Information regarding the process

for graduate admissions abroad

&
Internships/Research projects
(for engineering students from SNU)
Varun Ravikumar
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Shiv Nadar University | Founding Batch (of 2015)
Uttar Pradesh, India.
(9 April 2015)

Disclaimer
The work presented is a collection of information based on personal
experiences of a few students from the Founding Batch of Shiv Nadar
University (Batch of 2015).

Any guidelines or recommendations stated are entirely based on these

students personal perspectives. Others may/may not choose to follow the
stated opinions.

The work presented does not intend to criticize/undermine any

person/authority/university.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the following seniors for their invaluable input and
for taking the time to compose their respective sections in light of helping
their juniors at SNU:
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Mr. Aadithya Viswanath
Department of Computer Science Engineering
Ms. Aishwarya Lakshmi.V
Mr. Gautam Bhat
Mr. Varun Mishra
Department of Civil Engineering
Ms. Nayana Anne Bob
3

Contents
Section - I:

Thoughts & experiences by Varun Ravikumar

Section - II:

Tips off the top of my head by Aishwarya Lakshmi

Section - III:

Few important suggestions by Varun Mishra

Section - IV:

Helpful ideas

by Gautam Bhat

Section - V:

Just a point

by Aadithya Vishwanath

Section - VI:

A piece of advice

Section - VII:

Student Profiles

(in alphabetical order)

Section - VIII:

University Abbreviations

(in alphabetical order)

Section IX:

Internships/Research Projects

Section - X:

by Nayana Anne Bob

Additional information
4

Section I: Thoughts & experiences

(Varun Ravikumar)

Preliminary thoughts
Contemplating to pursue graduate studies can be a major decision in a
students life and students are advised to first introspect and find out if
they are actually academically oriented.
Pursuing a MS/PhD abroad can be appealing to most students as it offers
the prospect of earning higher wages and more job opportunities.
However, remember that these should not be the only criteria for
pursuing higher studies.
For example, a student decides to do a MS (because he/she is compelled
to do so (or) applies because a friend does so (or) because it the trend,
whatever the reason), and later discovers that the work is quite
unappealing and wishes to pursue a different field or occupation. While
changing their domain is quite possible, if the student had real interest in
that domain, then this situation would not have arisen.
Please contemplate very carefully before committing to higher studies as
it involves a lot of sacrifices and commitment.

Pre-application phase

Components:
GRE
TOEFL/IELTS
Short-listing of universities
Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Letter of Recommendation (LOR)

WoA: Word of Advice

The components GRE, TOEFL/IELTS, SOP and LOR are the main factors
which influence a candidates application and hence it is suggested that
students give equal importance and adequate amount of preparation to
each individual component.
WoA: No one component is more decisive than the other, hence equal
effort MUST be put into each component.
7

 Graduate Record Examinations (GRE):

The GRE is a standardized test which is administered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS), a non-profit organization.
The cost of a GRE exam is approx. $185 (may vary). ~
The GRE examination mainly tests a candidates verbal and quantitative
ability.
The maximum possible score is 340 with both verbal and quantitative
constituting 170 points each.
There is a also an analytical writing section (AWA) which is scored out of
6.0 points.
8

 The examination consists of six sections which spans over a duration of 3.5
hours.
While there is no quantitative measure of a decent GRE score, top
universities would expect a minimum of 320 (which still does not
guarantee admission as this is just one component of the application).
WoA: Students are requested to put in their full effort while giving the
examination so as to avoid repeating the exam in order to improve their
scores.

 Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):

The TOEFL is a standardized test which is administered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS), a non-profit organization.
The cost of a TOEFL exam is approx. $175 (may vary). ~

The TOEFL examination mainly tests a candidates grasp of English

knowledge required for studying in an English-speaking community.
There are four sections, namely Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking
with each section scored out of 30 points (Max score is 120).

