilip Oak's Academy

Ideally you would like to make all your letters of recommendation count. Consider the following two letters:

(i) Letter 1: “I highly recommend student X for your graduate program. Student X received an A+ in my undergraduate algorithms class. He was ranked Number 2 out of 100 students. He got the highest score on the final. He worked very hard all semester, never missed a class, and was always able to answer the questions that I asked in class. This conscientious attitude makes him an excellent candidate for any graduate program. ”

(ii) Letter 2: “I highly recommend student Y for your graduate program. Student Y received a B in my undergraduate algorithms class. He was ranked Number 29 out of 100 students. Halfway through the semester we started working on network flows. Student Y seemed extremely excited by this topic. He disappeared for 4 weeks and even missed an exam. However when he came back, he showed me some work he had been doing on a new network flow algorithm for high-degree graphs. He had done some simulations and had some proofs. I’ve been working with student Y for the past couple months since then and he is full of ideas for new algorithms. I think student Y’s initiative makes him an excellent candidate for any graduate program.”

Which letter do you think is stronger? It turns out that Letter 2 is very strong. Letter 1 actually counts as 0. At CMU we mark all letters like letter 1 with the acronym D.W.I.C.. This stands for “Did Well In Class” which counts for 0, since we already know from the student’s transcript that he did well in class. By contrast, student Y’s letter gives us a lot of information. It explains that the reason student Y didn’t do better in class was that he was busy doing research. It also tells us that student Y started doing research on his own initiative, and that he is quite good at doing research. The professor was impressed enough with student Y’s ideas that he took him on as a student researcher despite student Y not having high grades.

You want your letters to all be of type 2 (this doesn’t mean that you should skip class!). Remember that letters of type 1 will not count. You want words like self-motivated, strong research potential , own initiative, independent, and driven to appear in your letters. These are the words that we circle when reading recommendation letters. You therefore want to ask letters from people who have seen you do research. These may be professors or employers.

Related Blogs on Application Documents

Related