ritendra

Hey ... go for UIUC ... the quality of UIUC CS PhD is amazing ... very little difference from Stanford for CS PhD atleast ... don't mess up both offers by trying anything risky/tricky ... If PhD is your final aim then you end up saving a year by going into Direct Phd ... infact I don't see where your confusion is coming ... I know a 4-5 people who have MS CS offers from Stanford, but very very few PhD CS UIUC, they don't compare .. seriously.... MS from Stanford one of my batchmates got too this year ... but I just wish I had a PhD CS from UIUC .. it's a great offer ... ofcourse if it was a PhD from Stanford then the comparison would come up, but here there isn't any... so don't mess up .. nothing will go wrong ... the little "risk" and "back-up" you are talking about 99% of us are also gonna be in the same boat after this 15th April when we reject our other aid offers and commit on one.... so practically no extra risk...

Hey happyking, There are a total of 9 points that they mention. Some are technical, I don't know what all of them mean. TOEFL scores are not noted, but in one point they mention something like "Candidate has the required English Proficiency" .. atleast that's my case. Besides this there is a break-up of costs invloved for 1st 12 months, duration of course (6 years in my case), and a point where they mention the total amount of resources I have (with sub-totals according to source). Obviously this total must exceed the 1st year Costs total, otherwise the I-20 is invalid. On page 3 there is a place for multiple-entries which have to be signed by the foreign student advisor, whenever one leaves USA during the course duration. If you have any more questions do post :) Ritendra

Hey BigMO, Thanks for calling my statement cool :D I am flattered ... actually I was just honest about what I felt .. even though I have nothing against Stonybrook as such , as it might well just reflect the attitude of the Graduate Secretary, and not of the rest of the department, but whatever it is, it certainly created a negative impression in my mind and that's here to stay [:o)]. As for the answering those questions, I did mail some grads about it but they all seem so busy (which is quite understandable) that it seems I can't get a uniform opinion , or an answer to all those questions until I actually land up there.It is a risk alright but a very small one coz I think risks are there everywhere in greater proportions, and both departments will have their pros and cons. As for what kind of student Stonybrook is gonna miss, I don't know I myself have to discover that after I land there (I am not from IIT, the Indians these univs. respect most come from IITs in India). Infact I sometimes feel scared that with such a huge investment made per student in these places, their expectation will also be high and I don't know if I can live up to them. So Penn State it is I guess. Anybody attending Penn State do let me know. If any other Indians (especially those like me, from unrecognised undergrad institutions in India) want any help in CS admissions, do post, and if I can be of any assistance I will try and help. BigMO, are you gonna attend Stonybrook? TestMagic Forums is a nice concept and I got a LOT of help. Thanks to you all :-) Ritendra

Vishwa: The dept. at Penn State is called Computer Science & Engg. and they have a PhD program in CSE only. Penn State doesn't have a CE PhD program.So I really don't know which rankings (CE or CS) to take into account. The rankings are quite different (16 and 35) , and same for Stonybrook. If this CE ranking applies to CSE at Penn State then I must say the jump is mammoth (thought rankings are but mere people's opinions) and may be seen as something positive I guess. Sh123sh : Thanx a ton for putting in all this effort. I received the paper form of my offer from Stonybrook, and I must say it is very demeaning to say the least. Very untidily done, almost in haste, most of the entries (including my Name !!! ) have been done in pen in ineligible hand-writing, the figures aren't even visible. I can't imagine a reputed school like Stonybrook should be this unprofessional. I think the application packet I sent them was thrice as clean, clear and tidy, and most importantly, done with care. In contrast, Penn State documents have all been extremely professional yet full opf warmth, including the letters, the content of the letters, the quality of their offer documents, and overall presentation. It is funny and can be considered stupid, but in the same way as the admissions committees look into the presentation of our packets and often judge some things from it, I guess it's out turn to judge their quality and develop certain opinions about what to expect, atleast in terms of the administrative assistance! So balance tilting towards Penn State by quite a bit! Ritendra

