One down...Three to go!!
My Friday couldn't get any better. A full course lunch followed by a small nap. I wake up to find that my Project server has just crashed and it would take another day or two to get it fixed. I know that the work is going to pile up as soon as the server is up and running. So what :D I will look into that once that day comes :P
While I was wondering what to do with the time I had, it struck me. I still had to update u folks on the whole GRE and admission process right? :) Last time around, I was telling u guys on how to prepare and stuff :) On the day of the exam, we have an option to send ur scores to 4 universities totally free of cost. But for that we need to know how to select the university and decide on our destination. I will tell u guys what I did to shortlist my university.
There are several factors to consider before deciding on the university that u want to attend. The first and most common mistake that we commit is we decide on a university based on its overall rankings. I too made the same mistake in my initial selection process. The things that we need to consider when short listing the universities are
- Ranking of the Particular department that we want to specialize in
It doesn’t matter if the university that we are looking at is not that great when it comes to overall rankings. It might not be within the top 10 on the list. You should really consider it if the university’s particular department has world class facilities in terms of research, faculty and learning material. Not all world class universities have specializations in all the departments that they offer.
Of course there is always the reputation that a name can bring. But that shouldn’t be the only thing u look at. Who knows, u might me missing on a whole lot of other things
2. University Location
This is a major consideration and deciding factor because the location of the university can be a make or break your career. I say this because, the university’s location greatly influences the type of job and the opportunities that we have post graduation. It is my opinion that it is always a better decision to select a university located in an industrial location like Chicago and Michigan (not that I disregard the other universities)
From what I know and have heard from my college buddies and people studying presently in the United States, I realized a university in an industrial location offers scope for a wide array of job specializations and ample opportunities too.
3. Funding Available (not for the people who can afford to study without a loan)
I am sure that this is a definite yes factor for all the students dreaming to do their Masters overseas. Take a look into the total fee structure for the entire course duration and add the living expense to get a rough idea of what u will be spending. Most universities are very generous in giving out scholarships and fee waivers to their students. Also, look at the part time job opportunities that could help u with ur living expenses to an extent. Usually information on this front is available on the universities web site itself.
4. Never trust a consultancy to do your job
Most of us tend to rely on self proclaimed consultancies that promise us with admissions into universities in USA, UK and Australia and so forth. They have the ability to build an image that makes us believe that they have tie ups with almost every university on the face of this planet.
What they actually do is suck stack loads of cash from us and in return fill out a couple of application forms on our behalf. I have seen so many people lose out on chances because they trusted their future at the hands of a consultancy. I mean, where is the originality? We would do a better job of the admission process if we were to do it on our own than risk it with a consultancy and keep worrying if everything was done correctly till the admission results come out. All it takes from our side is a little time. Everything we need to know is available on the internet and on the university’s web site. After all, it’s our future right? J Why not spend some time to make it a better and brighter one?
Let me know if I am missing out anything else that one must do to select their university J
Cheers and Good Luck J
With love,
Karthik J