10

 Each university has its own minimum required TOEFL score and hence
students are requested to do a background check before giving their
examinations. [Certain universities require minimum scores in each
section]
While there is no quantitative measure of a decent TOEFL score, a
minimum score of 100 would enable the candidate to be eligible for
admission to most universities (which still does not guarantee admission
as this is just one component of the application).
WoA: Students are requested to put in their full effort while giving the
examination so as to avoid repeating the exam in order to improve their
scores.

11

 Short-listing of universities:
There are certain factors which are considered important while selecting a
university:

12

1.

Finance:

o Before selecting any university, a student needs to first identify his/her

source of income for their intended period of study. While some students
would opt for parents financial support, others might seek for a bank loan
(or) a scholarship.
o The tuition fee per year for universities range from $12,000 - $40,000. In
addition to the tuition fee, boarding/lodging fees and other fees needs to
be taken into account.
o The tuition fee varies according to the program and the university.
o Ex: To study MS in mechanical engineering at the University of Buffalo:
Tuition fee (per year): $ 22,210
Other academic fee (per year): $3,775
Boarding fee (per year): $13,050
Total fee (per year): $ 39,050
o WoA: While most universities do offer financial assistance in the form of
RA/TAship, please keep in mind that this cannot be provided to all
students.
13

2.

Ranking of the department:

o Most of the rankings you observe on the internet are for the university as
a whole (including all departments and schools).

o Students must instead focus on the ranking of the specific department

they wish to apply to.
o While certain universities might have a low overall rank, the department
ranking must be the concerning factor to be taken into account.
o For US universities, the rankings listed on USNews.com are the most
reliable source of information. (Fee of approx. Rs 1200 to gain a years
access)
o WoA: Higher the ranking of the department, the more competitive it is to
gain admission into the same.
14

3.

Research of professor:

o Research work of professors is an equally important factor while selecting any

university.

o Students are advised to scroll through a departments faculty listing and

choose two-three professors whose research interests lies in tandem with
their own interests.
o While a university might have a high ranking, however if the research work of
any professor doesnt match the students interests, it is recommended that
the student forgo applying to that university. (Higher probability of a
rejection).
o You can always contact students currently working under a particular
professor to get a better idea. The e-mail addresses of most students would be
listed on a professors research webpage.
o WoA: This criteria is an important factor for PhD candidates and also
sometimes plays a crucial role for a research based masters applicant.
15

4.

What after graduate studies?

o If a student plans to either pursue a PhD or a stint in the industry after

completing grad studies, it is always worthwhile to look at the respective
prospects of a university before applying.
o If planning to pursue a PhD, the profile of the professors at a university would
be the main criteria to consider before applying to that university.
o If looking for a job, the possible job prospects after grad studies should be
researched thoroughly before making an informed decision. External factors
such as work permit, visa requirements, etc. also need to be taken into
account.
o You can find more information about the above by checking out a universitys
career center website. You can also contact students currently studying at the
university to get a better idea.
o WoA: This criteria is an important factor for choosing a country (US, Europe,
Australia, Canada, etc.) for graduate studies.
16

 Many students opt to enroll in an admissions counseling service, which

would help guide the student through each step of this lengthy process.
(WoA: If you have the bucks, it would be a worthwhile investment).

If students prefers to tackle the process on their own, it would be

worthwhile to at least enlist the services of an editor for SOP and LOR
writing.
A standard practice would be to categorize universities as Dream, Reach
& Safe. Students are advised to apply to at least two in each category to
increase their probability of gaining admission.
However, keeping in mind the cost of the application fee for each
university, students are suggested to maximize their chances of admission
by selecting universities which match with their individual profile.

17

 A university categorized under Safe doesnt imply that it is a definite

admit. It implies that the probability of gaining admission into that
university is higher, but you still can get a rejection letter.
Each university is unique and would be looking for students with a set of
profiles that match their own interest. A candidate who gets a rejection
from an university might also have a very similar profile to a candidate
who has obtained an admit.
WoA: Every admit is worth its weight in gold because sometimes students
complete the entire process without receiving an admit. If a university
decides to hand over an admit to a student, it implies that the profile of
the student matches their interest and they want that student at their
university.

