University Selection : Please help

[gaurava]

Folks,

 

Please provide me feedback on following universities (my first cut list):

 

1. UIUC

2. UT Austin

3. Purdue

4. UMich - Ann Arbor

5. USC

6. Carnegie Mellon

7. University of Maryland College Park

8. Oregon State University

9. North Carolina State University

 

I have just started browsing university web pages whereas people out here have much more information/experience.. so guys please help me out.

 

I will be applying for MSEE Fall 2005 (VLSI, Integrated Circuits specialization) and I need financial aid. My credentials are:

 

- GRE: 800/800/5.0, TOEFL: 293

- 2.5 Years work-ex in a reputed semiconductor company

- Excellent academics (rank 1) from a not-so-great university of India

- Average SOP (haven't started on it yet.. so assume average)

 

Now which of the above univs will be near-impossible to get (both admit and schol)? I have heared that USC has almost nil aid.. Any suggestions of universities that I should drop/add?

 

Any comment will be of great help.

 

Gaurav

[Nebulous]

hey

good enough list consdering your background

but i ll add to the list TAMU coll station and one of the SUNYs (either buffalo or stony brook)

as these are teeming witgh indian students

u can also try VTECH and u of utah

USC is a very safe bet but costly

so i guess u include my univs in the list and then finalize 5-6 where u ll actually apply out of these after interacting with profs and students

by the way which comp are u working in

[gaurava]

Thanks Nebulous...

 

Hey i20fever, can you please comment too? By now I have removed USC & CMU from above list and added GaTech instead. Any comments which other univs should I change because schol/admit/job is difficult there in VLSI?

 

Gaurav

[i20fever]

1. UIUC

2. UT Austin

3. Purdue

4. UMich - Ann Arbor

5. USC - Removed already

6. Carnegie Mellon removed already

7. University of Maryland College Park

8. Oregon State University

9. North Carolina State University

 

Plus GATECH

 

Gaurav, Congratualtions Buddy , i saw your List but did not dare to show a fingure at a 1600 Guy; Excellent man

 

Ok here i go , one second got a couple of Questions

* how many are you planning for apply

* is your GOAL to finish MS get a cool job settle down in life ( i think so) or PHD /Post Doc Research life - if its first one I want some changes in this list else this is very good list

 

I would apply for 6/7 schools ideally and got 3/4 risks and 2/3 safer bets

 

Risk ones (good Ones) would be

1. UT Austin

2. Purdue or UIUC not both / both r kind of academic oreinted schools , so PHD asiprants /research oreinted/ man if your goal is to get Job - should not take much load on research and kill your self /

3. GA tech

4.U Mich An Harbor or/and Maryland College Park /may be both / both are kind of similar style schools / both good /

 

Safer ones would be

5. North Carolina State Univeristy

6. Univeristy of Mineesota ( sorry i sneaked it; not in your list)

7. Iowa State or some safer school where u r assured of AID in i20

 

and hey throwing a stone on CMU is not a bad ideas as its the best for CS/ ECE

 

Good Luck and hey sorry if discouraging ; i dont mean to be that way but i for me

* Masters is some thing you Just need to do it with AID - i dont want you to get in to a top school and be with out Aid and pay tution

* Its good to be tooper in a Good Class being a last ranker in a Excellent bunch of People so i try to be safe/conservative

* Its afer to have AID in i20 from india self than come to school /fight for VISA and then run after profs for AID/ so i was trying to be safe

 

you might be felling iam a 1600 Guy ; what more do you need - you will be competeting with best in the world - Chinkis (they have 95 % Acads and full GRE with some 10 International Publications) ha ah

 

any way Good Luck and i fell proud to mail you

 

hey you have every thing ; just need to plan things - have a good resume and good covering letter when you approach a prof

 

 

naveen