DEBABRATA SENGUPTA

B. S. SASI KANTH
APRI L 1 1
Graduate Studies Abroad
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Requirements (in order of priority)
Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Recommendations
Personal History Statement (in some univs.)
CPI (till the 6
th
semester)
GRE Score
TOEFL Score
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On a lighter note ...
Lots of patience and time
A bit of planning in advance
A credit card
Lots of money
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University Selection
Estimate your chances of getting in ... CPI can be a
good indicator.
Choose 2 univs which are above your level (your
dream univs. maybe), few at par, and 2 safe choices
(below your level).
Safe choices should be really safe !!
Go by the reputation of the department/ area of
research, not the reputation of the university as a
whole.
Consider matches between your projects and
ongoing research at universities.
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Some popular univs. for ECE
(not in order of priority)
MIT ??
Stanford
Berkeley
UIUC
CMU
Michigan
UT Austin
Cornell
UCSD (and other UCs)
USC
Caltech
Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech
Dont be reluctant to apply to universities in Canada / Europe (safe
choices).
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GRE
Not the deciding factor!
Many univs. dont need GRE! (eg. Canada/Europe)
Score > 1300 is sufficient. However, getting 780-800
in Quant. is imperative.
Preparation
Barrons (start preparing from Jan it takes 2-3 months)
Big Book (collection of past papers; e-copy on DC, hard copy
with some seniors)
The examination
Appear for it by end of March (6
th
sem)
Passport essential!
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GRE (contd.)
Scores
Verbal & Quant displayed immediately after the exam
Complete scores in 4 weeks
Sending out scores to universities
Must choose 4 univs during the exam no extra fees for this.
Go prepared with the names and states where these 4 univs are
located.
Send scores to remaining univs. later ($23 for each)
Caution : It takes 2 weeks for your scores to reach the univs.
Should I reappear??
An emphatic NO!! (Score>=1300)
Maybe, (Score<1300 and you have time, money and patience)
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TOEFL
The easiest and the most useless exam!
1-2 weeks of preparation sufficient.
Scores dont matter NEVER reappear !! Used
mostly for offering TA positions.
Preparation : Kaplan Test CD (available in DC++)
Take the test
preferably along with GRE
or at the end of August/ during Techniche
Sending scores to 4 univs. free; $17 for every
additional score report.
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SOP
Probably the most important part of your application
Precise summary of your academic achievements, your
future goals and why youll be a good match for the
university.
What to write:
Your past projects and how they have helped in refining your
research interest.
Take-away fromeach project/internship.
What motivated you to pursue grad studies?
Your achievements : CPI/ Rank in class/ papers/ GRE/TOEFL scores
(proof that youll be able to cope up)
Whats fascinating about the university/profs/ongoing research
Any other specific thing which the univ. asks for
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SOP (contd.)
What not to write
No GRE words!
No fake projects
Tailor your SOP to the university no spamming!
Very cumbersome job start early (August).
Reviewing
Read SOPs of seniors
Keep reviewing by yourself till youre satisfied
Send this draft to friends/seniors/faculty for comments
Review again till youre satisfied.
Its your SOP decide for yourself which advice to
reject and which to follow!
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Recommendations
Usually 3
Ask profs who know you well (internship guides, BTP
advisor, course instructors, etc.)
A more detailed reco from a not-so-renowned prof is
always better
Ask your prof to provide examples from his
interaction with you to justify his statements.
Must be submitted directly by the prof, online.
Request profs for recos starting mid October and
give themsufficient time (at least 1 month!) to fill in.
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Sending completed applications
Post documents well before the deadline (allow for 2-
3 weeks), even before submitting the application.
Use a reliable courier DHL (Admin. Bldg.) is fine.
2-3 people applying to the same university can send
one packet to share costs (Rs 1100 per packet!)
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Concluding words of advice
Plan early and plan well!
Decide whether you want to apply by the 6
th
sem; prepare for and
finish off GRE / TOEFL.
3
rd
year summer internship extremely important
Maintain a cordial relationship with your prof.
Work hard try getting a paper out of it!
Choose your universities carefully
Try as much as possible to avoid clashes with friends (specially ones
with higher CPI)
Keep safe choices
Follow instructions and deadlines
Be careful of what has been asked for in the SOP
Better to apply as early as possible for univs. with rolling admission.
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Suggested Timeline
Task Should ideally be completed by
1. Appearing for GRE End of 6
th
semester (end of March)
2. Choosing univs End of August
3. Appearing for TOEFL End of August
4. Starting with the SOP Mid August/ Early September
5. Issuing enough transcripts Early October
6. Completing first draft of SOP Mid October
7. Finalizing the SOP End of October
8. Contacting profs for recos End of October
9. Start filling in forms online Early November
10. Posting applications Mid/End of November
11. Submitting forms online Before the deadlines in December/Jan
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Useful Contacts
Name Batch University
Harpreet Singh 2008 MS: Virginia Tech, PhD : UT Austin
Pratik Kotkar 2008 Cornell University
Akash Baid 2008 Rutgers Univ.
Deepjyoti Deka 2009 PhD : UT Austin
Karan Sikka 2010 UCSD
Ankit Singh 2010 Virginia Tech
Sarabjot Singh 2010 UT Austin
B. Dilip 2010 USC
Debabrata Sengupta 2011 Stanford University
B.S. Sasikanth 2011 CMU
Aniketh Talwai 2011 UCSD
Debanga Raj Neog 2011 UBC
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