18

 Statement of Purpose (SOP):

The SOP is an important component of the application as it provides the
student a platform to communicate with the university and express
themselves.
While there are numerous templates on the internet, it is strongly
recommended that each student compose their own unique SOP and not
replicate something posted on the internet or from some other essay.
A typical SOP would take at least a minimum of two months to deem it a
final draft before submission and hence candidates are advised to prepare
their SOP well in advance.
Usually students prepare a base template from which they change certain
paragraphs according to each university and submit it with their
application.
19

 While there are no standard guidelines for writing an essay, the following
pointers might help a student with the process:
o If the student has done research previously which corresponds with a
similar area of interest for grad studies, a detailed description would
indicate the students passion and knowledge of content. If the research
was in a different field, a brief description of the work performed in
addition to the invaluable experience gained and willingness to learn
should be highlighted.

o A good SOP would highlight key attributes of the student with examples,
facts and figures.
o While certain universities impose a word limit, the length of a typical SOP
should ideally lie within 700-1200 words.
o Too much emphasis on extra-curricular activities, while admirable, should
be down-played to a few lines as the student would be focusing majorly on
academics at grad school. (This info would go into the students resume)
20

o A university specific paragraph must exist which indicates why the student
is applying to a particular university which should reflect the student
profile that the university seeks. In this paragraph, students are also
advised to mention at least one professors name whom they would like to
work with, focusing on research interests and how their profile would fit
that professors research group.
o It would also be a good idea to demonstrate the reasons that the student
chose to join SNU and how SNU has helped the student grow
professionally (2-3 lines would suffice). [I am mentioning this point as SNU
is still a relatively new university]
o Make the SOP your own and dedicate a lot of time towards it. It is the one
opportunity which the student gets to show the graduate admissions
committee his/her qualities and what they are capable of.

o Avoid quotes, cliches, references to friends and family members who you
might feel responsible for your current position.
o Remember that the SOP is about you and you only and should be crafted
into a story which leaves a lasting impression on its reader.

21

 Letters of Recommendation (LOR):

The LOR is that component which gives an insight into a students qualities
through the eyes of a recommender.
Since a student would be applying for grad studies, a LOR from an industry
at which the student might have interned would probably not have a high
impact on the application.
Usually universities request students to provide three LORs.
Any LOR from a professor at an established institute under whom the
student has performed research would have a major impact as it validates
that students profile.

22

 Students are advised to take LORs from professors under whom they have
performed research (or) from professors who have taught the student
more than two courses and know the student personally well.

Usually students are under the impression that a LOR from the HOD of the
department or some other higher authority carries greater weightage.
Unless the HOD has personally taught the student two or more courses,
the LOR isnt going to carry high weightage.
Personally, if students wish to pursue grad studies, I would advise them to
get some research experience outside their home university and in turn a
LOR from the professor they work under.

Please request the recommender to highlight your profile with examples,

facts and figures as it would lend credence to your overall application.

23

Application phase
Recommended time-lines:
Students are advised to complete required credits accordingly so as to
ensure that their 7th semester is relatively free and hence devote a major
chunk of time towards the application process (for engineering students).

By the summer after their third year (summer before 7th semester),
students are recommended to have taken their GRE and TOEFL exams.
Students should preferably have short-listed the universities they would
be applying to before the end of the summer before 7th semester (or) by
early August of the 7th semester.

