rajatkheria Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Hello frends,, I want to apply for a graduate program in Computer Networks/ Info-security/ Info-Assurance/Computer Network Security... or something similar. Applying for Fall 2008 Gre : 790Q + 380V (Am confused wether I shud take it again or not) Toefl : Expecting above 100 GPA 6.6 to 7.0 on 10 in ECE from West Bengal Univ of Tech (just 7yrs old univ) Will graduate in Jun2008 Certifications : MCP, CCNA, CCNP, doing CEH at present. Competitions : Was in Top 50 in Imaginecup 2005 (Network Design Challenge) Was in Top 25 in Imaginecup 2006 (Network Design Challenge) Was awarded as Top 10 Network Security Professionals in India in Feb2007 by Microsoft as a result of a competition aimed for professionals. Other Credentials : Microsoft Student Ambassador since 4 years. Got Best Microsoft Student Ambassador Award for 2005-2006 Chosen as Symantec Beta Tester Work Exp : Worked for 3 months on a project of Indian Air Force - Suggested the Network (hardware and logical) architecture and Security Architecture for their intranet Sharepoint Portal. This was like an internship. Designed and implemented the network for Salarpuria Group. www.salarpuria.biz Have organized many seminars in engineering colleges for Btech/BE/BCA MCA students. And was a speaker in all of these for topics like Network Security, Security Enhancements in Vista, Computer Forensics, Routing and Fiirewalls etc etc. Given a presentation on Windows Vista Security at Students Meet 2006, held at Microsoft India Dev Centre, Hyderabad. Have conducted few seminars also for professionals on similar topics Designed Hacking Competition for the College Techfest. Papers: 1 paper on RFID security in IEEE (applied research) 2nd one on way on Network security isolation LORs : College HOD My Microsoft coordinator Indian Air Force project Head Chris Amaris or Rand Morimoto (Experts at Convergent Computing) mostly probably from Chris Queries: 1. Should I apply with this profile?? Do i have any chance?? 2. Should I retake GRE in JAN2008, cannot take it before Jan20th?? I know my GPA is the weakest part in application so should i try to retake gre and compensate for it?? 3. What universities can I apply to?? Please tell me if there is any other univ not in the list and i shud apply to. CMU-INI GaTech JHU Purdue Illinois Inst. of Tech University of Texas–Austin University of Southern California (Viterbi) University of California–San Diego (Jacobs) North Carolina State University Iowa State University SUNY–Stony Brook Syracuse Cincinnati I dunno any other university offering courses on Comp Networking or InfoSec PLEASE HELP!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Gre : 790Q + 380V (Am confused wether I shud take it again or not) I would take it again to get a higher verbal score, assuming you have the time to study for it in the interim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajatkheria Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 Yeah... i'll have time... My college Univ exams are till 22nd dec... so can retake it in Jan How many does does it take for the score to reach Univs?? I was getting above 1450 in practice test thru out got above 1500 in both powerpreps.... seems it was bad luck on exam day. Anyways am expecting 1400+ this time for sure... Wat do u say about Univs depending on my profile and assuming i get 1400 Please suggest if there's any other UNiv offering similar courses that i've missed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon The Black Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 rajatkheria: Welcome brother, I am in Jadavpur University. Which college are you in? You need to increase your GRE score upto 500+. I do not think that taking the exam in Jan will help because most deadlines are in December or early January. Your official scores will take about a month to reach once they appear and you order them. You might want to consider that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajatkheria Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 Thank a lot to Calm Logic and Ancalagon.... Can u plzz tell me my chances based on my current profile and gree of 1170 (790q+380v) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Are you applying for MS or PhD? Since I am less knowledgeable of PhD admissions, I will assume MS. I'm also assuming that none of the schools below have a strict minimum verbal GRE score requirement or a strict minimum overall GRE score requirement. Below are just quick guesses for your chances of MS admission based on your profile: CMU-INI - good chances but expensive even with their tuition waiver discount GaTech - I don't know what your chances are but I would be optimistic and would definitely apply since your profile seems very competitive. JHU - lower than one would expect due to small number of vacancies. (According to TheGradCafe, they only accepted 12 PhD applicants in 2006. I assume they also didn't accept many MS applicants.) Purdue - questionable; see TheGradCafe and TestMagic for rejects Illinois Inst. of Tech - good University of Texas–Austin - questionable but certainly worth applying for University of Southern California (Viterbi) - good safety school but expensive University of California–San Diego (Jacobs) - low; according to TheGradCafe and TestMagic, they don't accept many people and they have over 2000 applicants. North Carolina State University - good Iowa State University - questionable since they seem to accept less than 3 percent of graduate school applicants; call their department to get admission statistics SUNY–Stony Brook - I would assume good chances Syracuse - I would assume good chances Cincinnati - I would assume good chances Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon The Black Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 rajatkheria: I will name some issues which you might want to consider. 