Some FAQ on applying for MS

Having gone through this painstaking process of applying for MS, I just felt like its time to help a few out. I'm quite sure there are thousands of such blogs for the MS aspirants.
I'm just going to list out a few questions that I have been asked by my friends, friends' friends' friends....... it goes on and will give my take on those.

P.S.: Since the procedures keep updating themselves almost every year, this might just be outdated information. So, please verify if this applies to you by cross-checking with peers.


About myself:
I hail from Chennai, India. I finished my BE in Information Technology from KREC Surathkal. I just finished my Masters in Computer Science at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Data Mining has been my field of interest. I am currently working at Ask.com ( part of IAC Search & Media).


A few FAQ:

1) Why MS?? Are you asking yourself this question?

If I were to ask myself this question, I have the answers for it. Make sure you have yours too, make sure you are convinced by them. My field of interest needed an MS. I simply couldn't find a possible employment opportunity in data mining without a Masters, at least not in 2005. I wasn't ready to start working yet - I was inquisitive to learn more.

You could simply say - yeah same case for me too! Well if so, good for you! But find out more reasons than this. This is just the tip of the iceberg. You are going to be investing 2 very very valuable years, possibly thousands of dollars, spending time away from your family and so on. Most of you would have just finished your Bachelors. Your Bachelors, depending on which college you graduate from, has a value in the market. When you decide to do an MS, make sure that you increase this value, not decrease it. You can always do an MS in some arbit university in US or any other country. But that won't necessarily put you in a better situation after two years, than your batch mate who didn't pursue higher education and now has 2 valuable years of experience. Think it through.

2) I have xxxx score in GRE / TOEFL. I have x.x GPA in my undergrad. Am I good enough to get admit in this university?

Well, I wish someone could say that, saving a few hundred dollars for us! Some universities do have a "pre"-apping form. You could enter your credentials there and it looks at the past admits and tries to guess. But let me tell you, the admission process is FAR from that simple.

In most universities, admissions are done in two levels. First the Graduate school finds out if you are good fit to their program. This involves to some level, checking your GRE/TOEFL scores, possibly your undergraduate academic performance. It happens at a very generic level, not at all specific to your field of study. Some universities such as MIT, Purdue don't even consider GRE as a factor in their admissions. Fair enough - GRE is the last thing that aims at testing your ability to study higher! It doesn't matter, how many thousands of words you can memorize to complete a MS! But most universities still take it in as a factor. It is weighed differently by different universities based on their own policies and previous experiences. Some universities might simply have a computer program rejecting based on a cut-off! You never know!

Once the Graduate school recommends your admission, it is forwarded to the concerned department for review by the board of admissions. There are tens of professors who are a part of this board. They are usually very experienced people in their own fields and it is made sure that the board has some representation from every possible specialization. This board then evaluates the rest of your credentials such as your Statement Of Purpose, your recommendations, your resume, publications (if any), projects you have worked on and so on. If a professor is looking for someone to work with, and if you match his criteria, your life is done! Otherwise, your package is simply transferred from one person to another - and if there are no takers at the moment, the decision is made to either offer you an admission without funding or place you on a waiting list, or even worse reject the application.

So, at least a dozen of people are involved in deciding whether you get in or not. And you know how unpredictable and unique each person is. Admissions are that complicated.


3) How do I choose which universities to apply to / Which universities are good in so and so field?

There is no easy answer for that. For starters, refer to usnews.com or any similar university ranking agency, list out probably the top 50-100 universities, based on how ambitious you are and based on your background. This is where you have to make a call - go too low in the list, you won't be adding any value to your existing resume. Going too high in the list is not necessary and for most of us, it just remains a dream. Be practical. Do you see yourself getting an admit in 9 of the top 10 universities?? If so, you don't need any luck to go your way. But for the rest of us, we need to choose a list of 10-15 universities.

Identify the field you want to work in. It is easier said than done. Most often, people realize their interests one year down the line in their MS. But if you can at least make a list of them, its good for the beginning. Now, start going to each university's website. Explore their departments. Dig deep into their research activities. Research is the bread-winner for the professors and hence, for us. So, make sure that there are as many professors in your area(s) of interest. The more, the better your chances of finding someone interested in you. Also, just in case things aren't smooth with your professor, you can always find someone who does related work and jump over without having to get stuck with an irate professor. Let me tell you, giving GRE/ TOEFL is the easiest part of the apping process. This step of choosing your list of target universities can take months. And it is the most crucial step. You can start it as early as in your second year or third year of your Bachelors.