24
24

 It is recommended that students apply as early as possible to ensure

higher chances of admission. As the deadlines for top universities in the
US are in mid-December, well-prepared students would have ideally
completed their entire application process by October end (or) November
first-week.
It is recommended to start working on the base template of the SOP as
early as possible and make necessary changes accordingly as per
university requirements (start in summer itself).
Certain universities ask for the students mark transcript and hence
students are advised to identify well in advance while short-listing the
universities, the number of transcripts required and apply for it early in
August (beginning of the 7th semester).
While filling applications, please ensure that all the details you fill are
legitimate to avoid trouble in the later stages of the application process.
25

Post-application phase
Recommended guidelines:
After completing the application phase, the wait for hearing back from the
universities is going to be a long and tedious period. Students are advised
to focus completely on their final year project and not allow the waiting
period to overwhelm them (most results would be declared in the 8th
semester).
If students apply early enough, they might hear back from the universities
by the end of their 7th semester itself.
Even if the first few decisions are rejects, students are advised to wait
patiently for results from all the universities they have applied to.
26
26

If students receive multiple admits, they are allowed to accept all decisions
and hence have multiple I-20s (documents sent by university to the student
via postal service, required for visa application).

Students are advised to have necessary bank documents in place and also
ensure the validity of their passport for grad studies.

Passport must be up to date, implying recent photograph (not a picture taken

when you were young), latest signature, latest address details. Please take the
time to renew if this isnt the case.

Important: Immediately after the application phase, students are

recommended to complete the following:

o Send an e-mail to the graduate coordinator of each program applied to,

requesting the tentative dates of result declaration.
o Send an e-mail to the professor (whom you should have mentioned in your
SOP) stating:
[As universities receive many applications, it is always advisable to contact the
professor beforehand to make your presence felt]
27

Dear Dr. ABC,

[Letter based on personal experience]

(Introduction paragraph)

If you intend to use this template, please dont

copy verbatim. If a professor receives more than
one e-mail with similar wordings, he/she might
reject all such e-mails.

My name is XYZ, a final year student pursuing my Bachelor's degree in (program name) from Shiv
Nadar University(SNU), Uttar Pradesh, India. Based on the similarity of my research interests with
the research performed by your group, I wanted to inquire regarding an opportunity to work
under your guidance if offered admission to the (program name) for Fall (year), to which I have
applied for, at (university name) this academic year.
(Paragraph stating current project or research work. Should be relevant to the research work
undertaken by the professor you are sending this e-mail to)
Personal example:
I am currently completing my final year bachelor thesis under the supervision of Dr. Anand
Kanjarla from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute
of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras). My project topic focuses on understanding the role of
internal interfaces like grain boundaries & triple junctions in the distribution of local stress/strain
fields in metallic materials. I perform atomistic simulations, using the open source software
LAMMPS in tandem with MATLAB and OVITO (a visualization software), on idealized
microstructures to find correlations between the local crystallographic characteristic of the
interfaces and the resulting micromechanical fields.
Never underestimate the power of a well-worded e-mail

28

(Paragraph stating past project or research work. Should be relevant to the research work
undertaken by the professor you are sending this e-mail to)
Personal Example:
Prior to this work, I have also accumulated some research experience in a similar domain as a
Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore (NUS) under the NUS-India Research
Initiative, over the summer of 2014. I was again engaged with atomistic simulations using
LAMMPS, to observe the effects of twinning by inserting an edge dislocation in Magnesium, a hcp
crystal.
(Paragraph stating why you are sending this e-mail)
Personal Example:
An inherent interest in understanding the mechanical behavior of materials through modeling,
experimentation or simulation, which colludes with your research interests, has prompted me to
request you for an opportunity to work under your guidance.
(Closing paragraph)
Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail & also review my resume. I would be delighted if
I could hear from you at the earliest of your convenience and look forward to your feedback with
a positive outlook.

This e-mail actually helped me secure an admit at MSU

29

Funding (Important)
Usually competent PhD applicants and outstanding masters applicants
are offered funding. However, there is no guarantee of funding when
applying for a PhD whereas for a masters degree, most universities expect
the student to self-finance their studies. (Usually no funding for masters)
The first priority for most universities is to assess students for funding
after which they send offers to those who they are willing to financially
support by April 1st. [Most universities would have signed the Council of
Graduate Schools resolution where admits to funded students must be
sent out by April 1st and students need to revert before April 15th].

Even if an admit is sent before April 1st, there is no guarantee of funding.

