(Finally) Where should I apply to grad school?

[aneeshm]

Another question: is it 'the done thing' to contact the admission department of the school and inquire if my profile is competitive?

 

[Bill3000]

Another question: is it 'the done thing' to contact the admission department of the school and inquire if my profile is competitive?

Hm. Let' see what a university graduate department thinks!

7. Question: Can you tell me my chances for admissions before I apply?
Answer: No.

I guess not!

There might be some forums where you can compare people of various school scores and the like and see where they got in, (there is one for Physics) but you're not going to get an answer from a department that gets 500 applicants a year.

As I said earlier you're not going to get into a high tier US school because of your grades. They might be acceptable if you were American, but not as a foreigner.

 

[aneeshm]

Hm. Let' see what a university graduate department thinks!

I guess not!

There might be some forums where you can compare people of various school scores and the like and see where they got in, (there is one for Physics) but you're not going to get an answer from a department that gets 500 applicants a year.

Thanks for the reply. I checked similar FAQs for university departments I was interested in, and got mixed results, but only someone with inside experience can tell what is culturally acceptable in some setting.

As I said earlier you're not going to get into a high tier US school because of your grades. They might be acceptable if you were American, but not as a foreigner.

The primary problem is that I have no way of converting my marks to grades. (Let me note that the University of Pune is significantly tougher than a normal Indian university to score in. The grade inflation afflicting many institutions in the south of the country, for instance, has no parallel here.) And I have wildly different marks in the theoretical examinations and the practicals and interview-style exams. As I said before, the difficulty of reading my handwriting has caused me to lose marks in written papers, while in all other performance measures I'm at the top, including interview-style examinations of theoretical knowledge.

Secondly, will my percentile in the SGRE compensate for the problem of grades you mentioned? One of the reasons I took the test was to demonstrate my performance when not hampered by a particular test format.

Another thing is that I've heard contradictory reports on this. Some say that I have a better chance because I'm not American, as I have to pay full tuition, whereas American students don't. Does that carry any weight in admission decisions?

 

[Bill3000]

High GRE/SGRE scores are the baseline for international students - if you get a less than perfect score you have a much lower chance of getting in. They won't really compensate. Your international peers in higher tier schools (let's say top 20s, 30s) are all going to have essentially perfect GPA and GRE scores. Some schools show their average grades and GRE scores for national and international students, but they're not going to tell how what shot you have at a school. Usually, that's what advisors are for.

You're going to need to be making your personal statement for grad school, and I highly suggest that you explain what caused your poor writing scores there.

This is for the US, not Canada. Don't know how they differ.

 

[aneeshm]

(Concluding bump.)

OK, it's done. The process is over, and I've received an offer of admission from Georgia Tech to the Master's program in Computer Science.

My heartfelt thanks to all those who have helped me here (and in the other thread); my application was, I think, strengthened quite a bit because of the points/hints/tips many here have given.

 

[JollyRoger]

Congrats. I expect assimilation into Georgia culture from you.

 

[GinandTonic]

Goodjob.

 

[plarq]

Congratulations

 

[Integral]

Congratulations!

The game is over for me as well. Applying for PhD programs in Economics, I received three offers of admission, one waitlist, and eight rejections. One school never got back to me.

Very happy with where I ended up.

 

[Whomp]

Congrats to both of you. I'll be interested to hear how you're both progressing.