The  TOEFL Preparation Guide

Now for the last two weeks before the test: A time to step back and believe all those who to console you say that is way too easy and get up getting 90’s. Or completely freak out and find excuses to do anything other than study. Or simple follow this blog and get a 120 in 14 days like me!

1.Learn the pattern. Seems so obvious and stupid but there is nothing worse than arriving at the centre and being stumped by the pattern. Moron!

2.The TOEFL requires a lot less of studying and more of practising. Be sure to give 15 tests of each section except for the writing of course. A four and a half hour test, your bum will urge you to get up and walk about a bit. So get ready to sit down and concentrate.

3.Don’t bother with tuitions or purchasing any books. E-books are more than sufficient and so is YouTube. Yes. Now is the time to stop being glued onto YouTube to waste time. Type in toefl.tv or similar sites. There is a lot of content which can guarantee you a 120.

4.Make your own strategies. Might sound a bit too cliché. But it doesn’t get truer than this.

Reading: Practise reading comprehensions, answer according to the context.

Listening: Understanding the American accent, good memory and jotting speed.

Speaking: Uncontrived response, speak fluently, clearly and coherently, you might falter once or twice, or maybe thrice, but speak confidently, as if you’re the one lecturing the evaluator.

Writing: Do not use exact words from the reading or listening passages, don’t need to use flowery language nor the ‘GRE words’, should have good command over grammar and keen analytical skills

Reach well ahead of time, do not waver your eyes and be confident. Cheers!

Master’s inBusiness Analytics Program

The former CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer once said, " Thenext era of computer science is going to focus on Machine Learning". And machine learning is all about data mining and validation of "BigData" to improve the decision making and forecast the trends. This is otherwise known as Business Intelligence. Analytics is the way forward and there is a huge demand of Big data Analysts. Follow the threads for further info:

www.mckinsey.com/features/big_data
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bwoo...

If you see closely, its a hybrid subject which takes materials from Mathematics, Statistics, ComputerScience and Business to predict and forecast certain patterns to help you intaking informed deciddion.

Businessanalytics vs. data science

Inall honesty, I recommend ignoring the rankings of these programs since therankings are comparing apples to oranges. For some people apples are deliciousand others prefer oranges. It doesn’t make any one “better” but rankings agencydon’t get paid for being smart, only for making rankings.

Whatyou should do:

1. Ask yourself why you are getting the degree: Areyou doing it to learn new techniques? Is it to network in a new industry?

2.Look up each program and determine if thecurriculum matches that goal. If you want to learn Python, R and SQL, are therecourses in that?

3.Look at where each program is placing theirstudents. Presumably one reason you are getting a Masters is because you wantto get a job. Are students, after going through the program, getting jobs inthat area? Life-Pro-Tip: Be wary of programs that don’t give out jobstatistics!

Datascience involves more custom coding andmore open-ended questions. Datascientists generally don''''''''''''''''t set out to solve a specificquestion, as most Business analysts do. Rather, they will explore data usingadvanced statistical methods and allow the features in the data to guide theiranalysis.

Themore advanced areas of business analytics can start to resemble datascience, but there is a distinction. Even when advancedstatistical algorithms are applied to data sets, it doesn''''''''''''''''t necessarily meandata science is involved. There are a host of business analytics tools that canperform these kinds of functions automatically, requiring few of the specialskills involved in data science.

Organizations of all types and sizeshave been collecting data on their customers, markets, processes, and eveninfrastructure, and then, analyzing the data to develop both significantbusiness insights and machine-based intelligent systems that are effective andefficient. Analytics has thus become a broad and dynamic field with significantshortage of individuals with expertise in advanced analytics.

Since some readers are comparing the MS in Analytics withthe MS in Statistics, let us clarify this as well. MS in Analytics = 60-70%Statistics + 20% Computer Science + 10-20% Business,  (depending ondifferent schools, the percentage could be slightly different). Typically, an"MS in Business Analytics" has more Business and less Statistics thanan "MS in Analytics".

Therefore, MS in Analytics programs do not typicallyproduce Statisticians. They typically produce Data Analysts, Business Analysts,Marketing Analysts, Analytics Managers, Data Scientists... working mostly forcommercial companies. Some of the advanced topics in Statistics with fewpractical applications in business will be skipped. You will definitely use Rand/or SAS, but no Matlab. You probably won''''''''''''''''t know as much Statistics as aformally trained Statistician but you will know more than enough Statistics toapply in business. Instead, you will learn some other skills that manycompanies need but a typical Statistician is unlikely to be skilled in, such ascomputer science skills (Databases, Big Data, Hadoop, Hive, Pig, Python, NoSQL,Programming languages...) and business skills (how to communicate statisticalconcepts to non-technical audience, how to translate business problems intoanalytics problems, how to apply Statistics in Marketing, Finance...).

1. What is a Master’s in BusinessAnalytics ?

Business analytics aims to turn big data intoactionable intelligence. To that end, business analysts use a variety ofstatistical and quantitative methods, computational tools, and predictivemodels – as well as their knowledge of finance, the corporate world, and theeconomy – to make data-driven decisions.

Unlike Business Intelligence (BI), which are oftenconcerned with measuring past performance, Business Analytics (BA) programstend to focus more on prescriptive and predictive techniques (e.g. “what shouldwe do?” and “what happens next?”). Unlike MS in Data Science programs, MS inBusiness Analytics degrees usually concentrate on mining data in order toachieve specific business goals (e.g. more profits).

2.There is a Difference Between theMBA and the MS

MBA programs—even ones with business analyticsconcentrations—are often geared towards those who make decisions about data.These folks may not be as interested in developing models or wrestling withapplications. If you want to get stuck into the technical side of things, lookat programs with “science” in the title.

3.Every Program is Unique

Most MS degrees include standard foundation coursesin analytics. However, to give the MS a business edge, schools love to tweakthe curriculum. They may have economics & communications electives. Theymay include industry projects or competitions. They may even offerinterdisciplinary programs (e.g. Master of Business and Analytics).You have loads of options.

4.Admissions Criteria Are Important

Some MSprograms want applicants with a bachelor’s degree in engineering or stats; someare happy with a few prerequisites. MBA programs may prefer candidates with abusiness background or extensive work experience. Explore the Class Profile tosee if you are a good fit and choose your degree accordingly.

Business analytics is used by companies committedto data-driven decision-making. 

BAis used to gain insights that inform business decisions and can be used toautomate and optimize business processes. Data-driven companies treat theirdata as a corporate asset and leverage it for a competitive advantage.Successful business analytics depends on dataquality, skilled analysts who understand the technologiesand the business, and an organizational commitment to data-drivendecision-making.

Businessanalytics examples

Businessanalytics techniques break down into two main areas. The first is basic businessintelligence. This involves examining historical data to get asense of how a business department, team or staff member performed over aparticular time. This is a mature practice that most enterprises are fairlyaccomplished at using.

Thesecond area of business analytics involves deeper statisticalanalysis. This may mean doing predictiveanalytics by applying statistical algorithms tohistorical data to make a prediction about future performance of a product,service or website design change. Or, it could mean using other advancedanalytics techniques, like cluster analysis, to groupcustomers based on similarities across several data points. This can be helpfulin targetedmarketing campaigns, for example.

Specific types ofbusiness analytics include:

·       Descriptiveanalytics, which tracks keyperformance indicators to understand thepresent state of a business;

·       Predictive analytics, which analyzes trend data toassess the likelihood of future outcomes; and

·       Prescriptiveanalytics, which uses past performance to generaterecommendations about how to handle similar situations in the future.

While the twocomponents of business analytics -- business intelligence and advancedanalytics -- are sometimes used interchangeably, there are some key differencesbetween these two business analytics techniques:

Business analytics applications

Business analyticstools come in several different varieties:

·       Datavisualization tools

·       Business intelligence reporting software

·       Self-serviceanalytics platforms

·       Statistical analysis tools

·       Bigdata platforms

Self-service hasbecome a major trend among business analytics tools. Users now demand softwarethat is easy to use and doesn''''''''''''''''t require specialized training. This has led tothe rise of simple-to-use tools from companies such as Tableau and Qlik, amongothers. These tools can be installed on a single computer for smallapplications or in server environments for enterprise-wide deployments. Oncethey are up and running, business analysts and others with less specializedtraining can use them to generate reports, charts and web portals that trackspecific metrics in data sets.

Students of analytics must master not only the traditional analyticaltheory and practice but also learn emerging new technologies. The growth of bigdata demands that analytics professionals expand their skills to take advantageof a new world of possibilities or be pushed out of the field, so the shortagegrows larger.

Regarding Admission there are a couple of things

·       Most schools attempt to evaluate profiles holistically (they focus noton a single number or “thing”), so evaluating a profile by looking at a fewsets of numbers is generally a fool’s errand.

·       Part of the reason for numbers, such as GPA and GRE, being goodindicators for admission is because they are correlated with other factors.Students with high GPAs tend to have good LORs, for example.

·       Schools will (generally) publish some mean / median statistics forGRE/GMAT, so you should consider those when making a decision (USF’s MedianScore for Quant GRE is 167, for example).

·       So to answer your question — you should look at the score statisticsthat each school has to see where you stand, but outside of that there is verylittle information.

·       People on the internet who say “Oh your GRE is XXX and your GPA is Y.YYyou will get in” have ZERO information and should be ignored. Students with lowGPAs (but sterling LOR and SOPs) get into good programs all the time andstudents with amazing GPAs and GREs are denied admission frequently.

<p>I’m sorry that there is no hard and fast rule, but the reality is thatadmissions are difficult and time-consuming, both for the student and theadmissions committee. Take your time to evaluate each program, write a goodSOP, make sure your LORs are strong and that is the best you can do!</p>

All about I-20

You had been waiting for this moment with bated breath! Just received your I-20, you are on cloud nine and all set to embark on a fresh journey to your dream destination for your higher studies. I-20 indeed is an official stamp to your eligibility and approval to study in the university that sends you this much sought-after document.

What is an I-20?

Form I-20 is an official endorsement by universities that tells the U.S. government that you are eligible for F-1 Student Status. It certifies that

1. You meet all necessary admission requirements of the concerned university

2. You will pursue a full time study of a particular programme in the university

3. You have demonstrated your financial capabilities fully to fund your education at the concerned college / university without having to work illegally.