So students can expect to hear back from universities mostly after April 1st
if they havent received a decision by then.
30

Section II: Tips off the top of my head

(Aishwarya Lakshmi)

31

Timeline
My timeline for Fall 2015 admissions:
TOEFL - December 2013.
GRE (No classes, self preparation ) Little during my 6th Semester and 2
months in the summer after that.
GRE exam July 2014

Applications By December 2014

Admits Start coming in from March 2015.
32

Useful Tips
Plan on dates for both GRE and TOEFL before-hand and book both of them
early as these slots go out fast. (Many in our batch booked TOEFL after
GRE and had to hurry in the end due to unavailability of slots).
Please use latest material and sources for GRE as the format has changed
recently. (Not your elder brother/sisters material).
CLASSES: Personally I don't think classes are that important for GRE as
they are for CAT/MBA. However I can tell you that they too teach you
some strategies, tricks in the class for Analogies and Sentence
Completions and even antonyms. So cant really say it is useless and also
classes arent just going to teach you meanings of words. The Final tough
decision I leave it to you :-)

33

 It might be worth identifying your preferred prospective areas of

specialization quite early. Once you decide on that you can follow up with
a list of Universities which are good in that domain and also base your
final year project on the same field. Dont blindly do an M.S because of
your parents, friends or some long lost relative.
People say TOEFL is an eye wash. Yes it mostly is for admits but also know
that your eligibility for teaching assistantships depend on that score. I did
not go for classes but for a day I tried to get comfortable with the format
of TOEFL so you are familiar with it. I am comfortable with speaking but if
you arent, get together with a friend and ask him/her to rate you on
speaking while taking a mock TOEFL practice test. I did that to help out a
guy in my batch, it worked well. I did take two or three practice tests
because I dont have the patience to sit through an exam. But thats just
me. My final scores were the second highest score in India for that year
and I got into TOEFL India scholarships and cleared a couple of rounds and
am currently a semifinalist from India.
34

 Stay in the good books of faculty. The LORs do matter. You dont have to
be popular but remember not to mess with any faculty member.
People will tell you a lot about SOPs and college selections, it can be
confusing and a pain. Listen to everyone but make your own call at the
end of the day.
Build up a strong profile gradually. Keep your eyes and ears open for any
opportunities. I have done around 5 internships in just 2 summers. One at
Indian School of Business, Hyderabad on finance, the next was a data
mining project at IIT Gandhinagar for which applications open around
December (Summer Research Internship Program) etc. Also, do take some
time out if you are just finishing your first year to do some community
service because it makes you feel good and earns you brownie points
when applying to graduate school.

35

 When short listing colleges, look at your score and split it into 3 ambitious,
3 moderate and 2 easy colleges. This is the general standard and you can
play around it based on your profile, your confidence and how much you
are willing to spend on the applications. It cost me around 85,000 Rs to
apply to 10 colleges. I chose to go with 4 ambitious, 3 moderate and 3
easy colleges.
Follow a lot of blogs and Quora to know the latest about GRE, tips for
preparation and information that doesnt come by easily. Itll help.
I dont mind sharing my resume and perhaps a little more help with the
SOPs and all the next phase of information.

You can always contact me for further information - Aishwarya

36

Section III: Few important suggestions

(Varun Mishra)

37

Few Tips
Don't go to consulting agencies regarding your SOPs and application
process. The admission committee in universities are smart enough to
catch that and you are rejected straight away.
Apply to universities based on how much your research interest matches
with the research interests of a particular professor/lab. Please do not
apply to a university because you think it is ranked higher/lower or
because your friend with similar profile is applying to it.
The universities have moved over those days where they would give heavy
importance to GRE scores. While a bad GRE score is enough to deny you
admission, but a great GRE score is not sufficient to guarantee an
admission.

