Enchanted Views

Plan for 2012

2012-01-16T11:03:00.001-05:00

Last year, I mentioned about my plan for 2011. Most of it was a success. So it is time to make plans for year 2012.

For this year luckily there is no study*. So I can use this time to take couple of certifications. The basic one any Network Engineer must have is CCNA. So planning to take it by first week of March. Apart from this Intuition is another thing I want to complete by July. Once I am done with Intuition, I will know the business side of Finance too.

For the personality development program, I will try to attend the ABToastmasters. This is a very good club to improve public speaking. Also the presentation seminar provided to TAPS is a good way to improve these skills. Planning to learn Spanish this year. May be Rosetta stone could be used. I have joined Gym to get fit. Planning to reach to 150 lbs.

On the fun side planning to improve my Garba skills and continue to write for campus newspaper.

This is what comes to my mind for now. I will keep posting.

*no college studies

Universities to select for 3yrs IT experience and Avg Profile

2011-12-03T09:57:00.000-05:00

Question-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am frm ECE field and working in XYZ in Pune , I am applying for univ in canada, germany, netherland, singapore .... not US coz i think thats will be very costly ...

I have decided some univs also... but prob is that I have avg profile... except work exp of 3 yrs ... that also i doubt wont help as it is in IT sector... n i want to apply for electrical field :(

now prob is that univ i have selected are among the top univ ... now confused whether it will be right to apply to these univ.... means i have to have gud academinc profile (like IIT name)

would be very helpful if u can help me how to select univ.... it should be all top ... or some avg unv also...

how much will be the expenses if i apply in US or any other ...

Suggestion----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,

Good that you have decided for MS after 3 yrs of Experience.

Your question mainly boils down to

1) Which country for MS

2) Which Universities to apply for

For 1) I think US offers best option for you. As you mentioned cost as a factor, I believe the return on investment (ROI) is pretty high. In spite of avg academic record, your GRE score would determine how much scholarship you get. Your soft skills would help you landing an on campus job. Plus there are lots of internship opportunities available (Your US based company work-ex would be helpful). So in the end I believe you will gain valuable experience and education plus your balance sheet would be in green.

For 2) The job market for international students in US is in favor of IT. So if you want to go for Electrical you have to be in one of the best Universities and have to do a thesis\project on something which industry needs.

Electrical is a broad field. Unless you mention what you are interested in 1) VLSI 2) Embedded 3) Telecom 4) Power 5) Computer Network 6) Semiconductors and many more.

Basically for Computer Networks look for schools in California or NY City. For VLSI and Embedded go for schools in California, Texas, Michigan, Chicago area. For Power look for schools in Michigan, NJ, NY, California or may be anywhere. Power is very good across US.

I hope this helped. Let me know if you find this useful.

New Semester Vows and expectations

2011-01-23T21:51:00.000-05:00

New York: It has been 6 months since I am living in New York Metropolitan region and it has been great. It is indeed a city of opportunities. People from all race, ethnicity, color, country, religion, ideology live here. I wonder what would have Williams Wordsworth have written about NY. Whether it is Mets or Jets they all make you feel a part of it.

At any rate, last semester fulfilled my dream of writing articles, teaching an all girls high school and what not. What it not fulfilled was making an Android Application. Other failures were surely there but tomorrow new semester is going to start and would like to concentrate on new challenges ahead.

This semester I want to do a technical internship in a big company. Have some surprises lying ahead for sure. Want to try my hands (Rather legs) on Ice skating. Plans are afoot to get my first project via Kaunas Tech. Want to give CCNA by the end of this semester. I wish to be clean with Java by the end of Semester. Also want to complete all labs of Webgoat by the end of January. I do expect of getting at least 4 GPA to save my scholarship. Other targets are to have a nice physic.

Today my dream of having my own website is about to be complete. Next targets are to learn Drupal. Others are to make a website for my mama and to find a Summer internship. Want to do a project under a Prof. and to do a geeky thing each week, much up to my satisfaction.

I hope with best wishes from my Mom and other well wishers I will be able to complete much of it.

Have a great New Year.

Soham whispersssss ! But loudly !!: Narendra Modi's day out with CM (Common Men)

2010-01-02T04:39:00.000-05:00

There is something about this man which makes me Mesmerize.....May be his Positive attitude.....

Visit to Wisconsin Dells

2009-12-22T01:24:00.001-05:00

I started my year with good GRE scores and ended with enjoying at Wisconsin Dells.

Well with all the grades out AB, B, B, it was time to relax. Being 3 hours away from Chicago, Wisconsin Dells was the obvious choice.

We started our journey on 19th, Dec. Our first stop was after 15 minutes at Patel Bazaar. Reason: Well unlimited Chaat, Pav Bhaji, Chole Bhature, Dabeli, Bataka Vada, Idli Sambhar, Dosa, Ragda Paities, Samosa...All really really really tasty......All this for only 6.9 dollars...Can you imagine this.

In Houghton we would pay 15 dollars for it. And thats a statement.

Well going ahead with the journey we reached Wisconsin Dells at around 5 pm. After getting fresh in Rome Resort we went to the indoor theme park for rides..There was Roller Coaster,Go-carting, Mountain Climbing, Slides, Octopus, Free Fall and much more....Fully satisfied we embarked to our next destination which is indoor Water park...