1. Try and take the GRE in December to increase verbal upto 500+ and maybe even 800 in quant. Don't give the excuse of exams - we all know how much we study before them ... :D. Try and take the exam in early - mid December. Exams toh, you will pass and it won't be much help in this admissions process. 2. Offset the verbal by a 5.0+ in AWA or 110+ in TOEFL or by writing an amazing SOP. 3. If you are applying for MS, then your certifications will come in handy. I myself have MCP/MCAD/MCSD and am finishing MCSD but for PhD, they might or might not help depending upon the situation. 4. Your LORs sound very good. Make sure that they are glowing. 5. The competition wins and papers are good but the "Other Credentials" would add little value, but they are mentionable. Write a resume and structure it accordingly 6. Academics are good. What is your class rank. Try and get them converted into GPA by WES and let us know the result. Which college are you in? The reason I am asking is because it depends from college to college and reputation of the college matters a little bit in admissions. I also have heard people from IEM and Techno/Heritage who have gone abroad for MS so I am asking. 7. Listen to CalmLogic - his explanations and advice is very good. Overall, good prospects for Tier 2 and 3 colleges. I would apply to a couple of Tier 1s as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajatkheria Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 Again a great thanks to both of u... CalmLgoic : First of all thanks a lot for ur reply... Are ur predications based on my current gre scores?? Another thing Deadlines of the most sought after Univs are in Feb 1st of Feb15th or even later MY univ list in order of "most wanted" ;) CMU-INI 15th feb GaTech 1st feb Purdue-Cerias 1st april John Hopkins 15th Feb Illinois Inst. of Tech 15th feb Univ of Southern Calif - Vitrebi Syracuse may1 CMU-INI at Athens 15th may I am applying for MS only... If certifications gonna help i can finish of MCSE and CCIE Security written by jan 15th Analagon : Do u mean if i get 110+ in toefl or 5.0+ in awa i can think that it'll compensate for my low verbals in gre?? And given those deadlines can i afford to take gre in Jan 10th to 15th? I dunno about class rank... but its not good. I am from heritage. CAn you please give me your mail id of phone no? MY messenger ids are rajatkheria@gmail.com rajatkheria@hotmail.com One more question for both of u : IS this list of Univ safe for my current gre score? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajatkheria Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 few more things.. 1. Have i missed any university offering courses on Computer Netwrking/ Netwrk Security/ Info security ??? 2. Can you all compare the future prospects after the courses from: The Information Networking Institute (INI) MSIN or MSISTM Overview — College of Computing https://ias.itap.purdue.edu/gradsch/PROGRAM_INSTRUCTIONS/u97_1.html Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute Illinois Institute of Technology Center for Professional Development Graduate Information Technology and Management Degree Program CCIE Security CCNP Asking cuz in tcpmag.com i read avg salary for CCNP in US is 65k and for CCIE is 117k. And the salary statistics in the univ sites (eg. CMU The Information Networking Institute (INI)) after doing the above mentioned master program is lesser or comparable. I need some serius suggestions.. PLZZ 3. Also how much will the prospects differ from CMU pittsburgh and CMU- Athens (CMU+AIT) the degree is from cmu only. Details again mentioned on The Information Networking Institute (INI) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon The Black Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 rajatkheria: I sent you a PM. Please check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Asking cuz in tcpmag.com i read avg salary for CCNP in US is 65k and for CCIE is 117k. And the salary statistics in the univ sites (eg. CMU The Information Networking Institute (INI)) after doing the above mentioned master program is lesser or comparable.The issue that you didn't mention in those salary estimates is previous job experience. Someone with a BS degree and 7 years of experience in progressively challenging positions can easily make more money than someone with an MS degree and only two years of experience. The job statistics given by universities are not very well verified, tend to be very general, and may be out of date. Basically, I would use them as just one indicator. Another potential factor is that salary of an H1B holder may be somewhat less compared to US citizens, depending on the company. That isn't something I know much about. BTW, a job site for H1B jobs: International IT Jobs. Pure IT Global Career Portal In any case, I don't think CMU's professional/terminal MS programs are worth the tuition cost. Even with the tuition waiver that most everyone seems to get, it's still $45,000 per semester. Certainly, I haven't found anyone yet at TestMagic who has argued strongly and without equivocation for the tuition value of CMU's INI program. Similarly: Well, the tuition for MSIN (Information Networking) and MSISTM (Information Security Technology & Management) at CMU-INI, both for which I have been accepted, is $68,000. So with a partial tuition waiver of $23,000 I still have to shell out a mammoth $45,000. That's why I prefer UNH to CMU. Whogotin: admission, rejection, interview, waitlisted notification for graduate school I made some additional arguments in the