After
GRE, the applicant should also appear for TOEFL/IELTS.
In
order to apply for Universities, the applicant needs to have either
TOEFL or IELTS scores along with GRE scores. TOEFL/IELTS basically
tests your English speaking skills. Normally people will take
TOEFL/IELTS immediately after GRE as they are easier compared to GRE.
So one can score descent scores in these tests if they have prepared
well for GRE. (Please note that along with GRE score, US Universities
require TOEFL scores while Australian, New Zealand and UK
Universities require IELTS scores).
There
are two important steps after having appeared for GRE and
TOEFL/IELTS.
One
Reporting your GRE Scores to Universities and two, preparing
documents required for University Admission.
Reporting
your GRE scores to Universities
In the
application process to US universities, you have to report GRE and
TOEFL/IELTS scores to the Universities you want to apply. Score
reporting to universities has to be done officially through ETS (Test
conductor & Organizer of GRE/TOEFL).
You
can report GRE score to 4 universities for free of cost at the end of
the GRE test. You can send your scores to the Universities or
Colleges you want to join. This reporting of scores is done free of
cost as the payment for reporting the score to four institutes of
your choice is included in the GRE registration fee.
Additional
Score Reports (ASRs) - GRE additional score report cost
Additional
score reports can be ordered for a fee of US$23 per score recipient.
Currently, only scores earned on or after July 1, 2005 are available.
You can order ASRs via web, mail, fax or phone.
There
are three ways of doing the GRE Score Reporting and they are as
below:
1.Online
GRE Score reporting
2.GRE
score reporting by Mail or Fax
3.GRE
score reporting by Phone
Further
actions and Document Collection/Preparation for University Admission
Once
done with the GRE, you may feel relaxed and think that a major burden
has got ridden. Indeed, completion of GRE with a satisfactory score
is a major milestone in the journey to MS. However, your mission is
half won and you still have a long distance to travel. GRE is just a
beginning. Lot of tensions will creep in, in the near future as a lot
of things have to be taken care of and things will miss out easily.
Here is a list of things that has to be done after taking GRE and
TOEFL/IELTS.
Decide
your course and the university
a. How
do I come up with University list?
This
is one of the most difficult and hectic step. Basically you have to
identify your field of interest and then find the good universities
where you can get admit. Again, lot of factors like university
ranking, cost of living, quality of faculty etc will come into
picture that can make the decision quite tough.
b. How
many Universities do I apply?
It
depends on your profile, your personal mindset and the money that you
have kept aside for application. Generally an application for MS will
cost you anywhere between $70 to $100 (Rs.4000 to Rs.6000 - All
inclusive of the application fee, courier cost, GRE/TOEFL reporting
fee, transcript fee and other small expenses). Most people we have
come across in various forums apply to about 8 to 12 Universities in
general.
You
can divide the universities into 3 categories.
Ambitious:
The ones that are your real dream Universities, but the ones you may
feel little difficult to get into considering your profile.
Moderate:
The Universities which you believe that you have a fair chance of
getting in. But you still cannot be very confident of your admit.
Safe:
The Universities that you are confident that you should get a call
from.
One of
the possible schemes that you can use while selecting universities is
2/7 th
of the universities should be Ambitious universities.
2/7 th
of the universities should be Moderate universities.
3/7 th
of the universities can be safe universities.
[Remember,
it costs you extra 23$/university if you want to apply to more than 4
universities (After GRE, ETS will provide you an option to send
results to 4 universities for free of cost)]
Students
can also apply to courses other than their undergrad courses. In such
cases, universities may ask you to take some undergrad courses in the
first semester. For example if you have a degree in Mechanical
Engineering, you can apply to Computer science by taking some
undergrad subjects related to computer science which the university
will specify.
Prepare
Statement of Purpose (SOP):
SOP is
a way for the admission committee members to get to know about you
since they did not get a chance to take an interview. SOP is an essay
that describes you, your accomplishments, your academic background,
career plans and future goals. This has to be submitted with the
application. SOP is a very important factor in deciding your
admission to the university and grant of financial aid. So, make sure
you prepare your SOP well ahead of time so that you have enough time
to get it revised, corrected and edited many times.
Arrange
other documents
This
is again a tedious process where you have to run here and there and
get things done by buttering people. [Good chance to be a sycophant
:) ]
Letters
of Recommendation (LOR):
These
are letters issued by your professors indicating your competence for
pursuing a program at a university. The letters are usually drafted
by the Professor himself and he returns it to the student in a sealed
envelope. ‘Reco letters’ (as they are informally called)
are 100 to 150-word letters stating in brief the Professor's opinion
of the student, his capabilities, and any other information that
might be useful to the University in gauging the student. Ideally for
MS programs, most Universities ask for 3 recommendations. Some
restrict you to 2 while a few allow even a fourth recommendation.
Transcripts:
A
transcript is an official statement of your marks (till the semester
for which marks are available) issued by your university. It is
issued by the University on demand. Generally Universities charge a
fee for each copy of the 'Official Transcript'.
Some
Universities ask for 2 copies of transcript (one for the Graduate
school and one for the Department). You should always apply for more
transcripts than the number of Universities you are applying for.
General
process of procuring a transcript goes like this:
You'll
write an application to the Registrar of your University (not
college) to issue you transcripts.
You
have to mention the amount of transcripts required. Attach the demand
draft for the fee that the University charges. Mention the address
where the transcripts should be mailed to you.
To
be on a safer side, you should procure the transcripts well in time
to avoid any last minute hassles.
Financial
statement
This
is one of the biggest worries of applicants to U.S. universities.
"How do I show enough funds for the fees indicated?" is a
question that would dog every prospective applicant. Most U.S.
universities charge at least $15000 (Rs.750000) per year as fees. For
a two-year course, it would be necessary to document a minimum of
$30000 (Rs.15 lakhs). That is certainly an astronomical sum for most
Middle class families. But this huge amount has to be documented.
Usually, this is done by providing a bank statement to the University
indicating the ability to pay the fees and that can be sponsored
(this could be your father, mother, uncle etc.). You only need to get
a bank statement and an affidavit of support from your sponsor.
Affidavit:
Affidavit
is similar to a bank statement. It is a official document issued from
Government stating who will be financing your education. You can get
affidavit by going to a court and asking a lawyer to fill in the
exact details.
Resume:
Resume
is a document highlighting your achievements. Basically, your resume
for your MS application should clearly capture all your academics,
academic related achievements and significant co-curricular
activities. Also mention your work experience (if any) and the kind
of work you have done.
Sending
the application
After
you have finished filling your application, and ready with all the
documents mentioned, you can pack it in a large thick envelope.
Usually, you may need to send two envelopes - one to the Graduate
School and another to your department - though some universities may
need you send in only one envelope. Even if you apply online,
you must send envelopes for documents like your transcripts, ‘Reco
letters’ etc.
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