There was water slide, splash pads, spray grounds, lazy river and much more to offer. We made the most it.
After having fun we returned to room to have 'Chai'(Tea) and 'Dhebra' (Fenugreek bread). We called it a day.

Next day we went to water park to repeat the same thing. This time for more time. After gets hungry we went to a Pedros.(An unwise decision for Vegetarians)

Returned to our room to play cards...The next morning had pretzel for the first time and had Ice-cream of Haagen Dazs (Currently this company's Delhi outlet is in limelight due to some controversy).

After a 3 hr ride we came to Chicago to reach Chipotle and had Baritos. (To reimpose our faith in Mexican Food).

So this is how we ended our journey in happy note..Enjoy the picture's with link below.
http://picasaweb.google.com/himanshubina/WisconsinDellls?authkey=Gv1sRgCK2Fku_lwc_DogE&feat=email#

Bye for now....

University to apply for given profile.

2009-10-18T04:00:00.005-04:00

Oct-Nov-Dec-Jan are the months when students start applying to Universities.

So the natural Question is which University to go for.

Here is a profile i received earlier this week regarding it.

Profile is :
GRE ~ 1400-
TOEFL~100+
GPA~3.7
Uni-NIT BHOPAL
Many other Curricular activites and projects.
Work: Well known MNC for 1+ year.

Q:There are some colleges for which i need to know my chances to get in:

University of California, Irvine
CMU
Texas A&M University--College Station
Cornell University
University of California--Los Angeles
Georgia Institute of Technology
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey--New Brunswick

and it will be very helpful also if you can categorize them as expensive or moderate.

If i have missed any good uni in which my chances are good ,you can mention it .

One more thing .Can you tel me the scope of some fields in Us ?.I mean job market for some fields.

Starting with the list of University you gave.

All of them are said to be Expensive to some extend. California University's have a tradition of being expensive. But to say Rutgers is the least expensive among all (Moderate).

So done with the cost part, would suggest some other University too.

University of Maryland, College Park (Takes less international students but you have a chance)

Univeristy of Texas, Austin (Demands research paper as u do not have but do try it)

NCSU, SUNY Stonybrook, Arizona State Uni., Ohio State, Iowa State are few other recommendations

Most of them are moderate and worth to go for. Both for on-study jobs, Funding and after study jobs.

Well regarding demand in US, Networking is something to go for. Jobs do not get easily outsourced in this field. So...And also Systems is a good option.

I would suggest you to go for Georgia Tech, ASU, NCSU, Stony brook, Ohio State, Maryland, USC (very expensive), UFL to for. Most of them are expensive. So you can select San Jose as a cheap one, (But far bellow what you deserve). On East Coast Rutgers is a good one and Stevens will be a good option too.

I hope i was able to answer your Q's. If you have any more doubts you may feel free to ask for.

Diwali: The festival of Lights.

2009-10-18T02:39:00.001-04:00

People in Ayodhya celebrated Diwali on arrival of their king Lord Rama after his victory over Lanka.

So did the people of Houghton after Mr. Chirag, successfully completed Bachelors, Internship bla bla.

Well, the performance is yet to be held in the in the Darbar (Rozsa Center), but the treat was held at my Prof. and a very good Poet Dr. Kulkarni's place.

After presenting a Card (Made by me), their were discussions on varied topics such as String Theory, Big band theory, Climate in Houghton, Some interesting facts such as ppl living in their office in University (Cooking., taking shower in bath, sleeping overnight), Library at 1st floor EERC, Sue against Michigan Tech (Again coz of stupid reasons) et. al. the discussion was supported by snacks (Chakri and sweets)

Discussion topic ranged from Politics-Science and of course Silence. The last one being the spoil player. Usually the diwali i have seen till now was full of noise, crackers, guests, good clothes, lights, pollution.

After eating tasty Indian food (After long time) which included Pulav, Mix Vegetable, Rotli, salad and curd, a pseudo singing competition was held where no one sang any songs....

After all the fun it was time to bid adieu and thanking for such a wonderful evening, we scattered like electrons...........

Process for getting admitted for Masters in US

2009-10-14T00:40:00.003-04:00

Recently i had many Questions from Readers across India asking for the steps to start with the process to apply for Masters, right from scratch.

Here i will explain with all minute things to consider for applying

Note: Once you are in third year, you should be reading this.

For admissions in any moderate to good University following raw materials is required.

GRE, TOEFL/ IELTS, Transcript (from University), University to select,Statement of Purpose, Letter of Recommendation, Degree Certificate / Temporary Degree Certificate, Financial Statement of Availability of funds, Online Application Form and University specific other documents and a Valid Visa.

I will cover all these in brief, and any doubts there after can be mailed to me.

GRE: GRE has three parts

1) Verbal

2) Quantitative

3) AWA Analytical Writing skills.

Out of these start worrying about Verbal. Maths is a handiwork for Engineers and third year students will cover most part during placement preparation.