Hi sh... Ya I could but I am afraid I do not have a USnews paid account ... so I can't avail that option... if you have an account, can you tell me the new Penn State and Stonybrook's Computer Engineering ranks ?? I heard it is out with 2005 rankings.. thanks Ritendra

Hello, Congrats on UIUC CS PhD ! Awesome school for CS and engineering in general. I received my I-20 from Penn State on March 12th. They sent it to me my UPS Express before I accepted their offer. They took about 7-10 days to process, sign and send it (It requires a foreign student advisor's signature), and add to SEVIS Database I guess. So don't worry you will get it once the international office checks your TOEFL and financial credentials. I guess both are done, since they have offered you full-aid. I personally had mailed the international office at PSU and they responded by even sending me a UPS postal tracking web-link via email. I must say these officers are incredibly courteous. btw, since you have done so amazingly with your CS admissions, can you suggest me something? If you were to choose between Penn State and Stonybrook which one would you choose? I posted a new topic in the forum, but I am still confused. There just doesn't seem to be a clear winner. Ritendra

Hello, I will apply for loan??? With full-aid ? On what grounds ? That I might have a problem of funding myself after 2 years if I don't do too well? This is sounding ridiculous.. has any of you heard of a case where one had to take a loan of such a huge amount just as a precautionary measure? Please advice , as this is coming as a total surprise. Ritendra

Hello, I will apply for loan??? With full-aid ? On what grounds ? That I might have a problem of funding myself after 2 years if I don't do too well? This is sounding ridiculous.. has any of you heard of a case where one had to take a loan of such a huge amount just as a precautionary measure? Please advice , as this is coming as a total surprise. Ritendra

Hello BigMO, Congrats on your admit ! Yes my interest is in Algorithms and comp. geom. I know these guys are outstanding. Infact I had a lot of correspondence with Dr.Skiena. But right now I am more interested in Comp. Vision and that's what I want to do my PhD in. Penn State has a strong Comp. Vision group, it has moved to a new hi-tech building, it is hiring 5 new faculty members this fall, that would make the number of faculty members almost equal. Penn State has a Natl Acad of Engg member in Mary Jane Irwin. Stonybrook certainly has a much better histrory, but Penn State presently seems more promising. I am basically trying to justify because Penn State's financial offer is much much better and cost of living is lower Stonybrook (both together making it very stropng financially), and there is an extreme arroagnce among Stonybrook grad secy and the faculty, something that is totally missing in the Penn State guys. I know these are not directly academically related, but I personally feel these might matter in the long run if I am to stay in a dept. for 5-6 years. Actually I don't know and yur message has confused me in my decision further. But thanks anyway. I wish I could see the future :-) Ritendra

Hello, Vishwa: I have partial fellowships in both, but this amount is much less in Stonybrook. I still have to work as a TA for the tution-waiver and stipend. The stipend also happens to be less in Stonybrook. So overall the money factor is always there, coz NY is as such much more expensive than PA, same goes for these university locations. Both have open offers in the sense that I can choose my advisor and research area after I go. So that's the thing. There are reputed profs in both, but that number I think is more in Stonybrook. I would hope you give me some more insights :-). Jaideep: Are you a bengali? Where are you and what are you doing now? Thanks a lot. It always sounds good to be congratulated. My profile I have posted in an earlier posting (when I got the Penn State offer). I have 82% in my bachelors (6 semester average) in Information Technology from Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur,India. GRE:800Q,630V, AWA5.0, TOEFL:293, TSE 60. Research experience : Mostly independent research, but one vital Summer internship in a Petrochem company in West Bengal. wrote a few papers, sent them with my app, but had no publications nor sent any for review (basically because I thought they weren't worth publishing). Recommendation letters: were very very specific from my college profs: I did not see them but I gave the profs my SOP and resume, and requested them to be specific , and I think they could easily do it because I chose my fave profs. This was vital. I would say I take most credit for my Stonybrook schol, because they presently have no more than 1-2 students who got a direct PhD from a BE from India other than from IIT. Competition for these have these and lack of funding had become a noram in the last 2-3 years in the US. The main thing was my SOP, the specific recos, and yes, TSE (If you wan't aid, take it). But I beleive what's most vital is your genuine interest in going into research and finishing a PhD if you are applying for one. In my case that was always there, and it got well reflected in my SOP and recos. For PhD, research potential and experience comes FIRST, and everything else (including the GREs etc) come next. Ofcourse it is important to have decent GREs so that your applications go into the round where Profs get to see it, otherwise it is pointless. Ofcourse it also helped that I have world-rank 851 in ACM UVa Problems Solving System, 56th in Bitwise 2k4, and cam 6th in ACM ICPC. What makes me feel good is that now I know that their admissions process is unbiased, and that I proved many wrong who told me that getting into direct PhD with aid in good CS Schools from a relatively unknown school in India was tough. Phew..that was long ... but still more-or-less undecided abt my choice. But as far as admissions in CS PhD in general is concerned (don't know about MS much though - that is a different ball-game!!) you can ask more specific questions and I will try to see if I have an answer. Any comparison about location, social life and living cost of both would be helpful Thanks for the congratulations ! Ritendra