Before a university sends an I-20 document to you, they may ask for one or more than one of the below listed:

1. Some university may ask you to deposit certain non-refundable amount to secure your participation before sending your I-20

2. Some colleges ,after sending you official confirmation of your admit may ask you to send a bank solvency certificate from your bank, that confirms to your financial capability to fund your education, stay and incidental expenses during the period of your intended stay in the US. Some universities may not accept solvency certificate and may demand for a bank statement instead.

3. Some colleges may send the I-20 straight away without asking for any of the above. Make sure you do not go about accumulating I-20 from different universities to flaunt to your friends. Please understand, there are many deserving aspirants in queue and you may be waning away their chances by holding on I-20 you do not need. Arrival of your I-20 marks the start of Visa application process. You must ensure that all information such as your course beginning and start date, program and sponsorship details on your I-20 are correct, before you apply for your F-1 Visa. If at all there is any discrepancy you must immediately get in touch with the university advisor and request for rectification. Please make sure that you request for I-20 through trusted courier services like DHL or FEDEX. You may end up paying 30 -40 Dollars extra but this will safeguard your document from getting lost on its way.

How is I-20 generated?

Once a student is through with the admission process his personal details are fed in U.S government database called SEVIS. The SEVIS consecutively processes the information and generates an I-20.The I-20 thus obtained from the government database is signed and stamped by the designated university official and sent out to the applicant. Your I-20 includes Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) assigned number that is crucial for applying for VISA. I-20 is a very important document and should be kept safely as one may require producing it at the port of entry to the US along with one''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s passport.

Various uses of I-20

1. To get your F-1 visa

2. It can act as your academic and legal proof

3. You need this form get your social security number and to get your driving license in the US

4. If you are leaving US and visiting other country during the period of your stay in US you need to carry I-20

5. It is necessary to reapply for Visa and re-enter USA Upon receipt of your I-20, you become eligible to apply for F-1 visa and only once you get F-1 visa you become eligible to study in the US. While you make the most of this wondrous multi-purpose document, always remember to keep it safe throughout your stay in the US.

Confusion with Multiple Admits

You always dreamt of making it to the top US universities and lady luck has been smiling upon you. You have received not just one, not even two but three admits from top colleges in the US and but you are still at crossroads? Admits from coveted universities is tough to come by but equally tough is to make up your mind regarding which one to select. While you might be tempted to follow your guts and flip a coin to make a choice, you need to deliberate a lot before you take the final plunge. The choice has to be right mix of comfort as well as something that requires you to walk some extra miles to prove your mettle. Not only do you need to be a good fit for the college, but also the college in turn also needs to be a good fit for you. Moreover, you need to resist the temptation of giving into peer and parental pressure as far as deciding which university to attend. These factors may come to your rescue (in order of significance):

1. Return on Investment

While factors such as tuition fees, location and financial aid may be important criteria for deciding on your admission, you must always have a long term perspective in terms of return on investment. The ROI principle is a simple calculation, as follows: ROI = Probability of securing a job after graduation * expected salary /Total cost of education including tuition, living expenses, etc. Your goal is to maximize ROI. In some cases, you may decide to go to a more expensive school because the numerator (i.e., probability of securing a job after graduate * expected salary) is much higher.

2. Placement

Generally speaking, there is a high level of positive correlation between reputation of a university and employment opportunities. Make sure you do a thorough check on the placement report of last two years of the university you are joining. Also do a comparative study with other schools in the same league to ascertain the real employment scenario.

3. Admit with and without financial aid

Now this is a tricky situation. You have received admits from two universities and one is offering you financial aid while the other expects you to fully fund your education. While you may be lured to go with the one offering aid, just consider a few things before making the final decision. If the university offering you aid is less than 20 places in position than the one not proposing any aid, rethink on your decision. If the ranking of two universities are close, consider the university which is offering you assistantship. Better college ranking has a lasting effect in shaping your career. You stand a better chance of getting jobs and internships if your college ranking is higher. Moreover, you will get better exposure in a higher ranked university. However if the difference between the two colleges is insignificant, you can go ahead with the one offering you financial aid. No one minds easing out financial worries after all.

4. Ranking

To make your life easy, start with checking the rating for the colleges in question. General ranking of the colleges may not give you a complete picture therefore you need to delve deeper and check program specific rankings. Once you establish how much value the program will add to your aspirations, go ahead and consider the next factor.

5. Location

Choosing a university means choosing a city too for minimum of two years. You might want to consider all aspects such as temperature, weather, crowd and location, whether the study location is a metro or countryside well in advance so that you do not have any adjustment issues later on.

6. Acquaintances and relatives near the University

You feel more safe and confident, if you already know someone in the location that you are going to, for your further studies. They might not be at your beck and call always; still having them around gives you a sense of security.

7. Networking

Graduating from a good college also means joining the wider and better network of professionals. Your seniors and peers are going to be a great help in the future advancement of your career. By the sheer virtue of belonging to an elite network of professionals, your brand value will take a huge leap. Study abroad is a phenomenally expensive undertaking and you must carefully consider the above mentioned factors before you seal your decision.

SCORE HIGH IN GRE

Before we start, let us see how much do you actually know about Graduate Record Examination (GRE)? Which of these facts do you think are true?

GRE is to be taken only by Engineers. Anyone who wants to take the GRE must have a four year degree (12 + 4). GRE is only for graduate study programs in US. GRE is only for Masters/PhD in technical field. GRE is all about good vocabulary i.e. your mastery over word list while the Quantitative Reasoning section is very easy, at least for an engineer.

If you score badly on GRE, you can always improve your score through a retake “ as simple as that !

Well, if you marked any of the above as true, you are wrong. All the statements above are wrong. And not your fault probably, because you have relied on your reliable hearsay sources. A lot has changed on the GRE since it changed its structure in 2011, both in terms of what is tested and in terms of the applicability of the test score. For example, GRE “ the name itself suggests “ is for any Graduate program outside India, at least the top 100 programs outside India and all programs in US, and contrary to general perception, it is not merely an aptitude test.

GRE is also the only indicator of academic equivalence. And so, when you apply to a program like ETH Zurich which does not mandate a GRE score, you would still want to mention your GRE score in your application and SOP (Statement of Purpose) simply because a very good GRE score is an evidence of superiority over your peers. And how does that superiority help? Sometimes, by pushing your application over the finish line and getting you an admit in a tough competition. The other times, helping you get some tuition waiver or Teaching Assistantship (TA). In sum, if a program does not need GRE, you might still want to use your GRE score to improve your chances of admission. Like MIT EECS (Electrical, Electronics and Computer Sciences) website says GRE scores not mandatory. So should I apply to MIT EECS without a GRE score, when I know that despite this, every one in the last year''''''''''''''''s class had a GRE score? So, what is the change in structure? Well, you can refer your hearsay sources again. Those who assume GRE Quantitative Reasoning is easy, have typically underperformed on the test. Why? Is the GRE tough? Or do you think GRE has negative marking? If the latter is the case, you must be talking about some other test, because no standardized test “ be it GRE or GMAT “ has any scope of negative marking. Yes, there is a penalty for unattempted questions. Same about the dummy (unscored, undisclosed extra section) “ which one is the dummy? Fact is, it will not help your score even if you identify which section on your test is a dummy. You might want to focus on improving your overall aptitude than understanding how to identify a dummy section on the GRE. And about the wordlists which now belong to the previous generation. The earlier GRE format had 18-21 Vocab based questions (Antonyms, Analogies and Sentence Completion) which mandated you learn the wordlist.

The current GRE format consists only 4 “ 7 questions per section (4 questions of Sentence Equivalence and 2-3 questions of Single Blank Text Completion) which require you have a very good hold of vocabulary. In short, the emphasis has decreased from 70% of total questions to 30% of total questions. You really still want to mug up that wordlist just because your senior or your friend or your coaching person says it helps? And when you know that against these 14 Vocab-heavy questions, GRE also puts you through 16-20 questions of Reading Comprehension over 2 sections? It is simple “ GRE has balanced itself out over various abilities in Verbal Reasoning “ an imperative change considering more than 65% B-schools across the world now accept GRE scores in place of GMAT scores for all their management programs. And why would they not? Stanford GSB took the initiative in 2009 to accept GRE scores as equivalent to GMAT scores for its MBA program. And when Stanford has no problems, why would the others? To summarise the entire problem, there is a lot you can do to improve your performance on GRE because there are a lot of concepts being tested. Somehow, if your target score is around 310, you might find no big deal in organizing, planning, getting hold of the right material, going through a rigorous test series, cutting the crap of rumours and myths around you, and holding your nerve in the right place when you take the test. The big deal starts above 315 “ that is when you start thinking about the top 30 or top 50 programs in the US. Or if I can put it bluntly, there are two types of students who will target graduate studies abroad. The first type is The Mass “ they rely on their consultants and their friends and their relatives to take what is apparently the biggest career decision of their life. The second type is The Class “ a small percentage who will use all the information at their disposal, right from the rankings of programs on official websites, to the minimum GRE requirements mentioned on the university program websites and reviewing the class profile, and targeting not less than a 320. Why a 320 or more? Because they know that GRE score is THE difference maker. And how can I say that? I can say that because I have seen my students breaching the glass ceiling repeatedly, breaking the myth repeatedly and proving wrong the ones who bombastically predicted Oh, your score is too low, your GPA is too low, you are not an IITian or NITian so you won''''''''''''''''t make it. It''''''''''''''''s your life, your career. Either you drive it, or you get ready to be taken for a ride. Dr. Ajit Singh finished his graduation from Government Medical College, Surat and worked with Family Health Plan Limited as Manager - Operations. He followed his managerial work ex with an MBA from SDA Bocconi, the 5th best European B-school and worked as a consultant in Stockholm before returning to India to his first passion - training students preparing for education abroad with Endeavor Careers. Endeavor Careers is Western India''''''''''''''''s best coaching institute for CAT, MHCET, GRE & GMAT exams.