What they would not is Verbal. There are more than 2.5K words to prepare for. So start this process right from day 0. Remember take this as fun and not as a time consuming exercise. You will really enjoy playing with words. I used to go online and play scrabble with international players. Was fun.

More details about how to prepare is available here.

http://enchantedviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/for-all-gre-aspirant.html

Moreover it is essential to give GRE, within span of 3-4 months. Here is the reason why.

http://enchantedviews.blogspot.com/2009/10/best-time-to-give-gre.html

2) Toefl/ IELTS: Well friends there is a common impression that TOEFL is compulsory for US. Well you can also give IELTS. In my opinion IELTS is easy to score and so you would have more chances to score more.

There is a general impression among applicants that Universities do not give priority to IELTS based applicants. This is completely baseless and false. The fact is that although i had given TOEFL and scored 106, but given IELTS is more convenient and easy. (As centers in many smaller cities of country).

3) Transcript:

This is only for already pass out students. For students just coming after graduation, will not have it, so can submit latter.

This should be obtained from University or College (Depends on University's demands). Usually getting from College is easy than University. Moreover University takes alot of time and leads to harassment.

So be specific in number of copies you need. Also check the transcript once you get as many a times their is a mistake and the entire process has to be repeated again.

4) Statement of Purpose: My SOP is given for reference

http://enchantedviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/sop-for-ms-in-electrical-engineering.html

This is an example, how you should summarize your SOP.

5) Letter of Recommendation:

This is the reason why you need to keep good relation with your Prof. Your Professor will give you Letter of Recommendation. It is a letter of approval of your credentials and stuff. If you need a format i can give it to you. Generally 3 different LOR are needed by each University. If with work experience, then it should be 2 of Prof and 1 of Employer.

Till past few years it was hard copy LOR required. But now a days more and more University are asking for Online LOR.

In this case you can ask your Prof. to mail the login details send to him by University so that you can fill your own LOR by you self.

Moreover LOR is generally prepared by students itself and only the stamp and signature of Prof is asked for. [At least my Prof. did not take pain of making my LOR].

6) Degree Certificate: For Final year students this can be avoided and send later. But for pass out students this has to be send with other hard copy documents.

7) Financial Document: It is a proof of your financial capability to pay fees.

Generally a financial form is online of each University, which has to be signed by your sponsor.

8) Online Application:

I always tell all candidates to do this ASAP. IT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY DOCUMENT OR GRE SCORE. ALL DEADLINES ARE BASED ON THIS.

So just apply online and later process will be done as and when documents get ready.

9) VISA

The most important part of the entire process. Will mention details once you clear all previous procedure.

10) Financial support:

Each University has different way to apply for financial support.

Now i know i have misssed many other steps, but to keep it terse i had no other option. Any queries can be mailed and will try to answer most of them.

All the best.

Admissions in CS for current profile.

2009-10-11T01:26:00.003-04:00

   This is the Profile of a student, interested to get admit in MS-CS.

Graduation Percentage: ~ 60%
University:JNTU
GRE:~ 1450
TOEFL~110
Other Achievements: 1.Internship at IIT ,Couple of Projects, 1st in Paper P.+ President of various College Level Org.

Well there was no Question given, so i assume It's which Uni.to apply for?

To begin with. You have a very good GRE, TOEFL score. Internship at IIT will be a key point which will make difference.

So these are universities which i would suggest from the list of University you gave and some from mine.

GaTech is a right choice.
(Good chances of getting in)

NorthEastern University

Drexel University (Free Application)

SUNY Buffalo

North Carolina State University

University of Florida (Expensive)

University of Southern California (Expensive)

Purdue University

Michigan State University

All of these are good and take a chance in them.

All the best. If any doubts do not hesitate to ask.

Admission in CS with following profile.

2009-10-09T15:04:00.000-04:00

Profile: (90% +) B.E.
1200+ GRE

The question was asking for comments for getting in certain Universities given.

Well starting with the first one.
GeorgiaTech- It demands winners. You have a good B.E. score but need to get over 100 in TOEFL and should have won enough laurels to get admitted in this University. I have a friend of mine admitted in Fall-09 admitted in it.His profile was around 1400 in GRE, 110 TOEFL, B.E ~ 68% and had many extracurricular prizes like winning Microsoft sponsored all India level programming competition, Intership in MNC along with studies, to mention few.

So i would recommend you to try your luck here if you an SOP which can prove your worth.

Other mentioned are Iowa and Ohio State. They both are located in Urban area so can better to apply here.

University of Minnesota is good for Electrical Engg. I have no idea for Computer. But i would recommend to apply for University located more closer to Comp. Industry. Which happens to be more in NY, NJ, TX and California. So i would not suggest you to apply here.

Now shifting to next list. Stony brook is what i would highly recommend. As in NY, would also help in getting an off campus job. Good Transportation, Good Life and many financial Co's having IT division. These points make it a must apply University. UC Davis- is a good one. A bit Expensive if you can afford.
UFL is good. My friend with GRE 1520 and having BE from NIT, Surat helped his cause of getting in. So it again demands a good SOP. Again i would not say it as a Moderate University as you have listed. It is a wonderful University with a good track record. University of Maryland- Have no idea but would recommend it as is in Urban area and has many big companies around.

