This comes as a sequel to my reviews on preparation for GRE and TOEFL. This review would be useful to graduate students aiming for higher education in United States. Pardon me for my bias towards Engineering and Science as that is my major.
*So where do you begin?
*The answers can be as many as the people answering it. I realize that the basic orientation starts from childhood(not about studying abroad, but about the need for a great career). Parents play an important role in grooming children in thinking and deciding for their major. Schooling, again decided by parents, plays an important role. Since one would need to appear for TOEFL and GRE, a good command over English language is nearly a must, and there is no substitute for good schooling for the same. But wait, does that mean that those who have not been to the best schools should drop the idea? ABSOLUTELY NOT. One can start early and do some introspection about his / her strengths and weaknesses, and identify the areas that need urgent reapirs. That’s what I call a "systematic approach".
So where do you really begin?
The last 2 years or so of Graduate education are when more than 90% of the aspirants begin the systematic preparation. Your exact answer would depend upon the results of the introspection that I wrote about above.
So what all do you need to know?
First of all you need to know yourself. In broader sense, you would need to think seriously about the major(or posible majors) that interest you and you think you have the aptitude and the attitude to take them. Hold on, I am not limiting this discussion to just the 2 years of MS education, but want to emphasise that one focuses more on the possible career options with the major chosen by the aspirant.
Ok, I know myself now, What next?
Good, so lets move on. Here is a list that I came up with after my own introspection, advices from seniors and from the knowledge spread across cyberspace.:
1.One must set up a timeline to plan the timing of his / her admission process.
2.Gather a list of Universities that offer tha major one has chosen.Take help. There is a lot of stuff available over the internet. I will post few very useful links to help you get started.This could help on shortlisting universities.
3. Collect information about Financial Aid and International Student Loans. Unless you belong to the Ambani or Birla families, you might want to consider options to meet the expenses of your higher education. There are Financial aids available from within many Universities and there are student loans widely available now(Any of the banks would be ready to oblige you).
4.Prepare for GRE and TOEFL.It will be useful to talk to some one who has already taken them. You can also read reviews on MS which have some useful links too.
5.Take guidance on preparing your Application Packet.This includes recommendation letters from your employers / faculty and 2-3 essays decribing your intent with the chosen program and how you think it will help you in fulfilling your ambition.Remember, you must have an ambition, something that may have its roots in your childhood. It is important to have recommendation letters by someone who is recognised in the industry and has monitored your work closely. These are subtle parameters that the selection commitee will use when deciding the fate of your application.
6.Collect information on preparing for your Student Visa, including a tour of the US Embassy(if possible).
What do Universities want?
Universities are in the business of imparting education and building up on existing knowledge through Research and Development. Most of the better Universities across the globe tie up with the Industry and other Non Financial organisations to develop more knowledge on topics of mutual interest. Every university has to depend largely on its Alumni to maintain and earn name for itself. Long story short, the quality of any university depends on the quality of products(Graduated Students) it gives to the world. To ensure this happens, every university would like to admit students who have the potential and the means to help them succeed in this endeavor. Hence the application packet I wrote about above is your first(and hopefully not the last) interface with the particular university. In general, applications are evaluated on the basis of the following:
1. Past Acedemic Record - This normally means last 4 years of education.(For B.tech this is true, B.Sc, B.com and B.A. students may need to find out how to make up for the 4th year).
2.** Quality of the essay type answers - Hence it is a good idea to have it reviewed by someone who has authority.
3.** Scores in GRE and TOEFL - the higher the better.
4.** Other details in the application.
5.** Recommendation letters.
6.** Financial adequacy(Own funds, approved loans or Scholarships).
*What else do you want?
*Here are some useful links for the interested reader. I have found value in the same and hence am pasting them here. Readers are requested to add useful links in the comments scetion for the benefit of everyone.
US Top Universities list
https://usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php
https://learn4good.com/great_universities/universities_usa.htm
https://univsource.com/
https://graduateshotline.com/ranks/
How to apply to US universities
https://usapply.tripod.com/
Wishing the very best to everyone who works to achieve his / her dream.