Finalising Your University From Admits

Once you are done sending your university applications by the month of December or at the most January, the long anxious wait for the outcome begins. Admits (or rejects) start flowing in from mid February and can keep coming till the second week of May or sometimes even later. After you receive the responses of all the universities you had applied to, choose the best possible admit from them (this can especially become tricky if you have to choose between two similarly ranked Universities)

Tips on finalizing THE university from the admits:

1.Try to get in touch with some seniors who are currently pursuing their graduation from that university and course. Ask your seniors about pros and cons of the universities you wish to select for your masters degree.

2.Know about the Job prospects (which is the prime reason you''''''''''''''''re going there), ranking of the university, weather conditions and location of the city/town (read safety and happening life).

3.And last but not the least, get in touch with your classmates/batchmates who are joining that university so that you can ‘enjoy’ the higher studies as well. You must also try using our Roommate finder on Yocket-app.

Along with an ‘admit’ the universities also sends you a form issued on your name called the “I-20 Form”. It is a document issued by the university to the students who have been granted admission and tells the US government that you are eligible for F-1 Student Status. You should receive this via post within 3-4 weeks of receiving the ‘admit’. Only after receiving this I-20 you are eligible to appear for VISA in student’s category (F-1 Visa). If you do not receive it within the stipulated period you must get in touch with the concerned authorities of the university to speed the process of getting it.

NOTE: Some universities require you to send a few documents like Affidavit, Bank Statement, Financial support, etc. for verification only after which the I-20 Form is processed. You can opt for Yocket Loan Assistance to get help with your education loan process and quickly connect with the right loan providers.

Total expenses for MS in US

Wondering how much it costs to complete your MS from US? We''''''''''''''''ve summed up most of the factors here and you''''''''''''''''ll get a fair idea of the expenditure involved (unless, of course, you travel business class)

EXPENSES IN INDIA

1. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Exam Fee

This is, usually, the first step towards the entire journey. This parameter is like the poker face - nobody knows whether it can make or break the chances; and hence, it has always been the most popular of all. The cost of the exam is $205 Low scorers and a bunch of restless high scorers might retake the exam adding another $205.

2. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

While you MIGHT skip the GRE test for your applications to the States (some universities do take in applications without GRE), TOEFL is something that you can''''''''''''''''t skip. It is like the passport to the United States. The universities need to know your proficiency with the language and hence, it is a compulsory exam, if not at the time of applications, atleast during the VISA interview. The cost of the exam is $170.

3. Applying to US universities:

Fees for applying to each university varies from $50 to $100 with former being the most common. However, applications are incomplete without sending your official test scores (GRE and TOEFL) through ETS, adding another $47 (GRE: $27 and TOEFL: $20) On an average, students apply to 10 US universities and the total estimate comes out to be as follows: Application Fee ($60) + Sending GRE and TOEFL scores ($27 + $20) = $107. Let''''''''''''''''s be on the safer (read higher) side and assume $110 per university. So, applications to 10 universities will be a whopping $1100.

4. Other Expenses During Applications:

Now, this list might be long and will drastically vary from every applicant. Still, the normal expenses in this category are as follows:

a) Counselling: Applicants, rather lazy applicants, who feel that a counsellor can fit in their shoes and get them to Stanford or Berkeley shell out anything from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 50,000. We''''''''''''''''ve assumed the average at Rs. 25,000.

b) Transcripts on the college letter head (around 15 copies), Bank Statements (15), Affidavit (15) with the sponsors name on it (15) and Dispatching them to the university (major expenditure of the lot). This, altogether, should not cost more than Rs. 12,000. In some cases, students make multiple copies of the Letter of Recommendations (LoRs) and Statement of Purpose (SoP) and unnecessarily burn an extra 500 bucks or so.

5. VISA:

While the costs are just a noteable factor, it''''''''''''''''s really important to know the entire VISA Procedure. Once you receive your I20 (official document sent by the university which states your stay in the United States and the amount to be spent for year), you need to pay up the VISA Fee which is $160 followed by the SEVIS fee which is $200.

6. Flight Tickets:

Single way airfares in Economy Class vary between Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 60,000 depending on your city, destination and airline. Return airfares cost somewhere between Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 90,000 and are a better deal if you''''''''''''''''re gonna miss family too much. Thus, the total expenses are listed below:

Factors/ParameterAmount

GRE$205

TOEFL$170

Applications$1100

CounsellingRs. 25,000

Other Expenses During ApplicationsRs. 12,000

VISA Fee$160

SEVIS Fee$200

AirfaresRs. 50,000 (one way)

Total$3,300 with Counselling $2,900 without Counselling

Note: The above table is derived based on numerous assumptions and actual costs may vary for different individuals. We''''''''''''''''ve only summarized some important expenses to get a rough estimate of the costs.

EXPENSES IN US

Students who plan to study in states/cities like California, New York City, Chicago, New Jersey, Washington, Florida, Boston have to keep in mind that owing to the popularity of the location, they might have to spend more. Moreover, if you plan to stay alone or with a single roommate in a nice furnished apartment, the expenses certainly will be higher. So find yourself a nice roommate before landing there. Having said that, it is not only safe to share your apartment with a couple of students in a new place, the fun factor is what makes the Masters course all the more interesting. The two primary expenses after reaching the States are Tuition Fee and Living Expenses

Tution Fee:

Please check the list of University Reviews on Yocket.

Living Expenses:

Well, there''''''''''''''''s no accurate way to estimate living expenses as factors like

•Location

•Apartment Size

•Number of Roommates and

•Proximity to the University

drastically vary from individual to individual. However, on an average students tend to spend betwwen $500 to $1100 per month which includes everything. If your course length is 2 years you''''''''''''''''ll end up spending around $15,000.

Hello All,

Here I am describing various stages that one pass through after reaching US for his MS. I have also described the best ways to handle these stages. There are many friends and many villains in these stages, where your skill set is most important to handle. I hope the following helps you in identifying those early and get prepared to face them.

STAGES:

During Semester 1:

The first priority for anyone who gets here is to start of smoothly. Some universities have good Indian Students Association (just like my university, we have an android for airport pickup!) who take care of students coming in. However, many are not that fortunate to get this privileged treatment. Some have to spend more in order to settle down in the beginning. The first thing one should do when he/she arrives in USA is to adjust to the dynamics of the outside world and the world within the house. Make sure you stay with good roommates (I had the best one!) and maintain cordial relations so that you will not be frustrated. Learn cooking and doing all of your stuff on your own before you be here. Your roommates would do no spoon-feeding or even you best friend or even your girlfriend. Everyone is so busy. Once you adapt to you home here, move outside make new friends and try to get involved in many activities across the campus. I would say try to stick to technical stuffs like Formula SAE club, Vehicle engineering club , some coding club etc. This will help you to work in a team and learn things from many students across the world. All I have seen Indian folks going around with fun stuff rather than tech clubs. Try avoiding that. If you are a fresher, you will have to involve yourself more into technical organizations across campus. Try approaching the professor for a research assistantship. RA would be far better than doing a cafeteria job; this will help you build something on your resume and help you learn technical stuff. After a month or two of your arrival in states comes the first Career fair, this is an ideal chance to prepare your resume, get it checked from career services office in the university, prepare yourself to sell yourself in the career fair within two minutes. This career fair will not give you any job but at least will prepare you for the next one. The real battle comes in semester two, this is just a small raid to learn how to present and sell yourself while getting some freebies. Academics must be maintained with good grades, so study hard. Be attentive, ask questions, do your assignment on your own and most importantly do not copy! Even if you copy, do not cut paste. Make sure you write in your own words and acknowledge the original author’s contribution in the reference section of your assignment or project. Every exam is different, every professor is different and so is the grading pattern different too. Also most importantly do not work off campus illegally this gives bad name to INDIA (people have done it in the past and were caught and deported back to India!)

During Semester 2:

I would not write about academics in this. This is most crucial semester of your two-year career as it dictates lot many things. By now, you should have got either a RA or an on campus job. Start applying for summer internships starting December.

Let us talk about CPT:

CPT is curricular practical training, which means you can work off campus in your field of study after you stay 9 months in USA or 2-semester completion. Most universities allow you to work only during the summer period of May-August but there are few universities, which may allow you to take job and complete your course in parallel. Therefore, the job can be either internship, co-op or fulltime. Yes, people from my university worked fulltime on CPT with a full time job.

What is an internship?

Usually offered to student who do not have much experience. However, given a chance to have versatile candidates and availability of experienced people in market who wants to do internship the chances of internship are tough these days.

What is a CO-OP?

Similar to internship but this job goes hand in hand, as you are taking courses while you are working that means when the semester is in progress. Competition is tough here too.

What is a fulltime job?

It means you work for 40 hours a week. If your school allows you for this then it’s a best opportunity to work a year before your OPT starts. Most school do not allow fulltime.

What does recruiter look in my resume?

If you are applying online for a job, the primary recruiter is the computer algorithm, which you need to cross before your resume hits the desk of the hiring supervisor. So if you have hit the bullseye make sure to mention most of the keywords in the job description. If the count is less than 70% of the keywords match, the system will automatically send you a reject mail. A hiring supervisor usually get 6-10 secs to evaluate your resume. Try to put stuffs, which will easily catch the hiring supervisor’s eye. Resume should be prepared with readable font and attractive way (Try novaresume.com). Your technical skills are the key factors people will look into your resume. No one cares about your social work activities. Try to avoid putting irrelevant stuff. Usually experienced folks have many things to put in the resume while fresher do not have much.

How can I develop skills, I am a fresher?

Easiest way is to get a research assistantship. I will recommend almost every fresher to do research in field of interest. Thesis can be done or skipped depending upon the university policy.

During Semester 3:

This is the summer semester. If you find a job, go and work hard. If you do not try looking for a RA. Do not hurry to take summer courses and complete your education quickly as this will put an end to your master’s program a semester earlier forcing you to go on your OPT. Try doing some courses outside the university like the industrial courses which will help you in the future. Some people go to India and do internship as they might have good referral back home.

What is the role of networking to get a job?

Networking is a media to help you get a job with some ease. I know my seniors from my university who passed out in 2008-2009 and are in good jobs across the industry. One of the senior helped me by referring me for the current job I am working in. He made sure my resume reaches the hiring supervisor in right time and discussed my qualities to the supervisor. Yes, I did give interview and cleared it too. So have a good relation with your seniors who may assist you to pull in the industry for job while on OPT or whenever you are seeking a full time.