San Jose is a safe University and you should apply here for the same reason. Currently Networking is considered a nice field as far as CS goes. So i would suggest to apply to NCSU. And again this is not a safe University as listed by you. It is having a very big expanding IT park near it. Which boasts Co. like IBM, CISCO and other biggies. So i would highly recommend to apply here.

Apart from University you have stated i would recommend Rutgers and Stevens. They are good and have an exellent track record.

I would suggest you to apply to 7-8 Universities (2 safe + 3 moderate + 3 Dream level).

All the best. If any doubts, do ask for.

Answers to Questions on 4th of Oct

2009-10-05T18:07:00.000-04:00

These are some of the Q i received on 4th of October.

I ve already sent the applications to 6 universities in USA for MS...My GRE score is only 1110...and my academic percent is 82.Is the score very low?

I am preparing for TOEFL.... I have some doubts regarding i\the test.Since u ve taken the test..,Ur ideas ll be of more help..

How about the long formats....are there chances to get long formats in both reading and listeningf?

Does the word count appear in writing section? I ve been practicing Barrons and am used to wordcount...

In which volume ,we should speak-much louder?

Starting with the first Question of yours. Well As i have written earlier--There is something for everyone. So it cannot be defined if your score is less or not. If i answer Statistically- well your score lies on the average belt (GRE scores). Again, I have no idea which 6 Uni. have you applied to.But anyhow looking at your academic aggregate you have a good chance of getting in good University (Again good depends on many factors).

Regarding Toefl doubts , Yes be prepared for long passages and also your listening passage. My advice for Listening would be to write what ever you hear with full concentration. What i mean is you should know what you have written where. So that once you have started with Questions, you will not waste time in searching what you have written where. Regarding Reading, do not leave any uncompleted answer. As there is a negative penalty for that.

Well for Writing part you will have wordcount so need not worry for that part.

Regarding volume. The software of TOEFL test has a voice adjusting program. So they will test you with a casual topic of 20 seconds, and accordingly adjust the volume. So you can speak in a normal way and it will adjust the volume by itself.

If any more doubts with TOEFL please do not hesitate to mail me. I may give a only TOEFL article for tips as i did for GRE in past.

2) i have a GRE score of 1050,with split score quant :760 verbal:290
   engineering ~ 65%
   intermediate~ 92%
   tenth~ 90%

toefl yet to take,completed my engineering in electronics and communication and want to pursue MS in electronics and communications in a good university with aid,please guide me in the university selection,and suggest some universities which provide scholarship

Well, you have a balanced score till now except for GRE. Still you get away with decent University. Now Electronics and Communication is a wide field. If you want to get into Communication field (Wireless Communication, Networking), i would suggest some and if you want in Electronics (VLSI, Embedded, Solid State Device) againt the University would be different.

Anyhow i will give for both according to your scores.

For Electronics

- Solid State- Michigan Tech, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins University.

-VLSI- Embedded- Uni of Texas at Arlington, NY ploy, San Jose State University, San Diego State Uni, CSU, Northridge.

Communication- IIT Chicago, University of Illinois, NY Poly, Michigan Tech. CSU Northridge.

I hope this may have answered all your Queries. All the best for future.

Sailing in the beautiful Keweenaw of the Upper Peninsula...

2009-10-04T23:55:00.003-04:00

Houghton was at its best. Behaved well by not raining + Lots of Wind for Sailing and a wonderful dinner at Ramada Inn (Thanks to Nancy and Daine).

And whats more we won. hurray.

It all started at 3:00 when we started the boat at sunshine (A starting point for Frostbite racing).Was a picture perfect-A charming breeze blowing, lots of snacks to eat and a panoramic view.

But soon we realized that the Sail was Stuck. After genius Engineering by our Captain we were able to out of crisis on time and headed straight towards the first point of race. Wind Speed of approx 20 knots and overall speed of 7 knots was enough to keep the roaring Deter at bay.

But the real excitement begin when completing the Red 26 (second point) and overtaking SISU. The boat was tilted at an angle of 60 Degree with lots of adjusting of Jibe and Mains to maintain the Speed. Was lots
and lots of fun.

After having completed the third point, the race became hot. Adrenaline was rising and so was the fun. After lots of criss-crossing, gale came at our rescue and we were able to beat Deter. An historic event, to be remembered for a long time.

After this thrilling feat, time was for joy ride and chocolates. Having done with all, we reached the dock at 7.

It was decided to go at Boat House. Having some juice, we headed straight to Ramada Hotel for Dinner.
Having Veg Sandwich with french frieds it was time to bid adieu.

And thats the end of happy tale........

Reply to Mails Recieved on Oct. 3rd EST related to MS

2009-10-04T11:55:00.005-04:00

I badly wanna go for US in a good university for my MS.

right now i m clueless!

what is the criteria?

what gre score do i require?

does a very good gre score alone make u a worthy applicant?

do i need to be in touch with the college professors constantly?

Well this is a open answer. Going to US without GRE/TOEFL is also possible. But since you are specific with good University, i would say GRE should be 1000 + and TOEFL be 80+ .

