My Sixth Admit ..... NOTHING ELSE MATTERS NOW

[gforce]

Originally Posted by attraxion

I am a third yr IT student at MNNIT (formerly MNREC) who has been under the impression that top colleges don't take anything but IITians...

This is an unfounded fact...myquest4glory is just one of the increasing number of non-IITians who've been admitted to the top-10 CS programs in the U.S.

[attraxion]

then please, oh please, tell me what works? and by the way, gforce man congrazz !!! read about u at the other thread... purdue is cool.... please tell me ur profile (complete with scores and recos and res)... thanks a lot...

I'm new here, finding my way around... please pardon if meddlesome...

[gforce]

Hi attraxion,

Originally Posted by attraxion

then please, oh please, tell me what works?

Well...there is no special concoction required to get into the top-20 or even the top-10 CS programs in the U.S.
First and foremost is research potential or aptitude. If you are a Turing Award winner, the MIT gradadcom chair will come over to your place to give you the admit letter. On a serious note, if you have a solid research paper or two, then the GRE and GPA scores take a back seat.
One common facet of all successful CS TMians is that all (or most of 'em) have appeared for the AGRE and got a very good score. If you have set your sights on one of the top-20 schools, you *must* appear for the AGRE. A 800+ score will work wonders for your application.

Originally Posted by attraxion

and by the way, gforce man congrazz !!! read about u at the other thread... purdue is cool.... please tell me ur profile (complete with scores and recos and res)... thanks a lot...

Thank you!
You can check out my profile in one of my admit threads...I guess it's the one titled 'My first admit...Decent enough!'
Good luck!

Cheers!

[myquest4glory]

Originally Posted by gforce

So aren't you gonna wait for Austin, Columbia and UMich to reply?

Nah man....Cornell was a dream from a very long time. (Anyways, I am not really expecting an admit from Austin or UMich ..... )

I agree to what gforce when he says that your research potential could be the determining factor when you apply to top schools. The AGRE could also be a decisive factor, but I didnt submit my AGRE score to Cornell (as I didnt think a 770 would be making any difference whatsoever....anyways Cornell didn't require it).

I would think that your academic standing in the university is a very important factor and the AGRE to an extent can offset the requirement a bit (ofcourse, a 800+ score could be huge boost ). Again, your SOPs and Recos certainly "do" make a lot of difference. I had made it extra sure that my SOP was not the usual cliche' everyone reads about .... and its obviously important that you write one catering to the particular degree you apply to. I mean that, while applying to Cornell MEng, which is considered to be a terminal degree, you oughto mention in your SOP that your aim is to make it big in the industry (....how you mention that is upto you) and not really to do a PhD or do some great research during your Masters. The University must feel that you are a perfect candidate for their progam.

Anyways, the important thing for non-IITians is not to be over-awed by the whole "IITians getting into top univs" thing because this is changing. And this is predominantly because non-IITians are "apping high". If you dont app high, how would you expect to get into a top univ.

As of now, there are still univs (especially the very top ones) who prefer IITians ...... but we are here to change it, arent we ??

Bye and all the best.
Dream ........

[attraxion]

hey guys as u know I'm new here (came today) and man, am i impressed !! thanks a lot gforce and myquest4glory for such prompt and a-class replies...

since you are already into spending time for newbies and getting a lot of good karma that way, here are some more questions for you.. disclaimer - you might realize i'm more of a newbie *** than u thought...

I am third yr B. tech. IT student of MNNIT (formerly MNREC), planning to take GRE in june, english and all is fine, hopeful of okay score.. research and all is zilch..

gforce, what coll/univ do u belong to? does that matter? although i am from one of the 17 NITs of india, i somehow think my coll is not good enuf... in the sense that i don't think ill get great recos (there simply are'nt great professors around), and hardly any research goes around here..

so how would u say i proceed for research? what exactly did u do and where? is research/publication pursuance possible, say, on the web (as i said my coll is...)

how important are recos? do the credentials of the recommender matter or what he writes?

thanks again and pardon the total ignorance... hope u guys will fill in... aage pareshan nahin karoonga (yeh jhooth hai hee hee)...

best,
attraxion.

[myquest4glory]

Originally Posted by attraxion

gforce, what coll/univ do u belong to? does that matter?

I'll take the liberty to answer that (...please don't mind gforce). Both me and gforce belong to the same university, the university of Mumbai and also to the same undergraduate college. I would be lying if I say that it doesnt matter from which college you pass out from. What happens is like this ..... suppose a guy from MNNIT is at Stanford, it always gives a slight edge to all the subsequent applicants to Stanford. Hence, it is paramount that you find out where your seniors are .... and if your credentials are similar to theirs, apply accordingly. Again, if you manage a good position in your university, you have a huge advantage .....

so how would u say i proceed for research? what exactly did u do and where? is research/publication pursuance possible, say, on the web (as i said my coll is...)

Apart from the IIT's, I dont think there are many colleges in India that give you exposure to any actual research work as such. Infact, I dont even think there are many students in such universities who actually know the difference between a final year project and a research project. To an extent, for a Masters admit, I dont think research work is "critically" (critically = to get an admit from here) important ...... except for in some univs like MIT, Berkeley, UCSD, and a few more (...I am not counting Stanford).

And you know what, it is almost a silly kind of a question to ask that - "I am interested in Research work, suggest me what research to do ???". Research Work for a undergrad starts either via the impetus of the university (...since we do not belong to the IITs, this is ruled out) or from within yourself. I mean that the quest for research work should emanate from interest and curiosity towards any particular subject/course you learn. For instance - say you are learning Congestion control in "Computer N/Ws" and the ways to overcome Congestion. It should happen that you begin to think about it, and maybe ask questions like - "Why cant I use Artificial Intelligence to predict traffic patterns and hence reduce congestion control?". Research work from within yourself comes via critical examination of everything you learn in undergrad .... linking many courses .... basically provoking the thought process.

how important are recos? do the credentials of the recommender matter or what he writes?

Recos are a crucial element in your packet. The credential of the recommender does matter .... but according to me, it is better to have a GREAT reco from a prof who knows you for 2-3-4 years than one who knows you sparingly and gives you a NORMAL kind of a reco. Whatsay 'g' ??

aage pareshan nahin karoonga (yeh jhooth hai hee hee)...

I know the stuff within the parantheses through my 'pareshan karofying' many seniors with my plethora of questions...

Bye and all the best....

[knd7]

hi guys,i read your messages.you guys are an inspiration to all the
non IIT students.

congratulations myquest4glory.

[gforce]

@attraxion:

I guess my friend has answered all your queries.
Good luck!

@knd7:
Thank you!
Which college are you from?
Good luck!

Cheers!

[attraxion]

myquest4glory and gforce... THANKS A MILLION for, as i said, quick and a-class replies... lots of haziness that i had in my mind is now cleared...

so what i have to do now is strike up inside me an apti for research, try to do something that would lead to res exp and recos, take the GRE and AGRE nicely and remember to bother you two whenever anything comes up... man, the way is totally clear...

ill stay in touch with u great guys, cheers and thanks again...

best,
Attraxion.