Route to Masters’

This personal experience outlines the steps, hurdles and timelines of applying for MS in the United States. About 100+ pages are giving you the same. If you are new to the system, read the gist below, and it’ll help you understand all relevant content better.

This article is written from an Engineering degree perspective and I hail from Chennai, India. If you want details or information concerning your program, contact me at reachouttopj@gmail.com

Congratulations on Taking the First Step towards a higher degree.

How it Started

Around the end of my fourth semester in college, I decided to pursue higher studies. I wanted to be involved in research and figured my skills should improve. I had three ways of doing this.

1. Find a job in my field of interest and gain work experience.
2. Find a research internship and work as an associate.
3. Do a Masters’ to deepen my knowledge further.

Identify your Interest

I will pursue my MS in Computer Engineering (not Computer Science Engineering)at Texas A&M University, College Station. There are reasons why I wanted to do an MS and particularly in the field I’ve chosen. Head here to know more.

Going for a Master’ means to specialize in a particular domain. The stepping stone is to IDENTIFY what you want to do for the next 3–5 years. And you don’t need to further your knowledge only in a domain related to your Bachelor’ Major. For instance, you can be a Civil Engineer yet go on to pursue an MS in Data Analytics if that’s what you are interested in.

Remember one thing. MS in an investment in yourself. Make a wise choice.

Initial Investment (if US)

The below table gives a rough idea about the initial investment in moving to States for your Master’. All prices are approximated.

Note: 1 USD = 84 INR (use consular rates to have a good approximation, it will cost less)

Note: IELTS and TOEFL exam fees are almost the same.

Note: The application fee per University ranges between 75 USD to 150 USD. Greater than 100 USD are rare.

Note: Spending for Admission Counselling Services is an individual’s choice. Every information that an ACS provides is available on the web. If you feel that you need additional help, make sure to select a provider who best suits your needs.

For information on US studies, EducationUSA is the official source. They offer both free and fee-based services.

Figures dated June 27, 2023.

Choose the location

Once you’ve identified the domain in which you want to specialize, analyze the industry concentration for the field. Next, see if there are universities which offer the course. Make a broad selection first — which country or continent. US is excellent for fields like AI, Business and Data Analytics, Computer Science and Analog and Digital VLSI Design, to name a few. Places like Germany and Netherlands are great for Embedded Design and Automotive engineering owing to the deep Automobile market.

It’s alright if two regions offer courses and have a good job market. Let’s say both US and Germany have a good scope. You can apply to universities in both areas.

Note: While finalizing the location, start hunting for scholarships for international students (Quad, NSF, Fullbright, and Tata Endowment, to name a few).

Shortlist the University

Domain done. Place done. Time to analyze the potential prospects where you can leverage your skills and gain knowledge.

Talk to your college seniors and your professors. And then do the below.

1. Look at universities offering the course
2. If you want to pursue a thesis-based MS
   - Look at the list of research groups under the offering department and see if there’s one related to your domain of interest
   - If yes, look at the projects in progress
   - View the members under the group (faculty, graduate and PhD students) and analyze the work they do
3. If you want to pursue a non thesis based MS
   - Look at the capstone projects carried out in the department in the past.
   - Look at how classroom learning works in your department
4. Check out the faculty directory. Look at what they specialize in and the domains they are involved in.
5. Check out the graduate handbook and see what courses are being offered. If there are courses that you want to take, see which faculty offers the course.

At this point, you might have about 20–30 universities on your list. Look at the placement statistics of the last two-three years (Don’t look at how it looked in 2015 if you are applying in 2024). Check out the companies around the universities. US Aspirants — check here for job statistics and salary details.

The next four things to look at are:

1. University ranking and program ranking — make sure to look at Graduate rankings
2. Acceptance rate — again, look at the numbers mentioned for graduate intake
3. Tuition fee and living expenses — commonly referred to as Cost of Attendance(COA) — for one year (use this as base and then calculate according to program duration)
4. Application Deadline for the intake you are looking for (Fall or Spring). Many universities have a Priority deadline which means your application will be looked at first.

There are many platforms online(like GradCafe and Yocket) where you can find the profiles (GRE, TOEFL or IELTS scores, GPA) of previous intakes. Use the same to group universities as Ambitious, Good and Safe.

University shortlisting is an iterative process. At any step, you might come across a new university and that will require you to repeat the steps all over again. Make sure to have at least two months to come up with a list of 8 to 10 universities that is a mix of Ambitious, Good and Safe schools.

