Episode 3: Selecting the universities you would like to be in

This is perhaps the most critical stage of the MS application. Usually, students select 8-10 universities. Take 2-3 ambitious ones (where you believe getting in would be a miracle), 3-4 moderate ones (where you have even chances) and 2-3 safe bets (sure admits).

Before selecting though, you need to figure out what subject you want to do graduate study in. If you are a Computer Science major, it is not necessary that you do graduate study in CS, unless you really like the field. Remember, you will be spending lot of time and money on the program, and your decision here could shape your career. So, go through the university pages, talk to people. Make sure you study what you like. Soul-searching is a term I’d like to use here. This is something very important.

Think about the subjects you like and explore. I was clear I did not want to continue Electrical Engineering, but wanted something focused towards Management and Economics. I first considered Engineering Management, then realized it limited scope and shifted towards Industrial Engineering. Doing this search requires lot of patience, hours of poring through websites for rankings, university websites for course structures, mailing some of the professors based on their research interests that match with yours, mailing people doing courses at universities etc. Professors usually do not reply back to students, but the process of mailing might in itself clear some doubts you may have! So, I would still suggest trying to mail some of them.

All this effort is worth it. Because the more you are excited and convinced about your choice of subject in graduate study, the more you can convince the admissions committee about you deserving admission to their program.