So CRITERIA is nothing as such. The scores one have, gets certain Uni. of one's own class. For an IIT'ian anything less than an Ivy-league does not fall in his criteria. For me, it is heaven.

Now application depends as i have said earlier, on lots of factor. Most Important for MS is GPA, GRE.

Secondary are TOEFL, SOP, LOR, CO-curricular, and Work EX. These becomes important for Financial Aid also.

So REMEMBER where ever one may be, there is something for everyone. Getting best out of what one has, is a work of smartness.

2) i have a gre score of 1050 and nt yet got my score card,is it neccesary for me to giv toefl,or can i apply without it.and could u plz recomend some gud collegs for me as am an Electronics engineer but i want to go for master in artificial intelligence or V.L.S.I?

Well TOEFL is required as said earlier to get into ''good' University. In my opinion it should be anywhere above 80.

Now there are good Uni in two ways ----

Good Education but not so many Electronic Co. for Career Fair. As is my case. Michigan Tech. (As aways from office of all these Co.)

Mediocre Education---- But as being very close to all these Co. have advantage of good after college job prospects.

If you are planning for AI, VLSI, my suggestion would be to go to Uni. near California or Texas.SJSU, SDSU, Uni of Texas at Arlington, U of C at Northridge, Michigan Tech(Application is free).

Work or MS/MIS

2009-10-04T03:22:00.002-04:00

Today i had a very interesting Q about advice to Work or continue education by going for Masters in CS or MIS.

His profile is 10th , 12th > 90%, BE avg ~ 70
Have GRE in mid Oct.

Q- I got job in XXXXXX as a XXXXXXXXXX and the joining date will be XXXXX-XXXX

so what i have to do

1)did i apply for the uni or work for tcs for 2-3 years and then apply??

2)what do u suggest ms cs or mis??

3)u suggest 4 uni i will apply to those universities?(low tution and good placements)

Answering your First Q

1) XXXXXXXX is a well named Co. Also unlike others (Tech Mahindra) they would honor the job offer. So there is no doubt that you will be joining it.

My advice would be to continue with the offer for atleast 2 years.

This would also help in getting Financial Aid once you have a broader horizon of the field.

Now GRE scores are Valid for 5 years. So may give xam on Oct -23 and use these score for admission after 2-3 years of Work Exp.

Again MS or MIS is a decision of yours. I know it is very confusing right now. But that is with every student of your age. So once you are working with like-minded ppl, you would automatically get answer to this Q.

So to conclude my advice is to work (Will help for financial aid, give edge to your application, you will be more confidant and will help in after Grad Job prospects)+ Give GRE and get good score + Send free score to Uni. Texas at Arlington, Univesity of Texas A&M, Michigan Tech, Arizona State Uni are my suggested Uni.

These all are cheap and also good.

All the best and pls feel free for any need.

Answers to Comment of Previous Post (University to apply for Given Profile)

2009-10-03T11:52:00.003-04:00

1)m plannin to take it in mid nov. 'll it be k.m done with around 36 wordlists..

Aditya:

Well It is glad that you are planning to give GRE by Mid- Nov..Good Decision.

It is great to know that you are doing pretty good in wordlist.

Remember: Wordlist is the key to success in Verbals. Coz RC are said to be on one's luck (I had really tough time as topics were out of my line).
Moreover knowing new words is good after all.
Do remember to take a look at Nova's top 400 words. They are quite useful.

And 2 days before your test, appear for GRE PREP, that will give an approximate idea of your score.

Before i end, remember to send score to Uni. of your choice. Coz it is free. Or else you may have to pay $20 to send to each Uni Later.

2)"m applyin for ECE...gre score is 1040 n toefl waiting...BE electronics from mumbai universities with 60% aggr....did few good projects...also attended many workshops held by IEEE...besides won 1st prize also in paper presentation....n participated in few more.....
i kno gre is less.but what r the chances of gettin ne university...suggest me few frm whr chances r high of gettin admits....."

The Comment asks for suggestion for Uni. to apply, according to his profile.

Your Profile is very similar to most of other ppl who send me earlier. So you need to prove yourself above them by writing a good SOP. (Include everything what you have done) but ofcourse never mention that you are Expert in C++ or other stuff. Coz they know it will be bluff. So mention your adjective with care.

Well as far as sure shot Uni. are taken into a/c, NYIT , Bridgeport, Farleigh Dickinson Uni, Cleveland State Uni, are mostly thought of. But i would suggest not to go into any of these as they have lots and lots of Indians. You would not be able to taste the American Life to full. (My opinion). But again as far as Off-Campus jobs are concerned, these are the heavens for it.

If i would have been, i would have applied to, San Diego State Uni., San Jose State, Stevens Inst of Tech, Texas Arlington, California State Uni at NorthRidge., Michigan Tech.....

For backing you may apply to any of the sure shots and then after having a good GPA in first Sem, you my transfer to any other Uni. That is again an option.

3)"my gre score is 1280. waiting for toefl scores. did B.E civil in Anna university, chennai. my agg s 86%. 96% in 12th. im planning to apply to ncsu, tamu, virginia and iowa state. can u tell me what are my chances of getting admits in these univ? can u also tell me how to approach prof for assistantships? can we directly mail them before applying?"