During Semester 4:

Keep the same study pattern for this and next semester. Typically, this semester is the most boring semester of the entire MS life. Mostly because you are still in school and not looking for jobs (90% university do not allow fulltime job during the semester). Hence, focus on learning and improving your skills.

Final semester:

This is final semester for almost 75% of the students who graduate normally without extending the thesis. So, start looking for jobs beginning of this semester as 75% people will be graduating and competition would be tremendous for full time jobs. Start applying for jobs beginning January. Some applications take 3 months to process, while some might be processed in two weeks depending on the urgency of hiring requirements. Therefore, after you graduate you will working on your OPT. Mostly people put OPT start date 1 month late after their graduation. Try doing that. If you already have an offer, the next day of graduation should be the joining date. Make sure you discuss this with your employer and then decide on the start date.

HEROES OF YOUR MS:

1.You yourself would be the hero who will be driving yourself into the success path. Therefore, you will have to plan your goals, decide your academic and professional interest, choose course accordingly, work as a research person, and build a strong resume before you go ask for a job.

2.Your Professor is another driving force in your success story. Work on a research project with him, offer him your loyalty and he will reward you with good referral in the industry. I received a very strong recommendation from the director of my course who was also my thesis guide. He will make you work hard in two yearsand some time you will feel ‘Isse accha toh India mein hi rehta mai’. However, given the fact that you will always praise your professor once you are into a job.

3.Your Networking Skills is one another silent hero in your success. Try looking for seniors and people working in the industry. Network with them. Networking is a skill, which should be learnt in parallel to your coursework. University offer such workshop every now and then to motivate foreign students to learn the art.

4.Research Assistanship is always a hero for me in my success to work in automotive industry. The hard work that I put while as a RA helped me build a versatile resume, which helped in getting an interview.

5.Previous Job Experience is always helpful. My 2.5 years of work experience in automotive domain was a silent partner in my success story. A hiring manager looks at fresher and an experienced candidate in a different way. If you are experienced then it is a plus point for you. Fresher’s can put in different internship experience if they have or else would have to do a strong research.

6.Right Time, Attitude and Strong Communication Skills will help you achieve things quickly specially in the United States. Most importantly, be honest to whatever you do, do it at a right time and with a right attitude. US values honesty, right attitude, punctuality and strong communication skills.

VILLAINS OF YOUR MS:

1.You are the biggest villain in your success story. There will be instances where in you will face a situation where your second mind will say you cannot do it and you will not do it. First thing you should do is get out of the comfort zone before you start you Masters. Struggle begins. Every time someone messages me for advice on pursuing a masters his/her first question is ‘JOB HAI KYA WAHA’. Second thing remove this question from your mind unless you start applying for jobs. Worrying about jobs kills your productive time and puts you under pressure and you may end up underperforming. So, make learning, researching, networking your first priority.

2.Plagiarism is another villain. If you copy assignments, projects you end up learning less and may struggle when you are in job. Be faithful to your master’s coursework even if you do not like it, this will produce new horizon in your success story. After all, you invest heaps of money to get education and then you copy. Sounds like horseshit!

3.Your VISA is another impediment or villain in your job search story. You get rejection because you do not have a H1B, GC or you are not a citizen of this country. Believe me my 100 applications were rejected in 2 minutes of application. When I did research, all I found was that since I checked in that I need sponsorship I got a denial. You may face same story but do not give. There are jobs, which requires highly skilled people like you and me.

4.Your OPT is another villain for your stay in USA. After you graduate, you get OPT. From the OPT start date you get only 90 days to look for a job. If you do not find job in 90 days you have to pack your bags or enroll yourself in another school for either double masters or PhD.

What after MS if you get a job on OPT?

If you get job on OPT then you work for 12 months straightaway before your OPT Extension begins (only applicable to STEM graduate, check your CIP Code listed on your i20 https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Document/2016/stem-list.pdf ) In this mean process you mostly apply for H1B. If picked you are lucky or try next year. OPT extension is usually 24 months

Few Update on H1B:

1) Will it affect MS students ?

No it wont affect much. Since we have a specialized degree. Specially as of now NON IT folks are safe 100%. IT/CS students who will be working as programmer that too at an entry level job may have to face additional documents scrutiny through his/her employer justifying as to what nature of specialized coding the employee does which needs a master level employee.

2) Who will get affected by the new changes?

FAKE Consultancies who exploit and over garnish students resume with fake experiences. So students who choose this path after their masters might have to face tough times. It is definitely designed to hit the bullseye and target indian tech companies like TCS, infosys etc who have abused the overall H1B program. I have heard from friends and colleagues that each company files multiple application for an individual thereby increasing the overall number of application. This is to put an end to it. Only the deserving will be considered. People who have indian diploma degree, BCA degree, BCOM degree and who aspires to be a computer programmer would receive a denial.

3) What should I expect in coming days which will benefit masters student?

As of now no one knows. You have a long time to go. 2 years plus 1 year of OPT to apply for your first H1B.

4) What other changes can be expected in the immigration process?

The H4 EAD is under scrutiny. It might get a new restructuring allowing only spouse who have STEM degrees to work. It is just my assumption, they might revoke it. GC process might get simplified.

Few questions on Jobs:

1) Is getting a job in USA easy?

It is easy and it is not too. Prior work experience in India helps to secure job quickly (only legitimate experience). But if you''''''''''''''''re a fresher you make experience a tough time. you have to work hard in your masters develop skills in order to get a job at the end of your graduation.

2) What branches faces tough times?

Mostly core branches. Mechanical/ Industrial have tough times. But looking at development in past few days we may expect a setback in the IT industry jobs.

3) Why getting a job is tough task?

It is mostly because no one wants to sponsor you a working visa. You may face hundreds of rejections or may be thousands in some cases just because you selected VISA REQUIRED IN FUTURE when you applied for a job. I think I will enjoy the article and hope this helps. This covers most of the queries. I will write someday about how to write an effective resume.

Ambitious / Moderate or Safe - A Reality or a Myth?

The time has come for students to test their competence as the Universities have started to reply to the various applications of a myriad of prospective students from all over the country for the coveted Master’s degrees or the privileged MBA courses in the USA. Some have received good admits from excellent education establishments, while some are disappointed with their rejects, some are waiting with utmost patience for their chance staring into their mailboxes and application status tabs on university websites.

Among all this I come across various posts on various websites as well as some social media forums wherein the students have mentioned about their results. Some are simply happy that they have received at least 1 admit while some are distressed as they have received rejects from Universities which they considered to be “Safe” for them. In some cases I have even seen them using abusive language in respect to the universities for rejecting their application and this hurts me. Being a counsellor for around 4 years and holding a Master’s Degree from a reputed US University, I find these acts slightly immature for a student of this calibre.

I completely understand the disappointment that they may face and their frustration but I believe this not to be the right platform to display it. During my application as well, I did face a few rejections and that did break my morale up to a certain level, but I realized the importance of patience rather than playing the blame game with these established institutes. It is important for us to remember that, “They may or may not need us, but we surely need them…” Why do we suggest students to not apply only to a single University and await a decision, but on an average we see students applying for 8-10 Universities classifying from an Ambitious to Moderate to a Safe range.

My simple question here is, who defines the University to be Ambitious, Moderate or Safe? What would be the standards that create that bifurcation for it? Honestly, we only use previous data, knowledge of seniors or counsellors or in many cases rankings published by various sources. But again, can we see or conclude any foolproof theory from these sources?

The correct answer will be NO. These sources available to us are to guide us to make informed choices but in the end the University Application and University Selection should be in the hands of the students. Unfortunately in India almost every College or University selects a student using the ‘Objective’ Grading System while in the US, they follow the ‘Subjective’ Grading System. In India, if you score 99% marks in the Entrance Test for any institute, you are almost through while in the US, they consider various factors before making the decision.

I have read on various posts where the student asks the question, “I scored 318 in the GRE, yet University rejected me while my friend got 310 in the GRE, yet the same University accepted him.” These comparisons bring out the negative vibes for the Universities and students start to curse them. But does anyone go and check the overall profile of the student, does anyone check the academic score of the student, the papers presented, the projects worked on – how innovative or how efficient were they, what was the impact of the Statement of Purpose of the student and the Recommendation Letters of? The answer here again is “NO”. Many times, students get the feeling of disappointment due to their feeling of rejection by one a single factor while honestly, that’s not the case.

I was in the US for 2 good years wherein I completed my Master’s, I have my friends who have completed their studies there, I have students who have either completed their studies or are still studying and we all interact with the professors there and a general consensus given by the professors there is that they need students who can add value to the program at the University. There is a science behind the selection of the students. They check the previous data, look at the students coming from different Colleges/Universities across the globe, their GPAs, their GRE/TOEFL Scores, their projects and they check the value addition done by these students at that particular University. They look at the Undergraduate GPA of the student and how that GPA corresponds with the GPA of the University and how well the student can fit into the system of the university.

They check the GRE scores to check the analytical abilities of the students and how well the students can cope up with the projects and the courses available on campus. They check the projects carried on by the students in the past and how well they can start working on projects in the University. Once a professor candidly told me that he doesn’t value the GRE score but he would like to meet the student, check his/her confidence and then offer them a project available with him. I found this justifying and working on a project with him was a different experience.

While applying to any University, many students work with the mindset that A + B + C + D + E = Success at that particular University where A = Academics, B = GRE & TOEFL Scores, C = Projects Undertaken & Papers Published, D = Work Experience and E = Extra-Curricular Activities. Universities however work on another level altogether. They grade a student profile subjectively and a deficiency in any of the above mentioned factors can be covered by some other factor. Unfortunately, students here think that if they meet the minimum cutoff in any of the sections, they are sure to get accepted by the University.

I have also seen some students advising some other students about the selection of the Universities and telling them that a particular University is way below their profile and they should avoid it and go ahead with some other better ranked university. If a student is happy with the courses and the research projects offered by a particular university, why should he/she be worried about the ranking of the university? The student is getting a chance to work on the project that he/she aspires to work on and in this case no one else should stop them from doing so. Sharing of information or guiding someone is never an issue but sharing wrong information and misguiding is a big issue and I have seen many careers heading in a wrong direction owing to this.

