Wat do u need for top schools???

[aks1232001]

well guys wat do u think is the ideal score for making it through to top schools like Harvard, Carnegie, Stanford ....

 

also wat r the other things that matter to apply to them??

 

i mean undergrad percentages or gpa, paper presentation etc etc for masters in Engg

 

thanx for ur guidance !!!!!!!!!!!

 

keep up the terrific job :)

[Dingus]

I think you will get better responses in the University - Admissions Graduate forum. :) You may need to mention which major field in Engineering you are applying to.

 

All the best!

Dingus

 

PS: A lot of TMians applied and got through these top schools this year, you might want to check out the "Success" forum and have a look at their profiles. It will give you a fairly good estimate of the type of students these top schools are looking at for their entering class.

[reactor]

many things matter but if you are not from a well known school or a school that has sent a lot of successful students at top schools then professors connections matter a lot and do "the difference". ;)

[matroid]

I second gstergia's opinion but disagree with Dingus. It's your contacts that matter: you or your recommendation letter writers should be known by somebody at the department you are applying to, otherwise you don't have much chance, if you're not a real genius. Even in TestMagic you will find several people with "stellar" admits with weaker scores and much less research experience than many of "The Rejected Mass".

 

As for "research experience": you have to produce several "real" papers in English. Years of RAship, presentations, proceedings, anything in any language other than English etc. don't count much without a few serious papers.

 

Md.

[awhig]

Summarizing above posts, what you need is : Strong Profile.

[aks1232001]

any advice guys for building up my profile???

 

i have abt an year or so.. so plzzz help me put....

 

and i wud b very happy if u wud specifically giv me a number for GRE score.. i mean somethin u say is really good...irresistible ....

[gforce]

and i wud b very happy if u wud specifically giv me a number for GRE score.. i mean somethin u say is really good...irresistible ....

1600. Now that's irresistible. :)

 

Chill dude...I know wannabes with 1600 landing up in average schools while serious applicants with scores in the 1300 range got into their respective top-10 programs.

GRE is just one facet of your application. The thing that matters the most is your GPA/acads and research experience or aptitude/potential.

[awhig]

To add to gforce views, your interest should match the school's dept's interest.If so , then an average score would do wonders for you.

[reactor]

Find any professors from top schools and/or any professors with publications in top journals (i.e. Econometrica) and make sure you take their course (if it fits your interests) and that you not only do well but that you also participate in class and show genuine interest. These profs most probably have " connectios" or anyway their recommendation with "carry a lot of weight". (most probably) :)

[Mindcraft]

To add to gforce views, your interest should match the school's dept's interest.If so , then an average score would do wonders for you.

 

That's probably the best piece of advice to consider. The committee doesn't necessarily look for "THE BEST" applicant in terms of scores and acads, they look for students that have a genuine interest in their specific program, have a defined path in terms of the curriculum, and have goals that are consistent with the school's goals. This ALONE may not get you the admit, but if you have this aspect of the application under control, then decent acads and good reccs give you the edge. I by no means had a stellar GRE score, nor did I come from a top univ, my reccomenders weren't bigshots, but everything in my application stressed the fact that I was passionate about the program and that my goals were consisten't with those of the school's. So, the first step should be to ask yourself, is this TRULY what I want? If your heart says YES!, then take it from there.

 

Yousuf

[gforce]

So, the first step should be to ask yourself, is this TRULY what I want? If your heart says YES!, then take it from there.

Top notch, no nonsense and to the point.

Good stuff Yousuf! Keep it up! :)

[tans]

:2cents: hey hey:D

 

i m the gal with 1300 GRE and 257 TOEFL.

got into purdue civil, where cut off was 600 GRE VERBAL:mad: or 5 in TOEFL essay.:crazy:

i didnt have any of those two(500verbal and 4.5 toefl essay).

so the tricks is

1. contact with prof and try to match your research interest with them

2. have a gr8 performance in ur undergrad or grad, with high GPA(it helped me really)

3.write a beautiful SOP which will prove that u r born to study in their school.

4.good recos from profs who know ur capabilities, not frm a hifi prof who doesnt know u

5. try to have publication

6. perform well in interview

and u r done:grad:

[Mindcraft]

write a beautiful SOP which will prove that u r born to study in their school.

 

Very important, no matter how many people say that SOPs aren't a big deal!

[reactor]

I think we are missing a crucial point here:) ; there are

 

i) qualifications/ "application elements" that draw attention to your application and make adcoms select it from the "pile" read it instead of rejecting it immediately i.e. high GRE, LORs from well-know profs and/or profs with connections, extremelly high GPA (maybe) etc

 

and

 

ii) qualifications/ "application elements" that after the adcoms have read you application they will choose you over other people for their program. i.e. LORs from well-know profs and/or profs with connections, extremelly high GPA, focused/clear SOP, more suitable courses/more advanced suitable courses than other applicants, good performance in the interview (if you are given the chance of an interview. not all subjects require an interview.)

 

Most probably in top schools the adcoms will not even mind reading your beautiful SOP if they have not select your application from the "pile". :) I believe that you can make it without being perfect in the "type II" qualifications but for sure you have to be very strong in "type I".

[aks1232001]

very informative!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

thanx a lot :)

[gforce]

Good luck for Fall 2006!!

[mex81]

I posted this in a similar thread>

I got into MIT (and was awarded the MIT Presidential Fellowship, I also got into Stanford and Berkeley with fellowships in both). I never had a job or an internship in a private company and I got my BS from a not so well ranked state university. It's all about the research. I spent all summers working on research and I also have TA experience. I think my best advice is to do as much research as you can and to work with different professors (you want to get THREE great letters of rec). GRE is not that important (my score was 790Q 540V 6.0A, alright but not really that exceptional). Grades are important though. I took 4.5 years to graduate but I kept a 4.0. There were semesters when I only took 12 or 13 units though. So I would say, don't overwhelm yourself taking lots of units to graduate early. At the MIT visit day I met several people that had jobs and took even longer to graduate. Instead, LEARN something, and get involve in research and teaching opportunities. Also, take the statement of purpose very seriously! sound confident and impress them!

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[mex81]

I posted this in a similar thread:

I got into MIT (and was awarded the MIT Presidential Fellowship, I also got into Stanford and Berkeley with felloships in both--SGF from Stanford). I never had a job or an internship in a private company and I got my BS from a not so well ranked state university. It's all about the research. I spent all summers working on research and I also have TA experience. I think my best advice is to do as much research as you can and to work with different professors (you want to get THREE great letters of rec). GRE is not that important (my score was 790Q 540V 6.0A, alright but not really that exceptional). Grades are important though. I took 4.5 years to graduate but I kept a 4.0. There were semesters when I only took 12 or 13 units though. So I would say, don't overwhelm yourself taking lots of units to graduate early. At the MIT visit day I met several people that had jobs and took even longer to graduate. Instead, LEARN something, and get involve in research and teaching opportunities. Also, take the statement of purpose very seriously! sound confident and impress them!