Going About with the Application Process

By Kanishk Chaudhary (2018A4TS0481P). He got admitted for Masters in MechE from Stanford and UC Berkeley.

If you've opened this article, you've either planned to apply for higher studies in an engineering field next fall, or you're considering the option. Also, I hope you're reading this well before the application deadlines (December onwards). I'll talk about university and program selection, application timeline, pre-deadline and post-deadline stress.

Selecting your Program of Choice

The most common method of selection, although not completely correct, is through various rankings. This may seem like the easy way out, but you'll need to do more research first before finalising where you apply. Go through their department's research labs and faculty, and see how closely their research outcomes match your profile and interests. Profile - Department fit is really important, and I've personally been rejected by my safe schools because (I think) my profile did not match most of their research areas.

Make sure your final list of programs has a balanced ratio of ambitious, moderate and safe options, preferably more for the latter. You wouldn't want to end up with no admits, and that's happened to more people than you can imagine. Some pointers to check if an option is ambitious, moderate or safe:

1. Go to LinkedIn and search for current and past students who pursued the same options, connect with them, talk to them, and see their profiles. You can use other resources like Yocket, admits.fyi, BITS2MSPhD (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Cd3UHVRPs8fttdCQwn2LYg_2xhIqofxY), Reddit (r/gradadmissions), and more.

2. No matter how strong your profile may be, top-ranked universities (like MIT, Stanford, etc.) will always be ambitious.

3. Apart from ETH and EPFL, most European universities will not be as ambitious as similar-ranked unis in the US. However, admissions in Europe are quite CG-centric. Less popular options (like Australia, Canada) would be less ambitious, primarily because of the lesser competition.

4. CS-based programs are really competitive as compared to MS in other engineering fields.

Application Timeline

Program Shortlisting: Complete this in the summer (May-July). Check each program's application requirements, test score requirements, deadlines, fees, etc. Prepare an excel with all this information.

GRE and TOEFL/IELTS: Start your preparation as early as possible. Starting from May (after your compre) is also fine. Give it as early as possible, but no later than October. Give yourself time to repeat if necessary.

Statement of Purpose and CV: Prepare your first draft by the end of August. Since it's an iterative process, you must continue working on your SoP and CV till the application deadline. Keep getting them reviewed by your peers and seniors.

Letters of Recommendation: Approach your potential LoR providers from September onwards. Do not send them requests to upload the LoR at the last moment, ensure that all LoRs are uploaded to your application portal at least 1 week before the deadline. There could be a possibility that the recommender forgets, or backs out from giving you an LoR for any reason. You will need that extra time to manage such situations.

Transcripts: Get them issued from AUGSD as soon as possible. There are often delays in getting your official transcripts, so ensure that you have them in hard copy by September. Ensure all information in your transcripts are correct and grades are updated. Do not use the performance sheet from ERP.

Supplementary Materials: Some programs may ask you to upload additional documents, like a personal statement (it is different from an SoP), an audio/video, etc. Check these requirements in advance (whenever you're looking at program requirements).

Final Deadlines: Most deadlines begin from December 1, and go until January. For rolling admissions, submit your application as soon as possible (in December) because seats often get filled.

The Application Process Stress 😰

Before submitting your application, you'll most likely stress out and keep asking yourself if your profile or essays are up to the mark. If you've got your profile and essays reviewed by multiple people, you're submitting your final drafts after hundreds of changes, and you've cross-checked each document, then there's nothing to stress about. Click on "Submit", pay the fees, and then think about the next deadline.

You're most likely going to stress out again from February to March when you see your peers getting admitted, but all you're getting is rejection mails and radio silence. Keep yourself occupied elsewhere, and stop looking at GradCafe, Reddit, BITS2MSPhD or your application portals. Mails will surely come at some time and you'll surely get an admit if you've worked hard on your applications. There are often delays everywhere (yes, BST works in foreign unis too). Looking at the aforementioned platforms, although helpful to some extent, will just destroy your mental health.

All the best!