This article is my personal opinion churned out with experience as well as discussions with friends and students who are already in the US. This article reflects their views too and its motto is to purely guide the students and open their eyes to the ‘Subjective’ pattern of grading and selection as opposed to the ‘Objective’ pattern followed in India. This article is also to open the eyes of the students against various Myths and help them make informed choices based on the information available to them and not let anyone misguide them. I hope everyone find their dream universities and I hope the concept of Ambitious, Moderate and Dream Universities takes a back-foot and selection of Universities based on Courses available and Research options available take a giant stride forward. .

Preparing for US Student Visa Interview

The F1 VISA interview is the final hurdle you''ll have to clear before you are well, and truly, on your way. After all the documents you are required to show at the time of the interview, you have to be prepared for the normal drill that the VISA Officer will take you through. Every applicant should take care of the following three things:

Bonafide Student:

The officer will ask about your educational background and plans in order to assess how likely you are to enroll and remain in University until graduation. Be prepared to discuss the reasons you chose a particular University, your anticipated major, and your career plans. Bring school mark sheets, college mark sheets, GRE & TOEFL scores and anything else that demonstrates your academic commitment.

Sponsor

Your chances are improved if your parents are sponsoring your education. If somebody is sponsoring you otherthan your parents, you should explain your special relationship with this person, who may be committing tens of thousand of dollars to your education. Provide solid evidence of your finances. This will assure the Visa Officer that your sponsor has enough funds till the time you complete Graduation. If your sponsor’s income is from several different source (such as salary, contracts or consulting fees, acres of land, rental property, investments) have the sponsor write a letter listing and documenting eachsource of income.

Your ties to the Home Country

Economic Ties: These include your family’s economic position, property you may own and your own economic potential when you come home with a U.S education. The Visa Officer will be impressed to see evidence of your career planning and your knowledge of the local employment scene.

Family & Social Ties: How many close family members live in your home country, compared to those living in the States? What community activities have you participated in that demonstrate a sincere connection to your town or country? Very often, the interview doesn''t even last long enough for the Officer to ask you these few questions. As long as you can maintain your composure and come up with straightforward answers to whatever he asks, you should be fine. Mentioned below are some of the basic tips, tricks and myths about VISA Interview.

Tips, Tricks and Myths Regarding VISA

1. You can/should get all the I-20s of the admits that you''ve received and then decide which university you want to go. There is nothing wrong and the VISA Officer won''t reject you on this basis.

2. Book your VISA slot once you''ve received the I-20 and have confirmed on the final university.

3. Do not lie to the VISA Officer as s/he has the basic information about you and your family. Be smart and tackle tricky questions.

4. Prepare well if you''ve low academics, GRE and TOEFL score. Give reasons which sound sensible. Try to justify those reasons and at also show how you made up for the same.

5. If you''ve a year gap post undergrad education and have done absolutely nothing in this period, make sure you''ve sufficient reasons to tackle their questions.

6. Focus on the research work of the university that you''re going to join.

7. Always ask for reasons if the VISA Officer rejects you.

8. A day (preferably 3 weeks) before the intreview, PLEASE check for all the documents required for VISA Interview.

9. Some say university tag (which is absolutely true) matters a lot, some leverage on GRE, and some might have other reasons. But the best way to ace the VISA process is be CONFIDENT and SMILE (not giggle) constantly

Tips for GRE Success

Arm yourself with a robust plan to beat the GRE monster and put your best foot forward by using these handy tips:

1. It’s important to time yourself while taking your mock tests. Give the mock exam keeping in mind the exact time of the final exam and try to take the exam in a simulated environment. Remember the ethics of Mr Rahul Dravid. He used to practice in the nets from 9:30 to 11:30 followed with a lunch break and then 12:10 to 2:10. After a tea break, he would go on for the final session from 2:30 to 4:30 – simulating the timings of an actual Test Match.

2. Leaving an answer incomplete is SIN! There is no negative marking in GRE but you do get penalised for leaving an answer incomplete

3. Hold your horses when you see a question you think you can answer easily. Do not start immediately to solve the question, rather use the process of elimination. Once you eliminate the irrelevant choices you stand a better chance of guessing the right answer.

4. A Radio button means the question has only one right answer whereas a checkbox means the question could have more than one answer. Make sure you keep this basic rule ingrained in your mind.

5. You must try to first answer easy questions and ones you are confident about. This would give you a psychological edge since you are starting on a positive note and have more time later for difficult ones

AWA

1. Familiarize yourself with pool of 300 topics suggested by ETS over a period of time. Since your exam starts with the essay writing section, you don’t want to come across a topic which you don’t understand. The panic will then set in and have a domino effect, affecting the rest of the sections.

2. In issue essays always take a stand. The idea is to judge how well you are able to defend the stand you take

3. In argumentative essays always try to find fault in the logic.

4. It is important to have a proper structure in place in both the essays with a proper introduction and a conclusion which reiterates and justifies your stand

5. A good essay should be around 350-500 words.

Quant

1. Use substitution method and check possibilities to ascertain the correct choice. They will save you more time than if you actually try to solve.

2. Make your own diagrams. Just because 2 sides of a triangle are 3 and 4, it doesn’t imply the 3rd side will be 5 units, unless it is a right angled triangle. Such tricky questions are a part and parcel of almost every question.

3. Just because the Calculator is available doesn’t mean you jump to start calculating. Many questions are logic questions and can be solved with the right approach. Just see if the answer you are looking for is an odd number, a prime number, a multiple of a number, etc and you will be able to save on calculation time.

4. Usually, it is the silly mistakes that cost most of us. How often have we forgotten that 0 is an even number, or that square root of 64 can also be -8! Just try to recheck the answers along with the options to make sure you have not missed the obvious

Verbal

1. Use etymology to guess the meaning of words you are not confident on

2. Critical reasoning is just one per cent of the syllabus; so do not spend a lot of time dwelling on it. They are usually time consuming and hence do not start the section with it.

3. Do not attempt to do all Reading comprehension in one go. You may lose track of the time and monotonous passages will drone you out.

4. Look out for antonyms in the option sets. They will help you eliminate the incorrect options.

5. Compensate for the extra time in Reading Comprehension questions by Sentence Equivalence (synonyms) which can be solved in less than a minute.

All about Letters of Recommendation (LOR)

What is a Letter of Recommendation?

Letter of Recommendation (LoR) helps the admission committee know about your technical, academic and non-academic expertise through your recommender. The content in the recommendation is extremely important. So, choose your recommenders wisely. There are certain areas on which the universities expect you to be rated by your receommender. They are as follows:

1. Current standing in your undergraduate class

2. Comparison with the students who have gone for graduation in the same university

3. Communication skills (Oral and written skills)

4. Creativity

5. How well he understands the subject

6. Teaching Potential

7. Emotional Maturity

8. Recommendation with Financial aid or not

9. How strongly they recommend you (Very strongly, strongly, moderately, etc.)

Who can give me an LoR?

Usually, the recommenders are from your undergraduate institute (your respective department especially) and work/internship place (if any). So, does designation of the recommender matter? Honestly, it does. You can’t take a recommendation from a teacher who has just joined the institution and has an experience of a year or two. An LoR from your institution’s dean or principal holds a lot of weightage. An LoR from the company’s manager makes a difference. In most applications, following are the recommenders -

1. Your final year project guide

2. Professor who has taught you during your undergrad course and you have scored well in that subject

3. Any project guide/companies you have worked

4. Project Managers/Corporate Officials where you''ve worked/interned.

Recommendations cannot be given by:

1. Peers/Friends/Relatives

2. Any random personality you met in a conference

3. Parents

Note:

1. It would be great if you can get an LoR from a Math Professor if you are applying for a Financial Engineering course.

2. Make sure that you are on good terms with your recommenders. If not, then try improving them. Learn Buttering. Don’t force your teachers to write good about you (if you succeed, lucky you). Always remember, they are doing a favour to you.

How should a Letter of Recommendation be drafted?

Generally, all universities expect you to give three LoRs. Moreover, a letter of recommendation should ideally be drafted by the recommender himself/herself. Unfortunately, every recommender is so lazy and less interested that the applicant is forced to draft on it''s own and will finally be moderated by the recommender.

Now, the next question will be - what should I write in my LoR? So we enumerate the following points:

1. First Para: Write about your recommender’s qualification and the time since s/he knows you and is serving the institution.

2. Second Para: Highlight your academic details under that teacher, how you have performed in his/her subject. Write marks and more importantly write it in percentage (Example: s/he stands in the top 5% of the class)

3. Third Para: This will vary from recommender to recommender. If you''re taking one from the project guide, you can describe about the project and your incredible role in the same. Similar is the case with publications, presentations, internships and work experience.

4. Fourth Para: Please flaunt as much as you can in this paragraph. This is the extracurricular section, so write about all your achievements in the last three years (Event Head, worked for this and that committee, Sports, etc.)

5. Last Para: Keep it small (say 2-3 lines) and it should conclude the above points and tell the university to grant him admission along with Financial aid.

6. Bottom Left of Your Draft: Your teacher’s name, signature & stamp, qualification and his/her post in the current institution/company.

Warning: Don’t make the LoR so exceptional that you are the best student in India. Make it quite real and cover the above mentioned points.

NOTE: Split the content in the LoRs so that all three are different from each other.

House hunting!

For international students, searching for off-campus housing can be an interesting journey. While the research that goes behind finding the right apartment can be very time consuming, the feeling of living like an independent adult - managing the rent and all your bills by yourself can be quite rewarding.

Tips before you start your house hunt:

1.Start early:

Early bird catches the worm...err..house.

2.Search along with your friends:

Scouring through a city you''ve never been to for an apartment is not something you want to do by yourself, unless you have all the free time in the world. Most of you must have friends going with you to the same university or would have found people on social media. Divide the areas near the campus among your friends and each person look for apartments in your respective areas and share the information. Saves time. + that''s more eyes on the look out.