38

 The universities now a days look more at how well a student will fit into
the department based on his experiences. There is a possibility that you
might have great recommendations, SOPs, internships and multiple papers
and still get rejected.
Another important factor is undergraduate education. As the GPA matters,
so does the Undergrad institution. Since in US they only know a few
colleges in India like IITs, BITS, VIT etc. there might be situations where
your application wont pass the pre screening itself. So it is always good to
contact the faculty members you are interested to work under and let
them know about you, If the faculty member like you then there is
a high chance of your acceptance.
So to conclude, please select universities you want to apply for very
cautiously. Because this is the main part of the application process and
can make or break your admission decisions.

I wish I had known these points before I applied :( .- Varun Mishra

39

Section IV: Helpful ideas

(Gautam Bhat)

40

Suggestions
It is important to make up your mind about going to grad school quite
early. Don't wait for your 5th or 6th semester to start contemplating about
your future.
If you have a plan from the very beginning, you will aim to keep your
grades up, identify faculty to be prospective referees for the letters of
recommendation, and have enough time to prepare for GRE or GMAT.
One mistake I made was being too ambitious. All colleges I have applied to
can be considered under the Dream category. Make sure you carefully
judge your profile and select dream, reach, and safe colleges accordingly.

41

 Start applying soon after online applications open; don't wait for the
deadline to come closer and pull up your socks. The reason, I believe, I got
rejected by UPenn was because I submitted my application in haste and
hence my SOP was not well thought out.
Remember, even after umpteen drafts, your SoP may not be perfect, let
alone the first attempt. So make sure you have ample time to apply and
redraft your SoP before you finally submit your application.

Remember, luck will always play a part. So don't be afraid of aiming high,
and all the best!

One of the greatest regrets I would have at this college is not having seniors
to look up to and get valuable tips from. I hope my juniors don't make the
same mistakes that I did - Gautam
42

Section V: Just a point

(Aadithya Viswanath)

43

An experience
The most crucial learning from my applications was that Europe is tough to
get for SNUites given our multi-disciplinary curriculum and being a new
university.
The reasons given by certain European universities for some of my rejects
was that the curriculum of our home institution lacks depth in comparison
with European universities as they cover much more engineering aspects
in three years itself.
Upon taking up this issue with certain concerned authorities, I came to
realize that SNUs curriculum matches more with that of American
institutions and hence would offer a suggestion that my juniors should
focus majorly on applying to US universities.

I would be happy to help my fellow juniors anytime - Aadithya

44

Section VI: A piece of advice

(Nayana Anne Bob)

45

Two tips
It takes time for our university to generate the transcripts (in my
experience). Also please do check it thoroughly before you ask them for
the print out as the possibility of errors do exist.

Give at least 6 months for GRE preparation.

46

Section VII: Student Profiles

(in alphabetical order)

47

 Personal Profile: (Academics)

Name: Aadithya Viswanath

Branch: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Founding batch of Shiv Nadar University.

GRE Score: 313 (Verbal: 151, Quant: 162, AWA: 3.5)

TOEFL Score: 106 (R:29, L:29, S:24, W:24)
CGPA: 8.9 (As of 7th semester)

Summer research project at IISc Bangalore(May-July 2014)

Undergraduate project at SNU (Jan-May 2015)
Conference paper published at ICP-2015 (Anna University)

Universities and program applied to:

o Dream: NUS, TUD, TUE, KTH, HUST, TUM, OUAS
o Reach: NCSU, UIC

You can contact me at:

aadithya.viswanath@gmail.com

Admit
Reject
Pending

(MS in Mechanical Engineering)

48

 Personal Profile: (Academics)

Name: Aishwarya Lakshmi

Branch: Computer Science
Year: Founding batch of Shiv Nadar University.

