Jump starting the apparently stalled
Why we are here
 Internal Applications are a complicated process
(specially if you are new to it)
 The need is to have a self sustaining ecosystem
amongst the students where knowledge about
International Applications is shared
 This seminar is an attempt to jumpstart this
(mutual) system of knowledge sharing
 Slides will be sent at the end of seminar. Do share
with friends and reach out to faculty if you have
questions.
Introductions?
 The process of applying for higher education
isn’t an exact science. Everyone chips in with
their experiences and lessons.
 In the context of the topic, it makes sense to
know the speakers background.
 Speakers:
 Shahid Razzaq
 Syed Akbar Mehdi
Do you need to go for higher
education?
 Questions you should ask yourself:
 How was your Bachelors experience?
 Can you afford higher education at the moment?
(education abroad can be expensive)
 Do you feel the need for getting practical
experience instead? … perhaps a job after
undergraduate will give you more clarity on
priorities.
Requirements of International
Applications
 Stuff you will need:
 Transcripts
 Letters of Recommendation
 Statement of Purpose (SOP, also called Personnel




Statement)
GRE Test Scores
TOEFL Test Scores
Resume/CV
Application Fees
Transcripts and Resume
 Transcripts:
 Show how strong you are academically. GPA CAN
MATTER!
 Some universities have a minimum GPA limit for
applications
 Resume/CV:
 It allows you to supplement your transcript
 You can prove the practical side of learning. If your GPA
isn’t very high, then a strong Resume with lots of
interesting projects would help.
 Final Year Project is critical and MUST be mentioned
 Choose your FYP cleverly. If you intend to go for masters,
perhaps a more research oriented FYP would be good.
Letters of Recommendation &
Statement of Purpose
 Letters of Recommendation:
 Normally 3 letters required.
 Written by trust worthy people (read professors/senior managers) and
not your peers/friends.
 Strong letters are a must.
 Statement of Purpose:
 Your own personnel statement (normally 1-2 pages in length) on why
you want to join the particular department/college/university.
 It’s a good idea to look at a sample SOP, but you must write your own.
 Should include the following:
 Your areas of interest and your motivations for the application.
 Professor on the target university/school who you think aligns with
your interest area.
 Prior introduction/collaboration with the said Professor is a good idea
and will help boost your chances.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
 Don’t be scared of it!
 Computer Based/Adaptive
 Organization of Test:
 Quantitative (800)
 Verbal (800)
 Analytical Writing (6)
 General Score requirements for Tier 1/2/3 Universities
 Number of times you give your GREs (history of scores
is visible to universities)
 Cancelling GRE tests (you wouldn’t get to know your
scores, but universities will know you tried giving the
test)
 GRE Subject
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) –
How to prepare
 Give ample time for preparation
 3-5 months, best done during summer breaks
 GRE Power Prep software for practice & benchmarking
(downloadable from GREs website)
 Other software: GRE Bible/…
 Verbal Section:
 High Frequency wordlist (learn 1000 words at the minimum)
 Quantitative Section:
 Practice High School Mathematics
 Analytical Writing:
 Not much you can do in a short time. Practice with sample topics.
See marked examples of essays to and their critique.
 Know the Code Number for the Universities you are applying
TOEFL –Test of English as Foreign
Language
 Piece of cake for most people
 Those students coming from rural areas might want to take this
more seriously
 Basically geared towards testing whether you understand the
English language.
 Mandatory for International Applicants from non-English origin
countries.
 For Internet Based TOEFL, marks are generally out of 120.
 Decent score: 100+ ?
 TOEFL is valid for 2 years
 Best to take TOEFL at the end so that (for your purpose) it
remains valid longer
 Know the Code Number for the Universities you are applying
Selecting the Region
 Regions:





USA
Europe
Far East (Korea, Singapore, China …)
Australia
And more …
 Criteria for selecting Region:
 General ranking of universities in the region
 Universities in a region generally share requirements on
International Applications (that is you guys!)
 Funding/Scholarships are a factor
 Duration of studies
 Look ahead: Do you think you might extend your MS into a PhD?
 Statistical probability on getting Student Visa for the region?
Selecting Universities
 Ranking
 US Universities: US News, WorldReport
 World Ranking: Times Higher Education
 Ranking are based on Area:
 Engineering vs. Law vs. Medical etc so make sure you are looking
at the right ranking
 The 3-5-2 Rule:
 3 Universities above your ‘level’, 5 at level, and 2 below level. Say
your level is same as around 25th Ranked Unviersity (Tier 2).
Apply to 3 universities of tier-1, 5 universities of tier-2 and 2
universities of tier-3 (assumes you apply to 10 universities).
 Expenditure per anum
 Tuition + Boarding + extra
Application Deadlines
 Regular Admissions:

There is a application submission date. All applications have to be
submitted before this time. The admission committee then sits down
and selects students.
 This is what is generally followed by universities in the US.
 Rolling Admissions

The admissions committee keeps reviewing applications as they come
in. When they have selected enough applicants, the admission stops.
 Not very common in the engineering discipline in the US.
 Timelines

What timeline should you follow for preparing and applying for
admissions?
 US Universities:
 For post graduate admissions in the US the deadlines are generally in
November – February timeframe. This is when applying for the Fall
Semester.
 Some universities do take international applications for Spring Semester.
 Expect to hear back around Feb/March. Semester starts Fall of that year
Approximate Timeline for US Universities
GRE Prep
Start
Mark
Progress
Regularly
with Sample
Tests
(Powerprep)
July
Aug
Finalize
University
Choice
Register for
GRE Test
Start
working on
SOP
Ask
Recommenders
for LOR
Sept
Oct
Application
Deadline!
GRE Test
Date
Nov
Dec
Finish
TOEFL
Register Request
LOR Work Finish Test Date
for TOEFL Transcripts
SOP Work
Q&A