3.MOST IMPORTANT:

NETWORK with students who are already there. Since you aren''t going to be familiar with the area, talk to the students at the university to get to know upsides and downsides of an area/apartment. Do not end up making a decision by yourself and be stuck with an apartment that you don''t like for the whole school year. Lease periods usually last from 6-12 months. Do not compromise on value for money, safety, location and convenience.

What you should consider for house hunt:

1. Rent per month: Remember, you get what you pay for.

2. Facilities included in the rent: Most of the apartments usually cover heating. Try your best to find such an apartment. Electricity and gas will cost you extra.

3. Safety: Just because the rent is cheap some place faaaaaaaar from the campus doesn''t mean you can blindly consider it. Compromising your safety for $20/head a month isn''t really the smartest thing to do.

4. Location and convenience:

This can simply be in terms of -

How well lit is the area? How far is it from the university? Are there restaurants/convenience stores close by? What is the proximity to/from the shuttle stop? Is the walk to the campus uphill? - You don''t want to walk uphill in the winter with the wind blowing in your face.

1. Time spent home: Haha. See, this one is pretty important, in my opinion. Give it some thought. If not for the first year, maybe for the second year. Some of you will spend more time on campus than at home. Consider if you can settle for a decent apartment instead of an amazing apartment. No point in spending extra rent money when you''re just gonna get back home to sleep.

Two ways to go about this:

• Ideally, you''d want to search for places you like and shortlist them before reaching the US. Get here early and zero in on the place that you like. For people who HAVE to see the place in person before signing a lease, this may the best option.

• Some students prefer to pay a deposit before they leave their countries and reserve the apartment. They get here and sign the lease. If you''re comfortable with that, this might be another option you can look at.

Now that you know what are the things you should consider, get started! ;) Happy House hunting!

All about Assistantships (RA / TA)

Assistantship is a kind of grant which is a little bit difficult to live with as it requires your time of the day on physical work while you apply your brain in studies. Assistantships is that extra step you take to save up on your expenses abroad. There are different kind of assistantships available at most of the universities in USA and three of such types are stated below:

• Teaching Assistantships (TA)

• Research Assistantships (RA)

• Graduate Assistantships (GA)

Assistantships are on campus employment for students who are providing some service to the University’s functioning. Scholarships on the other hand are fee waivers offered to students without any student service. Scholarships are something you get by studying hard but assistantship doesn’t only help you with your tuition fee but also saves a lot on your daily expenses. In case of US, you might find assistantship availability more than you find scholarships. Various kind of assistantships available in US are as follows:

Teaching Assistantship (TA)

TA is a sort of Teaching assistant to a professor. Usually every professor has some work to do apart from conducting classes, most of them choose to pick an assistant to teach the classes when they are not present. The duties of the teaching assistants in US Universities generally includes assisting students, checking assignments, helping professor with daily activities and other similar responsibilities. Most professors in US look for a dedicated and eager student who wishes to work long hours and give the desired results to the Professor. Now the next question that might pop in your mind must be how to apply for a TA’s post! Well, you can apply for it the moment you apply for admissions but you can only be on that post once you complete your first semester. Post completing your semester you need to go through profile of the professors from your course and choose them wisely. The funds that you get are not from professor’s pocket, instead they come from the university which in turn are provided from the government or other personal trustees. In some universities you might get full tuition waiver and that is pure luck. Else on an average you might get paid somewhere between $550-$1200 per month depending on your work hours and quality. Your pay and working hours depend entirely on the kind of work you are offered. But, before applying for a TA’s post you must consider that you will have to give in your long hours and in return you will learn a lot while you earn enough.

Research Assistantship (RA)

Every professor studies and researches about a topic before they actually go to teach it, so Research Assistantship is basically about helping professor with their research and put down their work load. The grants are provided by the University funds which are in turn sponsored by the government of USA or other private agencies. You can apply for this post when you apply for your university, but you will only get the job once you finish your first semester. This is a standard procedure that everyone follows and while selecting your professor you must consider that the professor is specialized in a field of which you have some knowledge. This job might add a sum of total between $500-$1500 monthly by working up to 10 to 20 hours weekly which differs from subject to subject.

Graduate Assistantship (GA)

GA are same as RA and so is their process of application, but the only difference in these two are that GA are paid more than that of RA and TA as they are graduated and have more knowledge of the field.

The general guidelines to be followed for obtaining an Assistantship are as follows:

• Study the profiles of the professors at the University very carefully and shortlist the professors who are currently working in your department.

• Study about the professor and the research area that he/she is currently working on in detail.

• Schedule an appointment with the professor to discuss about possible opportunity to work as a teaching assistant.

• Explain in detail your teaching experience, if any, and all relevant work you have performed in teaching.

The professor will make the final decision whether to employ you or not and he is the one who will decide your pay. This is far most the best way to take care of your expenditure as you will be getting money in your hand unlike scholarship and this can be used at any place such as rent of your room or your monthly food expenses. If you are sure of being a Newton in studies, then you must consider Assistantship’s option apart from Scholarships and Grants as this will really help you learn while you make some money for living in an unknown space.

What is TOEFL and when should one take TOEFL

What is TOEFL?

TOEFL is a test of English proficiency. It stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. International students need to show a certain amount of comfort with English as the primary language of communication. TOEFL is conducted to check the student’s capability during Teaching Assistantship (TA). TOEFL ibt, generally preferred by all international students, is the new internet based test which has four sections, each which would constitute a certain form of student interaction with the education system.

When should I take TOEFL?

As the TOEFL score is valid for two years, choose your date wisely. Usually, students take TOEFL in the month of September, as it is the ideal time when a student applying for MS is done with his GRE and has no other academic commitments.

Conditional admit: If you are applying to a university without your TOEFL score, it’s perfectly ok but it’s always better if you’re done with it. When you apply to a university without a TOEFL score, it gives you a conditional admit which means that you have take your TOEFL exam for the confirmation of the admission. If your TOEFL score is low, then the respective admission committee will either tell you to repeat the exam or take up a course in their institution and complete it. The course isn’t a part of your regular curriculum and it becomes hectic. Moreover, it’s very expensive. So repeating TOEFL is the right choice. Note: TOEFL is a MUST for International Students.

TOEFL structure and exam pattern

Structure of TOEFL

TOEFL comprises of four sections:

1. Reading

2. Listening

3. Speaking

4. Writing

Task Description Time

READING Short format: 3 passages, each with 12-14 questions Long format: 5 passages, each with 12-14 questions 60 mins 100 mins

LISTENING Short format: 2 conversations & 4 Lectures, each with 5-6 questions Long format: 3 conversations & 6 Lectures, each with 5-6 questions 60 mins 100 mins

BREAK - 10 mins

SPEAKING 6 tasks and 6 questions 20 mins

WRITING Integrated Essay Independent Essay 20 mins 30 mins

Note: If you get Short format in Reading, then you will get Long format in Listening or the other way round.

Reading:

This section is very similar to the RC section in GRE, with the only difference being that this one is VERY simple. There can be two formats in Reading: Short format or Long format.

Short format consists of 3 passages each approximately 700 words in length and with 12-14 questions and overall time is 60 minutes. The passages are on academic topics

Long format is 100 minutes duration and has 5 passages each approximately 700 words in length and with 12-14 questions. Of the 5 passages only 3 will be evaluated to get your score, the other 2 are experimental and do not matter at all. However, you have no idea which ones will matter and which ones won’t, so you have to give your best in all.

Listening:

This is a new section for most of the students and it tests the student’s listening skills. In this section you have to listen to entire conversations (A conversation involves two speakers, a student and either a professor or a campus service provider) or lectures at one go (which can be very boring). Again there can be two formats: Short or Long

Short format consists of two conversations and four lectures each having 5-6 questions. Overall duration is 25-30 minutes.

Long format consists of three conversations and six lectures each having 5-6 questions, of which two conversations and four lectures only will contribute to your score. The remaining are redundant but again you are kept in the dark about this, so give your best in all. Overall duration is 100 minutes.

NOTE: If you get Short format in Reading, you will get Long format in Listening or the other way round.

Speaking:

Speaking sections tests the ability to communicate in English in an academic setting. It has six tasks. Tasks 1 & 2 will prompt you to speak on some familiar topic like a personal experience. You are given 10-15 seconds to think and another 30 seconds to speak on each of the questions. Tasks 3 & 4 require you to read a paragraph, followed by listening to a short conversation and then respond to a question about what you read and heard. In the next two questions you have to listen to an audio clip, remember the important points in it and then answer the questions based on it in 45-60 seconds. Overall duration of this section is 20 minutes.

Writing:

Although this is quite a different section, it should be comfortable section for those who have already appeared for GRE. You are required to write two essays: Integrated Essay and Independent Essay

- Integrated Essay: You have to read on an academic topic for two minutes and listen to a speaker discuss the same topic for the next few minutes. You get 20 minutes to plan, write an revise an essay of around 150-225 words based on what you read and listened. The earlier paragraph is also made available to you while you write. However, the audio clip is available only once.

- Independent Essay: In the independent task, you must write an essay that states, explains, and supports your opinion on an issue, supporting your opinions or choices, rather than simply listing personal preferences or choices. You are given 30 minutes for writing this in about 300-350 words.

How to prepare for TOEFL

Preparation for TOEFL

If you ever want to test your patience level, try and give the TOEFL exam. It’s a bloody four hours long examination and often the time duration will increase due to technical errors. The longer the examination, the lesser is its preparation. Preparing for Toefl isn’t as tedious as GRE. A week or 10 days is more than sufficient. There is no need to solve any books for TOEFL. Directly, start off with the computer tests like Barron’s, Kaplan and Cambridge. Each of these tests will have individual section of reading, listening, speaking and writing. Solve each section independently and get a hang of all the questions. Notice the type of questions as it is important to get familiar with the type.

Reading section is pretty simple as it asks you basic questions which can be solved in less than 15 seconds. The only exception in reading is the last question. This question is pretty complicated, time consuming and difficult. But it offers you 3-4 points as well unlike the other questions. GET IT RIGHT!

Listening is altogether a new section. You haven’t been exposed to this section in any part of any exam. So preparation is also required. It isn’t a difficult section but all you need to do is CONCENTRATE. You need to understand the accent in which they speak. If you are a regular follower of Hollywood movies or Star World shows, the ball is in your court. You will hear a series of conversations or lectures and you will be asked questions based on it.