GRE Score: 320 (Verbal: 157, Quant: 163, AWA: 4.5)

TOEFL Score: 117 (R:29, L:29, S:30, W:29)
CGPA: 9.1 (As of 7th semester)

Summer research project at IIT-Gandhinagar

Undergraduate project at IIT-Madras (Jan-May 2015)

o
o
o

Universities and program applied to:

Dream: MIT, CMU, Georgia Tech, UIUC
Reach: Purdue, UCSD, Northwestern University
Safe: UCD, UCSB, Boston University

You can contact me at:

aishwarya1993@gmail.com

Admit
Reject
Pending

(MS in Computer Science with specialization in Data Mining)

49

 Personal Profile: (Academics)

Name: Gautam Bhat

Branch: Computer Science
Year: Founding batch of Shiv Nadar University.

GRE Score: 327 (Verbal: 161, Quant: 166, AWA: 4.0)

TOEFL Score: 116 (R:30, L:28, S:30, W:28)
CGPA: 7.4 (As of 7th semester)

Summer internship at NCR Corp.

Undergraduate project at SNU (Jan-May 2015)

You can contact me at:

gautam.bhat05@gmail.com

Universities and program applied to:

(All are under Dream category)
o UCLA, Columbia, CMU, Cornell, Georgia Tech, UMass Amherst
o UMaryland, UCSD, UTA, UPenn

Admit
Reject
Pending

(MS in Computer Science)

50

 Personal Profile: (Academics)

Name: Nayana Anne Bob

Branch: Civil Engineering
Year: Founding batch of Shiv Nadar University.

GRE Score: 303 (Verbal: 145, Quant: 158, AWA: 3.0)

TOEFL Score: 102 (R:24, L:28, S:26, W:24)
CGPA: 8.01 (As of 7th semester)

Internships at DMRC and Tata Projects.

Undergraduate project at SNU (Jan-May 2015)

You can contact me at:

nayanaannebob@gmail.com

Universities and program applied to:

(All are under Dream category)
o NUS, UTA, UCLA, UWM

Admit
Reject
Pending

(MS in Civil Engineering)

51

 Personal Profile: (Academics)

Name: Varun Mishra

Branch: Computer Science
Year: Founding batch of Shiv Nadar University.

GRE Score: 324 (Verbal: 154, Quant: 170, AWA: 4.5)

TOEFL Score: 112 (R:28, L:28, S:27, W:29)
CGPA: 8.6 (As of 7th semester)

Research project at IIT-Delhi

Undergraduate internship project at Siemens Research

Universities and program applied to:

(Since PhD is university specific, all are under Dream category)
o CMU, UCLA, USC, UIUC, UWash, UMass Amherst
o UCD, Dartmouth Full scholarship + stipend

You can contact me at:

varun@varunmishra.com

Admit
Reject
Pending

(PhD in Mobile Systems and Ubiquitous Computing)

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 Personal Profile: (Academics)

Name: Varun Ravikumar

Branch: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Founding batch of Shiv Nadar University.

GRE Score: 320 (Verbal: 159, Quant: 161, AWA: 3.0)

TOEFL Score: 110 (R:29, L:29, S:24, W:28)
CGPA: 9.22 (As of 7th semester)

Summer research project at NUS (May-July 2014)

Undergraduate project at IIT-Madras (Jan-May 2015)

o
o
o

Universities and program applied to:

Dream: MIT, ETH, NUS, UTA, PSU, TAMU
Reach: NCSU, MSU
Safe: SUNY Buffalo, Clemson University

You can contact me at:

varun.ravikumar13@gmail.com

Admit
Reject
Pending

(MS in Mechanical Engineering at all universities except MS in Material Science

Engineering at MSU & MS in Engineering Mechanics at UT Austin and Penn State).