Another major factor is your current/past university's visibility to the university you are aiming for. You don't have to be an IITian to get the professor's attention. Professors get to know our universities by either being a Desi or by knowing some student who hailed from there. So, find out your college alumni who are in those universities. They give you visibility (hopefully a positive one! ). A lot of admissions happen through this tradition of alumni. Try to choose those universities which has a history of admitting your seniors. That greatly improves the chances of them spotting your resume. Some professors in India have good contacts. They can be of great help too in short-listing your universities.

Once you have kind of narrowed down, make sure you have a good mixture in your list. Have about 3-4 top notch universities, 6-7 mid-range and if needed, 2 or 3 safe bets. This is very very subjective. So, make your call on how many you choose in each category.


4) How is the funding scenario in xyz university?

Usually, there are two types of funding options available, apart from the fellowship that is. One is a Research Assistantship (RA) and the other is a Teaching Assistantship (TA). Each professor has a certain amount of funding available with him/her. They are completely responsible for giving you an RA, since they will be paying you for your work and tuition. TA positions are handed out by the department. They have a certain demand each semester and look out for prospective candidates. Each department's policy varies w.r.t priorities in handing out TAs. ( For e.g., my department in my university gave priority to unfunded PhD students over MS students for TA-ships. Makes sense for them, since PhD students are spending a much longer time in the department, completing projects and generating more revenue for the professor and the department).

As for RAs, the professor takes a very very careful look at you before giving one. Many professors within the department aren't even interested in MS students, since it takes about 2-3 months to know the game and you will be there for 1 and half years more, at the best, to play and excel in it! Also, it is almost impossible to get an RAship within the department before you finish probably a semester and do great in his/her course. But think about this in terms of a professor. He/ She will be investing thousands of dollars and more importantly - almost 2 years to get what he wants from you. And what does he know about you before you meet him? Only what is said in the SOP, resume and more importantly, your recommendations. If you have indeed worked with some professor he/she knew was good, and if you have a decent recommendation from them, you might be lucky to get an RAship at the time of admit.

Also, remember that ANY professor can sponspor your education in the university. So, don't get bogged down if people in the department aren't interested. Look out, venture out. Find other departments that might need what you are good at. If you are CS guy, you will find plenty of other departments that need people to write code / maintain code. So, once you reach the university, make sure that you meet as many people outside as possible. Contact them by mail, get appointments. If they are impressed and even if they don't have a need right away, they might forward you to some friend of theirs and lo! you have a recommendation from within, already! It does take a lot of luck to get funding, all said and done.

So, don't fret too much about funding when applying. Almost nobody gets funding while getting an admit. And a good percentage manage it after coming here. So, you could be the lucky one.


5) Should I do a PhD so that I have better chances of funding?

Absolutely NO! PhD is an entirely different ball game. You will be spending nearly 6-7 years on average for your PhD. It requires very high levels of commitment and focus. You have better funding chances because of the very fact that you are spending that long a period of your prime-time doing research. It is just the money you get for your prof via projects that comes back to you for your stipend and fee waiver.

Some might argue, why not drop off after a MS, initially enrolling for an MS? Well, it is disgraceful at its best. You are committing yourself to research and that is the reason your professor funds you. By breaking away with a MS, you will be breaking your professor's trust, your ethics. Professors can be very influential people and if you happen to have a rough one, it might hamper your career in a big way. Having said this, some people do have very understanding professors. People do terminate with a MS. But those are very few cases.

So, don't ever commit to a PhD unless you are absolutely sure that you are not joining for the sake of funding. Many students I know are still figuring out what their PhD thesis will be on, after spending about 3-4 years. You don't have to pinpoint what you are going to do, to commit to a PhD. You just need to know that you won't quit.




Well , I thought that these were the most frequently asked questions. Do put in your comments / questions. Let it be an open discussion and aspirants will find it helpful!