Important: Jot down points while listening to the conversation as you don’t get a second chance to hear the same.

- Speaking is one of the important sections and preparing for it will be fun. It’s the shortest section of TOEFL but requires enough preparation. On presenting the 6 tasks to you followed by the questions, WRITE DOWN SOME POINTS while reading or hearing the questions in this section. They expect you to repeat some of the IMPORTANT words. Solve all the questions from Barron’s. If time and mood permits, solve Kaplan and Cambridge.

Note: Students generally score less or sometimes the least in this section. Make sure you do well here as the university often grants you TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP (TA) based on your speaking exam.

- Writing section doesn’t require you any preparation. You will be happy to reach this section as the horrible 3 hours will soon be over. It’s the same part which you have been preparing since childhood days - ESSAY. Just see the type of the essays from Barron’s. If your writing and expressing skills are brilliant, you can excel in this section.

FAQs for TOEFL

Q. What should be the ideal score for TOEFL?

A. Ideally, you should score 100 or above, but a score of 79 is a must, failing which you will have to repeat it.

Q. How do I register for it?

A. You can register online or by phone or by mail. The detailed information about registering for the TOEFL can be found at www.toefl.org

Q. What is the cost of the exam?

A. The cost of the exam is USD 160.

Q. Should I repeat TOEFL, if I get less than 80?

A. Yes, you should repeat TOEFL. Generally universities want a toefl score of +79 but some ask for 100. You might want to identify your universities and their score preferences before you take the exam.

Q. Is TOEFL necessary during the time of application?

A. It’s good if you have already finished your TOEFL exam. TOEFL score matters at the time of VISA and Teaching Assistantship. While filling the forms, they often ask you when you plan to take the TOEFL.

Q. How long is the TOEFL score valid?

A. The score is valid for two years.

Q. How do I report my scores?

A. You have to send your score officially through ETS which will cost you USD 17.

Q. How soon I get my scores?

A. You get your scores online within 2 weeks.

Q. Which other exam I can take, if not TOEFL?

A. You can appear for IELTS, if not TOEFL

Q. Do universities consider photocopies of the GRE scorecard? Do I have to send scores through ETS?

A. No. Photocopies are not accepted. You have to send your scores only through ETS.

IELTS v/s TOEFL

When you are striving to become part of a globally renowned university, you do not want to leave anything on a stroke of luck. Higher education aspirants from countries where English is not the first language need to exhibit required proficiency in English in order to become a part of an international classroom setting. There are predominantly two standardized English language testing which are widely accepted in most of the foreign universities i.e. IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). While both evaluate your English language skills based on four parameters of Listening, Reading, Writing and speaking, on-going debate of which test to take has become a moot point amongst the aspirants.

Let us closely examine the factors to consider before zeroing in on which one to take up:

1. While IELTS is jointly conducted by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, British council and IDP Education Australia focuses and on Queen’s English, TOEFL is administered by ETS (English testing service) and conducts test with a special focus on US English. Students who have a good command over UK English choose to take IELTS whereas TOEFL is preferred by students who are more comfortable with US accent.

2. Which test to select between the two should be largely dependent on the country you are going to for your higher studies. If you are going to the US or Canada for your higher education ,TOEFL emerges as your first choice whereas if you are headed for UK or Australia you might want to consider taking IELTS.

3. Primary difference between IELTS and TOEFL lies in the way speaking capabilities are tested. IELTS requires you to speak to a human voice, and there is a real time communication happening between the examiner and the examinee. TOEFL necessitates you answer into a microphone, the conversation is recorded and subsequently reviewed by a panel of examiners. While the first school of thought maintains that IELTS way of testing is more accurate the other school contends that it is susceptible to bias and human error, and that TOEFL way of grading assures fair decision.

4. The next significant difference lies in the way the scoring system operates in both the testing system. While IELTS grades you on the scale of 0 to 9, TEOFL grading is all-inclusive. The grading is statistical and is done on the basis of your individual performance in all the four parameters. 30 points are assigned to each section with 120 being the highest possible TOEFL score.

5. TOEFL gives a you choice from the multiple choice questions whereas IELTS requires you to rely more on good memory recall.

6. Format of TOEFL has been consistent over a period of time making it a more predictable exam whereas IELTS test format keeps evolving every year.

7. Time taken for TOEFL exam is close to four hours, and IELTS takes two hours 45 minutes. The duration of the test, however, is in no way indicative of its level of toughness. Which test you should take is mostly a matter of opinion and individual preference. While TOEFL is more popular in North American countries, IELTS has wider acceptance globally especially in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. You must do a thorough research on the testing requirements of the universities you intent to attend. While some may accept both; others may give preference to one over the other. It is always a good idea to get a clear picture before you seal your decision.

That''s How I Tackled TOEFL

I am a final year B.Tech Biomedical Engineering student from VIT Vellore. My current CGPA is 8.77. I am planning to apply for PhD and I am interested in neuroimaging in psychiatric and neurological disorders and medical optics. People asked me if they need to take both GRE and TOEFL for applying to the US of A. So, before mentioning anything about TOEFL, I thought it’s better to clear the former doubt. Yes, you need to take both. TOEFL is useful for VISA and a good TOEFL score enhances your chances of getting on-campus jobs like Teaching Assistantship and Research Assistantship (TAs and RAs). Check out some of the Universities, especially their graduate admissions page on the official website. There they have mentioned the cut-off for each section of TOEFL. GRE scores are used by the universities for the preliminary selection and filtering process. You need to send both these scores to the universities in the US, at the time of Applications. That being said, I can now lecture on TOEFL a bit. In the first week of June, a friend told me that TOEFL seats for 2013 are getting over and if I don’t register that day itself, I might not be able to write TOEFL this year at all. I started panicking but luckily I was able to book a date in Kolkata - July 13, 2013. Some of you might have a doubt about when exactly to confirm the 4 universities to which ETS will send your scores. It’s not necessary that you need to confirm the universities at the time of registering for TOEFL or before the payment. For TOEFL iBT, ETS allows you to modify your university choices till 10pm of the night prior to the day of your TOEFL. After the confirmation, take a print out of the order. Take this print out and your original passport to your exam center. When I had booked that date, I had exactly 1month time to prepare. I had ordered Barron’s TOEFL iBT from Flipkart. Thanks to their top notch service, I received the book next day itself but then there’s this devil called procrastination. In fact, as soon as the book came and I saw that TOEFL consists of the 4 sections - Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing - I took a pledge to finish off all of the latest episodes of Criminal Minds Season 7 and The Big Bang Theory’s Season 6, which I had in my laptop. My excuse to my conscience for watching them like a maniac, instead of preparing was, “I’m trying to perfect my listening skills and rectify my pronunciation.” So, anyway, my actual preparation started another week later and during this time, I was juggling GRE and TOEFL preparations. For TOEFL, you don’t need to worry at all, if you are aware of the exam pattern and if you have a good command over English. As I have said before, there are 4 sections and in this article I have elaborated on each section separately.

Reading:

You’ll be given a long passage. Unlike in GRE, you won’t have to answer indirect questions, nor will you have to hunt for answers. The questions themselves mention the line numbers you should look into. The passage doesn’t disappear. So, don’t waste your time going through the whole passage all at once. Read the questions and look for answers. It’s almost like the comprehensions that we used to have in the English Language papers in ICSE. So chill! There’ll be long and short passages. Total 3 passages as far as I can remember. The marking scheme is explained in details in Barron’s TOEFL iBT, which I consider now, as Bible for TOEFL (but this book cannot miraculously improve your English if you feel that your English isn’t upto the mark; this book teaches you the exam techniques). So, please go through the book and practice the comprehensions and most importantly time yourself. There’s mark and skip option in TOEFL also. Btw, the tricky part in the reading comprehension is, according to me, the last question of every passage, where you will be asked to choose 3 sentences that’ll give you the summary of the passage you just read. There’s a review button too, in case you have accidentally skipped a question, then it’ll show when you click ‘review’. I got 29 out of 30 in this section.

Listening:

I scored the least here - 26 out of 30. In order to ace this section, one should:

1. Understanding the American Accent: Since most of us are already addicted to American TV series like Suits, Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, White Collar, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Dexter, etc. hence deciphering the speech contents will seldom be a problem.

2. Good Memory and Jotting Speed: You should practice note taking and note making while hearing out the listening passage. You can’t afford to miss out any point or detail from the listening passage because of poor writing speed. So practice, practice, practice!

3. Concentration: Barron’s book gave me a fair idea about what to look for in a listening passage. Since listening passage will be played only once, hence it is beneficial for you if you have an idea of the questions you’ll be asked. There’ll be about 9 listening passages,- a few will be based on a conversation between two students, regarding some problem about the university facility or hostel; the rest will be classroom lectures. Usually, questions are like, ‘What is the professor talking about?’, ‘Why is the student in the professor’s office?’, ’What is the professor’s belief regarding ________?’, ‘Why did the girl say _____ ?’ Then they might play a part of the listening passage again and ask you, ‘What did the student mean, when she said *audio clip* this?’ You have to jot down everything, while the audio is being played.

4. Patience: After listening to the passages continuously, one after the other, fatigue creeps in. For me, it did - leading to my relative low score in listening section. Also try not to get distracted when people around you, who have completed their listening section, are taking their respective ten minute break, while you’re still doing the listening section. Distraction is a part of TOEFL. However, you have to fight the fatigue and distraction and complete the exam. Tell yourself, “Just after this section, I have a 10 minute break” :) After this section, you’ll have 10 minutes break. Get out of the exam room, drink water, refresh yourself and return to your seat in time.