You are a Shoe-in. Good GRE, Good GPA. That is what you need primarily. Moreover Civil Engg. is in full Swing these days because of current thrust in Infrastructure given by Obama Admin. (Put America Back to Work scheme).

All these Uni. you mentioned demand a balanced score. TOEFL for NCSU atleast is demaned more than 100. But for Civil they may be a bit flexible. So it is a good decision to apply. Go ahead and you would get atleast one admit. Moreover your early application may also lead you to a good Scholarship.

For second question you asked.

Well you should never ask for Assistant ship directly in first mail.
Try to build contact with Prof. on line of common interest and research. Once your discussion becomes healthy you may use that time for asking for it. Well in my case. The Prof. knew that if student discuss so much, they need support and they will themselves give it to you before you even ask. This applies to all Prof. So just mail to Prof. even if you have not applied to those University.

All the best to all of you.

University to apply for given profile.

2009-10-03T01:33:00.005-04:00

Early in the day i had a mail from a final year student of Computer Science Dept.

His profile is Distinction in 10th (Although does not matter)
in 12 th above 90%, 6 semester Avg in BE is around 70% and GRE score is near mid 1000's

His Question is
"I know for my score It is vry difficult to get a scolarship.Can U plz
tel me some universities in Computer Science which offers a very good
funding(TA,RA,Tution waver,Shollarships) atleast from 2nd Sem onwards."

Well, as in my earlier post i have mentioned, the admissions in the program depends on many parameters.

So starting with the latest scores.

Your low GRE score can be offset by quickly applying (Online) for admissions. Moreover you should also carefully prepare your SOP and draft your LOR to the best.

In the meantime try to take part in some Paper Presentation, so that you have something to right in extra-curricular.

Now as your GPA is good and as final year is always said to be bonus to scores, your GPA will go upto 3.6(if no atkt), which is said to be good enough to be considered for scholarships.

Moreover you have enough time to interact with the Prof. of Uni. So take this time to interact with as many Prof. of your field and try to prove that you are a good student. This will help you to gain an advantage over your peers.

REMEMBER most students (80%) apply in January. So the key to your success lies in how quick you can implement strategies.

Regarding which Uni to apply.

I would suggest:

Steven Institute of Tech, San Jose State Uni. (Medium Uni. and over all good as far as work prospects are considered.
Arizona State Uni., State Uni. of NY , NY POLY, Rochester Inst. of Tech (Again good)
Michigan Tech (Good chances of getting funded, but climate is harsh)
And finnaly University of Southern California (If money not a big issue.)

So to conclude: ACT FAST, INTERACT WITH PROF, AND HAVE GOOD SOP, LOR and extra Curricular.

ALL THE BEST .

Crew positions available for Frost Bite Race Sunday Oct-4th

2009-10-02T10:55:00.003-04:00

Hey guys..Crew positions are available for Frostbite race in Sisu on 4th October..If any one interested please leave a msg.

Remember their is prediction for a storm and might even be raining...The wind are going to be approx. 21knots so be prepared and wear clothes accordingly.

Annual ECE Graduate Student Dinner 2009

2009-10-01T22:09:00.000-04:00

The Annual ECE Graduate Student Dinner, is an occasion for gathering of all the Graduate Students, Faculty, Staff and External Advising Committee.

The highlights of the event include socializing starting from 6:30 p.m., sitting by your table by 7:00 p.m. and eating dinner starting from 7:30.
After dessert, to introduce yourself and declaring winner of Annual Graduate Student Recognition award.

The startling feature which i found was unlike in previous buffet i have been, your table would be announced after which only you are allowed to take your food. This helps in checking long Queue near stands.

The Menu included

Baked Lake Superior Trout with Tartar Sauce
Carved Prime Rib au Jus
Roasted Turkey with Herb Stuffing
Vegetarian Lasagna
Red Beans and Rice with Cheddar
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Mixed Organic Greens Salad
Classic Caesar Salad

After having a good meal and award ceremony, time was bid adieu to everyone and head towards home.

Best time to give GRE

2009-10-01T17:37:00.000-04:00

Well i was asked in one of the community in Orkut about best time to give GRE.

Well the answer is within 3 months of starting your preparation. If you delay more than the Law of Degradation comes into picture (It is an economic theory, see the graph)

So the the top of the edge is nearly said to be 3 months.

Now if you go by fact. GRE database for Xam's are refreshed in October. So any one taking GRE in this month would be benefited by simple Q and good score.

Now if you are not prepared. Chill, you can give xams also at the end of the month as most of the question for the months data base will be out and you would be aware of trends of Q asked.

But my ADVICE to all of you is just read my GRE tips article and don't take the dates based on above paragraph. Just REMEMBER study hard and give exams in 3 months. You will surely get good results.

Career Fair @ Michigan Tech 2009

2009-09-30T01:13:00.000-04:00

Career Fair at Michigan Tech 2009 was held on September 29th, 2009.

Their were 150 Companies which had made their presence which included Arcelor Mittal, Ford, Cummins, Cooper Power, CN and so on.