Applying to 8 universities is recommended. A maximum of 12 universities should suffice. Anything more indicates that the shortlisting has to be done again.

Satisfy the pre-requisites

Once the university list is ready, start making a list of requirements. The most commonly encountered are:

1. TOEFL or IELTS Scorecard — to check English proficiency — some schools have a qualification threshold, so make sure to note that.
2. GRE Scorecard — Most universities have waived the requirement, but advisable to take up the test as the score is valid for 5 years. If you don’t have a great GRE score, not a worry at all.
3. 2 to 3 Letters of Recommendation (LoR) — Very rarely do universities not ask for LoRs. Talk to your professors and internship mentors in July itself if your planning to apply in December (Fall Intake).
4. CV or Resume
5. Statement of Purpose
6. Official Transcripts — if you are going for Masters’ right after UG, transcripts upto the sixth semester will suffice.
7. Program specific essays

Sometimes a Bonafide certificate is asked, which has to be acquired from your department. Diversity statement and Personal Statement (apart from SoP) are becoming common. Have it ready beforehand.

GRE and TOEFL or IELTS scores have to be sent to the university before your application is submitted. If you finalize the schools before taking up GRE and TOEFL, you can send your scores for free to 4 universities. You can also do it later, where you will be charged 30 USD per school.

In the case of IELTS, you can send scores for free to five universities. Then its charged 250 INR per school.

(Tudum) Apply

Everything set. Start filling out your applications at least a month before the deadline (or priority deadline). Fill in all your basic details (enter your name according to your passport) and upload all the material. Provide details to generate LoR emails for your professors and/or mentors, and make sure you give them enough time to upload your LoR.

Things to note:

1. Every university has a specific software that is used for applying. Identify the right links. If unable to locate, write a mail to the Grad Admissions Office and they’ll provide you with the information.
2. After your professor or mentor submits the LoR, you’ll receive an acknowledgement mail. Keep a track of it and make sure that the LoRs get through well before the deadline.

HOORAY 🎉

Wait for the Results

You might receive an update anytime between January last week to May first week. Do the below to stay on top of the game

1. Write cold emails to professors. Use this time to find out about the research going on in-depth and network to find opportunities.
2. Prepare the financial documents that show the funds required for one year. You can find this in the COA section for your program.
3. Look at the Financial Aid Page. See the prerequisites for application and fellowships available. Applying early with a good profile sometimes gets you a departmental scholarship or fellowship.
4. If you are paranoid about when the admit letters will come out, don’t be worried. Use GradCafe to monitor if anybody has received an admit for the program you’ve applied to.

Apply for I-20

Great job on getting into your dream university. Half bridge crossed. The other half is getting to the university. Accept the offer. Activate your student portal. Once that’s done, you will be directed to submit documents to issue I-20 and other documents to remove registration holds or confirm your admission.

I-20 is the official proof that you have been admitted into a school and have the necessary funding to take up the course — refer here for more details. Most schools accept loan sanction letters from Indian Banks, but there are cases where those letters may not be accepted (like in the case of TAMU).

You can use services from MPower and Prodigy to get loan sanction letters. Since they offer loans in USD and completely based on your profile, many students prefer taking up these loans. Acquiring the loan sanction letter does not mean you need to use the loan. Read the types of financial documents accepted on the International Students Services Office page — every university has one. Issuance of I-20 can take up anytime between a week to 10 weeks (based on the University). Apply as soon as possible so that all other formalities can be completed well before your travel date.

Sometimes, you might receive admission from a school that you are more inclined to attend after you get your I-20 from a school you got accepted into first. Do not worry. You can surrender the existing I-20 and claim a new one.

DS160 and US Travel Docs

Once you receive your I-20, do the following:

1. Create an application on the DS160 page, which will serve as your application for your visa interview. The application is valid 30 days from the date it is saved. Make sure to note down the number, as it will be used to retrieve your application every time you want to access it. Submit the form at least a week before your visa interview.
2. Create a profile on the US Travel Docs page (ensure you are on the page meant for your country). Have your SEVIS ID, DS160 Application Number, Passport and School details handy. Pay the MRV fee. Once the fee is processed, you will be able to book your appointment.
3. F-1 visa appointments are released in bulk for a given intake (May mid and June mid for Fall). Make sure your I-20 is ready well in advance to get your slots early.
4. You need to pay the SEVIS fee for your details to be processed by the Department of Homeland Security. Pay this fee at least two weeks before your visa interview.

Arrange all documents given here and prepare for your interview. All the best!