thread below, such as that the money you save from tuition by going to another school could be used for flying around America for job placement, such as back-and-forth from New York and California, for your entire career: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/computer-science-admissions/66221-got-admit-cmu-masters-software-engineering.html Anyway, a good resource is PayScale.com. For example, for software engineering, going to the best program (CMU) did not result in higher earnings relative to some other programs: According to PayScale.com, the median salary for someone with an MS in Software Engineering from CMU is $78,030. However, the highest pay went to graduates of three other programs: Median Salary: National University - $90,132 Seattle University - $84,048 DePaul Univeristy - $81,677 Since National University's MSSE program is allied with CMU, I assume the difference in pay is mostly because those who went to National University (which based in San Diego) were more likely to work in San Diego and Silicon Valley where there is a higher cost of living. http://www.www.urch.com/forums/computer-science-admissions/66221-got-admit-cmu-masters-software-engineering.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 And given those deadlines can i afford to take gre in Jan 10th to 15th? I would re-take it as soon as they let you. What do you have to lose except some cash? It could certainly help with the universities that have later application deadlines. Also, getting a higher verbal score may help increase your chances of getting a TA position. Are ur predications based on my current gre scores?? Yes. However, I am making a lot of assumptions about your profile and about the universities. For example, I assume your ranking is at least in the top 50 percent. Basically, I see your real-world networking experience, your related awards, your IEEE paper in applied research, and your quantitative GPA as your greatest strengths. The impression one gets is of a person that is very motivated and focused with proven ability and intelligence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajatkheria Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 Thanks for all your help calmlogic..... It was a great help... THANKS once again.... do u have any messenegr?? plz send me a private message with ur messenger id if u dont mind.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Personally, I don't use or like instant messaging :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 Regarding NCSU, as you may have already read in this forum, they seem below average regarding funding. This is actually one of the more positive posts about funding at NCSU: I completed my masters (dec06) in CS from NCSU...I would say chances are practically zero for being funded from the very first semester. But if you try hard enough, getting support after 1/2 sem is possible. http://www.www.urch.com/forums/admissions-results/65997-ncsu-ms-cs-departmend.html According to other posts, even some PhD applicants apparently didn't get funding offers from NCSU. BTW, a post in which I mention some safety schools for networking: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/computer-science-admissions/75002-please-suggest-some-universities.html#post489483 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDK Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 The job statistics given by universities are not very well verified, tend to be very general, and may be out of date. Basically, I would use them as just one indicator. Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon The Black Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 MDK: Sidhuism? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 Oh, it's funny stuff. Thanks for mentioning it. Another one: "You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg." Some more:Sidhuism « *.* of anything and everything else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 Regarding GA Tech, a great, long thread regarding Fall 2006 admissions included this profile of an accepted MS applicant: AGRE: 740 GRE: 800+490 Acads: 69.7% Work EX: 18 months Mumbai UNIV http://www.www.urch.com/forums/admissions-results/47072-ms-gatech-cs.html From GA Tech's website, they don't seem to have changed their admission statistics since 2006 since they are the same as posted in the thread above: Once each year, the admissions committee selects for admission from an outstanding pool of students. Last year there were more than 700 applications for about 70 positions in the program. Prerequisites — College of Computing More positively, that is almost times the admission rate of Purdue: For Fall 2007 we had over 700 applications for 25 slots. Department of Computer Science So, as I already intimated, I would definitely apply to GA Tech since it's a great school and you have a shot. If you do get accepted, the only issue, as with most schools, would be funding, at least for the first semester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDK Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 MDK: Sidhuism? Pardon me ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon The Black Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 MDK: If you are not from India, then it will be difficult to explain but I am sure that I can point you towards: Navjot Singh Sidhu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDK Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 MDK: If you are not from India This is the case :) Sidhu became famous for his funny quotes, which have come to be known as Sidhuisms. I think i got ur point :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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