My experience goes this way.
Wear your best formals. And close to dress code given

The dress code is mentioned here

After you all set up and your clothes speaks your personality, check your CV once again. Make sure your Objective is Loud and Clear. I had a problem in Objective which i came to know after i submitted my first CV. (My objective stated: To have an Internship or Co-op at Raythen, while i was in the stall of Cummins). So i had to rush to nearby printer(Luckily i found one) and took some prints.

SO REMEMBER CHECK YOUR CV THRICE.

Later Practice well in advance what you are going to speak while you are their.
What i said was ("I have done my Bachelors in E & TC and done project on GPS...bla bla, Intern from Alstom bla bla, Currently Masters bla bla... so i was looking for Intern or Co-op at your Co. ") I knew i can improve it alot, but as i was not prepared for it.

SO PREPARE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SPEAK AS IT IS YOUR TICKET FOR INTERVIEW

Once you have puked don't forget the goodies which is for you. He/she might not give you, so it is your duty to trick him to give you. What i did was asking if it one of their product. Ha they said oh no no it is bla bla, do you want it? and my answer was never in negation. (Never ask Ford whether that bottle was their product?)

SO DO TAKE GOODIES.

Remember to have a pen and paper in hand to note down the time of interview session or info session. Later it would be difficult to remember what was at what and you will be in deep shit. (I mixed up the time of info session of Coopers ). So you see excitation may lead to mess. So be wise and stay clean.

SO TAKING NOTE OF APPOINTMENT GIVEN, HELPS.

I am in this stage and waiting for interview so rest will be updated as i progress further.

Till then you can check my booty i grabbed.

Progressive Dinner at City of Houghton

2009-09-28T01:55:00.000-04:00

[A part of series of article describing "Life as Celebration" by the people of City of Houghton]

Life in Houghton is full of Celebration. It started with K-Day, than came Parade of Nations which later paved way for Progressive Dinner.

Progressive Dinner is a concept where the courses of Dinner progresses from one Church to another. To be more specific, the Appetizer was in Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Salad was in Canterbury House, Main Course in Portage Lake United Church and Deserts in St. Albert the Great Church.

Citizens involved with each Church prepare a multicultural cuisine, is served to the guest and in this way you can know new people and create a healthy society. Well as far as i am concerned i made some Finnish friends who could help me in my Coin Collection. Hurrah.

The food which caught my attention was various new kinds of Deserts (Full of cream), Garlic cutlet, Hamas with Pita Bread, Salads with various kind of dressings and Mushroom Curry.

One of the most fascinating things i discovered today was Canterbury House. It is a house (Present in all Universities of US), where people come for group study, have snacks, have part-time job, and participate in multi-cultural activities. The best part is its proximity to the Department's and would love to visit it time and again.

To conclude, this wonderful yearly event is a beautiful idea of developing sense of community among residents of Houghton.

2009-09-25T12:24:00.000-04:00

An enthusiastic net-surfer from India had a typical admission Query.

He has everything on his side GPA of around 3.9, GRE score hovering around 1500.

Few doubts which he raised are as follows:

1)How is the research going on in the field of VLSI (We are thinking of applying to VLSI)?

2) How are the job prospects after completion of our MS?

3) How are the funding oppurtunities in MS for EE?

4) Is our profile sufficient for applying there?

Well starting with first, VLSI is one of the best paying fields in EE. But due to recent downturn there has been quite reduction as far as research is concerned. No wonder Big Universities are getting funding but the correction has been by 60%. So once you prove your performance in the first Sem, then one has a good chance of getting research. The key is, while applying for Admissions, talk to Prof. about your interest and may be this will give you an edge against your peers.

So the answer is YES funding is available for those who prove their worth.

Second. Job Prospects are a bit shaky for VLSI Engg. It is said that Co. don't hire freshers easily as "Time to market" factor is very important in this field. So new hands would delay the stuff for them (Remember Moore Law). So it is better to opt for subjects in Embedded System and VLSI in first sem and then in second Semester you may decide what to do. In this way you may make things more clear.

Moreover even in VLSI (Being a large field) there are many domains. Digital, Analog, Mixed Signal and many more. Let me give you a brief intro about it. Before few years there was a large demand for Digital Designers and suddenly Analog designers demand increased. ARM, INTEL everyone ran behind Analog Engg. So it is all matter of time and no one can say what is more better.

My advice as you get admit in ECE and not only Electronics you may apply in general but latter may shift to field you think may lead you to a safe future.

Third. Research and Funding goes parallel. If you have good funding you are going to have good research so it is the same with answer 1. But if you are looking for what research is going on currently in VLSI? Then well i am doing in Research and Placement. Which is almost last step of complete VLSI package. Some people are also doing in Bio-chip which happens to be of my interest too.

Forth. Your profile is terribly good man. For American Universities, Osmania or Maharaja Sayaji Rao University is the same. Only IIT is a brand here as far as Indian Uni are to be considered. So any internship and paper presentation or projects are only taken into account when you do not have a good GRE, TOEFL and GPA. In your case everything is well structured so your extra-curricular would be an icing of the cake.

In simple words don make sure your SOP is nicely drafting so it would leave simply no room for your rejection of application.