Speaking:

This is the section where I thought I had messed up and yet ummm… things turned out quite differently. You need to be a bit creative, attentive, analytical and eloquent for this section. You might be given quite a pedestrian topic to speak on. However, use your innovative ideas and analytical skills and your gift of Gab to turn the most banal topic into something exciting, new and innovative. In short, give a new angle to the seemingly boring topic. You’ll be given 15 to 20 seconds to jot down your ideas and then given 45 seconds to speak on the topic. Make good use of the 15 seconds of preparation time. Just jot down key points and while speaking, maintain your speed such that you are able to fit all the points you had jotted down. DO NOT USE ANY FAKE ACCENTS unless, of course, you’re a master of mimicry. Your response shouldn’t sound contrived. I did speak in an American accent but I am almost flawless at it; it doesn’t sound fake, else I wouldn’t have got 30 out of 30 in this. So yes, back to the speaking section. Even in speaking, you have two different types of questions - Independent Speaking and Integrated Speaking. As far as I remember, there are two questions in the independent speaking section. For integrated speaking, you’ll be given a passage to read (jot down notes as you read the passage) and then you’ll hear a conversation or a lecture which generally challenges the information in the passage. You have to take down important points from this conversation/lecture too. Then you’ll be asked a question whose answer would require you to combine your notes from both the reading and the listening passages. You’ll be given 20 seconds to prepare your answer. Use this time, to organize your answer - mark the required points on your scratch paper. Speak fluently, clearly and coherently. The ETS evaluator should be able comprehend you. You might falter once or twice, or maybe thrice, but speak confidently, as if you’re the one lecturing the evaluator.

Writing:

This is the best part, according to me. Firstly, because this requires less concentration. Secondly, because I love to write and thirdly because this is the last part. This section also has 2 parts - Independent and Integrated writing. In independent writing passage, you’ll be given a topic and asked to write about 300-350 words on that topic. In Barron’s TOEFL iBT, you’ll have loads of examples to practice from. The integrated writing is again, a combination of reading passage and listening passage. However, DO NOT use exact words from the reading or listening passages. ETS doesn’t approve of plagiarism. You don’t need to use flowery language nor the ‘GRE words’. You should have good command over grammar and keen analytical skills. I had got 29 out of 30 in this section. Due to so many days having passed and GRE preparation and tension having dominated my mind and GRE words my memory for the last 3 weeks, I have forgotten the exact number of questions in each section. So, please forgive me. I know I might sound as if I’m advertising on Barron’s behalf, but without Barron’s TOEFL iBT, I would’ve been lost. But I repeat myself, this book cannot improve your English if you feel that your English is not upto the mark. Reach your exam center well ahead of time. During the exam, raise your hand if you need extra scratch papers. Don’t talk to any other examinee during the examination - why unnecessarily get yourself into trouble! All the best!

Its been a while since people around me have travelled abroad and have come back with a plethora of dos and don’ts about the same. With the kind of money, time and effort involved in travelling abroad, one just CANNOT make these mistakes.

And if you’ve decided that you want to study abroad or have an inclination towards the same, here are 5 criminal mistakes you better avoid.

Selecting the wrong Course

Consider this : You apply, get selected, pay up and fly; only to realise this was NOT the course you wanted to do.

It could be because of anything - you didn''t pay enough attention, you were too busy in all the excitement to check up properly, peer pressure or parents insisting you. Trust me, this feeling will make all the fun sour. And this is not very uncommon. As much as I hate breaking this out to you, a study ascertained that one out of every three students feel that they chose the wrong course.

Never ever and I repeat, never ever apply to a particular course without doing a detailed study about its contents, structure and its compatibility with your profile. This is how you make sure you don''t select the wrong course.

Attend as many sessions you come across. Do anything and everything to be extremely sure about what you are going to invest so much into. Talk to university representatives repeatedly and shamelessly ask them questions that are bothering you.

Applying to the wrong University

Huge problem. Not because it is a bigger problem than selecting the wrong course but because both problems often happen together. And that results in mayhem.

Just because that city has the best clubs or the most happening social life or closer to your relatives home, if you trap yourself in an average University- sooner or later you will suffer. Similarly, if you take up a fancy University over the next best University offering you a decent scholarship, make sure your decision is well thought out. You don''t want to regret later.

Universities, their location, reputation, course structure, placements, scholarships awarded and diversity - all of these play an important role in deciding where you will be headed to after completing your masters.

A wrong decision with the University will haunt you today or tomorrow - and it is something you don''t want to get yourself to. Again, the best way you can start the process of University selection is by first talking to Universities directly, writing them mails, talking to their representatives. Make sure you ask them every doubt that is even remotely going to make any difference to your concerns.

Not talking to enough people

The internet is good but never good enough. Students end up relying heavily on the internet for information while applying abroad. What problem does this create? It causes a lot of Confusion, misconceptions, unrealistic expectations and surest disappointment. DON’T.

Talk to people- seniors, teachers and the University. Talk to everyone you think can add value to your application and take the best out of everybody you talk to. Not talking to the right people

I will agree that there are too many people out there wanting to ‘help you’ and you never know who the right person is. This is what creates the problem of misleading information overload. You know things but they may not be factually correct. And if they are not correct, your application and its future will be thrown into jeopardy.

Talking to the University is the most underrated thing ever. Students do not feel it is important and appropriate to ask questions to the University. But believe me, university representatives abroad are more than happy to clear your doubts and not using this to your advantage is a silly thing to do.

Attend sessions that have the right people around, choose right counsellors.

Too early or Too late?

Lastly, do not rush into or delay things. Students make the common mistake of rushing into their dream of studying abroad or sometimes just procrastinate enough to be too old to go for a masters. In the process they take the wrong courses, settle for average Universities and do far less than that their potential warrants.

Take your time, build that profile and go when you are confident about taking the plunge. Start early, attend sessions and be ready - but do not hurry, your dream college will not vanish!

Before we start, let us see how much do you actually know about Graduate Record Examination (GRE)? Which of these facts do you think are true?

GRE is to be taken only by Engineers.

Anyone who wants to take the GRE must have a four year degree (12 + 4).

GRE is only for graduate study programs in US.

GRE is only for Masters/PhD in technical field.

GRE is all about good vocabulary i.e. your mastery over word list while the Quantitative Reasoning section is very easy, at least for an engineer.

If you score badly on GRE, you can always improve your score through a retake “ as simple as that !

Well, if you marked any of the above as true, you are wrong. All the statements above are wrong. And not your fault probably, because you have relied on your reliable hearsay sources. A lot has changed on the GRE since it changed its structure in 2011,
both in terms of what is tested and in terms of the applicability of the test score. For example, GRE “ the name itself suggests “ is for any Graduate program outside India, at least the top 100 programs outside India and all programs in US, and contrary to general perception, it is not merely an aptitude test.

GRE is also the only indicator of academic equivalence. And so, when you apply to a program like ETH Zurich which does not mandate a GRE score, you would still want to mention your GRE score in your application and SOP (Statement of Purpose) simply because a very good GRE score is an evidence of superiority over your peers. And how does that superiority help? Sometimes, by pushing your application over the finish line and getting you an admit in a tough competition. The other times, helping you get some tuition waiver or Teaching Assistantship (TA). In sum, if a program does not need GRE, you might still want to use your GRE score to improve your chances of admission. Like MIT EECS (Electrical, Electronics and Computer Sciences) website says GRE scores not mandatory. So should I apply to MIT EECS without a GRE score, when I know that despite this, every one in the last year''''s class had a GRE score?

So, what is the change in structure? Well, you can refer your hearsay sources again. Those who assume GRE Quantitative Reasoning is easy, have typically under performed on the test. Why? Is the GRE tough? Or do you think GRE has negative marking? If the latter is the case, you must be talking about some other test, because no standardized test “ be it GRE or GMAT “ has any scope of negative marking. Yes, there is a penalty for unattempted questions. Same about the dummy (unscored, undisclosed extra section) “ which one is the dummy? Fact is, it will not help your score even if you identify which section on your test is a dummy. You might want to focus on improving your overall aptitude than understanding how to identify a dummy section on the GRE. And about the wordlists which now belong to the previous generation. The earlier GRE format had 18-21 Vocab based questions (Antonyms, Analogies and Sentence Completion) which mandated you learn the wordlist.

The current GRE format consists only 4 “ 7 questions per section (4 questions of Sentence Equivalence and 2-3 questions of Single Blank Text Completion) which require you have a very good hold of vocabulary. In short, the emphasis has decreased from 70% of total questions to 30% of total questions. You really still want to mug up that wordlist just because your senior or your friend or your coaching person says it helps? And when you know that against these 14 Vocab-heavy questions, GRE also puts you through 16-20 questions of Reading Comprehension over 2 sections? It is simple “ GRE has balanced itself out over various abilities in Verbal Reasoning “ an imperative change considering more than 65% B-schools across the world now accept GRE scores in place of GMAT scores for all their management programs. And why would they not? Stanford GSB took the initiative in 2009 to accept GRE scores as equivalent to GMAT scores for its MBA program. And when Stanford has no problems, why would the others?

To summarise the entire problem, there is a lot you can do to improve your performance on GRE because there are a lot of concepts being tested. Somehow, if your target score is around 310, you might find no big deal in organizing, planning, getting hold of the right material, going through a rigorous test series, cutting the crap of rumours and myths around you, and holding your nerve in the right place when you take the test. The big deal starts above 315 “ that is when you start thinking about the top 30 or top 50 programs in the US.

Or if I can put it bluntly, there are two types of students who will target graduate studies abroad. The first type is The Mass “ they rely on their consultants and their friends and their relatives to take what is apparently the biggest career decision of their life. The second type is The Class “ a small percentage who will use all the information at their disposal, right from the rankings of programs on official websites, to the minimum GRE requirements mentioned on the university program websites and reviewing the class profile, and targeting not less than a 320. Why a 320 or more? Because they know that GRE score is THE difference maker. And how can I say that? I can say that because I have seen my students breaching the glass ceiling repeatedly, breaking the myth repeatedly and proving wrong the ones who bombastically predicted Oh, your score is too low, your GPA is too low, you are not an IITian or NITian so you won''''t make it.

It''''s your life, your career. Either you drive it, or you get ready to be taken for a ride.

Dr. Ajit Singh finished his graduation from Government Medical College, Surat and worked with Family Health Plan Limited as Manager - Operations. He followed his managerial work ex with an MBA from SDA Bocconi, the 5th best European B-school and worked as a consultant in Stockholm before returning to India to his first passion - training students preparing for education abroad with Endeavor Careers. Endeavor Careers is Western India''''s best coaching institute for CAT, MHCET, GRE & GMAT exams.