MS 101: Want to Pursue a Master’s Degree? Here is What You Need to Know
Based on my Research and Personal Experiences so far!
Tip: Start at least a year before you enter your Final (Senior) year.
The first year of college is way too early. Use your second year to try out different courses and keep experimenting to find your interests.
The third year of college is when you need to get serious. You have one year ahead of you to plan and get your applications in.
Step 1: Figure out which Program you want.
There are a ton of programs and courses out there depending upon what you want to study. If you can’t figure out which course is the best for you, try to envision where you see yourself 5 years from now. Use goals to figure out what program you are suited for. If there is a particular role or position that interests you, research and find data on how people got there — what courses did they study or what programs did they enrol in.
Step 2: Find the Perfect University
Once you figure out what course you want, you can now move on to find the right universities. Students often make a list of universities where they would like to apply to. The list consists of mainly three categories — safety schools, ambitious schools and highly ambitious schools.
You can use websites like QS World University Rankings USNews.com Forbes.com to help you shortlist your universities.
Factors that need to be taken into consideration:
- Faculty expertise — If you plan on doing research internships, you might want to go through the profiles of the faculty to see if you fit into the academic setting.
- Electives — Different programs offer a different range of electives. Be sure to scrutinise your course curriculum thoroughly before deciding.
- Size of class — Do you prefer a batch of 40 or one of 200? Depending on your preferences you can find a course that is perfect for you.
- Location and setting — In the US, you can find over six time zones, and the temperature, social setting, economic layout vary widely within them. Before finalising your university, carefully find data on the economic prospectus, accommodation and food availabilities to ensure that you are comfortable in the settings that you choose.
Step 3: Search for Scholarships
Tuition and rates vary from university to university. Once you finalise your school of choice, search for scholarships, graduate teaching assistantships to finance your education. You can do this by checking out websites and scholarship portals. Studying in the USA is not cheap but with the right mindset and economic planning, it can be converted into a hassle-free process.
Tip: Seek external help
In case you get stuck and are overwhelmed with all the numerous options, feel free to reach out to external agencies like EducationUSA. You can also get in touch with current students, alumni via LinkedIn. Make sure to be polite and keep your questions very specific to the program that you wish to apply for. Remember to value the time and effort of the person who is trying to help you. Finally, don’t forget to keep them posted once you get your results. I’m sure they would be really pleased to know if their tips helped you.
Step 4: GRE
For most Master’s programs in the US, you need to write the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). It is a standardized exam conducted by Educational Testing Services(ETS). The exam consists of a three hour, 45-minute computer-based exam. It includes sections on Quantitative Analysis, Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing.
Step 5: English Proficiency Test
International students must write an English Proficiency Test to establish their command over the English language. You can write any one of the options given below after cross-checking with your university requirements.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
PTE (Pearson Test of English Academic)
Step 6: Perfecting your Statement of Purpose
Everyone who has been through this whole process would tell you how important your statement of purpose is. Before you start writing it, please go through the prompts available on the university website to understand what the selection committee is looking for. Be honest, be you and talk about your journey so far citing incidents in your personal and academic life.
Here is an article I wrote about how I went about writing my SOP.
Click here to read: Perfecting your Story
Step 7: Crafting your Resume
Your resume should speak about your career so far. It should include everything relevant you have done in your professional and academic life. Your resume should be short and relevant(1–2 pages). Also, have supporting documents to prove those lines in your resume. Follow a standard professional template that makes you stand out.
Step 8: Filling out Applications
Once you finish steps 1–7, you can start applying to your dream universities. Log into the university website, check out the deadlines and start filling out the forms. Be careful to read each and every instruction twice and make no mistakes while you are filling it up.
Step 9: Recommendations
Various universities have different policies with respect to their recommendations. If the course you have selected is a research-oriented course they would value academic recommendations over professional recommendations. If it isn't a research-oriented course you can speak to your internship mentors or others with whom you have interacted in the past to write you a glowing recommendation.
Make sure your recommendations reach the university before the deadline.
Step 10: The Waiting Begins
Trust me, it is a pretty long wait. But use this time, to hang out with your friends, take up a new hobby or just chill and check out college move-in vlogs on youtube. They are oddly satisfying!
Step 11: Results are Here!
After weeks and weeks of waiting and refreshing Gmail, one fine day when you least expect it, there will be a message in your inbox asking you to log onto your portal. And then, you get to see your result. Yay, You’re in or well try again later?
If you are in, congratulations! Your hard work has finally paid off. But then again, rejections are to be expected and trust me I’ve had my fair share of them which I will share in the next post. Till then, stay tuned?
Thank You, Sachin Jose, for helping me with this post.
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