Some Universities which i can suggest you is University of Michigan, North Carolina State University, University of Texas at Dallas, A & M, University of California (Irvine, Berkley), University of Southern California (You will get a sure shot admit) , Rutgers (NJ), Arizona State University, Georgia Tech and to be on safe side apply to Michigan Tech, UT at Arlington.

ALL THE BEST for your future aspirations and if you have any doubt do not hesitate to contact.

Presidential Command

2009-09-24T23:26:00.000-04:00

After a considerable gap over reading novels, September 24 came as a rescue and bought me this wonderful book. It will help me in giving insight about what is actual difference between Presidential System and Parliamentary System of Govt.

The author of the book has been closely associated with more than 5 Presidents and gives some situations in which Foreign Policy of United States was drafted, thus affecting lives of millions of people around the world.

What shocks me is that the President in United States once in Power has to fill around 3000 positions like Secretary, Joint Secretary, Under Secretary and so on.

My friends who till now know my reading habits must be quite surprised over my selection of a Non-fictional novel. Probably i agree with them and the decision for me to read it is dual purpose. 1) As i said to know more about the country where i am present 2) To obviously get fresh from daily studies which i do.

I hope by the time this book gets completed i may be able to interpret what will be the next step of US Govt. towards H1-B status. [:)]

Placement of my room

2009-09-23T17:26:00.000-04:00

I cannot imagine my research on Study of placement and routing of chips in a circuit help me in designing of my room. I selected the position of bed, TV, Microwave and fridge by taking the amout of socket, light availibilty and privacy into consideration.

This operation bought me the solution of why do company hire engineer from other field venthough they might have not been from the same background?

What a company wants from an fresher is not great outputs or inventions, but fresh ideas. I can add something to it from my personal experince.

My Internship at Alstom Power was completely off my background in telecommunication. Infact instead of keeping me in Instrumentation and Control (Closest to my background), i was kept in Process side as a process engineer. Gradually when i interacted with my co-colleage and my seniors i came to know that this is what others face too.

An IIT- Kanpur grad. in Mechanical Engineering was in Procurement Dept. A DCE mech grad. was in Quality dept. writing punch points. The answer was clear. Company wants responsible people with commitment towards their work. The only thing they expect from the trainee is that they should be able to grasp all the knowledge given to them with curosity. They should be able to excel things given to them within time frame with lots of enthusiasm.

So my conclusion to all other students is that STUDY ALWAYS HELPS WHAT EVER IT MAY BE.

SOP for MS in Electrical Engineering

2009-09-17T01:32:00.000-04:00

My SOP for my friends

Chirag K. Shah ~ MS ~ Electrical Engineering (VLSI) ~ Spring 2010

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

It was only after careful consideration of my aptitude, interests and experiences gained while pursuing my under graduation in the field of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering that I have decided to pursue my masters in the field of Electrical Engineering. Being a dynamic and ever evolving field, many new developments are expected and there is immense scope for research on new products and applications. To progress and make a mark in this field, I realize that it is important for me to pursue my Master’s from a reputed university. So while gaining admission to your university and completing this course would be my immediate goal, I have always dreamt of taking up research. So after gaining some work experience with a well established company, I wish to further my qualifications with a PhD and conduct some ground-breaking research with some of the best minds in the research industry.

At Sinhgad College of Engineering, Pune University, I have secured a first class in my final year. Pursuing Electronics and Telecommunications engineering have introduced me to many core electronics subjects such as microprocessor, mobile communications, VLSI and signal processing but I believe I need to take this knowledge and understanding to an advance level hence a Masters degree is inevitable.

My interest in circuit design scaled when I undertook a project on “GPS based vehicle tracking system” in the last year. This project aimed at locating the position upto 10 meters of a vehicle was based on Matlab as front end mechanism while the programming of ARM was done in C using Keil . I learnt and used Digital Electronics and Matlab to implement the project. I take pride in mentioning that my team secured first place for Technical Paper Presentation on the same topic with jury comprising of best brains in the field..

I have always been conscious in upgrading my skills and knowledge as I believe as engineers needs to keep themselves abreast with the latest developments and technologies. At the moment, I am gaining superior skills in C++ programming during my course of study at Michigan Tech and I believe mastering these skills will aid me immensely in the research at your department. Also my insight in Routing and Placement gained by my research in current semester will help to add value to the department diversity. Additionally, I also did my internship from Alstom Projects India Limited as a process engineer at combined cycle power plant. This experience makes me confident to take new challenges and achieve it in specific time frame.

I have attended many technical seminars and presentations on VLSI Design, Embedded System Design and Robotics which were offered at college. Moreover my constant discussionss with my Professor and PhD students at Michigan Tech helps me in knowing current issues in research and possible solutions for it.

Michigan State University is a research based University which foster creative and innovative thinking among the students. It is a known fact that the academic and research facilities in the University are highly qualified in their respective field . At your department, research projects in the field of VLSI design methods especially in routing and placement, Mixed Signal Design will particularly interest me and I would like work with some of the leading faculties and scholars in the nation. Getting a chance to be a part of such projects will really stimulate my innate technical and analytical abilities, expose me to the latest technologies as well as give me the competitive edge to secure an intership in a reputed company which will be a milestone towards achieving my goals.