apply to grad school

Just make sure why you want to go to grad school. Don’t apply for the heck of it. I worked in the industry for about 4 years before I made up my mind that I want to go for a research program.

Ideally, you should go to grad school ONLY if you want a PhD.

I forgot to add finally that I am completely finished with this work. I even took the GATE (Graduate Apptitude Test in Engineering) this year to see where I stand in India. Let me see what the results are like.

Finally this goal is done.

I had sent EPFL (Switzerland) application on Jan 11th. It should have reached by now. Nanyang tech is the only one left.

I’ll quickly finish my research proposal and send it across.

UIUC sent me an email asking me to specify my research area and I specified three closely related areas.

I’m now in waiting mode – its tough to be in this mode for long. I’m writing to some professors. Some are responding and most are not.

Let me see where I make it.

The Nanyang application seemed easy. It is not yet done. Most of the stuff is over EXCEPT my research proposal for a PhD. The deadline is around the end of the month. I was planning for it to leave this Monday, but felt the essay I had was not good enough.

About the EPFL application, I believe there is only one recommendation and a couple of my signature. I’m waiting for it to be couriered. I’ll be done after that.

Through some of my earlier attempts I am in touch with an assistant professor from UIUC. He seems to be interested. Can’t say how things will shape. He is still waiting on his grant proposals. If he gets them, he MAY take two students.

UC Berkeley, I may be able to get a contact from one previous email I had sent to an associate professor. This was when I was sending my paper for publication. I found that he had replied, but his reply strangely went to my spam folder!

I can’t say if I will write to a Prof in MIT. I kinda have a contact who knows him very well. But I don’t want to make a fool of myself just writing a useless email to him…

One good thing about Purdue that recently happened is that I got a confirmation that the committee did not meet of late and the applications have not been sent for review as yet. So I better hurry up. I may still have a chance.

I got an email from MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, and UT Austin that all material has reached them and that they are reviewing my application. I hope they make a favorable decision.

UIUC and Minnesota haven’t yet told me a thing. Purdue is stuck because of the written reco…. But only one is left.

ETH did not need me to send any hard copies right now. It is only the pre-application phase. U Toronto, I’m just on the margin of being late and hopefully documents will all reach safely on time. EPFL is getting ready and Nanyang is just ready now. Hopefully NTU will go tomorrow. EPFL needs one more recommendation and I’m waiting for my recommender to print, sign across it, seal it and enclose in his company’s envelope. It’ll take one day to reach here and I shall prepare everything else so that the moment it arrives I can mail my application to Switzerland.

I realized today that I am not yet done with all apps. I had completely forgotten U Toronto. I finished all the things today and sent it out in a hurry. I think it is just about going to reach on the deadline! I’m going to make sure the others are sent way ahead of time now. I can’ afford the same mistake twice.

I’m having a little problem with written recos…

I have to send three sets of written recommendations. One for Purdue, one for NTU and one for EPFL. All of these are stuck. I have got it from my college from one Prof. The other has to write still and she is having a personal problem now.

Bad timing… Need to write to Purdue to allow for time…

Oh my! I just remembered, that for NTU, I need a one page long research proposal and also need to support it with an essay on its significance. I forgot this. I have one recommendation for NTU ready. The deadline is Jan 15. I’m submitted online, but I need to finish these entries.

I’m applying for the PhD program in ECE. These are the schools, I’ve applied to:
MIT
UC Berkeley
Stanford
UIUC
UT Austin
Purdue
U Minnesota
U Toronto – Canada
Nanyang Technological University – Singapore
EPFL – Switzerland
ETH, Zurich – Switzerland

Let’s see where I am able to get an admission.