Hello, I have just received an offer for CS PhD from SUNy at Stonybrook. This one comes with full-TA plus a University fellowship. I am unable to decide between this, and my previous offer from Penn State. The CS department has a slightly better reputation with some better faculty members, but in terms of overall College of Engineering rankings and University rankings , Penn State is in the top bracket, and Stonybrook doesn't compare. There is more diverse research going on at Stonybrook , but in my area they are more or less same. The financial package , however , is better in Penn State. Please give inputs and advice me on which offer to accept. Thanks in advance. Ritendra

Hello, I am gonna apply for a Visa very soon for a PhD in CS. I have full aid and a partial fellowship. I have my immediate family in India, and have considerable amount of property here. However my main problem is that I have very little liquid cash to show the consular officer. I personally have the intent to return to India after the PhD. I recently heard that even with PhD with full-aid , chances of getting a visa these days are very low and I must show a lotf of money to have any chance of a visa. I am very worried, as the offer is so good , and yet since I don't have money to show them , my chances , according to some ppl, are very bleak. Please advice me on this . Especially usefult would be Indiands who have had or known of similar situations and what I can do to boost my chances. I am told that for PhD , Visa is even tougher than MS. I am quite baffled as I though , with aid , it was easier. Thanks. Ritendra

Hello all, Thanks for all the praise. I received the admission and assistantship offer on 16th Feb via e-mail , though they have sent me an assistantship agreement form by mail too. Then they had said they have nominated me for a College of Engineering Fellowship and it would become knwon by March 5th . But they offered the fellowship (again by e-mail) on 24th Feb . I mailed the graduate officer John Hannan and they said they have offered PhD admits to only 16 students. Fellowship offers are I think 1-2. He said I was one of their top applicants . So it feels really good :-). Can't name the other universities in a public forum as yet coz I am yet to accept their offer. Thanks again. Ritendra

Hi, I actually have a very ordinary profile. I am from India and in my final year engineering undergraduate (Information Technology), GRE (1430 : Q800 V630 A5.0) TOEFL(293/300, 6.0) TSE (60/60). Undergraduate average 82% in 6 semesters so far. But then I guess my main advantage was my co-curricluars and undergraduate research. My SOP , I believe , was the strongest. The co-curriculars were very very specifc to my research interest (Theory and Computer Vision), and I guess my offer of fellowship is a recogntion of this focus (these college of engg. fellowships are supposedly very competitive and I wonder how they offered it to someone from a relatively unknown undergraduate institution).

Hi everyone, I have never posted in this forum though I have read the posts and they have often come of great help. Received an admission from Pennsylvania State University at University Park for a PhD in CSE. They are offering me a TAship whcih covers everything and pays a stiped. Additionally, they are offering me a College of Engineering Fellowship. How do you think about this offer? How is PSU ? Anybpdy else in this forming going there this Fall ? I am yet to hear from the other universities, though. I really need some comments on Penn State , as this decision will cost me atleast the next 5 years of my life. Thanks :-) Regards, Ritendra Datta India