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Section VIII: University Abbreviations

(in alphabetical order)

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 Abbreviation of university names listed in Section VII:

CMU : Carnegie Mellon University

ETH : ETH-Zurich
HUST : Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
KTH : KTH-Sweden
MIT : Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MSU : Michigan State University
NUS : National University of Singapore
NCSU : North Carolina State University
OUST : Offenburg University of Applied Sciences
PSU : Pennsylvania State University
TAMU : Texas A&M University
TUD : TU Delft
TUE : TU Eindhoven
TUM : TU Munich
UCD : University of California, Davis
UCLA : University of California, Los Angeles
UCSD : University of California, San Diego
UCSB : University of California, Santa Barbara
UIC
: University of Illinois, Chicago
UIUC : University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
UMary : University of Maryland
UMass : University of Massachusetts at Amherst
UPenn : University of Pennsylvania
USC
: University of Southern California
UTA
: University of Texas at Austin
UWash : University of Washington
UWM : University of Wisconsin, Madison

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Section IX: Internships/Research Projects

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Useful info (my experience)

There are mainly four phases during which a student can pursue an
internship or research project:

Summer after 1st year.

Summer after 2nd year.
Summer after 3rd year.
Final year project (Semester 8).

If students have identified beforehand that they would be pursuing higher

studies abroad after SNU, they should mainly focus on research-work.
If students plan to take up a job, they should focus more on acquiring
industrial experience and hence prepare for the same.
NOTE: It is up to the student to identify his/her area of interest(s) and
focus on them.
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 To work on a research topic under professors from top universities (both in

India & abroad), the student can either:

Approach faculty members from SNU who have connections and hence
contact professors.

Choose a university

Go to the faculty page

(related to your department)

Short-list a few professors

(based on your interests)

Observe all the professors profile

(research topics they work on)

Compose a well-worded/drafted
e-mail politely enquiring about any
position available to work under that
professors guidance.

Attach your well-drafted resume

Proceed to next university

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 Usually for opportunities in the summer, the associated applications start

in August of the previous year and end on December of the previous year.
The projects you work on in the summer after your third year are very
crucial and hence you need to start searching as early as possible for
opportunities.
It would be better if students can get some international research
exposure and hence are advised to try their luck for the same.
Even projects at universities within India will suffice admirably as long as
the research work you do is of good quality which can be determined by
the quality of the faculty you work under.
Research projects can also be undertaken under SNU faculty (as they are
some of the best faculty in India (trust me, I know!!) but a possible
disadvantage is a lack of facilities for your intended research project).
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 For applying abroad, there are programs through which you can work under a
faculty from a reputed international university. (You have to search on on your
own).
Remember, to be accepted for a research project at a top university, prior
research experience in that field would help (implying that you need to do
related projects in the summers) or if you do not have prior experience, you
need to have a high CGPA, which would indicate a students academic
commitment.

Also, a well-drafted e-mail and resume would go a long way in impressing the
reader and hence spend some time on the same. (You can follow the template
mentioned earlier in the presentation for e-mail purposes)
Take-away points are:

Maintain a high CGPA (there is no lower limit).

Practice your e-mail writing skills (VERY IMPORTANT).
Maintain good relations with faculty.
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 Some opportunities (based on personal knowledge):

NUS-India Research Initiative (Went to NUS through this program).

IIT-M/D/B Summer Research Fellowships.

IIT-B Research Scholarship Award for undergrad project (6 months)

(was offered Rs 10K/- per month to work under one of three faculty
members but declined in favor of IIT-M (no stipend)).

InGear A summer research program offered at Michigan State University

for all branches.

Erasmus-Mundus program (for European Universities).

DAAD programs (for German Universities).

MITACS Global programs (for Canadian Universities).

61

Section X: Additional information

62

More information
Useful links:

What after IIT - https://mme.iitm.ac.in/etch/node/64

How to win a Graduate Fellowship
http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Win-a-Graduate-Fello/46782/
Writing a research proposal http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/soc/documents/WRITING%20research%20pro
posal.pdf

Steps after admit- What to do next http://higheredublog.com/steps-admission-next/

MS in US - http://www.stupidsid.com/knowledge-hub/ms-in-us
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As an imminent alumnus of SNU and moreover being from the founding

batch, an inherent responsibility to help my juniors at SNU has motivated me
to compile this presentation. I implore future batches of students to contact
me (or) my fellow batch-mates if they require help at any point of their
professional careers and look forward to building a strong alumnus network
at SNU.
Varun Ravikumar (Batch of 2015)

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